Presale Preparation

There are several ways to make the selling process easy and relatively stress-free. One way is to create a selling timeline that fits your needs, lifestyle, and capabilities.

Say you’d like to list your home in four weeks and expect it to be on the market for an additional four weeks. That’s an eight-week timeline. How do you create a manageable schedule that works for you? Try these steps:

1. Determine what you need to do to get your home ready for sale.

2. Assign who will be doing what. For example, if you need to paint, will you hire a contractor? Do it yourself? Make a family day out of it?

3. Estimate the time it will take to do those tasks. Then add 50% as a buffer. (It’s easy to underestimate time on tasks.)

4. Look at your current schedule and block out times on your calendar so you can complete those tasks at a comfortable pace.

Go through these same steps for other selling activities, such as finding and meeting with a real estate lawyer, having buyers come to see your property, etc.

When you create a manageable — and realistic — schedule, you may find that most of the stress and worry of selling evaporates. A manageable schedule also ensures you won’t miss anything and then have to scramble.

When prospective buyers visit your listed home, the room they tend to check out most closely is the kitchen. So, it pays to ensure it looks its best.

However, no matter how tidy, clean, and well-adorned you’ve made your kitchen, there are some issues — which can seem minor — that can distract a buyer from appreciating those positive qualities.

Here are just a few to watch out for:

1.    Stained sink. Use a specialized cleaner for the type of sink you have. (For example, Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner.)

2.    Garbage in the garbage bin. Buyers don’t mind seeing the bin, just not garbage in it! Don’t forget to also empty the organic waste bin.

3.    Left-over cooking scents. Avoid cooking anything prior to a viewing that may create lingering odours. For example, not everyone appreciates the aroma of spaghetti sauce!

4.    Cluttered countertops. You want the countertops to look spacious to buyers. So remove any items that don’t absolutely need to be there.

5.    Old or worn mat in front of the sink. Replace it.

6.    Cluttered or disorganized cupboards. Declutter and organize your cupboards. Buyers are most likely to open upper cabinets.

7.    Poor lighting. You want the lighting in your kitchen to be bright (but not blinding) and evenly distributed.

8.    Damaged or stained countertops. Replacing your countertops can improve your kitchen's look considerably, so it might be worth the investment.

Would you like more suggestions on how to stage your home so that it gains the interest of buyers? Contact us. Call today!