Seriously Muskoka Real Estate Blog | Heather Scott - Blog Archive: June, 2020 | Page #2

Selling your home is a huge decision. After quite a bit of research on local realtors in your area and how long the selling process you may feel that it’s better to sell your home yourself. FSBO, also known as For Sale By Owner, is when you sell your home without the help of a Realtor or licensed professional. By doing FSBO, you can avoid paying commission, working with an agent, and you have complete control over your listing.

If you know you’re ready to sell your home but not sure where to start, we made a step by step guide on how to FSBO.

Step 1: Price your home accurately

According to NAR, 17% of people who have done FSBO said pricing their home was the most difficult task. Not only can pricing your home be difficult but accurately pricing…

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I ❤ Muskoka.

I also love Instagram. I combined the two and found 7 local businesses you should be following on Instagram if you're like me and love Muskoka.

1. Soapstones Natural Skincare | @soapstonesskincare

2. Living Wood Design | @livingwooddesign

3. Cabin Cafe | @cabinorganiccafe

4. Overboard Bala | @overboardbala

5. The Nutty Chocolatier | @thenuttymuskoka

6. Muskoka Shipyards | @muskokashipyards

7. Simply Cottage | @simplycottageltd

Homes are popular on Instagram, too

Quality images are equally as important in real estate. According to the CRD, homes with high-quality photography sell 32% faster and for more money. That's why every home we list receives both professional photography and marketing on Instagram.

 

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If there’s a mantra every first-time seller should memorize, it’s this: Expect the unexpected. While your realtor is going to educate you about the process of selling your home and share their thoughts about how the sale could go based on what’s going on in your market right now, no two sales are exactly alike. That’s because there is any number of issues that can come up at any point that can affect anything from your timeline to your budget. 

When these issues pop up to you, the first-time seller, they feel like an emergency. You worry that you won’t be able to sell your home, or that maybe you’ve made a terrible mistake, or even worry just because your realtor is 100% calm about the situation that’s sending you into overdrive.

Turns out they’re…

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect on everything...

From travel to toilet paper stock at your local grocery store. However, there’s another effect you might want to keep an eye on if you’re a homeowner: Falling mortgage rates. In the United States, the Federal Reserve cut rates by half a percentage point on March 3 (to keep up with the market), then again by 1.5 percent on March 15 (in response to COVID-19). In Canada, the Bank of Canada cut rates by 1% on March 13.

What does this mean if you’re already a homeowner? The first answer is easy: If you’ve been thinking about refinancing, now’s a good time to lock in a low rate. But if you’re concerned about the value of your home (particularly if you’ve been looking to sell in the next year), the…

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Ask any real estate agent how the market is and you’re almost sure to get the same answer: “Great!”

Even if the market is great, it still may not be a great time for you to sell. Many real estate agents will tell you that NOW is the right time to sell your home when in reality, they can’t know that without knowing the specifics of your situation. Before going down a long and stressful journey, let’s first decide if selling your home right now is a mistake.

What’s true about relationships is also true about selling your home: When it’s time to make a big decision, go with your gut feeling. But like anyone who has ever put off a breakup, it’s amazing how easy it is to talk yourself out of what you really want to do. You’ll say you’ll get around to…

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You never get a second chance to make a good first impression, and that counts for your home, too! Buyers might be less likely to check out the rest of a house if the outside is unappealing—even if the interior is stunning.

 

If you’re looking to sell your house, a few inexpensive changes to your home’s exterior could help make the process smoother. From being able to sell faster to add greater value to the asking price.  

1. Add a fresh coat of paint

Depending on what your budget is, painting can give you a lot of bang for your buck. When painting don’t forget picket fences around your yard, trimming around the eaves of the roof, and replacing old gutters and downspouts may catapult the appeal of the exterior of your home.

2. Updating…

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Home sales (and values) have been on a strong uptick nationwide thanks to low interest rates, freer lending standards and a drop in the foreclosure rate. Sellers everywhere are breathing a giant, collective sigh of relief! But for all of the buyer activity, it seems like most houses sit on one end of two extremes: they either get snatched up the moment they hit the market (with multiple offers and an above-asking sale price) or seem to languish on the market without an offer in sight.

All sellers aspire to be on the multiple-offer end of the spectrum. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make that happen. Here are five tips to move your listing in to the multiple offers zone.

 

1. Price it aggressively. 

Homes that get multiple offers…

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Whether you are planning to put down a full 20 percent or pulling together the cash for a 3.5 percent down payment for an FHA loan, your down payment might be the biggest single cash expenditure you ever make. Some scrimp and save for years, while others can ready the cash with less difficulty, but no buyer in the history of home buying has ever said they have too much down payment money.

Here's an insider secret: many buyers have a treasure trove of down payment resources at their disposal, hidden in plain sight. Here's a map to this hidden treasure – a handful of frequently-overlooked sources of down payment funds.

 

1. Your budget's biggest line items. 

Home buying is one of those push-meet-shove-type situations. If you're serious about…

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Every year, designers around the world look forward to the reveal of Pantone’s new Colour of the Year. Similarly, interior designers await the rollout of new colour palettes from major paint companies.

These rollouts require colour stylists to carefully analyze global and societal trends from the runway, varying lifestyles, and demographics.

Consumer Reports recently predicted the hottest interior paint colours of 2019, and we picked our favourites here.

We also included how and where to incorporate these colours into your home.

 


 

Benjamin Moore: Metropolitan AF-690

Why it's hot: neutral tones create a calming ambiance.

Where to use: living room, sleek kitchen, sophisticated bedroom.

Where to buy: select paint…

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When dreaming of your perfect kitchen, it can be hard to decide what changes need to happen in order to make it the perfect space for you. The kitchen is the most visited space in the house, so you want to make sure you are prepared before embarking on this remodeling journey.

There are many changes you can make when the time comes so we created a list to help you get started. Here are 7 easy upgrades to consider to bring your dream kitchen to fruition.

Renovating Cabinets

Rather than installing completely new cabinets, painting tarnished or scuffed cabinetry is a cost-effective way to brighten the room. Make sure to scrub the cabinets before you sand and prime, then paint. Although it's cost-effective, taking the added time to do the proper…

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