News - Fiona Bratvold

Preparing Your House for Sale in Less Than a Week

April 13, 2015

prep-house-in-1-week It’s great when you have lots of time to prepare for something important. But life doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes you have to move quickly, and do the best you can with the time you have.

Say, for example, you had to get your house ready for sale, and you only had a week to do so. What could you do in those few days to make your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers? Here are some ideas…:

Clean the house from top to bottom. Make it look “guest ready”.
Get rid of as much clutter as possible. If necessary, put some things in storage. Try to make every room look organized and spacious.
Get all minor repairs done.
Paint. It’s the fastest and cheapest way to dramatically improve the look of any room.
Don’t forget the outdoors. Prune the hedges, sweep the walkways, and deal with any potential eyesores — such as a rusted old bike stowed in the side yard.
Place some fresh flowers in the dining room and outside next to the front door.
Depersonalize your house as much as possible. For example, stow away family pictures. You want buyers to imagine themselves living there, not you.

This is just a partial list of ideas. A good REALTOR® can help you with more tips on preparing your house so that it sells quickly and for the right price.

Want help? Call today.

Lighting Matters When Selling Your House

March 31, 2015

lighting matters Remember the last time you were in a furniture store or other major home retailer? Remember the fully decorated displays of furniture, appliances and other products? Some of those may have even been organized as model rooms.

What did most of those displays have in common?

Chances are, they were well lit.

In fact, in the retail industry, there are professionals who specialize exclusively in display lighting. It plays such an important role in showcasing and selling home products successfully that the stores are willing to absorb the expense.

And the same holds true for your house.

If you want to show your house well, and sell it quickly and for the best price, make sure every room is well lit.

There are probably some rooms in your house where the lighting is adequate, such as the kitchen and bathrooms, and perhaps the foyer. But there are other areas where the lighting may be mediocre. Take a close look at:

Closets
Storage areas
Bedrooms
Laundry rooms
Hallways
The garage

If there are areas in your house that are dark or shadowy, the solution may be as simple as installing higher wattage bulbs, provided your fixture can accommodate them. Keep in mind that brightness can vary significantly from one type of bulb to another. For example, a 40-watt energy efficient bulb may not give off as much light as a comparable standard bulb. So do some experimenting. Your goal is to make the room feel bright yet comfortable on the eyes.

Also, don’t forget to open drapes and blinds. Often the best and most pleasant source of light for a room is the sun shining through a window.

Want more tips on showing your house well? Call today.

Increasing Foyer Appeal

March 24, 2015

foyer-appeal You’ve heard of curb appeal. It refers to the good impression buyers tend to get when they first see your house “from the curb”. The greater the curb appeal, the more enticing your house will seem.

But there’s another type of appeal you may not be aware of: Foyer appeal. That’s the impression buyers get when they first walk in the door.

Think of what happens when someone visits your house for the first time. Chances are, they stand in the foyer for a few moments, look around, and take in the view of your house from that perspective.

That’s why, if you’re preparing your property for sale, it’s important to make the foyer look as attractive and inviting as possible.

Obviously, you want to make sure it’s clean and free of clutter. You don’t want potential buyers to trip over shoes or catch a glimpse of an over-stuffed coat closet.

If you have a welcome mat, make sure it’s clean and in good shape. Or, better still, buy a new one.

Finally, make sure that the rooms that can be seen from the foyer look attractive.

The impression you want to make is, “Wow. I can’t wait to see the rest of the house!”

Understanding Market Value

March 17, 2015

market-value If you were going to sell your car, what would you do? Well, you would probably check to find out how similar vehicles to yours are priced. Then you would set your advertised price within that range.

What you would be doing, perhaps without knowing it, is determining the “market value” of your car.

Market value is simply what buyers today are willing to pay for a particular product.

When you decide to put your house up for sale, one of the first things you and your REALTOR® will do is determine the market value of your property. That’s important to know because if you price your home too much above its market value, you probably won’t get any offers. Alternatively, if you price your property too low, it might get snapped up quickly but you’ll have left a lot of money on the table.

How does a REALTOR® help you determine your home’s current market value?

He or she will look at a variety of factors, such as the desirability of the neighbourhood, the features of your home, how well it has been maintained, renovations and other improvements you’ve made, and of course, its location.

Your REALTOR® will also review what similar homes in your area have sold for recently – which is, perhaps, the strongest indicator of current market value.

Once you know the market value of your home, you can make an informed decision as to how to price it so that it will attract the right type of buyers and the best possible price.

Should you price your home high above its market value in the hopes that some unwary buyer will purchase it? Unfortunately, that rarely works.

The good news is, your property may be worth more than you think. One of the best ways to find out is to invite a good REALTOR® to your home to do an assessment.

Looking for a good REALTOR®? Call today.

Stay or move? How to decide

March 10, 2015

stay-or-move Do you sometimes review the real estate ads in your local paper? Do you drive by an open house sign and feel the urge to stop and check it out? Those are common indications that, at least on some level, you’re thinking about the possibility of making a move.

But how do you decide if you should actually move?

The first step is to consider whether there are any practical reasons to consider buying a new home. What’s pushing you in that direction?

Is your current home too small for your needs?
Is the commute to work, for you or your spouse, too long? (Perhaps longer than you expected when you purchased the home?)
Are there property features you would now like to have, such as a larger backyard or a more spacious kitchen?
Has the neighbourhood changed in an undesirable way?
Do you have personal reasons for wanting to move, such as a desire to be closer to relatives in another area?
Carefully consider those things that can’t change unless you move. For example, if a major highway was recently built near you, the ongoing sound of traffic isn’t going to go away. It’s now part of the neighbourhood.

If there are no practical reasons for moving, there may still be other reasons for wanting a new home. You may want to move your family to a better neighbourhood, with better schools or you may simply want a bigger home, with a larger backyard, more rooms, and a wider driveway.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with simply wanting a better place than the one you have now. In fact, that is a common reason why many people make a move.

The point is, if you’ve been thinking about a new home for a while, perhaps now is the time to take the next step. A good REALTOR® can help you understand your options.

Looking for a good REALTOR®? Call today.

Shopping for the Right Neighbourhood

March 3, 2015

right-location When most people shop for a new home, they think about the kind of house they want: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, trees in the backyard.

But it also makes sense to shop for the right neighbourhood.

Think about it. In what type of area would you most like to live? What neighbourhood features do you want most? For example, you may want your next neighbourhood to have a good high school, a nearby recreation centre, and close access to public transit.

Make a list of what you want and then go “shopping” by visiting neighbourhoods that meet your criteria.

Your next home is more than just a property; it’s a dream home in a desirable location.