Understanding the value of your home is a crucial step in determining if it is the right time to sell. If you are looking to find out the true value of your home, we can help you with that!
Please fill out the form below for a free, no obligation home evaluation!
Most sellers use a real estate agent. And for good reason! A skilled agent can ensure your home sells quickly and for the best price, while making the entire process much easier for you.
The first thing an agent will need to do to provide you with a home evaluation is to gather a little information on your property. Generally, the agent will ask you questions about the square footage of your home, if you’ve done any renovations, is your basement finished, and so on. If you plan to make changes before selling, inform the agent at this time.
The next step is for the agent to obtain data on comparable properties. This data is usually available through the MLS® (Multiple Listing Service) System. A qualified agent will also know of properties that are on the market or have sold without being part of the MLS® System. This will give the agent an idea how much your property is worth in the current market.
Please note that the home evaluation, or CMA, is not an appraisal. Appraisals are typically performed for the purpose of financing, and can represent quite an expense. Appraisals must be performed by a licensed Appraiser.
The home evaluation process takes place before your home is listed for sale and is a good assessment of what your house could potentially sell for.
The goal of staging your home is to help it sell faster and for top dollar by exposing it to the greatest number of potential buyers. Homes that are staged tend to sell 80% faster than those that are not and, for more money!
As part of our full-service, client focused philosophy, The Knowles/Woolsey Team offers complimentary home staging to all of our clients.
Home staging is the process of preparing your home for sale in the real estate market by making your home appeal to the widest audience of potential buyers. It’s about editing and neutralizing your home so that it looks bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, and most of all, an attractive home that any buyer would want to make their own. Since we live in our houses every day, we get used to the way they look and we personalize them so that they work and look the way that best suits our needs. But once you decide to sell your home, you’ll need to change this.
Many buyers have a difficult time imagining themselves sitting down to watch their favorite TV show in a living room filled with your nick knacks and photos of your family. They feel like they’re in a stranger’s home. This is exactly what you don’t want. You want to make it effortless for potential buyers to envision themselves living in your home and feeling comfortable there. That’s where home staging comes in! Home Stagers are practiced in the art of preparing a home for resale. They work with the ‘flow’ of the home to eliminate clutter, and edit and arrange furniture to show off a rooms size and finishes, so that your home makes the best first impression on potential buyers
As a full-service, client-focused team, we truly believe that staging makes a big difference in the sale of your home and we’re not the only ones!
Read through some Home Staging statistics that we’ve gathered for you:
(Wall Street Journal, 2003)
Neutral paint is a fantastic start; we can add pops of colours with accessories!
Personal photos can be packed and stored in preparation for your move. Removing these personal items will help buyers to visualize themselves actually living in your home.
Having a clean and fresh smelling home will keep people interested when showing the home. Abrasive odours and unclean areas will turn people away.
Open drapes, blinds and shutters allow natural light to flood the rooms and creates a welcoming and bright atmosphere.
Remove any ‘overflow’ or unused furniture so that buyers can see the size of the room and leave the space feeling light and airy.
Keeping counter tops and vanity surfaces clear of day to day items, takes the personal out and keeps the buyers focus on upgrades and finishes, not your choice of toothpaste!
Maximize the curb appeal of your home by sealing your driveway, removing off season decorations, keeping grass, shrubs and gardens looking trimmed and fresh, putting garbage and recycling bins out of sight, and in the winter keeping snow shoveled to show off decorative walkways.
92% of home buyers look at listings online before deciding to ever step foot inside of a home for a showing. The first impression of your home is now a digital one, which is one of the reasons why Home Staging is so important. When you list your home with The Knowles/Woolsey Team, you’ll go through these staging processes before your home is professionally photographed and listed for sale:
The consult will include a tour of your home, both inside and out, and a discussion afterwards about all of the options available to you, and our consultant’s recommendations on how to best prepare your home for sale. Our staging expert will bring fresh eyes, a natural artistic ability and a design background into your home and look at it from a potential buyer’s perspective.
In most cases staging your home will cost you absolutely nothing! Home staging is a complimentary service offered by The Knowles/Woolsey Team and our goal is to work with the things that you already have to stage your home for sale. In some cases, such as outdated paint colours or an outdated bedspread, a minimal investment is necessary to get the home ready for sale.
After the staging preparation has been completed, our professional photographer and videographer will make an appointment to take photos and video of your home before it is listed for sale. Completing the staging of your home before it is photographed and listed on the market will make the best first impression to home buyers browsing online. It is one of our strategies to ensure that we are providing you with the highest level of customer service and a stress-free real estate experience!
A showing appointment, booked by the buyer’s agent on your property, is one of the most important steps in selling your home. It is your chance to really show off your home to potential buyers!
With 90% of home buyers starting their home search online, your ‘first showing’ is often a digital one. That’s why home staging and professional photos and video of your home are so important. It’s also why The Knowles/Woolsey Team offers our clients complimentary home staging and complimentary professional photos and video.
Showing appointments should be treated with great care. They are your home’s chance to make a great first impression and leave buyers dreaming about buying your home! With a little bit of effort, you can greatly increase your home’s appeal to potential buyers. Removing any distractions will allow the buyers to focus on the best features of your home, and what their lives could look like if they lived there.
Since you’ve likely already listed your home, you will have already staged your home and taken care of any minor repairs and renovations, but there are a few tasks to keep in mind for showings while your home is on the market. The checklist below will tell you how to prepare your home for a showing and ensure that your home always makes a great first impression:
Preparing your home for a showing may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Get the whole family to pitch in and you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in a short period of time, and how big of a difference this attention to detail can make. If you’ll be away from the house all day try to work these tasks into your morning routine so your home is ready, even for last minute showing requests. You never know which showing will be the ‘The One’!
