An Article From Ljubica Krpan : Sales Representative Specializing in Mississauga, Ontario
Spring Real Estate Market…in January?
I know, this seems completely counterintuitive, how can a Spring Real Estate Market start in January? Wouldn’t it make sense to start in March or April?
In reality, the Spring Real Estate Market does begin in the colder winter months! WHY? A simple reason is because most people underestimate all that needs to be done in the home for sale selling process.
There are many steps that need to occur in order to put your home up FOR SALE. And it all simply begins by thinking of putting your home up for sale…followed by these few steps…
1. Making a Final Decision To Sell Your Home
You need to move from just thinking of selling your house or condo, to making a firm decision of actually selling your home and putting it on the real estate market.
2. Fixing Minor Repairs In Your Home
You need to walk through your home and finish all those unfinished projects, and/or fix any minor repairs in your home. This might mean filling in nail holes on your walls or fixing the leaky faucet in the upstairs bathroom. If you notice it, chances are, so will potential buyers. Small changes can also certainly increase the value of your home.
3. De-cluttering Your Home
This is probably one of the hardest tasks for homeowners– how much to de-clutter? When have you de-cluttered enough? You want to take away any items that can give a potential buyer an idea of who actually lives there (i.e. family photos, college diploma or university degree). A good rule of thumb is: when you think you’re finished, you probably still have another 10% left to remove.
4. Painting The Interior Of Your Home
To really give potential buyers that move-in ready feel, you might want to consider painting the interior of your home, as well as trim. If you’ve got bright colours on your walls, a suggestion would be to change the wall colours to neutral. This will appeal to a larger percentage of buyers.
5. Increasing The Curb Appeal Of Your Home
Take a walk around the exterior of your home. Look at it from the buyer’s perspective. Does the driveway need a good paving? Does the front door welcome guests? Maybe it needs a fresh coat of paint? Do your hedges need trimming? These are all small steps to increase the value of your home.
6. Cleaning Your Entire Home
The entire home, from top to bottom, needs a very thorough cleaning. Think of removing the grime in tile grout, cleaning the window sills, etc. If that’s not your forte, call in some professional cleaners for the day. It might be an expense, but one that is well worth the cost.
7. Staging Your Home (if necessary)
Is there a room in your house that is empty? Maybe you’re not sure how to stage your dining room? Staging your home professionally may well be the answer to help you get the most amount of dollars for your home.
As you see from the list above, there really is a lot to do to prepare your home to sell for the most amount of money! This process can take anywhere from a couple of weeks, to a month or two, depending on the state of your home, as well as the time you have to devote to it. By starting early, you’re giving yourself sufficient time to get the home ready for the real estate market.
One item that is missing from the list, an incredibly important step, is to hire the best Realtor® to represent you! Ideally, this should be done after Step1#, as they can provide you with professional advice as to what needs to be done to get your home ready for today’s buyer and competitive real estate market.
You want to hire a Realtor® knowledgeable of the current real estate market conditions in your neighbourhood, and one who is ready to work hard to net you the most amount of money in your pocket. It’s in your best interest to interview the Realtor® to find out how they will be marketing your property and how they will keep you informed and in touch throughout the entire process. All Realtors® are not created equal, so do your research!
Feel free to contact Ljubica Krpan at 416.558.882 or by email at Ljubica@SearchRealty.ca for any real-estate related questions, or for tips on how to get the most amount of dollars for your home – She is here to help you throughout the process.
