By Warren McNeil,

Here is a video I did for sellers who are thinking about selling their houses in Waterloo Region. Please check out the video and if you have any questions or comments please let us know…

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Here is the transcript for the video:

Hi There, I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil at Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener

Today I am going to talk to you about a few things you need to do before selling your house.  Selling your home can be a simple and straightforward process if you follow the right steps.  In order to get top dollar and avoid headaches, it is important to do a few things beforehand. 
Here are 5 things you can do before selling your house.

Number 5 – Get a Market Evaluation
The first thing you should do is get a market evaluation on your house so you know exactly how much you house is worth before you do any work.  A realtor will advise you on things you should do and not do when preparing the house for sale. We will make recommendations on things such as updating, repairs, decluttering or staging.. You might not need to spend as much money as you think to get your house ready.

Number 4 – Mortgage information
If you have a mortgage on your house, you should find out if there is a penalty to pay out your mortgage early.  We recommend calling your lender to find this information out.

Number 3 – Make repairs and perform other maintenance items
It s a good idea to do any necessary repairs around the house. We also recommend that you replace furnace filters, fill the water softener with salt, replace burnt out light bulbs, fix broken door handles and replace any cracked or broken windows. Consider hiring a home inspector before you sell your house so that you can find out if there are any unknown issues. If you fix the issues beforehand, then you can avoid surprises later when the buyer does their home inspection. The money you spend now on repairs, maintenance and home inspection could help you get more money later.  Contact us if you would like us to recommend a good Waterloo area home inspector or other skilled professional.

Number 2 – Declutter, Depersonalize, Paint, Clean and Stage

-          Decluttering: Decluttering will allow the buyer to visualize how big and spacious the rooms are in the house. People who are selling their houses often use their garages to store items from the house. Other options are offsite storage or storage pods.

-          Depersonalizing:  You should also consider depersonalizing your house. This is a touchy area and all I am going to say is just put yourself in the buyer shoes and try to view the house through their eyes.  Keep an open mind and remember that the goal is to sell the house for the most money.

-          Cleaning: One of the cheapest things you can do is clean. Buyers love looking at clean houses. If you are unable to clean on your own, consider hiring a cleaning service to help you. It will be the best money you ever spend.

-          Painting: Painting is one of the best things you can do to make a house feel fresh and clean and to add more appeal.  If you are unable to do a good job yourself, consider hiring someone to do it for you.

-          Staging: Hire a staging profession to stage your home. It is amazing what a professional stager can do to help you get more money for you house.  

Contact us if you’d like a recommendation for a professional organizer, a professional stager, a painter or a cleaning service.

And the Number 1 thing to do before selling your house is: Determine the best possible price
Pricing is the single most important thing to consider before selling your house. Your house will be worth a certain value based on its location, updates, condition and the recent sold comparables.  When you hire an agent, don’t list your home with the agent who wants to overprice your property just so they can get the listing. List your house with the agent who takes the time to go through the comparables and provides valid reasons for their price recommendation.   Homes that are overpriced often sell for less.

Whether you are a move-up buyer, relocating or downsizing, selling you house can be a smooth process if you follow these steps. 

 If you are thinking about selling your house in Waterloo Region and you would like to get started with a free online market evaluation of your Waterloo area home, please visit our website at www.clickthathouse.com or call us at 519-498-8118. Thanks for watching and see you next time!

We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and  everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage (   519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118                8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks       Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

By Warren McNeil,

I am a little apprehensive saying this because as soon as I say it, we will be hit with a big snowstorm. I hope Spring is here? I love Spring for a few reasons.  I always know when Spring is here because I get to go to the Elmira Maple Syrup festival. Who doesn’t love Sapfest! I can picture those pancakes now.. Yummmmmy!! The second thing is I get to open my fish pond. Hopefully my fish are OK this year. There were a couple of really cold nights. We have had really good luck over the past 5 years so I am expecting this year to be the same.

The other way we can tell Spring is here is the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate market heats up. I can tell this year is going to be hot. Buyers are “chomping at the bit” to get out house hunting. Some already are.. The biggest issue though is the lack of inventory. There are lots of multiple offers going on and buyers are paying more money for houses. Sellers are getting top dollar for their houses. The is great for sellers but not so great for buyers. With that said, interest rates are still low. I think the key thing buyers should consider is the money they are saving in interest from the bank is offset by the prices  they are paying for the houses.  Move-up buyers will get more money for their houses but they will also pay more money for the house they plan to buy.  

What does this all mean? To me it means that it is still  a good time to buy despite the higher prices. Not all areas are effected. So you can still get good deals if you look for them. Research is important before making decision.

It is important to get out and see everything that is available and act fast when you find the house you like.

Thanks for reading!

We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and  everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage (   519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118                8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks     Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

By Warren McNeil
 

The Table below shows the most relevant real estate data for the month of Feb 2010 and compares it with the previous month and the previous year, January 2010 and February 2010, respectively. This information is for single detached only in all areas.

The above information is believed to be correct errors and ommissions accepted.

 See my recent post titled What’s going on with the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Market

Thanks for reading!

We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and  everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage (  519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118                8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks   Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

By Warren McNeil,

The spring market is nearly here and our Team is really gearing up. The Bank of Canada has maintained the interest rates which is really good news.

See: http://creanews.ca/2010/03/02/bank-of-canada-maintains-interest-rates-4/

Buyers are in the market right now looking to buy houses. However the biggest problem is low inventory levels. In January, the number of active listings was down 33% over 2009.

See: http://files.newswire.ca/577/MarketTrendsRpt2010.pdf

 Our team has been doing lots of market evaluations for people lately so we know that it’s going to be a busy spring.

Now is a good time to sell because of the following reasons:

• less inventory can work in the sellers favour. less competition
• low interest rates for buyers making it easier to buy
• there’s an abundance of buyers
• the minimum downpayment requirement is still 5% and not 10%
• the olympics are over. Not sure if that’s a good reason but it sounded good
• higher offer potential
• multiple offer potential

The next three months are going to be really interesting.

Thanks for reading!

We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and  everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage (  519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118                8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks   Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

Absolutely Adorable

• 1 bath, 3 bdrm 1 1/2 story - MLS® $214,900

Kitchener East, Kitchener  -  Absolutely adorable 1 1/2 storey single detached home! Upper level boasts 2 spacious bedrooms with original hardwood. Bright cozy living room with gas fireplace. Separate dining room with newer hardwood.

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