SOLD
A Road Map to Selling Your Home
Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Successful Sale - Kim Melhuish
Your Road Map to a Successful Sale
If you’re thinking of selling, no doubt you have a myriad of questions. What’s my home worth? Should I use an agent or go it alone? How do I make my home attractive to buyers? And, of course, the big one: How do I get the most money for my home?
KM KIM MELHUISH
It is my belief that the more informed you are about what to do and expect, and the more guidance and support that you have, the more successful your home sale will be. Whether this is your first sale or your fifth, one thing remains the same: it can be a complex process with very high stakes and can involve a great deal of time and energy. It is my goal to take away the stress points that can come along with selling your home so that you can feel at ease and enjoy the process. My hope is that this guide will answer some basic questions, outline what to expect at the various stages of the process and provide you with confidence towards a successful sale. I’m here to help you every step of the way and so, if you’re ready, let’s get started!
Kim Melhuish, Realtor®
/kimsellsC21
Sales Representative 416.804.9604 kim.melhuish@C21 www.KMrealhomes.ca
@kimsellsC21
416.804.9604 | kim.melhuish@C21.ca | 3 / 20
Kim Melhuish, Realtor®
Let Me...
I have a strong passion for real estate and a love for helping people succeed. I have had a successful history in business, social networking, marketing and training and bring all of these past experiences and skills to real estate sales.
1. Let Me Be Here For You – Although I have
3. Let Me Market Your Home – One of the
a strong support team working behind the scenes, I will be the person readily available to you and I will stay with you through the entire process. You are my priority. This exclusive relationship will ensure that no communication, concern or expressed emotion is lost in transfer amongst a team of individuals and that your needs are at the forefront at all times.
most important components in selling a home quickly and at the highest price is reaching and attracting a high quantity of appropriate buyers. This comes down to marketing. I will market your home through video, photography and mixed media across diverse national and international real estate boards, on social media platforms and locally within your community. The marketing plan will be designed uniquely for your home and will remain continuous and current through the entire span of your listing.
I am hard-working and innovative and believe that, in order to stand out from the competition, every listing should be marketed uniquely and from a multitude of angles to reach diverse target audiences. I embrace change and like to take advantage of technology to stay ahead of competition.
2. Let Me Help You Prepare – Most of the
My integrity is important to me and I am someone that you can trust to be honest with you and to fight hard for you. I am service-oriented and a strong advocate for those that I am representing. I bring a high level of intelligence and strong negotiation skills to the table, which allows for advantage in all transactions. My service is all encompassing, with your overall success and experience being paramount.
Helping you win in real estate!
energy, time and cost of selling a home happens before you list. I am here to help you with many of these components. I will help you prioritize things that can be done inside and outside of your home to maximize your sale price. I have a long list of experienced professionals that I can recommend should you need and I can help coordinate with them if your time is tight. If you desire, I will have a certified pre-listing home inspection completed in order to increase the quality of offers that come in. In addition, in order to capitalize on the work that you have done to prepare your home, I will hire a professional home stager and a professional photographer to highlight all of the unique selling features of your property. Providing you with comprehensive service is important to me and will help you sell your home at top dollar.
4. Let Me Keep You Informed – Because there can be a lot of stress in the silence when selling your home, my goal is to communicate with you regularly in order to keep you updated. This includes information regarding communication with other agents, direct queries from the various platforms, and hits and shared traffic on the listing itself. I will also be watching the status of any competing listings within your neighbourhood and will be communicating this to you so that you can be informed and up to date.
416.804.9604 | kim.melhuish@C21.ca | 5 / 20
STEP 1
Pricing Smart Although only the market can determine the ultimate value of your home, choosing the optimal list price is essential to ensuring you get top dollar!
SHOWINGS
PRICE
5 Key Steps Toward a Successful Sale
Setting a list price for your home is no easy task but it's a critical one. Depending on market conditions, listing your home too low can risk not getting as much as you possibly can. Listing it too high can not only risk losing buyers, it can actually help competitive homes sell faster. To complicate this, your home is an emotional asset. It’s hard to see it objectively as a “product” for sale. Finding the optimal price in today’s market requires a combination of market expertise, knowledge of human behavior and old-fashioned street smarts. In order to set a list price, we will review recent listings in your neighbourhood - those that have sold and those that have not sold, at what price and at what duration on the market. I will use my knowledge of the markets, current trends within your neighbourhood and an analytical analysis of the relevant listings so that you can feel confident in the choice of a strong list price. Pricing your home correctly from the start will result in the highest exposure, most showings, most offers and ultimately the highest price for your home.
TIM E
15%
Fewer qualified buyers bother to see the home.
15%
Risk losing $120,000 to $150,000 on the sale of the home*.
Too High
Too Low
*Home for sale in the $800,000 - $1,000,000 price range.
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STEP 2
Preparing Your Home to Wow
Preparing Your Home to Show at its Highest Value
Once you've set the price, your next step is to prepare your home to wow buyers from the moment they lay eyes on it, virtually and in-person.
The 3 R's of Prepping Your Home for Sale
Sound overwhelming?
REMOVE
This is more important than you might think. Most people are not able to visualize the potential of a home. They have to see it. That means that how your home shows now is how people see themselves in it. They can’t see past chips, leaks, clutter or stains – in fact, these are the things that they tend to focus on. It is important that they see clean, cohesive, easy and calm.
Get rid of as much clutter as possible. Give it away, have a garage sale, sell things online or temporarily put it in storage. You want your home to look spacious and tidy.
Here is a handy list of items that may need to be cleaned or repaired prior to showing in order to increase the appeal, and therefore value, of your home.
Another idiosyncrasy of human nature is that many buyers can’t see themselves living in a home that someone else is currently occupying. This is why it is recommended that a home on the market be de-personalized so that anyone viewing the home can picture it as their space and not someone else’s.
REPAIR Chipped paint, cracked tiles, squeaky hinges, loose handles, leaky faucets. Fix everything you can. If you need a handyperson or contractor, I can help you coordinate.
RENEW
49%
Staged homes sell faster
and for
7 -11% more money.* *Source: NAR
Clean, clean and clean again. It’s that important. A coat of fresh paint goes a long way to dramatically improve the look. You want your home to look guest-ready. The professional home stager that I bring in will help with how to organize each room so that it looks like a showcase.
Exterior
Interior
✔ House exterior in good repair ✔ House number easy to read ✔ Eavestroughs, soffits, fascia and downspouts in good repair ✔ Garage/carport clean and tidy ✔ Litter picked up ✔ Cracked or broken window panes replaced ✔ Lawns, hedges cut, garden weeded and edged ✔ Walks shoveled and salted ✔ Boot tray inside the front door ✔ Doorbell and door hardware in good repair ✔ Porch and foyer clean and spacious
✔ Chipped plaster and paint touched up and repaired ✔ Doors and cupboards properly closed ✔ Leaky taps and toilets repaired ✔ Burned out light bulbs replaced ✔ Squeaky doors oiled ✔ Mirrors, fixtures and taps cleaned and polished ✔ Seals around tubs and basing in good repair ✔ Floor cleaned, garbage containers emptied ✔ Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy ✔ Appliances cleaned
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STEP 3
STEP 4
Marketing Your Home for Results Marketing is not only my passion, but also an area of expertise. I design individualized marketing campaigns to create buzz, expand exposure, invoke emotion and captivate buyers’ attention online and offline.
Here are a few things you can expect from me when it comes to marketing your home. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY, DRONE VIDEO AND 2D, 3D FLOOR PLANS First impressions are critically important, especially today with over 95% of properties being viewed online first. From breathtaking photos, aerial views and popular 2D and 3D floor plans - your listing will be a showstopper that generates more requests for showings.
WOW FACTOR LISTINGS Not only will your listing be very professional and visually appealing, it will leave no questions unanswered when it comes to what buyers want to know. It will be uploaded on MLS across multiple real estate boards and placed on popular public real estate sites, such as Realtor.ca, Zillow and Point2Homes. It will be advertised across Century 21’s network of agents globally and on exclusive broker listing sites. The placement of your listing will ensure maximal local, out-of-area and international exposure.
SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS In order to strategically target the right demographic for your home, I carry the same great visuals from your listing to my Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube ad campaigns to garner social views and more eyes on your listing. You will be provided with your own URL website landing page with interactive tools to initiate contact from buyers. There will be photos, videos and electronic brochures for your listing, as well as interesting facts and links that feature the benefits of your neighbourhood. Let’s talk more specifically about what we would do to market your home so that it sells quickly and for top dollar.
Safe & Successful Showings The goal of showings is for a buyer to leave your property thinking “I want this house!” Here are a few of my top showing recommendations.
SECURITY Each person viewing your home will do so with a licensed real estate agent whose contact information is provided to me. I will be present for anyone that is wanting to view your home without an agent. Each individual attending an open house without an agent will be required to provide identification.
FLEXIBILITY IS KEY Although showings can be inconvenient, it is recommended that you be as flexible as you can, even allowing for short notice visits. Remember, it only takes one person to love your home and make a great offer. Ideally aim to have pets out of the home when there is a viewing but, if it’s not possible, be sure to have them closed securely and to have a sign out to inform.
MAKE YOUR HOME INVITING Have you ever noticed how model homes are always neat? This contributes to their appeal. Things that can make your space more inviting include: keeping all of the lights on, having the curtains drawn and windows open (if weather is appropriate), having countertops uncluttered and polished, keeping the temperature neutral, having freshly vacuumed carpet and having polished mirrors, sinks and faucets. You might consider having fresh cut flowers in various rooms or a bowl of shiny green apples on display. Create an ambiance! It all makes a difference. There are so many more tips and tricks to add appeal to a showing and the professional home stager that I bring in for you will be extremely valuable in this process. Additionally, there are strategies that I can share with you on how to keep the preparation for showings as efficient and stress-free as possible.
416.804.9604 | kim.melhuish@C21.ca | 11 / 20
STEP 5
Negotiating Expertise When an offer comes in — perhaps multiple offers - this is where negotiating expertise counts to ensure you achieve the highest price and best terms. The best way to think about an offer is as a starting point to a conversation. Expect some back and forth. They offer, you counter and eventually come to an agreement.
What to Consider in the Offer: PRICE - Although it depends on the market and the buyer, the price offered is often different than the asking price.
DEPOSIT - The deposit shows the buyer’s good faith and will be applied against the purchase price of the home when the sale closes.
TERMS - Includes the total price the buyer is offering, as well as the financing details.
CONDITIONS - These might include but are not limited to: “subject to home inspection”, “subject to buyer obtaining financing” or “subject to the sale of the purchaser’s property”.
INCLUSIONS & EXCLUSIONS - The buyers may request change to what was included in the listing in terms of appliances and certain fixtures or decorative items (e.g., window coverings or mirrors).
Momentum is key in negotiations MOMENTUM IS THE SECRET Things happen fast at this stage. That’s why having a skilled agent to represent you is vital.
What Negotiating 1% More For Your Home Looks Like
I will walk you through the details of the offer or offers, make suggestions on how to proceed, and keep the process moving forward until we have success on your terms. Once you accept the final offer, the buyer provides a deposit to be held “in trust” until conditions are met and the transaction is final and title is transferred. I will handle all of these details and ensure that the conditions are fulfilled or a waiver is signed so that your sale is firm awaiting the closing the day.
$
300K
$
6,000
8,000
$ 400K
10,000 500K
$600K $800K $1M Negotiating just 1% more for your home can mean thousands more to your bottom line.
CLOSING OR POSSESSION DATE - This is generally the day that the title of the property is legally transferred and the transaction of funds finalizes. 416.804.9604 | kim.melhuish@C21.ca | 13 / 20
Calculating Your Bottom Line Here are a few typical closing costs for you to consider. LEGAL | TITLE FEES Both you and the buyer will have a lawyer or title company as representation, each with separate responsibilities related to the legal details of the closing. Legal representation is responsible for ensuring the successful transfer of the title of your home to the new buyers. Title must be free and clear of all mortgages and liens which will be paid out by your legal representative on closing.
REAL ESTATE SALES COMMISSIONS In typical circumstances, it is the seller that pays the real estate sales commissions with the applicable HST. The percentage paid is most often divided equally between the listing and the co-operating (representing the buyers) agents.
MORTGAGE PAYOUT We strongly recommend discussing your mortgage options before listing to determine your best course of action. Your mortgage will need to be paid off or transferred to another property you purchase so that title can transfer free and clear to the new owners. It’s best to check with your lender to determine the exact cost to transfer (port) and pay off your mortgage. Some lenders charge a discharge fee to remove the mortgage from title, and it is possible there is a penalty for repayment based on your current mortgage terms.
UTILITIES, MORTGAGE INTEREST, PROPERTY TAX & OTHER ADJUSTMENTS The lawyer/title company will ensure that any overpayment or deficiencies on rent, condo fees, mortgage interest, utility deposits and property taxes will be adjusted for on closing.
MOVING COSTS Moving costs vary based on location and the amount of possessions being moved. If you’re moving yourself, you should factor gas, rental vehicles and moving supplies.
Resource Section 16 Preparing for Closing Day 17 14 Tips for Packing Like a Pro 18 Closing Day Arrangements 19 Address Checklist 416.804.9604 | kim.melhuish@C21.ca | 15 / 20
Preparing for Closing Day
14 Tips for Packing like a Pro This may seem hard to believe, but many people thoroughly enjoy their moving day and the time leading up to it. The secret? Being organized. Make sure you have the right tools—packing tape, permanent markers, sticky notes, and lots of boxes on hand will make your move much easier. Start early and work steadily. Make progress every day with your packing instead of leaving it all until the last minute.
Book the Movers You will want to book the movers well in advance. You can have everything packed ahead of their arrival or you can arrange for the movers to do part, or all, of the packing. Make special arrangements for the moving of perishables, such as plants. Have a plan for your pets. Safely dispose of all flammable liquids, as it is illegal for movers to carry them. It’s a good idea to obtain estimates from several different companies. There are a lot of different options available these days for packing, ranging from traditional cardboard boxes to rental bins. I can provide you with information and recommendations of various services if you need.
1. D evelop a master “packing/to do” list so you won’t forget something critical.
8. D o not over pack boxes — boxes that are packed comfortably will be less likely to break.
2. P urge! Get rid of things you no longer want or need. Have a garage sale, donate to a charity, or recycle.
9. Wrap each fragile item separately and pad the bottom and sides of boxes.
3. B efore throwing something out, remember to ask yourself how frequently you use that item and how you would feel if you no longer had it.
10. Label every box on all sides. You never know how they will be stacked and you do not want to have to move other boxes aside to find out what is inside.
4. P ack like items together. Put toys with toys and kitchen utensils with kitchen utensils.
11. U se colour-coded labels to indicate which room each item should go in. Colour-code a floor plan for your new house to help your movers.
5. D ecide what, if anything, you plan to move yourself. Precious items, such as family photos, breakable valuables, or must-haves during the move, should probably stay with you. 6. U se the right box for the item. Items packed loosely are more likely to be damaged. 7. P ut heavy items in small boxes so they are easier to lift. Keep the weight under 50 lbs, if possible.
12. Keep your moving documents together, including phone numbers, the driver’s name, and van number. 13. Back up your computer files before moving your computer. 14. I nspect each box and all furniture for damage as soon as it arrives. Remember, most movers won’t take plants.
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Closing Day Arrangements At Your Present Home to have your gas and electric meters read on the day • Arrange you leave and have the bill forwarded to your new address.
•
If you have an oil tank, have it read and filled before your sale closes and provide a receipt to your legal representative.
• Have your telephone, internet and utilities cancelled. any contracted services and pre-authorized cheques, • Cancel newspapers, magazines and other home services.
Change of Address Checklist UTILITIES, BILLS & OTHER VENDORS
Physician Veterinarian
Electricity
Attorney
Hydro
Dentist
Natural gas
Optometrist
Cell phone
Other specialists
Landline Cable Internet Water delivery/treatment
LEGAL & IDENTITY DOCUMENTS
FINANCIAL Bank Credit card company Insurance (car, life, home, and health) Pension plan
Driver’s licence
Car loan
Arrange for Canada Post to forward your mail to your new address for a prescribed period of time.
Passport
Other loans
Health card
Reward programs
Try to keep in mind that many companies require two weeks’ notice in order to arrange for cancellations.
Insurance
•
At your New Home Make arrangements for the gas and electric utilities, water softener and telephone/internet to be connected on the day that the sale closes, or on your possession date if they differ. Have any insurance for your new location scheduled to begin on your closing date for that property. Have the address on your driver’s license changed effective the day of your move.
T ax documents (Income tax, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, etc.)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES P ool L awn H ousecleaning
MISCELLANEOUS Magazines Newspapers Professional associations Alumni associations Clubs Charities
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KM KIM MELHUISH
KM
KIM MELHUISH, REALTOR® C 416.804.9604 B 905.845.8180 kim.melhuish@C21.ca www.KMrealhomes.ca @kimsellsC21 /kimsellsC21
KIM MELHUISH
Disclaimer: This document is not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with a brokerage. All opinions expressed and data provided herein are subject to change without notice. The information is provided solely for informational and educational purposes and is not intended to provide, and should not be construed as providing individual financial, investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Professional advisors should be consulted prior to acting on the basis of the information contained in this document. I/We assume no responsibility for errors or omissions in the content contained herein.
Century 21 Miller Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage