Preparing Your Calgary Home For Sale
Before you decide to list your home, there are a few small preparations that you need to complete in order to bring it into 'show ready' condition, making it ready for the market.
It's important to note as a home owner that deferred maintenance or neglecting needed (glaring) repairs won't necessarily mean that your home won't sell, but instead will produce offers that reflect issues, and in most cases, these offers will reflect these issues with lower offers that favour the buyers. By addressing these issues today, doing spring cleaning, etc prior to your home hitting the Calgary Real Estate market, you will generate better offers that are closer to your desired price.
Lighting Essentials
This is particularly true in the winter where our days grow shorter and shorter, most clients who view your home may not be seeing it in the daylight! This means you really need to focus on the interior lighting, a dark dimly lit home isn't inviting, or welcoming, and won't show off all the features of your property. Take the time to run through your home and replace any and all burnt out light bulbs, it's also a great idea to buy the same light bulbs or warmth throughout, giving your home a uniform and consistent feel throughout. Also do not hesitate to utilize the 311 application by the city of Calgary, if your street has lights that are out, put in a request to have them fixed, this will enhance your exterior curb appeal and provide a safer more inviting atmosphere for potential buyers.
Curb Appeal
An absolutely critical aspect to your homes overall appearance and desirability, curb appeal begins the minute that potential Calgary home buyers and their REALTORS® pull up to your property for their showing. If you don't have an appealing exterior, or you're lacking outdoor maintenance, have garbage, or just generally aren't appealing, the clients could even decide to move on to the next showing (especially if they're crunched for time). Take a weekend (or two) roll up your sleeves, or hire a landscaping company to get your exterior property in top shape, from mowing the lawn, to getting rid of debris and garbage, trim the hedges and prune your trees (especially any that are coming in contact with your home or any of the exterior envelope including the roof. Don't forget about exterior lighting, look at removing any walkway obstructions, broken fence boards, deck issues, and you can also go the extra mile to add flowers or foliage that will enhance curb appeal. Feel free to read our more comprehensive blog dedicated to
Read our blog about -> Six Exterior Home Finishes That Provide a Great Return on Resale
Declutter
Give space to prospective buyers to view your home, and the ability to paint a picture with their decorations and furniture, less is the best in the staging and preparation of getting your home ready to sell. Remember that your ultimate goal is to sell your home, which means you'll be packing and moving in the near future, get ahead of the game, reduce stress in crunch time, and start to declutter and pack your nick nacks away. A room can easily be perceived as smaller or closed off when stacked or packed with items, cluttered counter tops can take away the space they truly have and the last thing you want is a buyer putting their focus on the things inside your home, and not the home itself.
Neutralize
Considered by many industry experts to be as or more important that decluttering, neutralizing your home can be an essential element to having your home appeal to the masses. Neutralizing quite simply means that you're eliminating shocking colors, removing offensive or overly opinionated belongings, and also removing items like personal belongings that could be used against you in the negotiation process (such as travel photos, degrees, etc) You might be a major fan of the Calgary Flames and have a giant C of RED room, but that might only appeal to specific buyers who would appreciate the decorations, fandom, and team love as much as you do, more often than not a buyer will be unable to see past the noise and will find themselves challenged to think about how they're going to transform a room that they may need for more traditional purposes. Do your best to ensure a room has a neutral palette that offers flexibility for prospective buyers.
Make Sure it Works
Little maintenance items can really add up quick, as buyers go through your home, they'll start to generate a small tally in the back of their mind on what items will need to be fixed, replaced, or looked at, this could ultimately result in them completely skipping your home altogether on their list of final homes to pick, or they could utilize these items as part of their negotiations during their due diligence period (home inspection) Make the effort to fix the little items that are easily noticed during a showing, from squeaky doors, to doors not hinged properly (especially closets) tackle some holes in the wall, ensure your appliances are in working order, clean filters, address any electrical issues, broken fixtures, or leak toilets, or any other repairs that could easily be tackled during a long weekend. During the condition period, a buyer will likely have a professional and certified home inspector visit your home, once completed, a big list of to-do's or concerns can result in a few scenarios, the buyer can outright withdraw their offer and not waive on their conditions, this is typically only seen when major items like foundation cracks or major leaks are present and a buyer is uninterested in tackling. The other outcomes can see a buyer request that items be repaired and/or request that they have the work done themselves and in turn request a price reduction. By eliminating many of the little items before listing, you'll find yourself situated in a better position to negotiate and avoid these issues.
Make it Sparkle
NOBODY wants to move into a mess, even if you're willing to have a professional cleaner come in (at your cost) buyers may often find themselves grossed out, or put off by homes that aren't clean, and after all, a clean home is far more inviting and demonstrates that you take pride in ownership, this will bring their guard down in other areas as the perception of a well maintained home can be seen throughout. Don't forget, when buyers walk through your house, they're not just walking around, they'll be opening doors, closets, and cupboards, checking under sinks, looking in showers, etc. Give your home its absolute best shot at finding new owners by making it sparkle and shine for home buyers.
What's That Smell
Do you smell that? If so, you can be assured that prospective buyers will smell it as well, and it'll probably be stronger for them as your nose has likely adjusted to that unpleasant odor! You will not be winning over buyers with a home that has foul smells, and as mentioned your nose unfortunately may have become accustomed to it, ask a friend, neighbor or family member to give you an honest opinion on the smells of your home and whether there should be any cause for concern as you're getting ready to have buyers come through!
Spend Money to Make Money
Money is definitely on the table when it comes to some of the items on this list, but as mentioned throughout this guide, doing these things now will save you from renegotiating terms after a deal has been struck, or even worse, could keep your property on the market for longer than desired resulting in the need for price reductions or the possibility of chasing a declining market.
These Calgary Real Estate Recommendations are carefully thought of resources that are practical, achievable, and will give you an advantages in the process of selling your home, condo, or townhome in Calgary. Your home is most likely going to be one of, if not, the biggest investments in your life, and although you may not be able to take on all these projects (or they may already be achieved) you definitely want to maximize the return on investment you've put in, and to ensure you're putting your homes best foot forward in all the aspects the sale. You'll also find that a home with little to no issues will have a far easier path to closing, waiving conditions, and getting the deal done! For more information on the process of getting your Calgary home sold, or to book a no obligation consultation, call the Real Estate Partners at 587-578-7653 and connect with our many talented REALTORS®