7 Reasons Your Home Is Not Selling

I hope all my Canadian friends had a great long Thanksgiving weekend, I know I did. It entailed San Francisco, seeing some old friends and the Madonna concert, I couldn't have asked for more. As I try to catch up from my extended long weekend, I've rounded up a great guest blog post for you today.

Is your home currently listed on the market or are you contemplating on listing it? Then make sure to find out the 7 sneaky reasons your home is not/may not sell. Jen gives us the 411....

If your home has been on the market for a long time, it's easy to become frustrated with the market - except, it's not always the market. Here are 7 sneaky reasons your home won't sell and easy ways to fix them.

Bad Photography - For many real estate buyers, the first glimpse at a home is on a website. The photos included in a listing can make them schedule a showing or move on to the next link. Buyers who aren't seeing your home won't buy it, and photography is the first step to getting them in the door (literally!) Make sure your photos are well lit and show every room in the house. More is more in this case. Take pictures of small details and close ups of areas you believe are the best part of your home. Also this is why it's so important for your Realtor to hire a professional photographer who knows the right pictures to take. Ensure your listing has a virtual tour, people first want to see if it's worth their time to check out your home in person.

Low Curb Appeal - How many potential buyers are cruising by your home without scheduling a viewing? If you have an unmaintained or boring yard, cluttered front porch or trash strewn about, the answer to that question may be a high number! Curb appeal gets those potential homeowners to stop in and gives them a lasting first impression of your home. Make sure your yard is uncluttered - pick up trash and toys laying around. Plant a few flowers and trim hedges and bushes. Re-mulch or add pebbles to your landscaping to freshen up the look. Don't' forget the front door - adding an extra coat of paint can do wonders!

It Stinks, Literally - Homeowners are often not in tune with the natural scent of their home. What smells fine to you might be off-putting to your potential buyers. Beware of animal smells, diaper pails and smoke, which can give your buyers a negative opinion of your home. Light some candles or put a cookies in the oven for a fresh-baked fragrance. Add reed diffusers or potpourri to your shelves to make your home smell fresh and clean.

Too Much Clutter - Maybe you still live in your house, but it shouldn't look "lived-in" if you really want it to sell. Pack away personal items like collections, magazines, toys, books and photos (you're' moving anyway, so you'll need to pack them eventually!) For "clutter" that you need to keep around, such as baby items or things in your home office, consider buying baskets or decorative storage containers to hold the items when they aren't in use, hiding them from sight.

Too Personal - Did you think that red bathroom was a great idea when you moved in? How about the wall covered in chalkboard paint? Or the purple kitchen? Just because you like a certain color or style doesn't' mean your potential buyers will, and many can't see past the color of the walls to see the structure of a home. Before you put your house on the market, paint your walls a neutral color and pack away decorative items in an unusual style (that includes those glow-in-the-dark stars on your son's ceiling.) Let the buyers see themselves in your home.

Poorly Maintained - Broken shutters, a hole in the door, a leaky faucet - potential buyers see those as things they'd have to fix themselves, and might cause them to think negatively about your home. Small upkeep tasks can be finished in a weekend, and go a long way when you're trying to sell your home.

Not Available - You work Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 and you don't want to show on weekends. That's fine, but limiting the times you're willing to show your home severely limits the potential for buyers to fall in love with your home. If possible, let your Realtor show your home anytime, or place only a few restrictions on viewing times. More viewings means more buyers see your home, and that's a great thing for you.

About the Author: Jen D’Angelo is a realChicago suburbs homes for sale. When she’s not working, you can find Jen teaching a knitting class at her local community center.

Thanks so much Jen, these are all VERY important things to consider when selling your home as it can make it or break it.

Did you find this helpfully? Is your home currently listed and can relate to one of the seven reasons?

Renovation Tips...Part 1

I figured with 5 home renovation projects under my belt, I could post some renovation tips and share some of my knowledge that I have learned thus far. My disclaimer here is that I'm not claiming to be an expert and all of these may not apply to your own personal situation, I'm just sharing my knowledge. Also my experience comes from renovating old homes in downtown Toronto so my advice comes from dealing with those types of homes. Now since that's out of the way, let's begin!

The Contractor:

• Do research before your project begins- before getting a quote research various things such as, the way things should be done properly, different approaches, the big no's, etc. Knowledge gives you power to negotiate, but remember who the real expert is
• HGTV is not realistic- keep in mind that when watching renovation shows on HGTV, there is a lot of behind the scenes happening that is never shown on TV. These TV shows have big crews of 15 + people working on the house so the timelines are unrealistic for a regular home renovation. Also only selected mistakes and delays are shown on TV
• Get more then 1 quote- get multiple quotes, you're about to spend thousands of dollars of your hard earned money, isn't it worth it? Rule of thumb, 2-3 quotes for smaller projects, 4-5 quotes for bigger projects, but remember the lowest bid is not necessarily the best one
• Don't under value your contractor- although some times we can get carried away negotiation,  don't forget contractors work hard, have overhead to pay and also need to make a living. Also getting them to commit to a lower price then they would normally does not motivate them to start and finish your project faster, they may take side jobs to make up the shortfall which hurts you in the end. Instead ask for deeper discounts on material (if you're not purchasing it yourself) as contractors get commercial discounts
• References- ask for references and check up on them to see the quality of the contractors work and how easy it is to work with them
• Contracts- insist on contracts with a break down of how much everything will cost so that there is no discrepancies at the end when it's time to pay
• Hire specialists-although general contractors are jack of all trades and may give you a better quote because they are doing all the work, throughout the project this may back fire on you for several reasons. If your contractor gets sick, the project comes to a halt and may not meet your deadline, the project will not move as fast as you anticipated as one person can only do so much and contractors can become overwhelmed, which further delays you. The saying goes jack of all trades or master at one.
• Communication is key- Ensure your contractors understand your vision for your project. Don't be afraid to speak up and let your contractors know when they are doing something wrong or something you don't like, remember this is your money, risk and investment and communication is key with any relationship, whether it's personal or business
• Make a list- of everything that needs to be done in your home and set realistic deadlines for each task so that everyone is on the same page. Make sure your contractor has a copy of this list and re-evaluate it with them every week. If the contractor is consistently not meeting your deadlines then have a sit down and find out why, are your deadlines unrealistic or are the contractors not fully committed to the tasks at hand?
• Payment plan- make a structured payment plan with your contractor. Don't give them all the money upfront or hold onto it until the end of the project. Most contractors require a deposit upfront which makes me concerned. Talk to your contractor and come up with a plan where you pay them every week, 2 weeks or 3 weeks for work that has been done or hours put in. I'm a strong believer in paying for work that's completed and not promises of future work to be done
• Attitude- although craftsmanship is important, so is the attitude of your contractor and how well you work with them, it ensures a smooth renovation. You want a contractor that is a problem solver and not a drama queen every time they are faced with an unforeseen obstacle
• Supervision is a must-giving your contractor free rein on YOUR project is not advisable. Make sure either yourself or someone you know, is always dropping by the home to note progress and to let your contractors know someone is always watching. If you have extra time, find an excuse to be at the home for extended periods of time each day, as from my experience people tend to work harder and take less breaks when you are there working too
• No such thing as a perfect contractor- they all come with their flaws, you just need to decide what you can live with and what you cannot live with as you have to deal with these contractors every day during your renovation and see them in your home

***Most important tip....TRUST YOUR CONTRACTOR! If you can't trust them, then you shouldn't hire them to renovate one of your biggest investments. There's a lot of shady contractors out there which give the good ones a bad rap, just like any profession. So make sure to take the time to find the one that's right for you, isn't it worth it?

Well that concludes part 1 of my renovations tips. Make sure to pop by next week for part 2, where I will be discussing The House.

Did you find these helpful? Have any of your own tips you would like to share?

Rant...

I normally don't rant on my blog, but today's experience is definitely rant worthy. I'm subbing for an agent from my office, while he's away on vacation and his buyers reached out to me last night wanting to see a property this morning. Since it was after 9pm when I received their email last night and they wanted to see the property at 10:30am today, I called the listing agent last night to give him and his sellers a heads up that I would be booking an appointment with his office this morning. I thought I would be courteous to the sellers by giving them more then an hours notice and also get some information from the listing agent about the property since it's been on the market for almost a month.

Don't Forget The Curb Appeal!

Christina Thurston from The Staging Group is back again for our staging series. Last time she visited, Christina discussed how to keep your home staged, in case you missed this post, just click here. Today she will be reminding us about our home's curb appeal, which is very important, so take it away Christina.....

Last time I discussed a few tips to help you keep your house staged while potential buyers are viewing your property.  Here is a quick recap:

·         Daily tasks: open all blinds, tuck away any dirty laundry and make sure that there are no dirty dishes in the sink.

·         Every couple of days: general tidy (picking up any odds and ends that may be starting to accumulate).

·         Weekly tasks: dust, sweep and vacuum.

·         When staging with me, I will provide you with many more tips and loads of hints as to how to you can keep the model look! 

So now that the inside of your house is looking picture perfect…..what about the outside?  Curb appeal is the very first thing that potential buyers see.  The exterior photo of your house needs to look great to draw buyers in but this is also the first thing that greets them when they arrive to view your property.  If the outside doesn’t look as good as the inside, the buyers are already walking through the door with negative feelings.  Why set yourself up for an uphill battle to win them over?  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

·         If you have dogs there should absolutely NO evidence of them on your front lawn (if you know what I mean).  Keeping with that thought, if you smoke, there should not be any cigarette butts on your lawn, walkway or entryway.  Please ensure all of this is cleaned.

·         Keep your grass cut/garden free of weeds OR sidewalks/driveway cleared of snow….depending on the time of year of course. J

·         Make sure your welcome mat is clean and not tattered looking.

·         Add some colour by adding flowers to the garden or adding planters to the entryway. 

·         Don’t forget the backyard.  A nice sitting area can be very welcoming and create the feeling of a relaxing little getaway spot.

Most of all, remember, you want buyers at the end of their day to say “do you remember the house with the”…amazing gardens, beautiful hardwood floors, fabulous fireplace, etc.  You do NOT want them referring to your house as the one with the messy kitchen or the one with the awful paint in the family room or any other things that distract them from the great features of the home.

As always, thanks for reading!

Christina Thurston

For more information about what The Staging Group can do for you, please visit them at http://www.thestaginggroup.ca/ or email Christina at christina@thestaginggroup.ca. You can also follow The Staging Group on Twitter @thestaging group and like them on Facebook.

Don't forget Christina is offering a FREE consultation to all my clients, provided that you use her service, how amazing?

In the meantime, do you practice the art of curb appeal at your home? How important is it to YOU? Christina and I would love to hear your feedback!

Realtor vs. DIY

When making the big decision to sell your home, do you hire a Realtor, a discount brokerage or do it yourself? Find out in my latest guest blog post for RateHub, all you have to do is click here. 
Also, just in case you missed RateHub's guest blog post about social media and mortgages, then all you have to do is click here.

It's that easy!

Keeping Your Home Staged

Christina Thurston, owner of The Staging Group is back again for our staging series. This will be Christina's 4th blog post here. Just in case you missed her other posts, here they are all in order:

• What The Staging Group can do for you, click here
• Why Should You Stage, click here
• Staging: Now What, click here

I know, I make things pretty easy around here. Anyway, now that you're up to speed, take it away Christina........

Hello Again,

In my last blog I explained what the first steps after you have decided to stage your house.  Here are a few things as a reminder to consider when hiring a Stager:

·         You are going to want to do some research to make sure that you are working with a qualified stager, someone professionally trained in the area of staging.  Remember, staging isn’t just decorating and de-cluttering, so it’s important to ensure that the person you are working with understands real estate and the basics of home renovations as well.  Be sure to ask for photos of their previous work as well as references.

·         Once you have decided on who you would like to work with, schedule a consultation.  My consultations take approximately 2 hours.  We discuss your timeline, your goals and your budget.  After doing a thorough walk through of the property, you will receive a detailed list of items that need to be addressed prior to staging.  I will then put together 2 to 3 quotes for staging that address all necessary items and keeps in line with your goals and budget.

Ok, so now your house is staged and looks awesome!  How on earth to do you keep up the look of a model home and live at the same time?  Well, I have to say, the best part about staging is that it can help you sell your house much faster than unstaged.  Therefore, you may not need to keep up this look for long at all.  But in the meantime while you do have people coming to view your property, here are couple of tips to help you out.

Daily tasks: open all blinds, tuck away any dirty laundry (no one and I mean NO ONE wants to see dirty laundry at your house if they are considering buying it) and make sure that there are no dirty dishes in the sink.

Every couple of days: general tidy (picking up any odds and ends that may be starting to accumulate).

Weekly tasks: dust, sweep and vacuum. 

When staging with me, I will provide you with many more tips and loads of hints as to how you can keep the model look!  In addition to this, I will also provide you with tips for preparing to move.

As always, thanks for reading!

Christina Thurston

For more information about what The Staging Group can do for you, please visit them at http://www.thestaginggroup.ca/ or email Christina at christina@thestaginggroup.ca. You can also follow The Staging Group on Twitter @thestaging group and like them on Facebook.

Don't forget Christina is offering a FREE consultation to all my clients, provided that you use her service, how amazing?

In the meantime, what do you think about this staging series? Christina and I would love to hear your feedback!

Staging: Now What?

You've probably noticed I've been a bit MIA last week, it was the final push on my home renovation and there was a lot to do before the house goes up for sale on Wednesday. Anyway, Venture Homes is coming tomorrow to take pictures and do a virtual tour and I couldn't be more excited that it's finally coming to an end.

In the meantime, Christina from The Staging Group is back to do her next post in our staging series, the floor is all yours Christina.........

Hello Again,

In my last blog I addressed the question of “Why should I stage my house?”  As a brief re-cap I have added a few points below:

Staging works!

·         Buyers are looking for move-in-ready homes NOT projects and to do lists.  Staging shows buyers exactly what the benefits are of a property.

·         Staged homes look better in MLS pictures and therefore draw a larger group of potential buyers to view the home.

·         Homes that have not been staged take 67% more time to sell than homes that have been staged.

·         Staged homes sell for more money than non-staged homes. 

·         Staging can make you money, not cost you money.

Now that we are all up to speed on why staging works, let’s address the question of “I have decided to stage my house.  Now what?” 

First of all, congratulations!  You have just made a great decision and taken the first step towards selling your home faster and for more money.

Now you need to hire a Stager.  You are going to want to do some research to make sure that you are working with a qualified stager, someone professionally trained in the area of staging.  Remember, staging isn’t just decorating and de-cluttering, so it’s important to ensure that the person you are working with knows real estate and the basics of home renovations as well.  Be sure to ask for photos of their previous work as well as references.

Once you have decided on who you would like to work with, schedule a consultation.  My consultations take approximately 2 hours.  We discuss your timeline, your goals and your budget.  After doing a thorough walk through of the property, you will receive a detailed list of items that need to be addressed prior to staging.  I will then put together 2 to 3 quotes for staging that address all necessary items and keeps in line with your goals and budget.

After you have chosen which option works best for you, we can schedule your staging day! 

This leads me to the next question I’d like to address…"How do I live in my house after it has been staged?"  This is a great question and a big concern for anyone that has children and/or pets.  But I think it’s a question better addressed next time.

As always, thanks for reading!

Christina Thurston

For more information about what The Staging Group can do for you, please visit them at  http://www.thestaginggroup.ca/ or email Christina at christina@thestaginggroup.ca. You can also follow The Staging Group on Twitter @thestaginggroup and like them on Facebook.

Don't forget that Christina is offering a FREE consultation to all my clients, provided they use her services, which is awesome!

Would you use a staging company to sell your home? Has this series made you more informed about staging and the whole process? Christina and I would love to hear your feedback!

5 Questions Before Selling

There are 5 questions you should ask yourself before even thinking about calling a Realtor to sell your home.
Want to know what they are?  Then click your way over to RateHub where I break it down for you. Or just click here, it's that easy!

Guest Post: The Staging Group

I'm super excited to announce that the owner, Christina Thurston, of the Staging Group will be doing a series of blog post, right here, yay!!! She has also agreed to offer my clients and all of Realty Royalty's clients a free staging consultation, provided that you use her great service, how amazing! The floor is yours Christina......

Hi Everyone!

My name is Christina Thurston and I am the very proud owner of The Staging Group!  After recognizing the incredibly fast growing need for Stagers, along with my passion for the industry, I decided to get myself professionally certified in staging and start my own business, leaving behind the corporate world of human resources with NO regrets.  J

This is the first in a series of blogs intended to provide you with details about The Staging Group, what we can offer and I’d also like to address 3 huge questions:

·         What is staging anyway?

·         Why should I stage my house?

·         How do I continue to live in my house after it’s been staged??

Staging is not just de-cluttering, de-personalizing and re-decorating.  Staging is much more than that.  It is the #1 marketing tool for selling your home.

There are several steps involved in staging:

1.     Determine the demographic of the target market. 

So in other words, “who is most likely to buy your property”?  Are we targeting young professionals, growing families, retirees that are downsizing, etc?

2.     Evaluate your property “from the buyers’ eyes”. 

We walk through the property and view it from the prospective target market to be able to determine how to most effectively stage the property.

3.     Analyze where to invest in the property. 

We can identify exactly which areas of the property will provide you the highest return on investment from painting the master bedroom to updating the kitchen counters or touching up your curb appeal.

4.     Develop a plan specific to you, your timeline, budget and goals in order to get your property ready to stage.

5.     Showcasing Day! 

This is the day in which we arrive at your home with any needed accessories and/or furniture and get to work making sure that your photos are ready!

For more information about what The Staging Group can do for you, please go to www.thestaginggroup.ca or email Christina at christina@thestaginggroup.ca. You can also follow The Staging Group on twitter and facebook.

What are your thoughts on staging? Would you ever use a staging company to sell your home?

Mission: Clutter Free

We all strive to keep a clean home, but sometimes life gets in the way and things start to pile up! It's always good to take inventory of what's actually in your home and practice the art of declutter our homes from things we don't need or use anymore. This is not just another staging technique for when you're thinking of selling your home, if you declutter a few times a year, perhaps the beginning of every new season, the mission doesn't seem as daunting. Also when you are actually ready to list your home, the task of decluttering won't be so bad and overwhelming.

Lucky Matt Schexnayder from SpareFoot has agreed to share some tips on how to declutter effectively, take it away Matt.....

Everyone has lofty ambitions of home organization, but not many can accomplish it. We all say that one day we will get organized, and then before you know it ten years has gone by and everything is still a mess. And what happens if all of the sudden you decide to move? How will you approach this situation now that the clock is ticking? Bring on the migraines.

People who manage to stay organized have never experienced this sense of panic, and they are lucky. But how do they do it? What is their secret? Well, a select few are just naturally good at keeping things in order, but most require the helping hand of a self-storage facility. Renting a self-storage unit is by far the best way to keep your home clutter-free.

It always seems as though there is never enough room to put all your belongings, probably due to the fact that people don’t have the heart to throw away items that were once precious to them even if they serve no purpose now. Even if you are living in a mess, you still can’t find it in you to throw anything out. That being the case, most people’s best scenario is a clutter-less home with an overstuffed garage.

Instead of spreading the mess of a renovation all over your house, or in your garage, rent a small unit from one of your local self-storage companies. Keep all of the things you can't get everyday use of out of the way until you have found a purpose for them. Placing your unused items in cheap storage units can help cut down on the visual chaos of a messy house, and it also gives you an opportunity to take a mental break from the stress.

Listed below are a few tips for achieving home and garage organization, the divide and conquer way.

• First, before you can conquer, you must divide. This means separating the “keepables” from the “unkeepables” and using a judicious eye to identify belongings that should be given or thrown away.
• Second, conquer. Identify what you need and segregate what you don’t need. These are the items you’ll be putting into storage.
• Finally, pack things logically. Don’t just throw everything into a box. By packing things in an organized manner and labeling boxes, you’ll make it much easier to find something.

Putting the home you're living in in order can be one of the most stressful things you do as an adult. However, you can minimize the chaos and relieve some of the tension in your home by taking advantage of cheap storage units.

This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage with more than 5,000 self-storage facilities listed nationwide.

Have these tips inspired you to declutter?

Tips To Sell Your Home This Fall/Winter

 As the cold weather approaches, sellers need to pay extra attention to certain details to set them apart from their competition.

Here are some tips to keep your home ahead of the game:

A Warm Home = A Cozy Home
When potential buyers come inside your home they want it to feel cozy and inviting. When a home is cold it will turn off the buyers, not giving your home the chance it deserves. Also buyers like to know that someone is actually living there and taking care of the property, so spend the extra money to make it as inviting and comfortable as possible. On the reverse side, you don't want your home too hot as bundled up buyers will be uncomfortable and your utility bills will be sky high. A comfortable temperature this time of year is 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)

Let The Light Shine In!
If you have showings during the day, don't be afraid to open up all your curtains and blinds and even roll up your blinds half way (unless you have old ugly windows, or starting straight at a brick wall). If your showings are in the evening, then put on all your lights, even side table lamps, again this makes the home look cozy and potential buyers won't be fumbling for light switches in the dark and truly enjoying your home. With dark rooms, place lighting behind the furniture to give it that bright effect.


It's All About The Senses
We all know first impressions are everything and that includes how your home smells to potential buyers. It's one of the first things they will notice when they go inside your home and it needs to smell good! Make sure you don't have any dirty dishes in the sink with food stuck on them, throw out all spoiled food from the fridge (as buyers can be snoopy) and take out all garbage, compost and recycling before your showings. Also to give your home an inviting smell, you can use Glade Plug In with a smell that is not too overbearing like vanilla or cinnamon, a perfect smell with the holiday season just around the corner, burn a scented candle 1/2 hour before your first showing or get a fresh boutique of flowers, like this one here, from Coriander Girl. It will be one more step towards making your home feel cozy.

A Landscaped Yard Is A Happy Home
Flowers are not exactly flourishing this time of year, but that doesn't mean your front or back yard has to look drab and dingy. Cutting your grass once a week is a must and fallen leaves should be cleared up as much as possible. Adding flowers such as mums, which come in an array of colours, on your front or back porch makes a nice touch. Also stores such as Home Depot or Lowes carry nice fall flower arrangements, which are easy, all you have to do is place them in a good spot outdoors. Another great idea is using black foxtail plumes, those definitely remind me of fall and look nice outside your home!!!! Lastly anything with pine also works, it's able to suffer through the coldweather and also reminds me of the holidays and family time which is perfect, as you want potential buyers to be able to picture themselves and their family in your home.

Fall is a great time to sell your home, especially since the Toronto market is going to finish strong for 2011 and prospective buyers are hoping to make a decision before the holidays and hopefully spend their first holiday in their new home. Take advantage of the fall market by pricing your home correctly, adhering to my tips and calling me to list your home. Hope to hear from you soon!