Are You Ready to Sell Your Home?
As inventory grows and rates drop, buyers’ ears are perking up! If you are considering selling your home, this blog is for you. My name’s Britt Huggins and I’m part of the SO&Co. Toronto Real Estate Team. We have developed a process that sets us apart from other real estate teams and would love the chance to work with you! If you’re in the early stages of prepping your home for sale, here are some tips on getting started.
Downsizing & Decluttering
While our team is very hands-on when you’re selling with us, it helps to get a head start on decluttering your home. Go through your house room by room and start by removing the personal items and clutter. While you have a home for all of your knick-knacks, buyers want to visualize your home as theirs. Removing family photos and clutter will help prepare for when the stagers come.
Minor Repairs, Updates & Painting
While we know that everyone doesn’t have a huge budget for repairs and painting, there are minor things that can be done around the house to modernize your home. Here is a list of some small ticket items that could be considered:
- Painting walls white or lighter colours. This will neutralize the space and make it look and feel bigger.
- Painting cabinets or vanities. If you have outdated kitchen cabinets and washroom vanities, a fresh coat of paint can update the look of your kitchen or washrooms.
- Change the hardware on kitchen cabinets or bathroom cupboards. This minor change can update the look of a room.
- Change door handles (this can get pricy depending on the number of doors throughout your house.
- Update light fixtures with a more modern-looking option.
Square Feet, Taxes, Utility Bills & Rentals
If you have the square footage of your home tucked away somewhere, see if you can find it, this will help categorize it for your realtor. Once you are working with a Toronto real estate agent, they will also ask you for your latest tax assessment which you can request from the City of Toronto. It is also recommended that you gather your latest utility bills to allow potential buyers a chance to budget themselves. Lastly, if you have any rental utilities or contracts (for example your hot water heater), it is recommended you provide the monthly fee along with any contracts that the home is tied to.
Feature Sheet
The more info you can provide, the better. Your real estate agent will want to know about the updates around the house so they can feature any items that may help as a selling feature. For example:
- How old is your roof and windows?
- How old is your furnace and A/C?
- Have you recently updated the kitchen or washrooms?
- When was the home last painted?
- If you have a pool, when was the equipment and liner last updated?
- Has the yard been landscaped recently?
I think you get the point! In a nutshell, anything you have put money into that may be considered a selling feature is worth noting!
Chattels vs Fixtures: Determine You Includes and Excludes
When you are purchasing or selling a home, you should understand the difference between chattels and fixtures. Chattels are personal items in your home that can be moved from one place to the next. They are assets in your home that and not physically attached or “fixed” to the property. Examples include items such as furniture, cars, electronics, art, etc.
Fixtures on the other hand are also personal property but they have been attached to the property in a way that they are considered part of the home. The key characteristic of a fixture is that it’s attached to the real property making it hard to move. Examples include items such as cabinets, light fixtures, built-in appliances, central heating, plumbing, etc.
