Are you planning to sell your home, but don’t have an idea where to start? Well, it may be good to stop calling it your “home” to de-associate yourself from the structure. If you have made up your mind then you should let go and start working on making the house more appealing to prospective buyers.  That is your end goal after all: make someone write the cheque for the house.

De-associating yourself from the house means you are mentally preparing yourself from the eventuality that soon it will be sold, and you will be nesting somewhere else.  Sometimes it is emotionally difficult to let go because you have grown attached to it, and you have a lot of good memories associated with the place. But if you are seriously considering selling your home fast then then say goodbye to every room, and start looking forward to the future.

The next step is to get a pre-sale inspection. A house inspection will identify problems that you don’t even know you have, and which could be fixed to help move the sale. Meanwhile, if your house is in great shape with no major problems, an inspection report showing this will be a boost to the house’s salability. Do minor repairs like fixing a leaky faucet, replacing burned out light bulbs, patching holes in the walls, or fixing doors that don’t close properly.

Depersonalize after de-associating. This means you have to pack all your personal things like family photos and collections. You want buyers to visualize themselves living in the house and not get distracted by your photos. You want them to visualize their photos on the walls.  In relation to this, it is best to neutralize walls and carpets by using colors such as browns, creams and grays.  A neutral “blank canvass” will help buyers envision their personal art collection and family pictures.

De-clutter. Start packing up, you are leaving anyway.  If you haven’t used stuff for over a year, you will probably never use it. Consider having a garage sale or giving it away for someone else to use. Get rid of knick knacks and books. Too much stuff shrinks the size of the room. Professional stagers recommend removing a third of your things to make rooms and closets spacious.

Make the house sparkling clean.  No one wants to live in a dirty house and when you are selling your house you need it to be extra clean. This means polished floors, spotless windows, re-caulked tubs, showers and sinks, polished chrome faucets and mirrors, vacuumed carpets, a clean fridge, among others. Odors are a big no-no, so make sure that you clean and air out musty smelling areas.  If you have pets make sure the kitty litter is clean, or if they are caged pets, the cages should be cleaned to make sure there are no nasty odors emanating from there.

Finally, make sure that the house is inviting from the outside. The front lawn, sidewalks, and exterior paint should make the buyer want to go inside the house to further check it out.  The house can have this appealing look if the lawn is mowed, bushes are trimmed and the sidewalks are cleared.  Also have some flower pots, they are always pleasing to the eyes.

If you want to sell your home fast, you better get busy now.

Get a free home evaluation here. For low real estate commissions AND full service give me a call.

Benefits of Buying a Home

Buying a home is a major decision. There comes a point when you have to think long and hard about your future living space. How long do you want to continue renting? Is it time to consider buying a home? Depending on your current situation both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

First let’s take a look at the advantages of buying a home:

*A great investment.  If you have read any of David Bach’s books in the Finish Rich series, you will be smart to take note that one of the wisest investments you will ever make is to purchase real estate. A home builds equity over time as you pay your mortgage. This means that you have ownership of the home as you complete mortgage payments.

*Tax rebates and deductions. First-time home buyers get refunds from the government to assist them with the costs of purchasing a home. The First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit (HBTC) is non-refundable, and is based on $5,000 for those who acquire a qualifying home after Jan. 27, 2009. It is calculated by multiplying the lowest personal income tax rate for the year by $5,000. For more details on this please refer to the HBTC guidelines.  There are also tax rebates on home renovations, energy savings home improvements, and land transfer tax credits.

*Stable monthly costs.  Owning a home gives you more control over your costs with fixed-mortgage payments.  Sometimes the mortgage could even be lower than the cost to rent. Your principal and interest payments would stay the same every year, unlike rent which could go up every time you sign a new lease.

*Freedom to Renovate.  If you own your own home you are free to renovate and move things around according to your personal taste. You can play around with your living space to suit your lifestyle without the need to ask for permission from your landlord. You can paint your walls or dig a pond in your backyard. You can express yourself in your own home.

*Community.  Buying a home gives you the sense of security and stability of being a part of a community. Unlike renting, you feel a certain amount of commitment to neighbors and community. This is the reason why people carefully choose the areas where they buy their homes. They look for a community that they like, and envision to love because they are going to be part of that community for a long time.

When you buy a home you have responsibilities for its upkeep and maintenance. You do this because you love your home and want to live a good quality of life, and also because a well-maintained home raises the value of the property. Some people regard these responsibilities as “disadvantages” to owning a home. It all depends on how you view things, but these responsibilities include: liability for accidents and injuries on your property; liability for damage caused to your neighbor’s property if it came from yours;  mortgage needs to be paid even if you are having financial problems; equity rates may vary; you need to pay property taxes.

Also, unlike renting when you can pack up and leave anytime, you cannot just pack and move everything when you own a house. *

You can find lots of Brampton houses for sale here. And if you need to sell your Brampton house you can check my site for low real estate commissions.

When you own a home there are many ways you can save energy. The first thing to look at is your Heating and Cooling System. The fact is that heating and cooling your home is around 60% of your energy costs!

If you install ceiling fans and use them in conjunction with air conditioning you will save energy. Just make sure it is blowing air downwards in the hot months. To save more you can install a programmable thermostat with a built in timer. It can be set to lower the heat at night and if you are away. When you leave your home turn off your air conditioner. Here are more tips:

-reduce the temperature in your home a few degrees at night and when you’re not there.

-keep the blinds and drapes closed during the hottest part of the day.

-use area rugs on cold floors, cold feet make your body cold!

-put on a sweater rather then turning up the heat.

-clean and replace furnace air filters every month

-keep the temp at 24-25 degrees Celsius instead of the low 20’s. Every degree below 26 degrees Celsius will increase the electricity.

-turn off any unneeded lights in your home.

-plant some leafy trees on the sunny side of the house and they will give shade in the summer and warmth in the winter. Pine and fir trees are good for this energy saving tip.

The Water Heater in your home can waste energy so shower for only 5 minutes. You can also wrap your tank in a special blanket. Fix any leaky faucets and install low flow aerators.

Drain a pail of water from you natural gas tank every 3 months to remove sediment and prevent heat transfer from your unit. Water heaters are notorious for using the most energy in the home! Along with that is the fridge. Make sure you clean out the freezer and defrost regularly. Get an Energy Star model if you are buying new. Here are more tips:

-set the temp for just as cold you need it.

-never has a fridge in the basement.

-never overfill the fridge, it blocks circulation. However, a full freezer works better than an empty one.

-check the seal on the door.

-clean the coils and air intake grill every 3 months.

-keep out of direct sun and keep 5 centimetres all around for heat to escape.

-let hot foods cool before putting them in the fridge.

When it comes to your oven it is an energy eater. You should keep lids on pots to keep the heat in and use an electric kettle to boil water.

-thaw frozen foods in the fridge

-never put foil on the racks

-turn the oven off before cooking time is over it will continue to cook.

-use the right pot and element.

Using the microwave can save you 75% less energy!

We all use our washers and dryers often but there are ways to cut down the energy bill. Try using cold water in the rinse cycle. You can run full loads instead of smaller ones and wash in cold or warm water. The energy comes from heating the water.

Try using cold or warm water for the wash cycle instead of hot water. The hot water will in fact shrink and fade your clothes more easily. When it comes to the dryer make sure the clothes are wrung out. Separate the loads into heavy, medium and light so they take less drying time. Dry loads one after the other to avoid wasted heat.

Always clean out your link filter. It increases the energy by as much as 30% and it could pose a fire hazard! You can always line dry in the nicer months.

When it’s time to sell your Brampton house consider hiring a Brampton real estate agent that charges 1% real estate commission for full service.