From A Woman's Perspective: September 14th, 2024 "The Things I would Never do if I was Selling my Home"

The Things I would Never do if I was Selling my Home
 

Good morning, Marilyn! 

This time last year I was listing my own home for sale. I can tell you that I gained a lot of insight into what my clients go through, and the process definitely made me more empathetic to the work, stress and worry that can occur when selling your home, even when you are in the hands of an excellent realtor. 

Last week we covered how to hire that excellent Realtor™ and today we are going to flip the script to cover my top list of “The Things I would Never do if I was Selling my Home.”

#1. Hire the cheapest agent. Period. You get what you pay for. With a discount agent, you're probably looking at a part-time agent, or an unresponsive agent, or a cut-rate-marketing agent. I’ve worked with dozens of agents and I can always tell who works for a discount brokerage. 

#2. Leave property preparation to the last minute. If you know a move is coming up, then it behooves everyone involved - you, your kids, and your agent - for you to start early on the packing, purging and painting that might be needed. If you are looking for help with this, reach out. I am connected with honest and affordable service providers who can help.

#3. Things I would never do: I wouldn’t necessarily expect buyers to pay extra for home improvements that I did for my own enjoyment. Think closet organizers or a whirlpool tub or running a natural lot gas barbecue line. The fact that you spent $5000 on custom organizers 8 years ago, or $1000 on a special-order kitchen faucet does not necessarily mean you can pass these expenses along by taking them onto your list price.  

#4. I would never try to cover up material defects. If you have a wet basement, for example, it will be discovered. An area rug over stained broadloom, or stacking boxes along the basement wall does not eliminate your obligation to disclose known problems. Serious financial and legal repercussions could haunt you down the road, so much better to fix what you know is broken!

#5. I wouldn’t ignore the curb appeal or neglect exterior maintenance of your home. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. I've experienced buyer clients refusing to go into a scheduled appointment based on the unkempt outside. They reckon that if the outside is that bad, the rest of the home won’t be any better. 

#6. I wouldn’t resist the suggestions your Realtor makes about staging. You can't think of staging as being a condemnation of your personal style. Instead, it is an important marketing tool to ensure that your property has broad appeal. If they advise you to take down the Trisha Romance pictures in favour of an abstract painting that looks like your grandchild did it - go with it! - You’ve hired trained professionals to represent your home and you need to trust their judgment. 

And finally, the #7 thing I would never do if I was selling my home is to go on blind faith with my agent. I know I just said to trust their judgment, but trust has to be earned. The way I do that with my clients is to provide detailed documentation to support any property evaluation I prepare, as well as a specific outline of the marketing strategy to attract buyers, and a list of the expected costs (and who pays!) You're signing a binding contract, the terms of which need to be explicit and clearly explained. 

So Marilyn, I know we’ve been a bit all over the place in this segment, but I think it’s important to avoid some key pitfalls when preparing to sell your home. By heeding these 7 things I would never do, I hope listeners will side step some of the stress inherent in the process. Unfortunately this is not a comprehensive list of what can go wrong, but with an experienced advisor by your side your best interests will be protected.

If you’re interested in learning more about our concierge real estate services, you can visit our website, smartrealtysolution.com or call me, Sharon at 416-460-5636. There’s never a cost or obligation when you download our SMART seller resources, or request a consultation. 

My name is Sharon Parenteau, and these have been your SMART Realty Solutions.

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