Selling a house in Toronto involves a lot of preparation, staging, and marketing to attract the highest quality of potential buyers. The goal is to make as many people as possible want to see your home in person, and ideally, to submit a great offer.
Your listing should make a fantastic first impression, regardless of what is happening in the market. When housing sales are slow and buyers are few and far between, it’s even more important to ensure your house is appealing. A lot of thought and hard work goes into a successful showing behind the scenes – long before anyone even walks through your door.
In this post, we’ll outline a few little-known steps you can take to help potential buyers fall in love with your home and imagine it as their own.
The first step to every successful home sale is an accurate evaluation of its current market worth. To find out what your home is currently valued at, book a free home evaluation here.
What To Expect From Visiting Buyers
You might think that buyers start assessing your home once they arrive in person. The truth is, in this day and age, they begin forming an impression long before then. Usually, it begins the precise moment the buyer comes across your listing online.
If they love what they see, they’ll be more inclined to contact your real estate agent to book an appointment. If they don’t, they’ll move on to the next option. The checklist below will help make sure a qualified buyer doesn’t slip through the cracks.
- Is your house sparkling clean and decluttered?
- Have you removed all personal belongings and souvenirs from view?
- Are your photos and videos of premium quality?
- Does the listing description showcase your home’s best features and inspire excitement about your location?
Home Buyers Are Well-Informed
Today’s home buyer is often savvy and knowledgeable. By the time they’re ready to view your home in person, you can expect that they will have already done extensive due diligence. If they haven’t, their buyer agent certainly has. They will come armed with intelligent questions, and you’ll need a real estate agent who is well-equipped to answer them.
Because we help both buyers and sellers at Sidorova Inwood, we know what people want on both sides of the transaction. This is why we do in-depth education sessions with our clients so everyone knows what to expect.
Buyer Representatives should run through all of the particular features of a listing their client is interested in, going into minute detail about factors that their client might like or dislike about the property. In doing this thorough vetting of your listing, your potential buyer will have a chance to seriously consider whether they want to visit your home. Plus, they’ll know precisely what to expect and look for once inside.
How does this extensive vetting of buyers benefit you as the seller? By only showing your home to the most serious and qualified, we save time and also help to protect your privacy.
At Sidorova Inwood, we help sellers in Toronto every day. Learn more about how we can help you prepare and then execute a lucrative and successful home sale in the posts below:
- Unlocking the Keys to a Successful Home Sale in Toronto: Insider Tips and Tricks
- Home Renovations That Add Lasting Value
- 5 Tips to Make Your Home Irresistible to Young Buyers
Scheduling Showings
The concept of a scheduled home showing isn’t new to anyone in the industry, but everyone’s started paying them much more respect. Both buyers and sellers are busier than ever, and people want to achieve their goals with as little wasted time as possible.
In the past, it was no big deal if a buyer was a few minutes early or late to a showing — they could walk right in and find the Sales Representative eager and waiting to show them around.
More recently, however, not arriving on time or being significantly early can be inconvenient, not to mention disrespectful. The same is true for the seller, and it pays to keep the buyer’s busy schedule in mind when arranging for showings. They have taken the time to travel and visit your home after a great deal of research. You want to be sure not to keep them waiting and have the house available as agreed.
Typically, a buyer will want at least 20 to 30 minutes to look through the home and ask any questions they have. These days, time slots for home showings are run on a much tighter ship — and it’s much more efficient for everyone.
Protecting Your Home and Privacy
It can feel uncomfortable to have people coming through your home when you’re not there. That’s why you’ll want a trustworthy agent to represent you and protect your home and privacy during each showing. You can help by ensuring any valuables are locked away out of sight, or even kept offsite.
From there, many of the other precautions are largely up to your discretion as the seller — if you don’t want a buyer to enter a certain room or touch certain things, signs that read “Do Not Touch” are an option – used sparingly, of course, so as not to make the buyer feel unwelcome.
It’s important to ensure buyers also feel safe and comfortable. When showing during the winter, be sure that all walkways and outdoor steps are clear of ice and snow and well-illuminated.
You should also make arrangements for any pets in the house. As hard as it may be to believe, not everyone loves your furry friends as much as you do. Some buyers may prefer not to be jumped on or approached, and others may be fearful. Keeping your pets and buyers apart is usually best practice when selling a house.
Do you need help finding a qualified and experienced listing agent in Toronto? Ensure you know where to look and who to look for by following our guides here:
- Our Guide To Finding A Toronto Listing Agent
- Warning Signs a Toronto Real Estate Agent is the Wrong One to Sell Your Home
- Why You Should Hire A Full-Service Real Estate Agent
What You Can Do To Prepare
As the homeowner, you can take simple steps before each showing to make them as successful as they can be.
With the help of your Realtor®, you can provide printed feature sheets for your listing that potential buyers can pick up and take home. For tech-savvy buyers, consider creating a digital QR code that they can scan with their smartphones and can access anytime. That way, your house is always top of mind, even after they’ve left.
The next step is crucial. When a buyer arrives, you must vacate so the real estate agent can showcase the home and encourage questions. Buyers can feel intimidated when the present homeowner is around, and this could make them want to cut the visit short – which does not bode well for your sale.
If your Realtor® is able to conveniently schedule all showings around a shorter period of time — possibly over the course of a weekend — then it’s ideal if you can book accommodations to move you and your family out of the home completely.
Whether you stay with friends, family, or book a short holiday in a destination of your choice, you could enjoy a relaxing getaway while setting yourself up for a successful sale!
Are you ready to sell your home for its full potential value? Our West Toronto real estate agents are happy to help! Contact us at 416-769-3437 or email info@sidorovainwood.com to learn more about our services.
