Tips to Preparing Your Home for Sale

Planning an open house? 7 tips to follow in order to make a great first impression:

1. Clean up
Take a few seconds to look up and down each room to identify any areas that are often neglected and give them a deep clean.

2. Depersonalize and de-clutter
Try to find a way to organize the things you want to keep and get rid of the rest, either by giving them away, throwing them out or storing them in an offsite storage space.
You’ll also want to put away any photographs or personal items so that your guests don’t feel as though they’re intruding — they should be able to easily imagine their own belongings in the space.

3. Build curb appeal
Walk out onto the curb of your home and observe it.  Try to make the front of your home look as inviting and safe as possible.

4. Maintain your landscaping
While you’re outside, take a look at any trees or bushes you may have. Prune, trim and weed to create a clean atmosphere. The key is to make everything look fresh and new for potential buyers.

5. Revive faded rooms
A fresh coat of light, neutral paint is a must in most rooms. Not only do newly painted walls create a clean feeling, but their neutrality allows potential buyers to add on their own personality or ideas. Bright or bold colours are not everyone’s cup of tea.

6. Get rid of that smell
Don’t just cover it up with air freshener – find the cause of a bad smell and eliminate it.  Invite a trusted friend over to help you detect any off-putting smells and then get to the source.

7. Brighten up the space
Clean all windows and open up the blinds or drapes to let in the light. Ensure that each fixture in the house has a working light bulb of the maximum safe wattage, to brighten the space. Good lighting creates an uplifting atmosphere and will appeal to potential buyers.

As a host, you know your home inside and out. Once visitors arrive, talk to them and make sure to sell your favourite rooms and features!

Contact me today for a Free Home Value Report by going to www.kimlouie.net

Slight Increase in Home Sales in July Despite Low Housing Inventory - Not enough listings!

There were a total of 588 home sales in Kitchener- Waterloo and area though the Multiple Listing System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) in July. This represents only a 0.9% increase in sales compared to July of 2015, but ranks as the most active July on record since 2008.


Strong sales activity helped to bring year-to-date total sales to 4,108, a 15.2% increase compared to the same time last year, and 21.7% above the 5-year average.

"It’s been a strong summer to say the least for residential sales in the Region," said Charlotte Zawada, President of the KWAR.

Active residential listings continue to remain depressed in comparison to the same time last year. Currently, the number of active residential listings on the KWAR’s MLS® System to the end of July sat at 1,073, which is 37.3% lower compared to same period last year. This translates to 59.4% fewer available listings on the market today than the same time last year.

July’s sales included 364 single detached homes (up 0.8% compared to July 2015) and 144 condominium type units (up 16.1%) which include any property regardless of style (ie. semis, townhomes, apartment, detached etc). Sales also included 48 Semi-detached homes (up 9.1%) and 26 freehold townhouses (down 49.0%). The average sale price of all residential sales in July increased 13.2% to $387,102 compared to July 2015.

"We’re still seeing buyers compete for a limited number of listings on the market and the skew in supply and demand is maintaining an upward pressure on home prices in the Region," says Zawada. Single detached style homes sold for an average price of $452,799 an increase of 14.0% compared to last year. The average sale price for an apartment style condominium was $240,944, an increase of 14.2%. Townhomes and semis sold for an average of $285,611 (up 10.7%) and $308,479 (up 16.4%) respectively.

Contact me today for a Free Home Value Report by going to www.kimlouie.net

A "To-Do" List to Ensure a Great Open House!

You’re about to host your first open house. You’ve got an MLS® listing, an ad in the newspaper and you’ve shared your listing on Facebook. There’s a sign on your front lawn and another one down the street. You’re waiting for a potential homebuyer to walk through your front door.

But just getting people through the door doesn’t guarantee a sale.

The success of an open house can depend on many factors.

If you have taken the time to create curb appeal, de-clutter, depersonalize and neutralize, then the next step – the open house – will be easy and stress-free.

Here are Kim’s 7 to-dos to ensure your open house is a hit:

1. Hype-up your curb appeal
2. Take the odour test
3. Maximize your kitchen
4. Make your bathroom shine
5. Don’t use bedroom closets for storage
6. Tidy up the living room
7.Dehumidify the laundry/basement areas

Contact me today for a Free Home Value Report by going to www.kimlouie.net