Save Thousands!

Selling a property privately can save you thousands of dollars. Peter M. Miller is the lawyer in Waterloo, Ontario who can help you through the home selling process, saving you money and stress. 

You only get one chance to make a first impression – so does your house. For most potential homebuyers, that first impression often determines whether they will seriously consider a property.  

Your home may have all sorts of wonderful features — after all, you bought it for a reason. But if your home doesn’t make a good first impression, potential buyers may never see the most appealing aspects.

You have decided to sell your house. The first thing to do when selling a home is to try to look at your house through new eyes. Remember, you live there; you are comfortable. You don’t notice the stained siding or the chips in the paint anymore. Maybe you have learned to step over the crack in the sidewalk or jiggle the latch so that the gate opens, but to potential homebuyers these things can be deterrents. Your first challenge is to step back and look at your house the way a potential buyer would look at it, seeing it for the first time. 

Start right out at the street. What impression does your home make as you approach it?
Is it neat and tidy with a well-kept lawn and gardens? 
Is the paint fresh? Is the siding clean? 
Does it look inviting, or does it look a little tired? 
Are the eaves sagging? 
Does the front porch need a touch-up? 
Do the shrubs and bushes need trimming? 
Are the flower beds sparse and weedy? 

Using those same “first impression” eyes, take a tour of your home as though you were seeing it for the first time as a potential buyer. Go slowly and take notes as you go. 

Look at your home at three levels: housekeeping, minor maintenance and major maintenance. 

Housekeeping issues are the easiest to fix. Minor maintenance tasks — like painting, repairing marks on walls or replacing damaged baseboards – take a little more effort but are relatively low-cost and can add significant first impression value to your home. Major maintenance can take a lot more effort, and in some cases can be a lot more costly. You need to consider carefully whether the improvements will add enough value to your home to be good investments. A basic rule is to do the cosmetic things that will improve your chances of selling but avoid the major projects unless they add more value to the home than they cost. 

Some things may be unavoidable, such as repairs for structural soundness. Others, such as new flooring or a major bathroom renovation, might be better left to the new owner so they can do the work to their own taste.