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…
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-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
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-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
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.
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-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
Hi There! I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil and Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener
The Internet has changed the way we all communicate in this world. As a realtor, we need to constantly stay current with technology and utilize these new methods with our marketing. Technology, if used right, can make a huge difference when marketing a home for sale. Gone are the days of the big MLS book. According to the National Association Realtors, 84% of people start their home search onlne. So hiring a tech-savvy realtor is more important then ever to give you that edge you need to sell or buy your next home. Here are the top 5 reasons to hire a tech-savvy realtor.
Number 5 – Website
It is important that a realtor has their own website. In my opinion, websites are not optional they are mandatory. They serve many purposes. A realtor’s website should be able to display listings with lots of photos, detailed desctriptions of the property and an area for virtual tours as well as provide an easy way for prospective buyers to contact the realtor.
Number 4 – Print advertising
A realtor who utilizes both print advertising and the internet is better able to take advantage of both mediums strengths. Marketing a house for sale in the newpaper and leading the buyer to the website for more information is crucical for maximizing the marketing of a property. You still need both! A tech-savvy realtor understands that many consumers still rely on traditional advertising methods. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Number 3 – Mobility
Realtors must be able to access email or text messages while in the field. Prospective buyers want information rightaway so it is very imortant for realtors to have a PDA such as a Blackberry or an Iphone.
Number 2 – SEO or Search Engine Optimization
Realtors who have good search engine ranking ensures that your listings get found on the Internet. Realtor.ca is a great website but it is not the only website to rely on when it comes to marketing your home online. Buyers also use search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing to look for houses. Realtors who have their websites optimized will have a better chance at getting their house listings found.
Number 1 – Web 2.0 – Social media
The internet has become more interactive over the past 5 years. Having a website is not good enough. Realtors also need to blog, do videos, Twitter and use Facebook. These are all methods that are important for us to connect with clients, prospective buyers and prospective sellers. Having a realtor that utilizes some or all of this technology ensures that you hired the right person to do the job.
The good news is, technology will continue to evolve. As new technologies come out we must harness their effectiveness so we can all do our jobs more efficiently!
Thanks for watching and see you next time!
Thanks for reading!
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
This is a question that gets asked almost every day. However the answer is a lot more complicated then just saying “it’s good” or “it’s bad”. Each area of the Kitchener-Waterloo real estate market is different. For example, according to the KW real Estate Board, condos in Kitchener-Waterloo had an increase in 2009 of 2.2% over 2008. Freehold condos increased by 2.2% and single detached homes increase was 0.3%.
In order to get a really accurate evaluation of the market, we need to isolate the area that you are most interested in. For example, lets look at freehold condominiums in Waterloo West less then 10 years old. The next thing we do is pull up all the freehold townhouses that sold within the last year. Feb 1, 2009 – Feb 1, 2010. I get the following information.
Freehold Condominiums in Waterloo West less then 10 years old (Feb 1, 2009 – Feb 1, 2010)
units sold 83
average sale price: 249,500
average list to sale price ratio: 98%
average days on market: 38
Now lets do the same comparison for Feb 1, 2008- Feb 1, 2009
Freehold Condominiums in Waterloo West less then 10 years old (Feb 1, 2008 – Feb 1, 2009)
units sold: 59
average sale price: $250.439
average list to sale price ratio: 99%
average days on market: 62
As you can see there is quite a bit of difference. Last year, there were 30 more freehold condos sold then in the same period in 2008. The average sale price was pretty much the same. In 2008 the list to sale price was higher then 2009. The average days on market was alot better in 2009 then in 2008.
What’s my point here? Well it’s simple, each area of the market require seperate analysis to get truly accurate data. From now on, my response when somebody asks the question, “How’s the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Market?” will be, it all depends on what information you are looking for. For Kitchener-Waterloo as a whole, I would say great!
Anyways, thanks for reading!
We are a full-time real estate team in Kitchener Waterloo area. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo or Cambridge areas. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
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Video Blogs — Tags: accurate evaluation, buying a house, decluttering, full service real estate, full time real estate, home inspection, home inspector, hot real estate market, house for sale, Houses For Sale, Inspection, kitchener home search mls, kitchener realtor, kitchener waterloo average days on market, Kitchener Waterloo home sellers, kitchener waterloo unit sales, Kitchener-Waterloo, kitchener-waterloo real estate agent, low interest rates, market evaluation, melanie mcneil, mls services, Real Estate, real estate agent, Real estate broker, real estate team, realtor, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, selling your home, team mcneil, tips for selling your house, twin city realty, video blog, vlog, warren mcneil, waterloo area, waterloo real estate statistics, Waterloo Region —
wmcneil @ March 11, 2010 8:37 am
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