Make Your House Picture Perfect for Buyers

When preparing your house for sale, it's essential to make it as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Here's a comprehensive guide to making your house picture perfect:

First Impressions Matter

Curb Appeal

The exterior of your home is the first thing buyers see. Ensure the lawn is mowed, bushes are trimmed, and the driveway is clean. Consider adding some potted plants or flowers to enhance the entrance.

Cleanliness and Maintenance

A clean house indicates that it has been well-maintained. Ensure all areas, including windows and gutters, are...

Most real estate experts agree that being too emotionally attached to your home can lead to poor decision making, such as over-pricing the listing and making hasty choices based on feelings rather than facts.

Of course, removing emotion from the home selling equation is easier said than done. After all, it is your home. It’s only natural to be emotionally connected to it. So, how do you ensure that emotions don’t get in the way of selling your house quickly and for the best price? Here are some strategies:

• Think of selling your property as a business transaction only. Focus your...

Ideally, you want to be the only buyer who makes an offer on a particular property. That way, assuming your price is acceptable to the seller, you’re almost certain to close the deal.

But, it doesn’t always work out that way. In the case of highly desirable homes, it’s very common for there to be competing offers.

So, what do you do if there’s a competing offer on a home you really want?

First, don’t panic. Just because there are other buyers interested in the property doesn’t mean you won’t get it. There are many factors that influence a seller’s decision to choose one offer over...

Deciding whether to stay in your current home or look for a new one is tough. So tough in fact, that there is a reality TV show about it!

If you’re struggling to make that decision, here are some tips that can help:

• Find out the current market value of your home. This will give you a clear idea of how much your property is likely to sell for in today’s market.
• Find out how much you can afford to invest in a new home. This is calculated, in part, by how much of a mortgage you qualify to receive.
• Determine whether your current home still suits your needs. Do you need to move up to a...

Imagine coming across a “Home for Sale” listing on the internet. It’s in a neighbourhood you’re seriously considering. You and your family are excited. You can hardly wait to view the property and see if it could be your next dream home.

Then, there’s a problem.

When you contact the agent, she says the homeowners are busy people and won’t be able to show the house until next week. Even then, the only time available is at noon on Wednesday, when you’ll be miles away at work. How about viewing the property on Saturday? Forget it. The homeowners are having company over that day.

Chances...

If you’ve played the game Monopoly, you’ve probably picked up the Chance card that reads, “Take a walk on the Boardwalk. If you pass Go...”

That’s good advice when shopping for a new home. When you see a property you like and you’re thinking of making an offer, spend some time walking around the neighbourhood. This will give you a better sense of what it’s going to be like to live there.

After all, the last thing you want is to buy a dream home only to find out later that there are issues with the neighbourhood that make living there miserable.

If you have kids, see how far a walk it...

When you purchase a new home, the most exciting day is closing day. That’s the day you take possession of the property and, in most cases, move in. But the process isn’t necessarily over. There are still some important details to take care of in the weeks and months after the move.

For example, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re getting all your mail. Ideally, you will have made arrangements with the post office prior to your move to have your mail redirected to your new address. However, that service will eventually expire. Here’s a tip: Introduce yourself to the new owners of your...

When you’re buying or selling a home, there are so many details to look after that it’s easy to miss something. One thing you don’t want to forget is insurance.

Once your property has sold, you’ll need to contact your insurance company to let them know the date that ownership of your property will be transferred (the “closing date”). They’ll arrange to cancel your insurance once you’re no longer the owner of that property.

If you’ll be taking possession of your new home, and leaving your current property vacant for a period of time, you’ll need to make sure both properties are insured....

When viewing a home for sale, many buyers look at the property from a “macro” perspective. They ask themselves questions like: “Is it large enough?”; “Are there enough bedrooms?”; “Is it in a nice neighbourhood?”

While those questions are important, it also pays to consider a potential new home from a “micro” perspective.

Here are some things to consider:

Living room and family room. Are they large enough to fit all the furniture? Are the rooms conducive to family get-togethers and entertaining? Do you need a separate living room and family room?

Kitchen. Is it important to have...

This is traditionally the month in which people set goals for the following year. But, unfortunately, most people who set goals - especially New Year’s resolutions - never achieve them.

How do you beat the odds? Here is the rundown of what the most popular experts advise.

Tony Robbins recommends that you, “Decide what you’re absolutely committed to achieving, take massive action, and notice what’s working or not. Then, keep changing your approach until you’ve achieved what you want.”

Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series, says, “Write your goals down in detail...