Written by: Buffini & Co.

Planning a move this year? The market is shifting. Homebuying Made Simple:

1. Review your budget
   • Income, expenses, and credit.
2. Get preapproved
   • A qualified lender determines affordability.
3. Start your search
   • I'm here to help you with suggestions.
4. Make an offer
   • I'll handle contracts and negotiations.
5. Home inspection
   • A professional finds potential issues.
6. Home appraisal
   • Lender requires this for mortgage approval.
7. Closing time!
   • You sign the final paperwork, get the keys in hand, and officially become the proud owner of your new home.

Sell Smart

Selling this year? Home Selling Made Simple:

1. Decide when to sell
   • Consider budget, work and school schedules.
2. Advise on price
   • I'll run a CMA (comparative market analysis) to help you determine your best price.
3. Prepare your home for sale
   • Declutter and make repairs.
4. List your home
   • I'll share it with my database and other real estate professionals.
5. Market your home
   • Use staging, photos and videos as well as online and traditional marketing.
6. Review offers
   • I'll help you assess offers and negotiate for the best terms.
7. Closing time!
   • All documents are finalized, the sale is complete, and keys are transferred. You're ready to move forward to the next chapter of your journey.

Written by: The Realtor.ca Team

So, you’ve decided to sell your home. It’s big stuff! With big decisions that need to be made, it can be exciting, even if a bit overwhelming. There are so many moving parts, it can be a challenge to figure out where to start. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.  

Let a REALTOR® help you

REALTORS® are the experts when it comes to navigating the wild world of real estate, so let them worry about things you may find confusing or frustrating. As a seller, they can help you with such daunting tasks as:

• determining if it’s the right time for you to sell;
• ensuring your price is right so you can get the most out of your sale; and
• negotiating your offers to get you the best one.

You’ve got a million questions, so it’s best to connect with a local REALTOR® to help you understand what your first priorities should be. They have the experience and the expertise to help you stay calm and be as prepared as possible.  

Don’t panic, just make a list

You might think you have to do everything, everywhere, all at once. Slow down: depending on your space, there are some key places to start. Take a holistic look at your space with the help of your REALTOR®. Here are some of the most common places they recommend you start:

• Obvious repairs, inside or out—is the fence falling down or are there shingles missing from the roof?
• Age and status of your major appliances—is your furnace in good repair?
• Living spaces—are they open and inviting or cluttered and overwhelming?

Your REALTOR® can help you with where to breathe and show you where to prioritize your time (and money).  

If you renovate it, will they come?

There’s an age-old question: “If I’m selling, should I renovate first?” If you’re questioning it at all, it’s best to consult your REALTOR®. Anthony Lance, a REALTORⓇ and sales representative with Right at Home Realty Inc. in Toronto, Ontario, believes there are specific changes that can help.

• Start with the kitchen and bathroom. While a full remodel can be costly, some DIY solutions can cut some costs and leave you with a space you would be proud to show.
• HVAC, roofing, and windows (oh my). How long has it been since any significant repairs or improvements have been done? The more recent, the more the odds are in your favour.
• General aesthetics should be considered. If you’re short on time, nothing beats a deep clean and a fresh coat of paint.

Your REALTOR® knows people who know people

Your REALTOR® is going to be your MVP for this whole process. They’ll connect you with the right people to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. You’ll need professionals such as:

• A mortgage broker—they’ll help with the money side of things.
• A home inspector—contacting an inspector in advance can save time and money.
• Home stagers—essential for helping your home to visually pop.
• Professional cleaners—you may not be up for channeling your inner Monica Geller across your entire space, there’s no shame in hiring a professional.
• Maintenance professionals—to ensure everything is up to code before listing.
• Movers—so you have someone to move your things before your closing date.

How to improve your curb enthusiasm

Staging the outside of your home is as important as making the inside look as appealing as possible. Some key considerations include:

• keeping your lawn and gardens clean and manicured for a more polished look;
• considering the hardscaped aspects of your home such as the driveway, walkway, and porch (no one wants to trip on a loose step when walking into your home); and
• making sure your front door is a vital piece of the first impression by giving it a fresh coat of paint or new handle.

It’s not you, it’s them

We all love our personal bric-à-brac, but sadly, potential buyers may not resonate with your grandmother’s antique spoon collection you felt obligated to display. That’s where a stager comes in. Here are some of the most common things a stager will ask you to do when preparing your home for sale:

• Purge the clutter—take the time to do a deep purge. Don’t just shove everything into a closet; your buyer is guaranteed to open that door in hopes of determining how much they can fit in there.
• Box up the trinkets—anything you can’t bear to part with should be stored for the time being. Potential buyers like clean surfaces so they can envision themselves in the space.
• Upgrade your bedding—a fresh bedroom does wonders for selling a restful and cozy atmosphere.

At the end of the day, your REALTOR® is your strongest asset for all stages of the selling (and buying) process. They can answer every question you have, no matter how big or how small. It’s their job to help you feel confident during this process.

Written by: Wendy Helfenbaum of Realtor.ca

You probably already know you can negotiate the price of a home when making an offer to purchase, but there are many other things that can save you time or money before you take possession. However, there are also a number of things you should probably never ask a seller for—unless you want to tank the sale. Here are four things you might want to negotiate for, and a few you should never bring up.  

Appliances or other non-permanent items in the house

Sometimes, sellers will itemize furnishings and personal property they plan to take with them, excluding them from the sale. But often, if you fall in love with something in the house, you can try to negotiate that into the agreement, says Chad Wozniak, a REALTOR® , salesperson and Master Certified Negotiation Expert (MCNE) with Chamberlain Property Group in Penticton, British Columbia. “The typical things people put in contracts would be appliances, window coverings, a hot tub, pool equipment or patio sets,” says Wozniak. “Buyers can also ask for things like the pool table, freezers, and believe it or not, livestock if it’s a rural property. Sometimes, sellers let us know that things are available.” You might want to skip asking the seller to throw in the antique dining room chandelier or other one-of-a-kind items, though. Chances are the owners are taking most valuables and sentimental items with them when they move.  

Closing dates and leasebacks

It’s very common for buyers to negotiate an occupancy date that works for them, regardless of what the home listing says. “Some want a long possession time, others a short possession time or the sellers rent back the property from the buyers temporarily,” he explains. However, if the sellers need a super quick sale because they’re leaving the country, don’t ask for a move-in date six months from now, or you might talk yourself right out of the deal.  

Cleaning up and clearing out

If you notice there’s a pile of scrap metal in the backyard, or that the basement is crammed with junk, you might want to include a note in your offer that you expect the property to be cleared out before you take possession. “With cleanup, there could be a hold back on the contract to ensure the home is cleaned to a certain standard and then that’s paid out at the end of the deal once it’s certified everything’s done properly,” explains Wozniak. And while it would be great if the sellers left you a sparkling clean house when they leave, you can’t really ask them to do that.  

Minor repairs

Asking for certain cosmetic fixes such as touching up ceiling paint after water damage was repaired or getting the sellers to replace a non-functional doorbell before you get the keys is often acceptable. So is anything that concerns the safety of the property or issues a home inspector might find. “If it’s a latent defect—something you don’t see that the inspection reveals—like a crack in the foundation, something wrong with the gas in the mechanical room, a leaking appliance, a cracked heat exchanger, or a missing hand railing on the set of stairs, you can ask for those to be repaired because that’s a safety issue,” says Wozniak. You can also ask for a discount on the price if you discover the roof is in poor shape. But don’t bother asking the sellers for a complete kitchen renovation or to gut a bathroom—that won’t happen.  

Tap into the experience of your REALTOR®

No matter what you want to negotiate for, run it by your REALTOR® first, suggests Wozniak. Your REALTOR® can help negotiate the price and contract terms on your behalf. They are your No. 1 resource and support during the home buying process. “We can identify issues or sticking points, or the temperament of a seller and what they might be expecting, and we can preemptively negotiate and prepare an offer with the seller in mind to effect an enforceable contract,” he explains. Everyone’s home buying experience will be different, and your negotiations will be dependent on your personal situation. But, with an expert REALTOR® in your corner, you can trust you’ll be in good hands no matter what.