January 18th, 2023 | Selling
7 Things to Know About Preparing Your Ottawa Home to Sell
Once you make the decision to sell your home, your mind is likely buzzing with all the to-dos and things you need to remember. It can start to feel overwhelming.
What can feel even more overwhelming is the fact that if you are hoping to sell your home in the spring, you should probably get started with home preparations now.
If you’re like us, there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned list. We love making lists, checking things off, and the general feeling of being organized and prepared. Whether you keep a diary on your computer or smartphone, or you love putting pen to paper, an organized list and timeline can be your best friend when it comes to selling your home.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you prepare to sell your home in Ottawa.
1. Create a “Workback Schedule”
If you work in tech, you are likely familiar with the concept of a “workback schedule.” Essentially it is deciding on a project deadline (in this case, selling your home) and then working backward to determine when and how things need to be done in order to achieve the deadline with the desired results.
When preparing a schedule like this for home selling, it’s important to be realistic and try to account for any potential delays–more on that later.
2. Start By Finding the Right Ottawa Real Estate Agent
There’s no shortage of real estate agents in the area however, finding the right one could sometimes present a challenge. We always recommend interviewing a couple of agents before deciding on which one you will hire to sell your home.
This process could take anywhere from 1-2 weeks and would involve taking meetings (either in-person or virtual). You want to choose an agent or real estate team that can represent your best interests, can show a solid understanding of your neighbourhood and property type, and is just someone who you can get along with, personally.
Your real estate agent is going to be your partner and guide in one of the biggest transactions of your life. It’s important to trust this individual.
Not sure how to find the right agent? Read this blog to understand the benefits of working with an Ottawa real estate agent.
3. Complete Any Repairs or Renovations
Once you have selected a real estate agent, they will give you an idea of any repairs or renovations that you should make that could improve the value of your home and increase your final sales price.
A great agent will suggest improvements that will increase the saleability of your home and provide a solid return on investment (ROI). Depending on your home, its age, location, and the potential buyer audience who will be interested in the home, repairs and renovations could be extensive or minimal.
It’s important to leave ample time for this to be completed. Renovations and repairs (depending on the degree) can take anywhere from 1-3 months. If you’re completing bathroom renovations or kitchen renovations, you will need to allocate more time than if you are simply refreshing the paint and installing new light fixtures.
Either way, there is also an unknown element to home renovations: contractor delays. This is something that many people experienced during the pandemic, and while many contractors are starting to operate under normal circumstances again, there are still risks that your construction project could be delayed.
Read these posts next to learn more about maximizing your home sale:
- Upgrades to Make to Your Well-Loved Home Before Selling
- Should You Move or Renovate Your Ottawa Home?
- You Only Have One Chance to Make a First Impression
4. Declutter Your Home
The nice thing about preparing your Ottawa home for sale is that many tasks can be completed at the same time. So while your kitchen is getting renovated, there is no reason why you can’t begin the process of decluttering.
Decluttering involves taking a critical look at your furniture and belongings and then deciding if you want to keep, toss, or donate any items.
Most real estate agents will strongly recommend decluttering. It serves multiple purposes:
- Decluttering helps your home show better to buyers. It creates space in the home and helps make buyers picture themselves living in your home. Without excess clutter, your home will shine for all the right reasons!
- Decluttering also helps you in your move! If you’re selling your home, you’re also likely to move to a new home. Who wants to bring a bunch of old, unwanted items with them to a new house? Decluttering now means less packing later!
In general, there are many different ways to go about decluttering. If you have the time, you can take a systematic approach and declutter over the course of several weeks, moving from one room to the next. Or, you could involve the whole family, order a couple of pizzas and have a decluttering party over the course of one weekend. It’s up to you!
5. Do an Interior Deep Clean
As we approach the listing date of your home, you’ll want to do a deep cleaning of the home’s interior. If you’re preparing for a sale in March or April, this could be part of your annual spring cleaning.
Whether you hire a cleaning service to do this, or you take on the responsibility yourself, we recommend a deep clean after any renovations are complete, and prior to staging and photos.
6. Take Care of Exterior Items
Preparing for a spring sale early is advantageous. If you get the interior of the home sorted in the winter, when the snow starts to melt, you can focus your attention on the exterior of the home.
Selling your Ottawa home in the spring is a great idea because everything feels fresh, new, and green. Make sure your gutters are clean, tidy your flowerbeds, and powerwash your siding. Anything you can do to brush away all signs of winter will make your home stand out as a spring listing.
Depending on when you plan to list your home, you can slot this yardwork into a weekend anytime before the home is photographed.
Looking for more resources to start your home selling journey? Check out these pages next:
7. Staging and Photography: The Final Step!
As you approach the official listing date of your home, your real estate agent will ramp up activities. You’ll get to see the culmination of all your previous month’s work come together. In the weeks leading up to the listing date, your agent will coordinate any staging and photography/videography.
Once this is completed, your job is to keep the home “showing ready” in between showings. However, since you have already decluttered and cleaned, this part should be relatively easy.
Why Does it Take So Long to Prepare a Home For Sale in Ottawa?
Not everyone takes this much care and preparation when listing their homes for sale. And of course, it is possible to sell your home within shorter timeframes. However, to fully maximize your profit and get top dollar for your home, we always recommend taking time and care to do these steps.
If you’re working with a tighter schedule, you can absolutely move up the timelines. However, we also need to be mindful that life can get in the way! Most people have work, family, and active social lives. These things don’t just go away when you decide to sell your home.
Finding that balance and completing home preparation tasks within your schedule is the best way to a stress-free, smooth, and profitable sale!
If you’re thinking about selling your Ottawa home this year, we’d love to help you! Give our team a call at 613.829.7484 or email mail@chellteam.com. You can also request a free home evaluation right here!
