Selling your property is one of the most important personal decisions you will ever have to make during your lifetime. There is no shortage of reasons: a lack of space for your growing family, having to move for professional reasons, your financial situation (job loss, retirement, etc.), health reasons (illness, reduced mobility or other), a separation or divorce, wanting to change your living environment (move to the city or to the country) or neighbourhood (more animated or more family oriented), the need to relocate closer to services, or the desire to live in a space that is easier to maintain. This is a major decision that requires a great deal of thought.
Getting Ready
Broadly speaking, there are five steps to planning the sale of your house: clearly defining your next stage, preparing the documents for the broker; carrying out any minor renovations and repairs that are needed, discussing your sale conditions and your expectations with your broker, and making sure your house looks its best to make the most of visits from potential buyers. The decision to sell your home is the logical conclusion to your desire to realize your new project. You have finally found your next property and you can’t wait to embark on this new chapter of your life.
Now is the moment to call upon the services of a RE/MAX real estate broker to take care of the promotion, negotiation and sale of your home to make the process go as smoothly as possible. First of all, make sure you have all the required documents: the titles of ownership, the school and municipal tax assessments, the location certificate, the rental contracts (water heater, propane storage tank, water softener), among others. Don’t be surprised if a new location certificate is requested if the one you have is more than 10 years old. This will cost you between $600 and $1,500.
Getting Your Property Ready
You will then perform a detailed inspection of the property, both inside and outside. You want potential buyers’ first impression to be memorable and for your home to seem welcoming when they first set eyes on it. A major cleaning and organization operation is necessary. You may even want to store some of your belongings to lighten and streamline the space. A cluttered environment will distract visitors and lead them to think that your house is small. You must also determine what you want to include or exclude in the sale (home appliances, light fixtures, window dressings, etc.). You should also consider completing minor renovations, brightening the rooms with a fresh coat of paint, thoroughly cleaning the windows inside and out as well as going over the yard.
Meeting Your Broker
The time has finally come to meet with your RE/MAX broker, a pivotal moment in your decision to sell your home. Together you will discuss your property’s real — and realistic — value (you will have done some research beforehand) taking into account your area and region’s real estate market, the age and actual condition of your property, the duration of the brokerage contract, your established occupancy date and their commission, not forgetting the negotiation parameters you will have decided on beforehand. Once all these points have been settled in writing — to which the broker may make some additions they feel are relevant — your property is now officially for sale. All that is left is for the broker to prominently plant the sign in front of your home.
Your broker will then quickly set about completing the property listing, including the square footage and the number of rooms, specifications (hardwood floors, new windows, etc.), the exclusions and other details. Once photos have been taken by a professional photographer, your broker will post the listing on the website, the RE/MAX Facebook page and the local newspapers’ real estate section.
Be Welcoming
The last step, but not the least, is for you to make sure your home and yard always look their best, ready to welcome visitors at any time (they are potential buyers after all). As much as you can, be available and flexible when your broker notifies you that they are bringing visitors over, sometimes on very short notice.
The Visits and What Comes After…
Now that all the preliminary steps have all been well and truly taken care of, all that’s left to do is wait for the first visits that will soon lead to that eagerly anticipated purchase offer. Get ready for what happens next!