Buyers / Sellers | Brockville Ontario Real Estate | 1000 Island Properties

Sellers

10 Helpful Tips To Get Your Home Ready For Sale

      #1: De-Clutter
      #2: De-Personalize
      #3: Curb Appeal (Get Them Inside!)
      #4: Downplay The Negative
      #5: Man's Best Friend: Not When Selling Your Home
      #6: Be Willing To Show Your Home Almost Anytime
      #7: Don't Forget About The Fixtures
      #8: Lawns And Landscaping
      #9: Prioritize Your Problems
      #10: Price It Right

De-Clutter

One of the biggest turnoffs for a potential Buyer is having too much stuff in your house; making it hard to navigate room to room, and potentially taking away from the beauty of your home. Here are a few tips to help you out.

Buyers will look through your cupboards and closets; so clean them out of any unnecessary junk.
Store unneeded items away from your house; Brockville has many different storage facilities you can use to temporarily clear your house out.
Can you walk through your home without having to move around furniture or other objects? If not then try re-arranging or removing some of your belongings.
Don't ask friends or relatives for advice. They may be used to your home or just not want to hurt your feelings. Be honest with yourself!

De-Personalize

De-personalizing your home allows the new Buyers to mentally move in while they are walking through for the first time.

This means packing up collections, photographs, trophies, and whatever other personal items you have around the house.
Imagine test driving a used car with belongings of the previous owner still in it: an old Tim Horton's cup, a map, grocery receipts...get the picture?
Now you know why used car dealerships have those cars empty and sparkling clean.

Curb Appeal: Get Them Inside

Painting gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Keep the colours neutral and in line with the neighbourhood look. Tans, beiges, and grays are your best bet.
Check your window frames, shutters, front door, and gutters; having these freshly painted makes a huge difference from the road.
Get rid of all distractions that will take away from your homes beauty. Everything fom a garden hose to toys and sports equipment. Right up to the big stuff like trailers and boats in the driveway.
Do you have a big front porch? If so make it inviting by adding a rocking chair, porch swing or wicker furniture.

Downplay The Negative

Kitchens are the heart of the home and the most important to Buyers.
If yours is small then think about white paint and getting rid of anyextraneous items in view. Use light curtains to blend with the walls.
Consider replacing the flooring if it looks outdated. The sheen of new vinyl flooring can make a big difference. Neutral ceramic tile can add a considerable amount of value to your home.
Older bathrooms can get an easy facelift with a new shower curtain with coordinated window treatments and towels. Above all make sure the bathroom is sparkling clean and make sure all dripping faucets are fixed.

Man's Best Friend: Not When Selling Your Home

In a day and age when we send our pets to doggy daycare, or put them on antidepressants when they're feeling blue, it's hard for some to believe that 30-50% of people do not like pets.
With asthma and allergies at an all time high, even buyers who love animals may have concerns with the presence of pets.
A barking dog in your home will be a definite distraction to potential buyers, and leave them with a negative experience.
Removing your pet during showings will also help depersonalize your home for others.
When there's a scheduled showing, plan to take the pup out for a walk or to visit a friend; he'll love you even more for it!

Be Willing To Show Your Home Almost Anytime

Last minute appointments can be a nuisance, but a family relocating to this area may not get a second opportunity to view your home.
Stay calm when you get that call from your agent, and buy a little extra time if you need it.
Sometimes the agent has another home they can show before yours and can do a little rescheduling to help you out.
Have a last minute game-plan for the family cleanup. Beds, dishes, and clearing the floors are an absolute must!

Don't Forget About The Fixtures

When looking at a home, often prospective Buyers do not really know what to do. So they play with things, they flick light switches, they open doors, and they turn on faucets.
For this reason it makes a huge difference when your home is equipped with new light switches and fixtures.
For a smart shopper it would be easy to replace the old light switches and fixtures in your home for less then $200; and you will get that money back many times over on the sale of your home.
Go through your home and check all faucets: If any leak or are difficult to turn off and on, do the necessary repairs.
Giving your home that polished/finished feel is key to getting a quick sale, and thus top dollar for your property.

Lawns And Landscaping

Is your landscaping at least average for your neighbourhood? If not make sure to buy a few bushes and colourful flowers to spruce up the front lawn.
If your grass is brown or patchy, try over seeding to promote new growth. This involves spreading a bit of new earth on your lawn with a rake and putting down grass seed.
Edging your grass and gardens is another easy way to give your lawn a finished look and really make your home stand out from the others on the street.
If you're planning to put your home on the market make sure you start watering your lawn a couple weeks before the sign goes up.

Prioritize Your Problems

The overall finished feel of your home will have a huge impact on how Buyer's will view it; and ultimately how much they will be willing to pay.
In other words it is important to make sure that everything is as perfect as your comfortable making it when you sell your house.
Go through your home and make a list of everything that needs some touching up or fixing, then start at the top and work your way down.
Does the trim need touch up paint? Are there scratches or holes in the walls that need repair? What about the exterior; pressure washing your siding can make your home look almost new again.

Price It Right

Pricing your home is the single most important decision you will make when selling your property.
Making sure it is priced properly will not only ensure that you get as much money as possible on closing, but also guarantee that it sells in a timely fashion.
Homes that sit on the market too long attract bargain hunters, and get people asking the awful question: "I wonder what's wrong with that house?"
To get an idea what your home might be worth before you ask a Realtor for their assessment I suggest going to a few open houses in your neighbourhood and comparing your home in terms of size, quality of finishing, and amenities.