Bonnyville Homes Blog

There are always some secret tips and tricks that agents use to sell houses. If you know a few of them, you are less likely to make mistakes. Take a look at some common mistakes that many make while selling their property. One of the first things you should keep in mind is the fact that the photos you send must not be blurry, dim, or taken from offbeat and peculiar angles. Statistics tell us that about 91% of home buyers search for homes via the internet. These buyers will go through multiple listings of houses with photos. Even if the actual house is extremely beautiful, if the uploaded photos are not up to the standard, it is more than likely that it will be instantly rejected.

Let the Agent Handle the Buyers

Another point in selling a home is to leave everything up to the agent, get out of the way, and let the agent handle the buyers. The potential buyers may not be interested in the history of the house or on the other hand, they may want to know about every redecoration and remodel you have done. While taking a look at a prospective home, the buyer will most likely go through the countertops, cabinets, and shelves. To keep your home the first thing in the buyer’s mind, you will need to provide marketing materials. A well-exhibited information pamphlet will do a great job of keeping the buyer happy.

Use Professional Photos

You must have the rooms photographed and show that it is comfortable and convenient. It is disappointing if the buyer goes through a few pleasing and gracefully furnished rooms and then comes across clutter and disorder all around. Do not do an unplanned job. In case your budget for engaging skilled professionals is low, you can engage them to photograph the main floor and leave the rest.

Keep Pets Out of Sight

You must also know that pets can lower the value of the property and even turn away potential purchasers. When buyers come to see the house during public open houses, make sure that these pets are kept out of the house. Destroy or remove all proof of pets, like pet beds, cages, litterboxes, and hair. Always remember to report the truth about the house issues, such as pipes jutting out.

Set the Mood

You cannot create the mood to buy a house by using powerful perfumes, colorful lighting, or music so that the buyers are impressed. You cannot force a person to listen to your kind of music. The fragrance must be toned down and the music turned off when the inspection is on. If at all you want to set the atmosphere, then keep the window sills clean, turn on all the lights, and keep the curtains open.

Set the Temperature

Another point to remember is to keep a normal temperature in your home while the clients are there – not very hot in winter and not very cold in summer. Otherwise, the buyer may want to leave immediately. If you spend a little extra on electricity or gas for the month, you can list your home and get a few thousand back when you have a buyer in your pocket.

If you’re having issues selling your home, get in touch with Gerry Storoschuk, Bonnyville REALTOR®

If you are planning on selling your home, you must be considering what things you need to do in order to sell the house fast. If you have ever researched the market and looked for homes yourself, you might find that some homes sell very fast. So, what is it that makes it happen?

Let’s Take A Look At Some Common The Reasons Why Homes Sell Fast:

1. Very Good Curb Appeal
   When it comes to selling a home, first impressions matter a great deal. When potential homebuyers drive up to your property the very first time, the impression they have of your home can have a significant impact on their decision to buy it. They would check out how well-maintained it looks from the outside, whether the landscape is manicured and exteriors of the house seem to be in a state of good repair with good paint etc. The driveway, porches and an attractive garage door would also be reasons why a house sells quickly.
2. The Location
   Just as you look for a home in a good neighbourhood with schools in the vicinity, anyone that is buying your home would look at this aspect as well. While you really can’t change the location of your home when you are about to sell it, this is something you need to keep in view when you are actually buying any property. A home that has excellent schools around with definitely sell faster.
3. Move-In Condition
   Homes that are marketed as move-in condition homes have a significantly better chance of selling fast. Many people lead busy lives today and don’t have the time to spend a number of days on moving into a new home. So if a certain house is in a move-in condition, it can seem more appealing to such homebuyers.
4. Professional Pictures
   Listings that have professionally taken photographs posted online definitely garner more interest than ones that have poor quality photos. In fact, most homebuyers conduct a significant amount of research online and look at the photographs of different homes listed on real estate websites. Great photographs always increase the chances of a sale.
5. The Homes Are Professionally Staged
   Market research suggests that professionally staged homes always sell much faster than ones that haven’t been staged. These homes spend about 74% less time on the market than the latter.
6. Digital Marketing By the Real Estate Agent
   Homes that have been marketed well online, via virtual tours and on social media tend to sell much quicker than homes which use traditional marketing methods during sale. We live in an increasingly digitalized world and it’s important that you hire the services of a real estate agent who uses digital marketing effectively.

As you can see, there are some distinct aspects that can be the difference between a quick sale and property that continues to remain on the market for weeks.

If you’re having trouble selling your home, get in touch with Gerry Storoschuk, Bonnyville Realtor® and receive a FREE home evaluation.

Once you have decided to sell your house, you want to ensure that the sale takes place as smoothly and quickly as possible. However, regardless of whether it is a sellers or buyers’ market, selling a house can prove to be a little challenging. Following these steps can help you sell your home as fast as possible, at your asking price:

Rent A Storage Unit

While it is important that you de-clutter your home before sale, simply shoving all your things into the attic or closets is truly a bad idea. Prospective buyers will check out all the storage spaces including the closets.

If they notice overstuffed or disorganized storage spaces, it tells them that your house doesn’t have sufficient storage for you to keep all your things in an organized way, and this can reduce the chances of a quick sale.

Even if you have a number of things in your home, one of the best ways to de-clutter all the areas is to rent a storage unit for a certain period of time. Even before you store things in the unit, its best to get rid of or donate the items you don’t need. It’s also a great way to clear your house of all unnecessary things before sale. It will make moving day far easier for you as well.

Get Your House Professionally Staged

When you hire the services of a professional home stager, they see your house from the buyers’ perspective. They would be very objective in their approach while highlighting your property’s strengths and muting its flaws. The listing photos that you post online are the first impression that a buyer has of your home. Getting your house staged before you post those pictures is the best way to create a good impression on prospective buyers. More often than not, hiring the services of a professional for this job provides a very good return on investment

Hire A Good Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent (contact page) can be the difference between a quick and smooth house sale and a long drawn process. Conduct a certain amount of research before hiring a real estate agent. Look for someone in your local area that has been operating in the industry for a number of years. It best to check their track record of sales. This will give you a good idea of how fast they would be able to sell your home.

Go through their online reviews and customer testimonials. Ensure that they would hire professionals to take photographs to post on social media and on their site. Check what kind of marketing strategies they use to sell homes. All of these aspects are extremely important when it comes to selling a house quickly.

It Important To Conduct Some Promotion Yourself

While your real estate agent will do their bit in selling your home, don’t leave all of the marketing to them. Social media is a very powerful tool and you can use it to your benefit when you are selling your property. Send the listing page to your friends and family and spread the word about your home sale, in your neighbourhood as well.

Clear The House Of All Personalized Items

It’s best to remove all your memorabilia as well as personal items like photographs. This allows prospective buyers to envision themselves living in these spaces. It also gives them the chance to focus on the highlighted features of the house.

It’s important that you work with a good real estate agent as they would provide you objective advice and all the help you need with marketing and positioning your house well in a competitive market. Interested in selling your home? Get a free home evaluation or get in touch with Gerry Storoschuk, Bonnyville Realtor® to get your home sold!

It isn’t uncommon for home sellers to ask – “Why isn’t my house selling?” Sometimes, the answer to this is quite evident, while at others, it might not be. As a home seller you want to ensure that your house gets sold as quickly as possible.

It’s why you conduct a certain amount of research and position your house well in order to make a quick sale.  But if that doesn’t happen, you might wonder why no one is interested. Here we take a look at the top reasons your house isn’t selling:

The Photos Aren’t Right

If you have taken photos via your mobile phone, to post them online, that just isn’t the right way to go. These photographs are the first impression that a home buyer will have when they are looking at listings online. Current day buyers expect excellent quality pictures that give them a good idea about what the house looks like.

This is why it is important that you hire the services of a professional photographer, and post those photographs on your real estate listings. Make sure that you have a sufficient number of pictures of every room as well as the outdoor areas. Most credible real estate agents can also provide professional photography services available and this is something you should be asking them about.

You Have Set A Very High Asking Price

Many home sellers don’t realize that this is one of the major reasons why their house doesn’t sell. An excessively high asking price will only push away serious buyers. One of the best ways to ensure that you price your house right is to hire the services of an experienced real estate agent.

Their deep knowledge of the industry, local real estate trends as well as experience puts them in a position where they are able to give you objective advice about the house price. In many ways, it can be the difference between a quick sale and a home that languishes on the market.

If your house is on the market for a very long time, most buyers will presume there is something wrong with it due to which it isn’t selling. Your real estate agent will help ensure that you set the right asking price that gives you a good profit without affecting your chances of making a sale.

You Hired An Inexperienced Real Estate Agent

As mentioned earlier, hiring an experienced and credible real estate agent is crucial in making quick sale. This also means you need to conduct a certain amount of research before hiring one. Hiring an inexperienced realtor is another reason why a home fails to sell. It isn’t very easy to find a solid footing in the real estate industry and there are a large number of professionals in this space. If you hire a real estate agent without checking their track record, you will get mediocre results. Getting great advice from the outset is the best way to improve your chances of making a quick house sale.

In Addition To All Of These Reasons, Your House May Not Sell If:

• You do not focus on getting it staged professionally

• It’s too messy and cluttered

• There are too many books and items lying around

• You aren’t flexible with showings

• Its poor market timing

In most cases, a home may not sell because of a combination of these reasons. This is why it is important to hire the services of a good real estate agent. They would be able to guide you on the right methods to follow. They will also handle all your marketing and ensure that your property is photographed and positioned correctly, which can help you make a quick sale.

If you’re looking to sell your home in the Bonnyville area and need some help, get the expert advice of Gerry Storoschuk, Bonnyville Realtor®. With over 20 years, Gerry can give you the service you need to sell your home. Get in touch today!

Renovating your house before selling it, is one of the best ways to increase its value. However, it is crucial that you be prudent with your renovation plans, and go about the process in a methodical manner. Haste can only result in mistakes that can prove to be troublesome and unduly expensive to fix. Here are some home renovation mistakes to avoid before selling a house:

Not Choosing Your Renovation Project Wisely

Simply adding cosmetic features to a home in order to improve its aesthetic appeal will not necessarily increase its value. While renovating your home is necessary if the features are worn or dated, make smart choices while deciding which aspects of your property to revamp. For example, kitchen and bathroom renovations attract the best value. Make sure that the front door and landscaping is in good shape as these features affect the curb appeal of your home.

Choosing Outlandish Wall Paint Colours

This is a very common mistake that many homeowners make. While a fresh coat of paint will do wonders for the appearance of your home, it is never a good idea to use very loud or garish colours. Regardless of what your specific colour preferences are, keep in mind that you want to make your home appealing to prospective homebuyers. It’s best to use neutral and muted shades as homebuyers would not be turned-off by them. Aside from this, using lighter shades also gives prospective buyers the chance to notice the rest of the features in the house.

Ignoring Building Regulations Or Cutting Corners While Renovating

Major renovations and additions require council permissions. This is something you need to keep in view at all times. Ignoring them can only impact of the structural integrity of the house and cause problems in the 

future. It’s never a good idea to cut corners in order to reduce renovation costs. Poor quality products and workmanship can only affect the quality of the work and finishes and will impact the appeal of your home.

Not Creating A Budget

It doesn’t take long for renovation projects to get out of hand and you may find that you end up spending far more than intended. Not creating a budget before starting on any renovation work may only cause the project cost to get out of control. When you are getting any the upgrades done in your home, it is important to keep in view the return on investment. Upgrades like kitchen and bathroom remodels can provide very good return on investment. Certain additions and extensions also significantly up the value of your home and these are the things you need to focus on.

All The New Features Are Highly Personalized

Installing big statement pieces, like impressive columns, metallic coloured embellishments or elaborate trim may seem like great additions to our house. However, all of these are personalized features, which can put off potential buyers. When you are selling a home, (free home eval page) you need to focus on ensuring that buyers are able to visualize themselves living in that space. This can happen only when your house has simple yet functional features and fixtures that do not overwhelm the space.

Keeping these mistakes in view before starting on any home renovation project is one of the best ways to make sure that you add true value to your property, without breaking the bank.

Always hire experienced tradespeople and contractors to carry out any renovation work. This will help ensure that good quality materials and workmanship are used and that the features installed are durable and attractive.

If you’re unsure about your homes current value, get a FREE home evaluation today! Get in Touch with me, Gerry Storoschuk, Bonnyville REALTOR® and find out how much your home is worth.

Most people, at some time or the other, find themselves asking whether it’s time to sell the family home. The children may have gone off to college and homeowners start looking around wondering whether they really need all that space. Before you make a final decision, there are certain aspects you need to keep in view because it is quite a major decision. Some of the things you should be taking into account include:

Calculate Exactly How Much Equity You Have In The Property

Today, most baby boomers are saddled with mortgages and have very little equity in their properties that they can tap into. In such a situation, moving might not be the best decision. In order to determine exactly where you stand, it important to hire the services of a real estate broker. This professional would evaluate the property well before you put it on the market.

It’s important that you ask what the net value of the house would be after upgrades that you need to make to ready your house for sale.  You also need to factor in the broker’s fees. Take into account moving costs and whether those would have to come from the profits you make from the sale.

Look For A New Home Before Selling The Existing One

It isn’t always easy to synchronize moving out of one house and moving into a new one. Real estate prices are constantly ebbing and tiding, and interest rates are on the rise as well. All of these aspects make some markets very tough. Before you decide to sell, it is important that you have some idea about what you are looking for in your new home and the amount you would have to pay for it.

In addition, you also have to spend a certain amount of time and conduct research about the new neighbourhood. After all, you need to enjoy living in a new place and it would be a major change in your retirement years. If possible, try to spend a couple of weeks in the new area before you make your final decision. It will give you a better idea about whether you find the place suitable for your lifestyle.

Consult Your Accountant

Moving brings with it certain tax implications. For example, if you sell your property, you might be liable to pay capital gains tax on the profits (The amount would depend on whether you were married or single). If you are moving to another state, social security income might be taxed, and the property taxes may be either lower or higher. All of these factors will impact your monthly budget and your accountant will help you understand what these are.

Consider What The Costs Would Be If You Stay

Even if you continue to live in your existing home, there are certain costs you need to take into account. Maintenance costs including housekeeping, repairs, and landscaping upkeep are just some of them. You also have to take into consideration whether there would be any major expenses a few years down the line. Things like a chair lift to get to the upper floors, or installing a new roof are some of the things you need to take into account. Having a clear view about these expenses would give you a better idea of the stay versus move equation.

Taking all these aspects into consideration and maintaining a very objective view will put you in a better position to make an informed decision. Get advice from a credible real estate agent. Consider what your requirements and needs would be a few years down the line and then decide whether you still want to sell your family home. Get In Touch with Gerry Storoschuk today!

When you decide to put your house on the market, small changes tend to make a huge difference on the value and customers preference of the house. The state of the basement, whether finished or unfinished, is one of the critical areas of a home one has to carefully consider since it has the potential to make a home sell much faster and get a better selling price.

If you’re worried about the state of your basement before you sell, here are three factors to consider.

The Return on Investment

The cost of finishing a basement mainly depends on various factors such as the size of the basement or what you want to convert it into. The fact is that it could cost you a substantial amount of money to make some changes.

In a down market where the house prices are low, it would be difficult to recoup the costs incurred in improvements like finishing the basement. However, in places whereby the square footage commands a premium, a finished basement can be a great advantage. Therefore, it is important to find out whether undertaking such an investment will pay off when you sell your house or not.

The Current Market

Just like in any other business, it is important for the seller to consider the current trends of the market. If your house is in a new development where unfinished basements are common, with the aim of letting buyers have a space they can customize according to their needs, it is advisable to go with the flow. However, if most buyers in the real estate market expect a finished basement, then you may have to finish yours in order to attract potential customers.

Type of Finish

Homeowners put their basements to various uses depending on their specific needs and preferences, from spare bedrooms, a home gym or even a wine cellar.  However, the seller should know that the more specialized the basement is, the higher the chances of scaring off potential buyers who may not have an interest in these improvements or they are not willing to pay more for them.

If you choose to finish your basement, it is advisable to do it in a way that allows the customers to envision multiple uses where they can later customize it to their desire. This will make your home more attractive by having the potential similar to the unfinished basement, but with minimal work required to finish it.

Summary

With the above factors taken into consideration, anyone planning to sell their home should know that a finished basement is not necessarily a guarantee that it will help in making the house more appealing to buyers or that you will earn back the money you invested in the renovations of the basement. It is therefore important to study the local real estate advertisements or seek professional advice from a real estate agent before making any decisions.

Buying or selling? Get in touch with Gerry Storoschuk, Bonnyville REALTOR® and get started on your next housing adventure.