Planning a home sale in West Toronto? We’ve got you covered with 5 top tips you should consider before you start the process. Keep reading to find out.
1. Find The Right Realtor
This first step can’t be overstated. It’s not just important to find any realtor, but to find the one with the appropriate experience for your particular property sale.
Some homeowners think they can sell their house themselves, and while it’s possible, it’s definitely not advisable.
If you want the most money for your cherished home, and the quickest turn around, you need a professional; someone who does this all day, every day—an agent who knows the market, your neighbourhood, and current conditions affecting buyer expectations.
When it comes down to selecting the right realtor, here are a few things you should consider:
- Are they familiar with your particular West Toronto neighbourhood? Micro-markets can vary considerably in real estate options, lifestyle, and price-point, so it’s important you work with someone who knows the west end and your specific community well.
- Do they have experience selling your property type? Are you listing a detached family home? A townhome? A condo? There are different buyers and strategies for approaching each, so you’ll want to work with someone who has expertise representing homes like yours.
- What is their recent transaction history? Any agent worth their salt will be able to show you recent properties they’ve sold, and explain the scenarios behind them so you feel confident in your potential partnership. If an agent you’re interviewing doesn’t have recent or relevant transactions in their portfolio, you’re probably better off working with someone else.
- Are you compatible? You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your agent, so you’ll want to make sure you choose someone whose personality matches your own.
Realtors are trained professionals who are skilled at managing your listing, the paperwork, and the entire process from start to finish. This helps relieve unnecessary stress from your plate, so you can focus on other things.
2. Set And Share Your Expectations
Once you find the right agent, you’ll want to be clear about what your expectations are.
Are you a first time seller? Have you listed a property before? Whatever your scenario, you’ll have specific wants and needs from your realtor and an idea of how you want things to go.
Do you want to be heavily involved with your sale? Would you rather experience a completely hands-off sale? How do you prefer to communicate? What’s your Timeline?
These are all things to relay to your agent before you get started, so you can create a plan together that works for you both.
You’ll also want to consider your expectations for ROI.
Take a look at comparable sales in your neighbourhood, consider your property type and location, as well as your future goals, and determine what your ideal return would be.
Once your agent knows what you want to get out of your sale, they’ll be able to create a custom strategy that will help ensure you meet those goals.
3. Do Your Part
While your agent will manage the process of preparing your house for sale, there are things you can do to make the process smoother.
Depersonalizing is an important step in getting your home ready for staging. When potential buyers view your home, they want to see themselves in it.
They connect to your property by imagining their lives there, and that’s hard to do if there are pictures of your family around the house or children’s art on the fridge.
Gather all your important, sentimental items and place them somewhere safe until it’s time to move.
When you and your agent create a schedule for showings, you’ll want to make sure you schedule somewhere else for you to be.
Buyers need to feel comfortable in the home if they’re going to see themselves buying and living in it, and that’s hard to do if the current owner is hovering around while they try to complete a viewing.
You’re understandably attached to your home, but if you want the most efficient listing experience, you need to give potential buyers the space to imagine their life in the space—without you there!
When you know what your showing schedule is going to be, you can simply plan your errands or outings along that schedule so you aren’t sitting idly waiting for the time to pass.
4. Strongly Consider Staging
No matter how well-kept your house is, some staging is always helpful. Staging has a strategic benefit, because it’s meant to attract a specific buyer type. Staging to sell is different than simply redecorating to live in your home.
It’s an intentional marketing execution unique to each property. Your agent will know the buyer most likely to want to buy your home, and apply a particular staging technique based on this.
While it is your cherished asset, your house is also a product; one that needs to be marketed correctly so you can earn the highest return. Staging is a big part of making sure that happens, in the least amount of time.
5. Know Where You Want To Go
Selling your home means moving into a new one. Before you start the listing process, you’ll want to take the time to figure out where you want to go next.
Do you want to stay in your neighbourhood or relocate to another one? Is your lifestyle changing?
These are all important things to consider so your realtor can assist you with your transition. They’ll also help you decide whether it’s more beneficial to sell or buy first.
Knowing where you want to go will ensure your sale strategy is positioned in a way that supports your future goals.
There’s a lot that goes into selling a West Toronto home. If you follow these 5 steps, you’ll be well-prepared to take on the challenge successfully.
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