Selling

I will work with you and for you every step of the way

Selling your house is not usually a lot of fun, but with preparation and a good REALTOR, you can get through the process with a minimum of stress and a maximum financial gain, and be ready to move on, whether you’re upsizing, downsizing, relocating or whatever. As with buying, the Real Estate Council of British Columbia has a wonderful document entitled Selling a Home in British Columbia (http://www.recbc.ca/pdf/Sellinghome.pdf), which would be well worth your time to read. Should you be unable to access this document, contact me and I will get you a copy.

The more lead time you have for selling, the better. Consult a REALTOR early on. Better still, consult several REALTORS. Each REALTOR should be prepared to put together a Comparative Market Analysis for your property. This CMA document compares your property to properties that are similar to yours in terms of size, location and condition, that have sold recently or are currently listed for sale.

This research is the basis for the potential price or price range for your home and you should be wary of someone who just takes a quick look through and then gives you a number. REALTORS should also have suggestions about how you can best prepare your house for sale, including what improvements are needed to sell quickly and get the most return for your efforts and money.

They should tell you what rate of commission they charge, and be ready to explain types of listing agreements, even if you won’t be ready to list for some time. When you have seen how the various REALTORS work and how you get along with them, you can decide which one will best work for you.

Don’t decide just on the highest selling price and lowest commission rate. An overly high price could mean that the house sits on the market and gets “stale” and may eventually have to have a significant price drop to sell. Be aware that when you do choose your REALTOR and sign a listing agreement with him or her, you must be ready to pass on all the information you have about your property, both positive and negative, including mortgage information, to your agent.

When selling a house, I like to have it “staged”. My wife, Toni, and I work with clients to stage their homes. If you are not an HGTV addict like we are, and are unfamiliar with how staging works, we have some information we’ve put together for you [ click here for staging information ]. Staging makes the most of your home, makes it appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers, and tends to make homes sell faster and for higher prices. I have seen great properties that were clean, attractively decorated and well priced, that didn’t sell because there was so much of the owner’s personality in them, potential buyers could not picture themselves in the home. Staging takes time, effort, and dollars (significantly fewer dollars than what you get back in selling price), but we are happy to work through the process with you and are confident that you’ll be pleased with the results.

While I can’t guarantee you a stress-free sale, I can guarantee that I will work with you and for you every step of the way, from that first call for a market analysis to the day your sale completes. See what other clients had said about my work. (click here for Testimonials. Then if you are considering selling in the future, call me as one of the REALTORS you consult and choose for yourself.