LISTING CHECKLIST

What To Expect When Selling Your Home

 

While You Are Preparing to List Your Home:

  • Decide on your motivation – why and when are important questions to ask before you list.
  • Tie up any loose ends that you have been meaning to do with your property.  Get quotes on renovations or repairs.
  • Have copies of your recent utility bills, tax assessment, water well reports, septic reports/permits, real property reports, descriptive plans, etc.
  • Confirm your schedule with your chosen Realtor® to make sure you get the time that works best – preferably with the least amount of distractions and time constraints.

Your First Meeting – 30 – 45 Minutes:

  • You and your Realtor® will meet at a convenient time for you!  A time with the least amount of distractions and time constraints.
  • Information sharing will happen in this meeting and a tour of your property, with your Realtor® and possibly one or more Brokerage / Realtor®.
  • Ask any questions you may have and the Realtor® will do his or her best to answer them during this meeting.  Your Realtor® will re-schedule with you to present the Market Evaluation Appraisal and will bring all the necessary paperwork to your property.

Your Listing Meeting:

  • You and your Realtor® will meet at a convenient time for you!  A time with the least amount of distractions and time constraints.
  • The Realtor® will provide you with the Market Evaluation and comparing properties that are currently on the market and some that have sold in your area.  This will help determine a list price that will properly reflect the current market.
  • This meeting will be thorough and will require you to provide identification, sign documents, and the Realtor® will explain the marketing plan for your property.
  • After this meeting your Realtor® will provide copies to you of all the paperwork and your property will be listed on Realtor.ca as soon as 2 business days after signing the listing agreement.

Your Open House:

  • Clean and tidy the entrance (welcome mats are clean, shoes and boots put away neatly, remove any mud or snow from the floor).
  • Make sure your house does not have a “smell” that is not inviting.  Sometimes food smells linger.
  • Turn on all the lights, even closets.  Possibly turn on your fireplace.  Open your curtains and blinds.  This creates a light and warm atmosphere.
  • Remove personal belongings from sight (bills, letters, etc.) and clear the fridge of pictures and personal information.
  • Organize closets, bookshelves, and toys/games.
  • Keep your counter tops free from clutter.
  • Clean all major appliances and light fixtures.  Prepare your property to look fresh and sparkly.
  • Empty all garbage.
  • Replace all burnt out lights.
  • Clean or replace stained carpets, make sure the floors are washed.
  • Touch up painting in areas of high traffic or where you have removed pictures/shelves.
  • Clean off the walkways and driveways of leaves, snow or debris.

Tips for a Quick Sale:

  • Remind yourself of your motivation to sell your home.  Try to take emotion out of the sale and view your home as a property for sale.  The less emotional you are towards your home, the better equipped you will be to make rational and fair decisions in selling your property.
  • Depersonalize!  Start packing the pictures and family heirlooms.  Buyers can get distracted by your “things” and not be able to personalize the space for themselves.  If there are things that you absolutely want to take with you after you sell, please remove them from sight.  These things are often sentimental like shelves, certain curtains, and fixtures that you do not want being sold with the home.  A good thought is “out of sight, out of mind”.
  • Unclutter!  Remove all possessions that may be in the way of a buyer’s ability to see the home’s features.  The counters, closets, hallways, stair cases and knickknacks.
  • Re-arrange cupboards and closets.  If they look neat and tidy prospective buyers will feel that their things will fit in the space.  Take extra dishes and small appliances that you are not using and extra plastics/Tupperware out of cupboards and pack them if you are not using them every day.
  • Remove extra furniture that makes a room seem smaller or cluttered.  A house will show better to a potential buyer if you have more room, creating a more open flow to the space.
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