Month: June 2015

Wondering how much your house would sell for in today’s market?
To find out, you’ll need answers to these three questions:

How much have similar houses in your community sold for recently? Review sales in your area over the past six months as well as homes currently listed. This information will give you a clearer idea of what the market is willing to pay.

What desirable special features and upgrades does your home have to offer? Home buyers are willing to pay a premium for hardwood floors, larger kitchens, bigger closets, renovated washrooms and finished basements. Depending on market conditions, these features may allow you to increase your selling price a few percentage points.

Does your house have any undesirable features? Be brutally honest. If your house has just one washroom, or backs onto a busy highway, or has some creaks in the floors, then you might have to reduce your price expectations by a few points.

You might be surprised by what you could get for your house in today’s market. To find out more, call today.

Hiring the right home inspector is important. After all, you want the inspection to leave no stone unturned when determining the condition of the house you are considering purchasing.

Unfortunately, the professionalism and range of services vary widely in the home inspection industry. So it pays to ask the right questions before you choose. Here are a few suggestions:

“What does your inspection cover?”

A home inspector should be able to present you with a detailed list of what is covered in the inspection. Don’t settle for a vague verbal promise like, “We check everything top to bottom.” Get it in writing.

In addition, you should get an assurance that the inspection complies with all Local, and Provincial or State regulations.

“What are your qualifications?”

As with most professions, experience counts. You want to check how long the inspector has been in the business, and how many homes like yours he has inspected.

Also ask about his credentials. What professional training programs has he completed? Does he belong to a recognized home inspection association?

“Do you also offer to do home repairs or renovations?”

If he does, it’s a conflict of interest. You want an inspector to give you an unbiased report as to the condition of the house, without any expectation of getting some contracting work on the side.

“How long will the inspection take?”

You’ll want to find out if the inspector takes his time and does a thorough job, or rushes things so he can get as many homes done in a day as possible. On average, a typical single family home should take two to three hours to inspect properly.

“May I contact some references?”

Ask for references from people in the community you are considering. Then, make sure you call them.

“Curb appeal”. You’ve probably heard that term used before. It refers to how valuable and enticing your house looks from the outside, typically from the perspective of a potential buyer “standing on the curb”.

Many people focus on preparing the inside of their house for sale, and neglect preparing the outside. This is a mistake. Studies confirm that curb appeal has a huge influence over how quickly your house will sell, and for how much.

How do you improve curb appeal?

You don’t need to do a major landscaping renovation! In fact, small improvements often make the biggest difference… improvements you can easily do over a weekend.

Here are some suggestions:

• Clean the outside of front windows. Make them sparkle!
• Remove grass, weeds and other unwanted growth between driveway and walkway stones.
• Prune shrubs and trim trees.
• Re-sod bare spots on the lawn.
• Edge the lawn. (A simple task that can have a dramatic visual impact.)
• Water the flowerbed. (Flowers look brighter and more healthy within one hour of watering.)
• Sweep the walkway and driveway. Rake the leaves.
• Remove signs such as “Beware of dog” and “No solicitations”.
• Check the welcome mat. If it’s worn or dirty, replace it.
• Also, consider buying some attractive potted flowers to put near the entranceway. They are worth the investment.

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to boost the curb appeal of your house. Just a little work and a few added details will make a big difference.

Need more ideas for increasing the “sales appeal” of your house? Call today.