Do your research
It may seem like just yesterday you moved in, or it may seem like a lifetime ago – but for a variety of reasons, you’re thinking about selling your home. Nobody knows your home quite as well as you do – the best place to read a book, the best place to have a coffee, and the best navigational route for a midnight bathroom break – but it’s likely the real estate landscape has changed somewhat since you purchased your home. If you’re thinking of selling, it’s important you do your homework.
Check out Bōde’s Market Data tool to show current and historical transaction trends as well as other critical information on homes in your neighbourhood. It might be a good exercise to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and review information on similar communities to yours to arm yourself with the most current information available.
Assess Market Data
Now that you’ve seen the community-level information in your community and similar neighbourhoods, put your finger on the pulse of prospective homebuyers and look at all the recent home transactions with Bōde’s Sold Data tool. Reviewing list price vs. actual sale price, the number of time houses sat on the market, and other key metrics will put you in an optimal position to succeed when listing your home.
Dig into Sold Data
Eliminate any remaining blind spots by checking out Bōde’s Comparables data. The tool will assign homes a comparable score to your home and allow you to view all recent transactions specifically tailored to your home. The home’s age, style, list price, sold price, and more relevant data will all be there to support your pricing strategy.
Check Comparables
Not all mortgages are created the same. Dust off those documents and see if you are able to seamlessly port your mortgage to a new home if there is a penalty associated with breaking it, and any other terms relevant to the sale of your home. Reviewing these documents will also help to inform just how much equity you have in your home!
De-clutter and De-personalize your home; removing personal effects such as religious sentiments and personal family photos will better allow viewers to see themselves in your home. While you are de-cluttering, you might as well box up anything you don't need access to - off-season clothes and gear could get packed up and ready for their new home.
You should consider additional costs for nice-to-have elements such as professional photos, 3D tours, a pre-appraisal, and having your home staged. Also, don’t forget need-to-have pieces such as the cost of a land transfer tax (if applicable), legal fees, professional measurements (if you don’t have them), and a Real Property Report (if you don’t already have it). Now is a great time to schedule those photos and measurements - Bōde is currently covering this!
Request photos and measurements