Team Davidson, Ghada and Sean's blog

When preparing your home for sale, you need to fix things up, declutter,
perhaps slap a fresh coat of paint on a few walls. That’s all part of getting your
property ready for buyers.
But there’s another type of preparation that you also need to do. And, the
sooner you do it, the less stressful your move will be.
You need to get all your paperwork together.
Here’s what to gather:
• Property documents such as deeds, easements, surveys, liens, etc.

When considering whether or not to sell their home, many people think about

market conditions. They consider whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market.

They look at trends. They try to time the sale to get the best price for

their property.

While market conditions certainly can play a role in deciding whether you

should sell now rather than later, many other factors can influence that

decision too.

For example, you might have outgrown your home and need more space.

What is it about your property that stands out? What will buyers like most
about it? What are your home’s most enticing features?
Answering those questions will help you determine which features to
emphasize when selling your home. After all, you want buyers to notice and
appreciate your property’s best characteristics.
But here’s the challenge...
It can be difficult to determine which features of your home are particularly
desirable to buyers. You live there! So, there might be a fantastic characteristic

When prospective buyers view your property, you hope they will think it’s the
perfect fit for them. It might well be. However, there are things that can get in
the way of a buyer recognizing that perfect fit and making an offer.
Take a look at these common reasons why some buyers will walk away from
an otherwise ideal property:
1. Poor staging. Is staging really that important? According to several
studies, an effectively staged home will usually sell faster and for a

Walk-through videos are becoming increasingly popular. The seller’s agent
simply films a tour of a home, often including commentary, and then makes the
video available to prospects.
When you’re shopping for a new home, you want to get the most out of
watching this type of video, especially if you’re relying on it to help you decide
whether or not to make a viewing appointment.
Consider these suggestions:
• Remember, it’s a video. So take advantage of the ability to pause, go

Imagine a kid running a lemonade stand. He’s selling his product for 25 cents
a cup. He’s doing okay. Sales are good. Then someone comes up to his stand
and says, “I’ll give you 50 cents for a cup. But, I don’t have the money right
now. Give me the lemonade and I’ll pay you later.”
Should he take the deal?
Chances are, you’d advise against it. After all, just because the price is high —
in this case, double — doesn’t mean the offer is a good one. There’s a chance

Imagine you’re viewing a home for sale. You venture to the basement, check
out the furnace room, and notice the water heater. Is it owned or rented? As a
potential buyer, you’d want to know.
Now imagine a property you’re viewing has a brand-new gas fireplace. Nice! Is
it under warranty? Is that warranty transferrable to you if you buy the home?
Again, you’d want to know.
So, when you’re selling, it’s important to pull together all the necessary records

After your home has been cleaned from top to bottom, it’s natural to want it to
stay that way. Don’t you wish you could just wave a magic wand and the place
would clean itself? Unfortunately, even Harry Potter can’t manage that!
However, when you’re preparing your property for sale, you really do need to
keep it clean and ready for showings. There are several ways you can make
doing that a bit easier.
Try these tips:
• The one-minute rule. If a cleaning or tidying task takes you less than a

Is it really possible to improve your kitchen’s look for about the cost of a
takeout gourmet dinner with the family?
Obviously you’re not going to be able to do anything major, such as replace
the cabinets within that budget. But, there are many surprisingly low-budget
ways to spruce up the kitchen. Here are a few ideas:
• Do you have old cabinets? You’d be surprised how much newer they
can look simply by replacing the knobs and/or handles. Pick a colour
that blends, rather than contrasts, with the cabinets.

There are two trends impacting real estate photography that you should know
about if you’re thinking of selling this year.
First, more than ever before, buyers are relying on pictures to decide whether
or not to schedule a viewing. They expect to be able to go online and “tour”
your home via the photography. If they don’t form a good impression of your
home from the pictures, they may quickly lose interest in your listing.
Second, everyone is a photographer these days! Most people have phones