Toronto Real Estate Agents | Julie Kinnear

The more effort you put in the following tips, the faster your house will sell, and the more $ you will put in your pocket.

Make cosmetic improvements:
An attractive, clean and tidy appearance will enhance your home's appeal.

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• Keep the lawn mowed & walks cleared
• Wash the windows squeeky clean
• Open the shades and curtains to create a bright, inviting atmosphere
• Declutter the house, especially the kitchen and bathrooms

Pay attention to details:
Fixing the minor items can go a long way toward improving that important first impression:

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• Repair leaky faucets
• Tighten loose door knobs
• Replace damaged screens
• Replace broken panes of glass - cloudy sealed-pane units can often be replaced inexpensively, and will drastically improve the appearance of a window or patio door.
• Replace burned-out light bulbs & broken light fixtures
• Secure loose railings
• Patch small holes in walls and ceilings and repaint
• Repair or replace faded or peeling wallpaper
• Repair and coat the driveway

Make maintenance improvements:
The maintenance improvements listed below are relatively easy and inexpensive to make, yet can substantially improve a home's appearance (value), efficiency and comfort.

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• Trim trees and shrubs
• Apply new caulking and weatherstripping as needed around windows and doors
• Clean gutters of debris and leaves, repair or replace cracked or broken gutters, downspouts and extensions to ensure proper drainage
• Replace bathroom caulk or grout where necessary
• Ventilate & dehumidify closed basements and crawl spaces
• Grade soil around the house to prevent ponding of water next to the foundation
• Replace dirty filters in the heating and ventilating systems
• Have the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems professionally serviced
• Have chimneys professionally cleaned & inspected

Check the major systems:
A primary concern for home buyer's is the condition of the basic structure and major mechanical systems. Most buyers have great fear of the cost to repair these critical areas. Recheck:

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• Roof structure and covering
• Foundation, basement, and/or crawl space
• Central heating and air conditioning systems
• Electrical system
• Plumbing system

Prepare for the buyer's inspection:
Find the various house records that can be used to answer questions from the purchaser and their inspector:

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• Appliance receipts, service records and warranties
• Age of major components such as the roof, furnace, air-conditioner, etc.
• Major component warranties

Heating, water and electric bills from at least the past 12 months

Pre Home Inspection:
This is a great idea in this hot real estate market.

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• This will encourage buyers to make good offers without any conditions when you have a good pre-home inspection report.

This helps you prior to listing your property, to know what needs fixing, or what objections/hesitations buyers will feel. It is important to repair obvious faults or be prepared to price your home accordingly.

Take safety precautions:
Protect your home and its occupants from danger. Good ideas that create a great impression:

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• Install quality smoke detectors
• Install quality carbon-monoxide detector
• Ensure adequate outdoor lighting shows off house too
• 'GFCI' outlets outdoors and in wet locations such a bath & laundry areas
• Keep the stairwells tidy and free of debris and obstructions including around the electrical panel and furnace
• Keep flammables and combustibles away from the furnace and other utility areas
• If you have direct entry from the garage to the interior of the home, consider installing a hydraulic or other form of auto-closure device on the door. Check the tension on garage doors

2. Marketing your home with Julie Kinnear