Take A Realtor's Advice

I recently read a tweet from @JulietJohnson about a blog post from a Realtor giving the 3 basic tips to get your house sold.

The tips are good and straight to the point. Given they are written by an agent they need a bit of an editorial comment.

Tip #1 - GET LOST

"The buyers want to make fun of your house. They want to look in your closets. They want to discuss the home's potential while they are there. This is not bad. It means he has an opinion, and might be trying to make a case for his offer".

How the heck are you going to do this if you are selling privately? Easy to do with a little coaching. First you only need one person there. Kids and spouse can go to the mall (I also like what the agent says about grandparents). You need to stay in the Kitchen or Den or out on the deck if the weather co-operates. Let them wander through with out hanging over their shoulder, you would want the same if you were looking through their house, right?

Tip #2 - You have too much stuff and half of it is crap

This one is pretty self explanatory, and accurate. I have always talked about the importance of staging you home. Whether you do it yourself or have a professional do it, get rid of the crap!

Tip #3 - If you are not getting offers and and there does not appear to be a good reason it is because you are in denial. THERE IS A GOOD REASON.

Nope, not the economy. We've always had an economy of some sort. There is only one reason that a reasonably well-marketed home does not sell. Note that I said "reasonably well-marketed". Your Realtor does not have to take out a prime-time television ad, a page in the NY Times, hire a celebrity spokesperson and drop leaflets from a crop duster. The Internet (Lots), some print, calling in market area, open houses, word-of-mouth and some mailings will do nicely if you are PRICED correctly.

Everything on that list is available with a Propertyguys.com listing. Everything except the price tag! Just make sure you price it correctly.

Here is some more advice you could use prior to a showing if you have a leaky faucet...


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Can You Spot The Fraud?

Con Artists come in all sorts of different packages.

A recent article in the Waterloo Region Record talked about a real estate scam on the internet. Without a doubt it is important to do some due diligence when making any purchases online. To just send money to a classified ad on a Kijiji or Craig's List seems a little preposterous.

Internet classifieds are no different than that of the traditional print media. People place ads with little or no scrutinizing. It is generally up to the people responding to the ad to verify the merit of the ad and the person placing it. With the advent of free online classifieds people are now able to place ads from anywhere in the world for free with no one policing them at the outset. Set up an email address, place an alluring ad from Nigeria, wait for your fish to swim into the net.

Given the value of the purchase, when you are shopping for a house it seems a little odd to do the entire transaction online without ever seeing the property or meeting the seller. House selling was not really intended to be done this way.

The internet is a powerful and essential tool. One thing it doesn't do is take away the human interaction needed in the real estate transaction. When you buy a car you want to take it for a test drive. When you buy a loaf of bread you squeeze it for freshness. When you buy a water melon you tap it for firmness. Why wouldn't you walk through a $250,000 house before sending money?

Remember that if you have limited information on the seller, like just an email address, it should send up a red flag. Name, address, phone number are essential (hard to buy a house without an address, right?). Visit the home, walk through it, talk to the neighbours. Of course it is always recommended to have things looked over by your lawyer and any money in the transaction should be handled in-trust through your lawyer to ensure you have some protection.

Don't be to sure about anything. It appears even MLS listings have fallen prey to this type of scam...


Hopefully you are reading this post before you send a $5,000 wire transfer to houseseller54@aol.com so you can have a chance to see their amazing house before they put it on the market for $80,000 more.

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Everyone Into The Pool?

I don't care how hot it gets....NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Summer time memories are often intermingled with frolicking in the water on a hot day. Kids running through the sprinkler, playing in the pool, or baking at the beach are emblazoned thoughts in the psyche of many Canadians.

It seems that the pool as it sits is a choice for some. An investment in their property that allows them the daily trip to an oasis avoiding the traffic that sloths it's way to the cottage or the beach. It comes at a price. Consider a second mortgage or a line of credit because the pool of your dreams could cost you anywhere between $30,000 to $100,000 depending on how extravagant you want to go.

That investment in a property is not usually realized at time to sell. The backyard cottage will add value to a property but it also limits your pool of buyers. Many people looking for homes just are not interested in the pool owner's life. One of maintenance and upkeep. One caution and worry for a parent of young children. One of neighbourhood parties and summer kids hang outs.

They payoff really comes when you find that buyer. The one that always had a pool as a kid. One that couldn't afford the install or couldn't fit the dream into their postage stamp yard. The one shopping and their main requirement for the house is YOUR pool.

If you are like me, and not a pool guy, the other option is to head to a local municipal pool...


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