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

Thanks for reading!

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Connect with us on the following social networks Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamMcNeilRemax
websites: www.TeamMcNeil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.KitchenerLofts.com, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

By Warren McNeil,

Many people are getting ready to sell their houses this year and some will be deciding whether to sell privately or with a real estate agent. The purpose of this blog is to let sellers know their options. My goal here is not to slam any particular method. Just to point out the options.

Here are 4 options for selling your house:

•  FSBO or for sale by owner. There are many people who head to Canadian Tire, pick up the black and orange sign and put it on the front  lawn.  This way could work if the timing is right or you already know someone who might want to buy your house. People do successfully sell there house this way but is not for everyone.
• Using  private for sale companies. This is a step up from selling totally on your own. There are two popular private for sale companies in our area. They are Property Guys - www.propertyguys.com and By The Owner  – www.bytheowner.com.  These private for sale companies help sellers by providing them with a sign, a website where they can showcase all the information about their house along with providing potential buyers with  easy access to contact the seller. These sites give the private seller an added advantage over going at it completely alone. I think these services work well for people who want to do it themselves but just need a little bit of an edge.
• Discount brokerages. These types of services are similar to the FSBO service providers. The big difference between them is that they are licensed brokerages registered with the Canadian Real Estate Association. Sellers are able to work with these brokerages to help them sell their house.  With some plans, you can even get MLS services. This will allow you to have your house  showcased on realtor.ca.  This is an option for people looking for a alternative to the private for sale companies. This will also give you an edge over going at it completely alone.
• Full Service real estate brokerages such as Re/Max.. This is where our team  falls into the mix. The majority of homes sell though this method. Full service real estate brokerages offer a full range of valuable services to home sellers. Sellers can benefit by having licensed, skilled and motivated professionals to help them through this sometimes challenging and tedious process.  
  
  These services will appeal to the following types of people: 

   -people who don’t want to be involved in the process at all
  - people who lack the ability to negoitate or don’t like to negotiate
  - people who live out of the area
  - investors that don’t want to be involved in the sale of property
  - divorce
  - power of sales
  - distress sales
  -  estate sales
  
  The list goes on and on.  This is a really good option if you are afraid to go at it alone or don’t see the value in using a discount brokerage.

I also want to add that buyers are better off working with a realtor when buying a house. Especially first time home buyers who know nothing about the process. Buyers are able to benefit by the knowledge of a good realtor. Buying a house without knowing market knowledge could lead to over paying for a house or worst then that buying a money pit.

I want to reiterate that this blog is not intended to alienate any one method. It’s  main purpose is to show sellers that they have options. They should choose wisely when choosing which one will give them the greatest result.  There will always be people who want to sell privately and those who want to work with a real estate agent. There is room for both…

Good luck and happy selling!

Take care and thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading!

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Connect with us on the following social networks Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamMcNeilRemax
websites: www.TeamMcNeil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.KitchenerLofts.com, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca