27 Jan Staying in Touch – January Newsletter

As 2020 is now here, you might be making plans and thinking about what the new year will bring for you and your home. You may be thinking of doing some renovations or redecorating. Perhaps you are even considering making a move in 2020, or at least exploring the possibility.

Whatever your plans are, it’s never too soon to take some initial steps. We have trusted contacts for contractors, financial & legal services, moving services and maintenance. 

This is the ideal time to start doing some preliminary work – such as determining the market value of your current property, getting a pre-approved mortgage, and identifying neighbourhoods you’d like to consider. We can help you with all this information. Our house match program for buyers is a great tool for looking for a new home. Ask us how it works, we will be glad to show you.

According to OREB’s Ottawa statistics, the total number of residential & condo units sold throughout 2019 was 18,622, compared with 17,467 in 2018, an increase of 6.6%. Residential property class sales went up by 4.7% with 14,038 properties exchanging hands last year compared to 13,411 in 2018. Condominium property class sales increased 13% with 4,584 units sold in 2019 versus 4,056 in the previous year. To read the full report click here. The market does not show signs of slowing down – it is a great time for selling and buying.

If you are interested in receiving more information about your neighborhood or making your next move, please feel free to contact us with any questions, we would be happy to help you.

Joan, Victoria and Luc

Three Lists to Make When Selling Your Home

When you put your property up for sale, you want to make sure that potential buyers get all the information they need on the features of your home and its surrounding area. If, for example, buyers don’t realize there is a great school just a couple of blocks away, they might cross your property off their shortlist.

An effective way to make sure something like that doesn’t happen is to create three lists.

#1: The “I’ll miss it” list. Chances are, there are things about your home that you’re really going to miss when you move. One of those may be the spacious living room that’s ideal for entertaining or the nearby park with scenic trails that are perfect for walking and biking.

Whatever you’ll miss, put it on the list! Chances are, those are features that will also interest buyers.

#2: The “Just the facts” list. What are the facts about your property that a buyer needs to know in order to consider purchasing it? This may be a very long list including such items as total square footage, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, property taxes, size of yard, and more.

#3: The “repairs and improvements” list. Buyers are interested in the state of repair of your home, and in any improvements you have made to it. On this list include all repairs you have done during the past three years and, if possible, attach receipts. It’s especially important to include anything that has been replaced, such as the furnace or roof shingles.

Fresh Air Sells

Household smells in our own homes can be a problem because we get accustomed to them. However, it takes just a few seconds in a stranger’s home, to know if a smoker lives there. The smell is in the air!

So, when you put your home on the market, think about the common smells you might have lingering in your home. Remember, you may no longer notice them, but a prospective buyer will.

These may include:

• A diaper bin in the baby’s room.
• Kitty litter.
• Model-making glue.
• Paints, even if the cans or tubes are closed tightly.
• Food. The aroma of a spicy meal can linger for hours.
• Garbage cans. Even empty ones, if they are not clean.
• Strong smelling soaps, perfumes and other cosmetics and toiletries.
• Flowers and other plants.
• Firewood (especially pine.)
• Outdoor shoes.
• Ashtrays.
• Sinks.
• Carpets.
• Door mats. These are especially prone to stains and smells.

Try to eliminate as many odours as possible. An hour or so before a viewing, open a few windows to give your home a breath of fresh air.

Inspect Your Walls Before You Sell

Say you’re trying to sell a used car. Imagine that it’s a desirable make and model, the mileage is low, and, overall, it’s in great condition…except, that is, for the body.

Unfortunately, there are a few areas where the paint is scratched, and there are a couple of dents and rust spots too.

Are you going to have trouble selling that car? Probably. Many potential buyers will have trouble seeing past the condition of the body and hence not appreciate the true value of the vehicle.

The same thing can happen when you’re trying to sell your home.

Everything about it could be wonderful, but if the paint on the walls is faded in spots, and there are dents, scuffs and holes, buyers may notice those things more than the other more important features of your property.

So, it’s a good idea to inspect your walls to make sure they look great.

There are numerous products available at your local home improvement centre for repairing gouges and holes. Fixing them is a relatively easy do-it-yourself job.