How to Motivate People to Buy Your Home

Smart home sellers should always remember that buyers have many choices.

Qualified buyers usually go for the home with the best asking price and the one that gives them the best value for their home-buying money. If you're trying to sell your home in a competitive market, you are going to have to be price competitive. It's not always about asking price, however.  Sometimes you will have to take that extra step to get a qualified buyer to choose your house to make an offer on instead of the house down the street. You can probably think of many ways if you are willing to 'think outside of the box'.

How to Motivate People to Buy Your Home in Nanaimo

             

            The following are some suggestions to motivate buyers to buy your home. Reimburse them for their legal fees and other closing costs. Offer them a credit for any cosmetic work that needs to be done, such as painting or carpet cleaning.  Provide a credit for updating appliances, bath room fixtures, or window coverings. If you can afford it, arrange for a weekly cleaning service for a certain amount of time, after the deal is done, as a 'thank you' for them buying your house. When you do this, you set yourself apart from the competition and give qualified buyers good reason to choose your home rather than the one down the street.

What to consider when buying a home

There many things you need to keep in mind when buying a home. Choosing a desirable neighborhood and the number of bedrooms are two very important things followed by resale considerations. When looking at your needs, budget and personal tastes come into play to decide if  you want a new home or one that requires some work like a "fixer-upper."  If the area you are considering has a lot of seniors, consider purchasing a home with no stairs like a rancher. While house-hunting, it's a good idea to make notes about and take photos of what you see because viewing several houses at a time can be confusing.

What to consider when buying a home in Nanaimo 

If you are thinking about buying a condo, it makes sense to spend a bit more and get a two bedroom unit because a one-bedroom condo is far more difficult to resell. You may also want to consider how high strata fees are, ability to rent out unit and if pets are allowed.  On the other hand, 2 bedroom homes are very hard to sell and have very little appreciation potential. Most people want at least three bedrooms. Homes with a well-maintained, attractive, and charming view-from-the-street appearance have good resale potential. You can protect your investment by not buying a different or unique home to allow for broader appeal to more potential buyers.

Property Disclosure Statement – What is it & why is it used?

In Nanaimo, as well as the rest of B.C., it is law that you must complete a Property Disclosure Statement (PDS) when listing a home.   This document is completed by the seller about the property they are trying to sell and is part of the paperwork necessary to list a house.  There are specific property disclosure statements for residential, strata and rural property. All parties to the sales contract must sign and date the property disclosure statement. This PDS does not mean that the buyer should not have a home inspection.  This inspection helps buyers understand the condition of the property and what repairs may be needed.

Nanaimo Property Disclosure Statement

A property disclosure statement is important because the seller and the seller’s Realtor must, by law, disclose any known material latent defects in the property to the buyer.  The property disclosure statement helps protect against allegations of negligent misrepresentation. Some trouble areas include: boundaries (property lines), insulation, roof condition, septic tanks, structural problems and well water. When a buyer views a property disclosure statement they should still plan to make their own inquiries about the property.  This is especially important if the seller has initialed that he/she has no knowledge as to the status of a question on the PDS.  Many questions on the PDS are worded “Are you aware… or To the best of your knowledge…”  In many cases a seller may not know the status of insulation etc.

How To Use Curb Appeal To Sell Your Nanaimo Home Quickly

First impressions are the lasting ones and studies have shown that when people look at something for the first time their impression is formed in the first 6 seconds and that first impression never changes even if a lot of contrary evidence comes up later. When a prospective buyer sees an overpriced home, they usually do not come back, even if they liked the home and the price is reduced.

To sell your home quickly, make sure that your curb appeal is at its best. This positive first impression can make prospective buyers feel that your house is the place they could call home. To maximize curb appeal keep the front yard neat and tidy and free of any distracting clutter and have flowering plants to catch their eye. You may want to hire a professional landscaper to help keep your yard looking its best.

Does Your Real Estate Agent Have A Good Website?

Between 80% and 90% of potential buyers use the internet as part of their home search and serious, qualified buyers use the web for a lot of research before they even contact a real estate agent to schedule a showing. There are still many businesses out there that don’t have a website so be sure your realtor has internet marketing as part of the overall sales and promotional program for your house for sale.

Pretend that you’re a potential buyer for your own house, hop on to the internet, and see which Realtors have the best website presence in Nanaimo. Your listing should be exposed to as many prospective buyers as possible.  A visitor to a real estate website will spend only 3-4 seconds on the site before deciding whether or not to click over to a different website. The more user-friendly your realtor’s website is, the more visitors or traffic that website will get, which in turn translates into more qualified buyers looking at your Nanaimo home for sale.

What to do about ugly green algae on siding

When you’re spending time outdoors in the warm, sunny weather this spring you’ll probably notice some ugly green algae has appeared on your garden shed siding. After a wet winter algae often grows on the north facing side of walls.  If you have decided that removing this algae will be your first spring cleanup chore, a spray bottle and some bleach should do the trick.

For a nice clean shed just do the following: fill a spray bottle with half bleach and half water. It should be strong enough to cut off anything. Have a bucket of rinse water, a sponge and some dry rags. Spray the algae generously and let it set for a few moments. When you see streams of green running from the area you just sprayed, wash it off with clean rinse water and a sponge then dry the area with the rags. If the algae is thick, it might leave a greenish stain, just repeat the process and rinse it off again.

Will Going Green Help Sell Your Home?

According to the Canada Green Building Council, a green home uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier and more comfortable to live in. Best of all, the net cost of owning a Green Home is about the same as owning a conventional home because although you may pay a bit more up front for a certified green home, you’ll make up the difference with energy cost savings in the long run.

The Canada Green Building Council is a not-for-profit, national organization that has been working since 2002 to advance green building and sustainable community development practices in Canada. It has worked with all levels of government and private development to help retrofit and help newly constructed houses and buildings to meet green building standards. Not only will going green help sell your home, it will also give you satisfaction in knowing your green home is helping make Canada more environmentally responsible and a healthier place to live!