Getting your house on the market

Selling a home takes preparation, organization and professional marketing. Here is the road map to listing your house for sale:

Select a selling agent

During the home selling process, a good real estate agent is worth their weight in gold. Choose an agent who is an expert on all things real estate in your neighbourhood: they should know your community, the home upgrades necessary to attract buyers, and all the intricacies of the transaction. From marketing your home to negotiating a price and closing the deal, the right agent for your needs will get it done.

Determine market value

Buyers will “come on down” when “the price is right”! Set your asking price too high, and your house will be passed over; set it too low, and you could lose thousands on the sale. Determining the right home price is much more a science than an art, and emotional factors shouldn’t stand in the way of sound financial judgment.

Prepare your home viewings

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

When buyers tour your home it’s important to have your house show as well as it can. Start by thoroughly cleaning your home, next here are a few tips:

FIRST IMPRESSION/GENERAL

• House exterior in good repair
• House number easy to read
• Eavestroughs, downspouts and soffits painted and in good repair
• Garage/car port clean and tidy
• Litter picked up
• Cracked or broken windowpanes replaced

FIRST IMPRESSIONS/SUMMER

• Lawns cut & raked
• Hedges and shrubs trimmed
• Garden weeded and edged

FIRST IMPRESSIONS/WINTER

• Snow and ice cleared away from walks
• Sidewalks sanded and salted
• Boot tray inside front door

AT THE FRONT DOOR

• Doorbell works
• Door hardware in good repair
• Porch and foyer clean & tidy
• Fresh air in house