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7 simple, inexpensive ways to get your home ready to list

Show your home at its best for Victoria’s spring real estate season
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Sophia Briggs and Nancy Stratton, Realtors with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, offer seven simple steps to get your home ready to list.

After loving and living in your home for years – possibly decades – you’ve finally decided it’s time to move.

So, how can you showcase your home at its best for the spring real estate sale season?

Victoria’s Sophia Briggs and Nancy Stratton, Realtors with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, offer seven simple solutions that reap big rewards.

“Presenting your home at its best is so important. You’ll get better offers by showing your home to its best possible advantage,” Briggs says. “Right now, many people don’t have a lot of extra money for renovations, so the less they have to do with your home, the better.”

  1. Photos will be people’s first impression, and maybe a drive-by view, so curb appeal is the first step to bringing people into your home, Stratton says. Ensure your yard is tidy, with the lawn mowed, winter leaves raked and any clutter picked up and safely stored.
  2. Weed and trim your garden beds, and consider adding a little colour with a few flowers or potted plants, especially toward your front door – you want to create a welcoming picture of your home.
  3. Walk the perimeter of your home and look at with a critical eye. While you might be used to your home’s idiosyncrasies, they might stand out as a concern for potential buyers – and a well cared-for thome will receive greater interest.
  4. Does the deck, front door, exterior or interior need freshening up? “Paint does go a long way, both inside and out,” Briggs notes.
  5. Moving inside your home, decluttering and cleaning should be top-of-mind. “Often times people have a whole lot of knick-knacks out – start the packing that you’ll need to do anyway, and keep out only your best accessories,” Stratton suggests.

If you don’t have available storage, consider storing your boxes off-site, or take advantage of storage areas you might not think of, like under the beds or in the attic or crawl space.

  • Consider your home’s best feature and showcase that. Is it the view? Ensure windows are clean, blinds dusted and drapes wide open. Maybe it’s the entertainment-style kitchen or expansive decks … spend a little extra time helping these features stand out. “You never know what the buyer is going to want, so you really want to accent your home’s best features and ensure you’ve created a good flow through the house,” Briggs says.
  • Do a deep clean. Even if you don’t plan on painting, wash down the walls, caulk around the bathtub and sink, make sure the drains flow well, clean your cupboards and fix the sticky drawers. “People will definitely open the drawers and take a look, and invariably it will be the one that sticks that they try to open if you don’t fix it,” Stratton notes.

    • Struggling with a exactly how to start? Consider the help of a professional, suggest Briggs and Stratton, who work with a professional stager as part of a comprehensive approach for each client’s listing.