REAL ESTATE UPDATE FOR SALT SPRING ISLAND - JANUARY 2020

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOUSE FOR SALE

 It's early January so many might think it is a bit early to think of listing your home on Salt Spring but preparation is needed before putting your property up for sale in the very busy late Winter/early Spring market.

First thing to do is to view your property from the road/driveway as if you have never seen it before and might be interested in buying it.

Is there any clutter around that distracts from the home?  Is the outside paint or stain in poor shape.  What about the roof...does it need to be cleaned and/or de-mossed?  Is the garden looking pretty weedy or uncared for?   Buyers have a first impression of your home and you only get one chance to make a first impression so make it a good one.  Clean, paint, weed, tidy up, etc.  Do you have trees blocking a gorgeous view.  Consider having them removed, topped of limbed to show the view.  A great view can be worth a lot to a Buyer.

​What about the inside?  Perhaps you can have someone come over and enter your house and tell you what they can smell.  Owners of homes get so used to the particular smell of their home that they don't notice it but sometimes smells can be offensive to Buyers.  Pet smells and cat litter, for example are major problems.   Tobacco odours have been enough to stop Buyers from even entering a home!  Try cleaning with a lemon scented cleaner and scrubbing everything.  Don't use a heavy perfumed cleaner...Buyers will wonder what you are trying to hide.

Declutter the inside.  Remove as much as you can and perhaps store it somewhere else.  Personal pictures should be removed if possible...Buyers want to imagine the home as becoming theirs and they like to imagine their pictures on the wall.  Floors can be scrubbed and perhaps scratches touched up.  Carpets can be steam cleaned.

Lighting fixtures and paint are the cheapest improvements you can make to the inside and they can make a huge difference.  Neutral colours are best.  Painting the ceiling can really brighten up a house.  Take a good look at your lighting fixtures.  I have seen far too many very old lights and Swedish balls in homes and for a few hundred dollars they could be upgraded.  Bright lighting in the kitchen is especially important and If you don't want to change the light fixtures then perhaps put brighter bulbs in the fixtures.

For more tips on how to prepare your home follow this link. Ultimately, it is always a good idea to do a good clean up on a regular basis so when we make the final decision to sell, the task is not overwhelming. 

Lastly, call a Realtor...preferably me, of course! I would come out and give suggestions and explain my Marketing Plan.

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