How to Price Your Home to Sell in Kitchener - Waterloo

Pricing is the key component to a successful home sale!

Check out these pricing factors through the buyer's eyes and get the results you want...

Things to Consider When Building Your Dream House

By the time most people are young adults, they already have an idea of some of the things they would like in their dream home. These dreams can be based on several things, for example their childhood home, their future dreams and aspirations, etc.

As you start dreaming of your new home, whether you are young or old, here are 5 things you MUST consider that will help you build your dream house when you are ready to build it.
 

 1.   What are your priorities?

Not prioritizing your needs can prevent you from realizing your dream home. You will need to consider early enough, what are some of the things you will need and what things do you like to do in your day to day? It will be very helpful if this list is in order of importance.

For example, do you like to work from home? Will you exercise at home? Do you want a walk-in closet or not? Do you have kids or not? And so on.
 

2.   Know yourself?

The more you know yourself the more you will be able to know what you can live or can’t live without. Granted when you are young, this could change, but generally you won’t be too far off the mark, if you really get to know yourself sooner than later. If you are not so young then it is likely that you already have a good idea of what you want in a house based on your needs and those you will live with.
 

3.   Can you maintain it?

Most people rarely consider this, but you should know early enough;

·         Can you clean your house or will you need someone to do it for you?

·         Is it easy enough for you to do repairs or will you need someone for this?

·         Is your house too large or too expensive to maintain?
 

4.   Is your plan versatile enough for future needs?

Do your dream house plans cater for changes in future house needs? Building your dream house with the vision that your needs may change is usually a good idea. Do you need to build your house with features to last a lifetime or do you want it easy enough to change in the future? Considering this could save you a lot of heartache in the future.
 

5.   Can you resell it?

This is more a free get out of jail contingency card. Why on earth would you need to sell your dream house you may ask?

Well, sometimes what we dream up and the real thing can be at a variance. This could either be due to a terrible contractor, or changed priorities and so on, the list can be endless.

So, you should consider planning your house well enough not only to meet your needs, but also for someone else to love it enough to buy it without much thought.

Besides, houses are usually also passed on and you want your dream house to be something you can possibly pass on to your children.

The fact is the more detail you can envision, the more clearly you will know what you like or don’t like and the more you will be driven to build your dream house.

Contact me today for a free Home Value Report or a Home Buyer's Toolkit!

Surface Standoff: Wood vs. Stone

   

Few elements of your kitchen will have such a large overall effect as the work surface you choose. Many other features in your kitchen will be affected by this key decision. Cabinet style and material, appliance and utility locations, flooring, lighting, furniture and a host of other design elements will all hinge on your choice of worktop surface. Balancing all these elements together will allow you to create a kitchen that is as much a delight to just be in, as it is a delight to use.

The two major contenders for the choice of kitchen worktop are inevitably going to be stone and wood. Here we look at each and consider the factors that you might want to think about as you plan your kitchen.

Cost
All well-planned home improvement projects will have a budget and the kitchen is no exception. In both materials, there are scales of price. It will come as no surprise that more common timbers such as ash or oak are less expensive than more luxurious woods like walnut or mahogany. Likewise, some granites will come with a much higher price tag than others.

In general and for the sake of planning ahead, you can assume that most wooden worktops will come in less expensive than most stone worktops.

Practicality
Your particular situation will define, to a large degree, which of these two surfaces will prove to be the most practical. Both can be designed to nearly any template and shaping requirements you have. There is a growing trend in mixing and matching these two surfaces to get the best of both worlds, with stone around the hob and sink to protect from heat or water damage (something wood is prone to) and wood in the food preparation area to take advantage of the softer nature of a timber worktop.

Longevity and Maintenance
Both will last a lifetime but will need maintenance to stay looking, and performing, at their best.
Expect to be oiling your wooden worktop every day for the first week and then at least once a month after that.  With wood, scratches and dents will often be repairable but you’ll be sanding and oiling the affected area of the worktop again.

A granite worktop will come sealed and you’ll need to seal it again at least once a year. Granite is porous and can be stained or etched by fats or dyes but applying specific chemicals for the stain type can often resolve the issue.

Design Considerations
There are some words you’ll often hear linked with a wooden worktop; “warm”, “classic” and “country”. Likewise with stone be ready for “elegant”, “timeless” and “luxurious”. In truth, much of what a worktop surface brings to your kitchen is in how other elements are combined to form the
finished look and style. A farmhouse style kitchen with a Belfast sink has a wooden worktop as one of its main features. A modern contrasting colour scheme kitchen, with bold cabinet colours, will look great with a neutral colour and a polish finished stone worktop.

And the Winner is…
If you’re looking for a clear winner, we’ll have to disappoint you. These two fantastic surfaces offer up two distinctly differing kitchen experiences. That’s not to say a hybrid of the two cannot work well together as we’ve already mentioned, giving you the best of both worlds.
When planning your kitchen you will need to take the time to evaluate the positives and negatives of each surface to get a kitchen that works for you and your home.

Contact me today for free Home Value Report or with any real estate questions.

First time buyers want ‘turnkey’ ready homes, not ‘fixer uppers’

 

 
As a home seller, you may be thinking that a ‘fixer-upper’ property would appeal to most first time buyers trying to put their first step on the property ladder.  However, according to the results of a recent Coldwell Banker® survey on the preferences of first-time buyers, you’d better think again!

 

Coldwell Banker recently conducted a survey of real estate brokers and sales professionals across Canada and the U.S. to determine the preferences of first time buyers.  The survey findings clearly show that First Time Buyers want a ‘turn key’ property where they can simply move in and start to enjoy living in their new home.  These individuals have typically put the majority of their financial power into the down payment.  They don’t have large reserves of cash available to start putting more money back into the property on major upgrades and renovations.  Add to that their expectations that are heightened by a steady diet of Home and Garden Television!

In addition, first time buyers are typically just starting out in their career and --especially in the case of single buyers -- have little free time available for house repairs.  Bottom line?  The less there is to do on your property in the way of repairs or updates, the more appealing it’s going to be to those buyers.  In most cases, it’s well worth the investment to do the necessary repairs and finishing before putting your home on the market. 

Of course, if you’d like to discuss how any planned repair, upgrade or renovation may affect the potential resale value of your home, your first step should be contacting to contact me for a Home Value Report and assessment of what upgrades and updates would give you the largest return on investment.

Advice On How to Sell Your Home In Kitchener - Waterloo

There are 3 key things to consider when selling a home - getting even one of them wrong could be the difference between selling or not selling.

Researching and Finding Your Next Home Online!

Few experiences can equal the sense of satisfaction that comes from buying that one special home that’s just right for you and your family.  However, it can sometimes be a long journey before you get to that happy ending.  And with today’s spiraling gas prices, it can also be an expensive proposition if you don’t do some of the groundwork upfront.  Why not save yourself the cost of driving around and use online resources first? It’s an easy way to save time and money.

These days, the average Canadian homebuyer starts their property search on the internet.  Thanks to technology, today’s homebuyer can save on mileage by conducting online searches to find listings that match their own unique criteria.  Then, they can view properties of interest via virtual tours or slide shows and even commentary before coming up with a ‘short list’ for personal viewings. But buyer beware, all real estate websites are not the same.  By choosing the right website for your home search and by using helpful online tools to streamline the house-hunting process, you can cut your mileage to a fraction of what it would take just a few years ago.

The award-winning Coldwell Banker® website at www.coldwellbanker.ca offers Canadian homebuyers one of the most interactive and user-friendly real estate sites available anywhere.  In addition to thousands of Coldwell Banker listings and Open Houses across the country, you can customize your search with our exclusive property search engine Personal Retriever®.  You simply enter your “wish list” of what you’re looking for in your dream home – location, price range, features, and much more – and then Personal Retriever reviews your list against thousands of listings and emails you every time there’s a match.  Since Personal Retriever constantly monitors our listings database, you don’t have to keep checking to see if there are any new listings you might have missed.

Perhaps you know the type of house you want to buy, but you’re uncertain about what city, town or neighbourhood is right for you.  Our real estate website www.coldwellbanker.ca offers comprehensive information about your neighbourhood of choice through an innovative service called Community Profiles™.   With just the click of a mouse, you can review and compare the features of several communities across Canada. 

After you’ve gathered all your online information, you’ll need the services of an expert advisor to help you interpret the data, analyze the market and develop a negotiating strategy that will get you the results you’re after. 

Contact me today for a free Home Buyer's Toolkit or to chat about the real estate market.

A Short Guide to the Home Buying Process in Kitchener - Waterloo

Many people want to buy homes, but sometimes it does not work out due to time restraints.  Trying to time the home purchase with moving out of your apartment or house at the end of your lease, trying to relocate for work, or other life factors can make it difficult to get into a new home within a certain time frame.  I have had many clients face this very issue.  Sometimes things worked out due to early and constant communication, and other deals have fallen apart because their was not enough time to buy.  Some of the factors could not have been helped, but many could have been.

 If you are thinking about buying a home, select a qualified real estate professional and let them know all the details. There are many steps to finding the home you desire.  

Finding The Right Area

Finding the right area is critical to finding the right home.  Is driving time to work a factor?  Do you have family or friends in a certain area?  Are homes more affordable in certain areas?  These are a few things to consider when purchasing a home, and there are many other questions that need to be answered.  The right home in the wrong area can make home ownership a negative experience for people.  Narrowing down an area can take time.

What Are You Looking For In A Home

How many bedrooms do you want?  How many bathrooms?  What approximate square footage would you like the home to be?  Does it need a pool or how about a garage?  Do you want the home to be move in ready or would you like to be able to fix it up?  Each property is unique and there are tons of characteristics that can help find your ideal home.  You also need to decide how important some of these items are to you.  Would not having a kitchen pantry be a deal breaker for you?

One common issue I come across with buyers is many times what they say is important to them is not really what they are looking for.  For example, the client might say that they want a four bedroom home.  In reality, a three bedroom with a loft or a den might work, or maybe the extra bedroom puts the home out of their price range.  Many times people don't really know what they want until they start looking at homes.  This is all ok!  Just have open communication with your agent.  After all, they are there to serve you!

How Much Can You Afford or Want To Spend

This is always a big question in real estate, and many people, especially first time home buyers, don't know what they need to do.  I get calls from people that say they want to spend $200,000 on a home.  Maybe they can afford that or maybe they can't.  It is important for everyone to be on the same page.  This is where a pre-qualification comes into play.  A pre-qual is a letter that is received from the lender that states home much they are willing to loan the potential buyer.  A pre-qualification is extremely important for the real estate agent and the buyer!  Just because you can borrow $250,000 for a home, does not mean  you should or even want to.  However, it is the best place to start if you plan on financing the home purchase.  Getting a pre-qualification completed in many cases doesn't take a lot of time.

Possible Issues

The first issue that could come up could be that the sellers are not accepting your offers.  There are different reasons this could happen, and many times you can fix this issue, but it could cause a delay.  There are many things that could potentially cause a deal estate deal to fall apart once an offer is accepted.  Some of these issues could be your financing falls through, the home does not appraise, there are major issues found in the inspection, your current home does not get sold, and a number of others.  You should be prepared that one of these may happen in order to help project an accurate timeline.



No one wants complications or delays in a real estate transaction, but sometimes they do happen.  A solid real estate team consisting of a Lender, an Realtor, an Inspector and a Lawyer, and a number of other real estate resources can help make the transaction smooth.  It is important to understand how long it can take to get into your new home.

I'm hear to help.  Contact me for a free Home-Buyer's Toolkit or to chat about the current market.

The Only 3 Questions You Need to Ask to Get the Best Realtor in Kitchener - Waterloo to Sell You House!

Make sure you get the best Realtor to sell your home.  The best indicator of future performance is past performance! 

These 3 questions will tell you how good a Realtor is at their job.

Here is a simple Kitchener - Waterloo Light Rail Transit (LRT) route and stop map....

If you'd like an up-to-date street map of K-W with the transit route on it, please let me know!