Sell Your Home Faster with an Esold Certification
May 17, 2013
Standing out from the competition is what selling a home is all about and there is no better way to do it than with eSolds certification. It’s fast, easy and lets potential buyers know about any of the home deficiencies before the purchase. This means that more certainty will be pushing the sale forward resulting sold MLS® listings with faster and smoother transactions.
Certified in 3 easy steps
There are only 3 documents required to get your home certified including the following:
• Comparative Market Analysis (a Letter of Opinion will also be accepted)
• Home Inspection Report or a Status Certificate if you own a condo
• Seller Property Information Statement
The home inspection report is carried out by a certified home inspector that is fully insured and bonded. In order for the report to be accepted it must be dated within the last 30 days and the inspector needs to be verifiable by appearing on a list at 411.ca, Canpages.ca or at YellowPages.ca.
The comparative market analysis needs to be done by a real estate agent and must also be dated within the last 30 days.
The seller property information statement provides basic information about the home such as whether a survey is available, how long the home has been lived in, whether it’s being rented out etc. This document is prepared by the seller of the home to the best of his knowledge and must also be dated within 30 days.
The benefits of eCertificates®
• Get more offers when selling your home
• Get other real estate agents enthused about showing your listing
• Protects your property against expenses that are unforeseen during the negotiation and listing process
• Sell your home at the best price possible
• Sell your property faster
The main difference between a property that has an eCertificate® and one that doesn’t is it is able to stand out from the rest of the crowd. This is the one crucial thing that leads to more offers and a higher selling price than anything else. When others notice your home and decide they want it, things can heat up very quickly with buyers scrambling to put in an offer.
Be the first of your friends to like this. 4 Steps to Buying a Home in 2012
February 2, 2012
The market is still hot and you’ll want to take advantage of low mortgage rates and the flurry of available properties currently in the market. The following are steps you should be taking now in order to make purchasing a home possible this year.
1. Fix Any Credit Problems
The most common reason home-transactions fail are credit problems. Take a close look at your credit report and fix any errors or issues, as soon as possible.
2. Study Time!
Do some research, online and offline, into the following:
Agents – Most people start with asking friends and family for any referrals of Realtors they have worked with. This is a good start, but follow up with an online search to see what kind of reviews and activity they have online. A strong online presence will say a lot about how they conduct their business and how active they are in the market and current trends. When you’ve narrowed it down to a couple, give them a call and set up a meeting to get a personal impression for yourself.
Areas – Things that may decide which area you choose to move to include tax rates, school districts, neighbourhood character and of course prices. If you are in touch with an agent, ask them to brief you on various market dynamics. They will have a deeper knowledge of which areas tend to sell faster and at what prices.
3. Save Even MORE
Although you may feel that you’ve worked hard to save enough cash to fund your down payment and closing costs, studies show that after periods of saving, people often relax and fall into the fun spending stage of buying a new home too soon. It’s easy to notice furniture and other items you’ll want to purchase for your new home.
Even if you come across a gorgeous table or that amazing deal, it’s very often that while you are out looking at properties and putting in offers, the time will come when you will wish you had more cash saved. Whether it’s the extra cash you’ll need to beat out another offer, or a renovation the home you purchase might need. You never know what you’ll need that extra cash for. But trust me, you want to know that you do have it, more than that couch when the time comes.
4. Purge
Now is the perfect time to clean up and de-clutter all of those belongings which are no longer that precious to you. Whether you sell or donate, you can use the proceeds to add to your cash collection or keep your donation receipts for your next years taxes.
If you can start here and focus now, your house hunt after this should be a breeze!
Be the first of your friends to like this. Staging Strategies to Sell Your Home Fast
October 25, 2011
De-Clutter: First and foremost, no potential buyer wants to picture themselves living in a messy, unorganized home. You want to have furnishings and décor to a minimum, and either throw away, give away, or pack up things you don’t need. The point isn’t to make it appear as no one lives in your home, but rather to allow the buyer to imagine themselves and their belongings inside your home.
Paint with Neutral Colours: Repainting can be the easiest way to brighten a home. Light, neutral colours can make a home look large, bright and airy. Repainting the ceilings, baseboards and trim can really make are also important here. Be sure to repair any cracks or dings in the walls, before the painting as well.
Update Old Styles: You don’t want your home to appear old or dated to potential buyers if you want a quick sale. Removing dated features such as shag or old carpets to a new neutral colour or other cheap flooring alternatives can really revamp your homes appearance. Repainting dated paneling is also a cheap and easy fix.
Bathroom Makeover: An old, outdated bathroom can be a major turnoff to potential buyers. Replacing an old vanity with a new pedestal sink can be a quick, cheap fix. Unattractive tiles can be covered with a high-adhesive primer such as Zinsser BIN Primer Sealer, and some epoxy paint. Finally grout around the tub and tiles can be cleaned with a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.
Wash your Windows: Washing windows inside and out, along with the storms and screens can make a huge difference. This quick fix makes the home much more inviting and costs very little.
Be the first of your friends to like this. How To Take the Best Photos of Your Home
October 21, 2011
In an endless stream of homes being advertised for sale online, making you’re home’s photos stand out among the crowd is crucial for getting the most exposure and feedback on your home sale.
The first thing you obviously need is a camera. With all of the various types and models available, it can be a bit of a daunting task choosing a good one. A good site for getting the best information to make a smart camera purchase is DPReview. Here you can find plenty of comprehensive reviews and a great forum for talking to other camera owners as well.
Once you have the right camera, there are many other tips and tricks available for making sure your pictures stand out. Here is a great quick video to watch for some photography tips to make your photos look more professional.
There are many great programs to assist in photo editing after they’ve been taken which range in price and skill level. Some good freemiums available online worth testing are Picknik and Gimp. If you do own a Mac, the Aperture program from Apple is around $79 but works amazingly.
Be the first of your friends to like this. What Realtors Don’t Want You to Know
October 10, 2011
Across Canada, we pay an estimated $8 billion in real estate commissions every year! It’s no wonder they don’t want you to know how simple it is to escape paying these commissions.
1. Listing Realtors actually do little work to sell your home after placing it on MLS. What they don’t want you to know is that many Realtors will place your home on MLS and all the relative consumer sites for around $300. After this, putting up a For Sale sign and conducting an open house are quite easily done yourself.
2. Homeowners net on average 6% more gross profit when selling privately, not to mention the tax savings from paying the agent’s commission.
3. The ability to price more competitively in the absence of agent fees means your house is sold on average 3 weeks sooner than houses sold by a real estate agent.
4. Worried about not being protected by a Real Estate Agent from legal issues? This is where a lawyer comes in when closing the deal. The use of a lawyer is standard when working with or without an agent, so there’s no need to pay for both.
5. Having a Realtor represent you in the purchase of a new home is not free just because the seller pays the commission. Instead of making the sellers pay your agent, representing yourself can mean thousands of dollars reduced from the sale price.
Currently 1 in 4 homeowners sell their home privately and this number is increasing every year. Become one of the many Smart Home Buyers & Sellers and save money!
Be the first of your friends to like this. What you need to know about FSBO
October 3, 2011
Not sure if you’re able to sell your own home?
For Sale By Owner is a growing trend in the real estate market which could save you thousands in real estate fees. Going the FSBO route, home sellers skip out on listing agent costs and instead list and sell it themselves. After all who knows your home better than you!
Although you will save on listing your home, you must still be prepared to give your buyers listing agent a commission. A tip to take advantage of your lowered real estate fees is to increase the commission to the buyer agent by a bit more than the average, as incentive for real estate agents to bring more buyers to your home.
Being your own agent requires you to become knowledgeable in the market your selling in. Understanding fair market value is crucial for the pricing of your home. The best way to establish this is to look at recently sold comparable MLS Listings. It’s important to know for how much similar homes in area with common features, have been sold for in the current market. This will help you to price your home competitively.
When you are the only point of contact for interested buyers you will have more of a sense of how your home is being perceived. You will be there for the showings, open houses, and be the one negotiating purchase contract yourself. When you have direct contact with your buyers and less agent back-and–forth negotiations, closing a deal is quicker and easier.
When your selling you home, you’re also in control of all the major decisions including where and how to advertise. According to the National Association of Realtors, over 77% of homebuyers use the Internet to search for homes. There are many sites (including this one!) which are focused on advertising for sale by owner homes to ensure you get the most exposure.
All of the tools you need to sell your home are at your fingertips. Now it’s up to you to take them and save money!
Be the first of your friends to like this. Selling Property Online
September 30, 2011
The trend of private home sales and For Sale By Owner (FSBO) appears to be increasing along with selling houses on the internet. No longer using traditional marketing methods such as advertising in the local paper, using word-of-mouth and for sale signs, private home sellers are more educated in online marketing and getting the most exposure for their home as possible.
Recently there has been some competing between Private Property Sale’s sites for sponsorship advertising space on Google. A recent survey conducted by Alliance & Leicester has found homes being marketed on private home-sellers websites sold their house in an average of less than 2 months compared to using the traditional real estate agent.
While having your property online will get it the most exposure, you must also ensure it’s ready to being shown in the best light to its potential buyers. Getting the best pictures of your property is vital as they provide the first impression. Also pricing your property competitively from the beginning is key for a quick sale. Sellers need to remember to take into account the potential commission savings they’ll make and use this to price their home competitively.
Be the first of your friends to like this. 4 Ways Technology is Helping Major Cities be more Energy Efficient
September 28, 2011
As technology keeps getting smarter, people all around the world are exploring different ways to use these new abilities to save money and reduce carbon emissions. The following are 4 examples of green tech which stood out for us, which you may see rolling into an urban city near you!
1. Smarter City Streetlights
Currently used in the China, Malaysia and some US cities, these Ultra Smart Streetlights use FlexNet Lighting Control System to monitor and control 35 energy-efficient LED and induction fixtures.
With a ‘Smart Grid “ wireless radio control the lights can be dimmed or brightened according to the situation (in case of emergency) or by a police dispatcher. Not only does this reduce carbon emissions but is safer for residents, as the lights are also programmed to increase light output as it gets later in the night.
2. Small Urban Wind Turbines
Currently there are 9 turbines being tested throughout Reno for efficiency, measuring wind currents and speed, peak times, and total output.
“Right now, we only have very preliminary data,” says Jason Geddes, the environmental services administrator for the City of Reno. “What we have found, though, is that roof-mounted turbines, like the ones on City Hall, have experienced more turbulence than anticipated and shouldn’t be installed on the parapet, but high enough above the roof to get out of the turbulence zone.”
3. Solar Trees & Groves
Photovoltaic (PV) solar structures aka ‘solar trees’ and ‘solar groves’ serve as many great energy efficient solutions including generating electricity for specific areas such as parks and parking lots, offering shade in parking lots and even offering charging stations for electric cars
These solar trees and groves are already being installed in cities around the world. Appearing in some cases as outdoor art installations, like the one at Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna.
Santa Clara County anticipates an electrical cost savings of $18 million over the next 25 years and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Amazing numbers!
4. Tinting Glass Technology
Currently being used internationally SageGlass product that can be switched from clear to tinted by either the click of a button or can be programmed to respond to changes in sunlight and heat! Zoning is also an option, meaning that panes hit by direct sunlight can tint, while ones receiving indirect sunlight can stay clear.
“On hot, sunny days, the glass can be tinted to reduce glare and block out heat,” says Derek Malmquist, VP of marketing at SAGE. “On cold, cloudy days, the glass can remain clear to allow sunlight and heat to fill an office or home.”
While most of SAGE’s customers are architects, building owners and operators, they also sell into high-end residential markets.
Be the first of your friends to like this. Welcome!
December 29, 2010
Welcome to eSolds Blog where you can find the latest statistical data on real estate markets and browse eSolds listings.
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