House Looking Good? Take a Picture!

Is your house looking really good right now? You've probably put some planters out front, and the grass is really green and lush. After our long winter, you're happy to spend time outside making the house look good again. Maybe you're having people over on the weekend and you're proud of how your house looks.

Take some pictures now!

Even if you're not thinking of selling this year, take some pictures of the exterior of your house now and throughout the summer, when your house looks good. Take a shot from across the street, get a good shot of the backyard, and be sure to show off your front door.

If you decide to sell when things are dry and droopy or covered in snow, you'll have pictures for your Realtor to post that show off your house at its best!

The spring market this year was slower than usual and one thing that was obvious was that almost every house on the market was pictured covered with snow. Buyers couldn't see the landscaping and many details were obscured. The odd house that had a summer picture looked fantastic, really outstanding!

Taking pictures of your house in every season also helps you with your own maintenance planning. You'll see issues on the house and in the garden that need attention. 

Canada Day Move: Why so popular?

A Canada Day closing is stressful and hectic and the holiday means that lots of things will be closed and Lawyers won't be working on Canada Day. So why is it so popular?

• Canada Day is July 1st. It's the first of the month and it's the first real summer holiday, since the school year ends at the end of June. The weather is usually pretty good.
• Since the school year is over, if you have children, then you don't have to worry about changing schools. New school year, new school. 
• Canada Day long weekends are sometimes 4-day weekends, when Canada Day falls on a Tuesday or Thursday. So, you'll have more time off of work, without worries. 
• The Spring Real Estate Market is when buyers have the best selection of houses to buy.
• The Spring Real Estate Market is when sellers will have the most buyers looking at their properties. 

You still have time to buy or sell with a Canada Day Move. And, I've got a Canada Day Moving Deal for you! Give me a call, and get in on the action.

Location? Price? Size? What's most important?

There's that old Real Estate story that everyone knows: When asked to state the top 3 factors in determining the value of Real Estate, a British tycoon said: "Location, location, location!"

I think it might be different when you're in the market for a family home. Sure, it's an investment. But, it's your home. Home is a powerful thing. Home is a powerful word. It conjures up all kinds of feelings, emotions, memories, associations that have nothing to do with dollar value. Location is a big factor, but I don't think that it's related to dollar value when it's considered. It's more likely to be in relation to other family members or work or school. If it's thought of in terms of cost, then it's likely about cost of travel to work.

Here is one possible list of Top 3 Factors in Home Buying

Price:
What can you afford? What are you willing to pay? This is where you have to start, really. How much do you have and how much of that are you willing to pay for your home? Will spending more on a home mean fewer holidays? Will spending less on a home mean more travel time, or will it just mean more travel-to-work time, commuting? You'll have to look at your finances and you'll have to talk to your family to see what they value. First, you have to determine the bottom line.

Location: 
Where would you like to live? What has value for you? Do you want to be close to or far away from family, parks and schools, work, nature, urban amenities, fishing holes? How far are you willing to go from your workplace? How far from Mom do you want to be? You'll need to think about the cost of your commute in terms of time and dollars. It might be a question of space vs time. In any case, the bottom line will be the determining factor.

Size/ Fit:
How much space do you need? Is your family growing or shrinking? Do you need an in-law suite, rooms for the grand kids, a fenced-in yard for your dogs, spaces for entertaining, space for your car, space for storing your boat, a wine cellar or a man-cave? When you consider how much room you need, the easy measures are the number of bedrooms and parking spaces, lot-size, and square feet (or metres). The numbers alone can't measure how your family will fit into those spaces. You'll have to walk through and visualize yourselves using the space. In the end, the cost might make you change your mind about what you "need."

You can use these 3 factors, Price, Location, and Size, in your preliminary home search, on my website. You can indicate a price range, a location, and the number of bedrooms or square feet, for example.

Other variables available on the property search are: garage spaces, bathrooms, acres, year built, and number of stories. Variables you can't type in: style, colours, smell, landscaping, does it feel warm and homey, will you fall in love with it?

You don't have to do an online home search at all. You can call me (416-716-3112) or email me (harrynaghavi@gmail.com).

Call me and I'll make it easier for you. We'll meet and discuss your needs and your desires. We'll talk about all the things your family has to consider in your specific circumstances. And, then I will search for you and provide you with lists of possibilities. I'll send you emails of listings, and we can meet and look at listings too if you prefer. I'll make appointments to go and see the houses you like. When you choose, I'll get you the best deal possible!

I will save you time and money.

And, buying a home will be as stress-free as possible. 

We'll find you a house you'll love, a house to call  home. 

Get Ready to Sell! Do Your Own "Staging"

You're thinking about moving. You're getting ready to sell your house.

First of all, call me, Harry, Your Friendly Realtor (416-716-3112).

I'll pop over to your place, give you a free evaluation, and we'll look at what you need to do to get the house ready to sell for the best price possible. Don't worry, you probably won't have to do much "staging".

There is a ton of information on the internet about staging homes to get the most money. There are companies who will do it for you. Get a quote and see what they'll do. Sometimes they do amazing things. But, you might not have the money to hire a staging company and you might not have the time and money to invest in a big DIY project either right now, and that's okay. You have to consider the cost to yourself in terms of time and money in relation to the effect on the selling time and price. Will it be worth it?

You might end up just doing a major cleaning and just change things around a bit. Maybe you'll have a weekend to do some painting. Even if you have a good-sized budget and a fair amount of time, I believe that you can do it yourself if you can think like a buyer. It's a bit difficult to look at your home and your stuff and think of it as someone else's. But, that's what you've got to try to do. And, I can help you with that.

Here's a link to a blog post that has some good common-sense ideas for things to do before inviting buyers in to your house. You won't have to spend too much time on the projects that they recommend. It's on a Blog called The Sweet Spot Blog.

The most important thing is also the easiest to do: declutter and clean. 

Have a yard sale to get rid of things you don't need, give things away, recycle, and then throw things out. Pack away stuff that you won't need until after your move. Store it, and maybe even a few pieces of furniture that are crowding your spaces, at someone else's house or rent a storage space.

Then, clean thoroughly. If you hate cleaning, then you can easily hire people to do it for you.

Don't forget the outside of your house! Curb appeal is actually a big deal. People do judge based on appearances, on first impressions.

The next blog post in the series on the Sweet Spot Blog is about getting the outside of your house ready for sale. I recommend that one too if you want to see some good tips.

I can also help you decide what you need to do to boost your curb appeal, if you need to do anything at all. 

You've been taking care of your investment all along, right? I'll tell you what it's worth "as is". You might be surprised at how little you really need to do.

I will help you make your move as stress-free as possible.

And, you'll save money: you'll get the best deal selling and buying with my help!

Sell or Buy First?

Sell first and then buy. 

When people think of moving, they'll often call me and ask to see a bunch of homes. They just want to have an idea of what's out there. We're just shopping around. Most often, it's a waste of time for them. (Not for me. It's always a good experience to see homes. I can recommend things to other buyers.) 

When you go house shopping, you need to have your finances in order. If you already own a house, then your money will probably be tied up in that. Once you sell your house, the market will be different. 

Let's say you're shopping around while you're just thinking about moving and you fall in love with a house you see. How will you be able to make an offer on it? You can make a conditional offer. If there's another offer without the "sale of buyer's home" condition, then they won't choose yours. Let's say yours is the only offer and they accept it. Do you really want to sell your house under that kind of pressure? Can you get the most out of your present home if you are pressed for time? 

Take your time to prepare your house for sale. Get top dollar for your investment. Then, go shopping with the power to offer the strongest bid.