Sellers

Gorgeous Muskoka Cottage with forest stairs

As one of the most desirable (and expensive!) areas in Southern Ontario, the Muskoka Lakes region attracts a variety of buyers: those wishing to purchase a vacation property, those searching for the perfect place to retire, or even those who are longing for a permanent, year-round residence away from the big city. 

But about the market for those who wish to sell? Isn’t this an easy process in a location that’s so sought-after? Not necessarily! There are a few things that you should be aware of before you put your Muskoka home up for sale, and we’ll go through some of them below. 

Know Your Home’s Worth

Before you decide to list your Muskoka home, you’ll want to do a little bit—or a lot!—of market research. This will help you make an informed…

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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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Selling a home in today's market can be a bit frustrating. There's all sorts of home staging and property preparation advice out there, and some of it seems daunting or impossible to follow unless you already live in a haute home or have a serious bankroll set aside to whip your place into shape.

You can't turn a rancher into a Victorian – so don't bother trying. But you do have more control than you may realize over how desirable your listing looks to potential buyers. In order to know what turns a buyer on you need to know what turns a buyer off.

Here are 6 big-time turn-offs that make buyers cringe at the thought of purchasing your home.

 

1. Cluttered, dirty and/or "fragrant" houses

You already know this one. Every seller does. Yet,…

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