Listing Your Home

When you're ready, I will prepare the Listing Agreement which will include information such as a comprehensive, legal overview of your property (zoning, lot size, type of construction, age of home), the agreed-upon asking price, the number of rooms & their sizes, all inclusions & exclusions, etc.

This service is only available to real estate professionals. It is a database of all the homes for sale by local real estate salespersons who are members of the service, which is practically all of the local REALTORS^®. Details about your home will be available to other real estate salespersons searching for homes in your area, in the range of your asking price.

Important information about your property is listed here, from general data such as numbers of rooms, sizes of room, number of fireplaces (if any), central air or not, etc. There are also pictures of your house and its rooms as well as a short description of what makes your house special.

REALTORS^® search the database for homes that fit the price range and needs of their clients. They pay special attention to homes that have been recently placed on the market, which is one reason you get a lot of attention when your house is first listed. Many agents will want to preview the home before they show it to their clients.

The main point about having your house listed in the MLS^® is that your sales force is automatically multiplied by however many REALTORS^® are members of the local MLS^®. Instead of having just one REALTORS^® working for you now you may have hundreds or more, depending on the size of your community.

The Listing REALTOR'S^® main job is to make sure that the other MLS members know about your house. This is accomplished through listing your house in the Multiple Listing Service, Salespersons previews and advertising targeted toward other REALTORS^®, not home buyers.

Your house should always be available for showing, even though it may occasionally be inconvenient. Let your Realtor put a lockbox on your door to make it easy for other Realtors to show your home to homebuyers. When a Realtor has a client who is interested in your home, they will contact my office to arrange for an appointment to show your home. The Realtor will use the lockbox to enter your home so I always recommend that you go out of the house during that time.

Most salespersons will call and give you at least a couple of hours notice before showing your property. If you refuse to let them show it at that time, they will just skip your house. Even if they come back another time, it will probably be with different buyers and you may have just lost a chance to sell your home.

Home Buyers feel like intruders if you are home when they visit. By being out of your house, the Buyer feels more comfortable and will take more time to view your home without feeling rushed. If you absolutely cannot leave, try to remain in an out of the way area of the house. Do not volunteer any information, but answer any question the Realtor may ask.

Of course you can always refuse a showing if it's an inconvenient time or if someone is sick.

When you know someone is coming by to tour your home, turn on all the lights even during the day. At night, a lit house gives a "homey" impression when viewed from the street. During the daytime, turning on the lights prevent harsh shadows from sunlight and it brightens up any dim areas.

Turn on the air conditioning in warm weather, light the fireplace in cooler weather.

Leave some soft background music on.

Do not use scented sprays to prepare for visitors nor scented candles. Many people find those fragrances offensive and some may even be allergic to them.

If you have any pet, put them in their crate during viewings, take them with you or make sure your Realtor has posted a few notes about not letting the cat out as well as advised Realtors when they book an appointment. If you have a larger dog, do not assume that because it is a friendly pet, it will be when strangers come into your house while you are not there. You would be surprised at how protective some of them can get of their territory.

Be sure the house is spotless, freshly dusted and vacuumed the beds are made, no dishes in the sink and that all trash cans are empty and that there are no cobwebs anywhere. Put special emphasis on your kitchen and bathrooms – everything should sparkle: faucets, floors, counters and mirrors. Cupboards and closets should be organized and tidy.

Display photos of your house in the summer to show the landscaping if you are selling in winter months.

Leave out heating & hydro bills.

After discussing with you your preferences, I will arrange both a Salespersons Open House and Public Open Houses. The Open House can be important when you first put your house on the market to generate more "word-of-mouth" activities through all the visitors.

After discussing with you your preferences, I will arrange the following types of open house events:
Office Preview

My Office Preview will introduce your house to other agents working in the same Brokerage Firm. In effect they get a "head start" on selling your property. Once a week our office's salespersons get together, share vehicles, and "caravan" to all the new listings. They usually pull up in front of your house roughly at the same time and go through your house fairly quickly noting anything different or memorable about your house to determine if this house may be right for one of their clients.

Some come back... with a buyer for your home!

Neighbourhood Announcements

When we first list your home, I will distribute "announcements" to all the houses in your neighbourhood. Your neighbours might have friends who are looking to buy a house in your area. The announcements create "word of mouth" advertising which is often the best kind of advertising.

Realtors Open House

The Realtors Open House is similar to the Office Preview except that it is open to all the members of the local multiple listing service and is normally held for a 2 hour period.

Public Open Houses
An open house when your property is first placed on the market can help further create "word of mouth" advertising by those viewing your home even this may not be the house for them. Some visitors may have just followed an open house sign and not even know the price of your home.

Although open house visitors rarely buy the homes they visit this helps further generate attention to your home.