When it comes to selling your home, or just enjoying your home, we can’t state enough how important maintaining the exterior is. The outside of your home is the first thing potential buyers see, and it can greatly impact anyone’s first impression of your property. Including your own.

We put together a handy 5-step to-do list to help you whip through the task of late summer landscaping. This will make your Fall Clean up a breeze and keep your home looking spiffy for when you’re ready to sell too.

First, add mulch to flowerbeds.  Adding a layer of mulch to your flowerbeds can significantly improve water retention, helping prevent dehydration in your plants.  

Second, deadhead flowers.  Deadheading flowers is crucial for promoting…

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When it comes to selling your home, preparing the exterior can be just as important as preparing the interior. The outside of your home is the first thing potential buyers see, and it can greatly impact their first impression of your property.

Luckily, there are several low-cost outdoor improvements that will make your home more appealing to buyers.

First, consider adding some potted plants or flowers to your front porch or entryway. This can help add some colour and life to your home's exterior and create a welcoming atmosphere for potential buyers. Even in winter, small potted evergreens can have an impact.

Second, consider cleaning up your landscaping. This can include trimming overgrown bushes and trees, mowing the lawn, and removing…

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Increasing the natural light in your home offers so many positive benefits. Bringing sunlight in helps to enhance the welcoming atmosphere inside your home, improve your mood, help you wake up in the morning, allow for better interior photography, and even help it sell!

We’ve gathered six effective tips to help you increase the natural light inside your home, which is especially important if you’re planning to sell!

1. An Open-Concept Layout

Start by removing any clutter or furniture that’s blocking light from entering through your windows. This includes larger plants, bookcases, desks and other bulky furniture. Try moving them to the other side of the room and replacing them with floating shelves or lower furniture instead.

2. Mirrors…

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Imagine you’re shopping for a car. You find one that’s a suitable model, a recent year, and hasn’t been driven a lot. The price is right, too.

But, there’s a caveat.

The paint is worn off in several places. The driver’s seat upholstery is torn and requires repair. And, the tires needed to be replaced… a long time ago.

Would you still buy it? You might. However, unless you enjoy fixing up cars, you’d probably hesitate to make the purchase.

After all, in addition to seeing the car itself, you’re noticing the work that needs to be done to fix it.

The same holds true when selling your home.

The more “move-in” ready you make the property the more likely buyers are to become interested in buying it. Like when viewing a car, you want…

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When you’re selling your home, you want to promote those features that will be of highest interest to prospective buyers. After all, the more reasons a buyer has to love your property, the more likely they are to make a great offer.

Increasingly, one category of features that buyers are looking for is energy efficiency. So, if there are specific energy-saving characteristics of your home, make sure those are highlighted when selling.

When considering the energy-efficient characteristics of your property, consider the following:

• Appliances: Fridge, stove, washer, dryer

• HVAC: Furnace, air conditioner

• Insulation. (Especially in the attic)

• Home technology. For example, a system that automates heating, cooling, lighting, etc., to…

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There are several ways to make the selling process easy and relatively stress-free. One way is to create a selling timeline that fits your needs, lifestyle, and capabilities.

Say you’d like to list your home in four weeks and expect it to be on the market for an additional four weeks. That’s an eight-week timeline. How do you create a manageable schedule that works for you?

Try these steps:

1. Determine what you need to do to get your home ready for sale

2. Assign who will be doing what. For example, if you need to paint, will you hire a contractor? Do it yourself? Make a family day out of it?

3. Estimate the time it will take to do those tasks. Then add 50% as a buffer. (It’s easy to underestimate time on tasks)

4. Look at…

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8 Things Buyers Don’t Want to See in a Kitchen When prospective buyers visit your listed home, the room they tend to check out most closely is the kitchen. So, it pays to ensure it looks its best.

However, no matter how tidy, clean, and well-adorned you’ve made your kitchen, there are some issues — which can seem minor — that can distract a buyer from appreciating those positive qualities.

Here are just a few to watch out for:

1. Stained sink

 

Use a specialized cleaner for the type of sink you have. (For example, Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner.)

2. Garbage in the garbage bin

Buyers don’t mind seeing the bin, just not garbage in it! Don’t forget to also empty the organic waste bin.

3. Left-over cooking scents

…

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There are many reasons why a homeowner might want to move. Examples include upsizing, downsizing, work relocation, or simply desiring a change. However, another popular reason for pulling up stakes is noticing that the neighbourhood is changing in a way that no longer fits your lifestyle goals.

For example, say there’s a shopping mall in development nearby. It may not be impacting you now, but in a couple of years, the increase in traffic and noise could nudge above your tolerance level especially if you prefer quiet!

That’s why it’s important to occasionally take a peek into your crystal ball and see what changes to your neighbourhood you can anticipate over the next two to three years. Of course, there’s no actual crystal ball. But there are…

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When it comes to selling your home with pets though, remember that:

  • Not everybody likes pets in the house;
  • Some people will outright avoid houses with pets;
  • Not everybody wants to see, smell or hear your pets

Unfathomable, but it's true. Some humans just don't like our fur babies... So what do we do?

Here are our best tips for Selling a Home with Pets

 

Litterboxes

Everyone’s favorite part of owning a kitty cat. When it comes to selling though, it must be clean. Always. No evidence. Ever.

Just like real estate, litterboxes are about location, location, location. Try your best to hide it away as best you can.  Of course, do this long before showings begin so that your cat can get used to it and doesn’t rebel. Poo…

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Understanding How your Local Market Works

When you read or watch the news about the real estate market, it may seem reasonable to make the assumption that the information applies equally to your street or community.

But that isn’t always true.

In fact, the characteristics of your local real estate market can differ in many respects from the regional or national market.

Say the regional real estate market is most active during certain months of the year. That might be true of your neighbourhood, too. But there may also be some caveats. If, for example, buyers are eagerly awaiting listings to come up in your community, then that micro market might heat up faster than other areas in the region.

Knowing how your local market works and…

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