In light of July 15th being 'Give something away day', what better time to talk about decluttering, and other low cost things you can do to your home to improve not only it's curb appeal but its overall marketability.

1. Declutter Cost- $0

This is probably one of the easiest and least costly things you can do to your home prior to listing. Clean up countertops, discard any extra clothing that you no longer need, laundry room looking a mess all the time? Time to remove anything unnessecary. Walking through your kitchen and feel like there is no counter space? Take some time to consider what is on top of those counters and what makes sense to be removed. Loose papers - toss them out or file them. Lots of loose blankets or messy unstructured beds, make sure you clean those up too! Put away those blankets. Decluttering comes in many forms, and a practice that I strongly recommend doing at least once a season to keep not only your organizational structure in tact but your sanity. There is some great content on decluttering on Netfix - Check out Marie Kondo or the Home Edit!

2. De-personalize Cost - $0

One thing many of us don't think about if you are choosing not to work with a professional stager is how a home can make a buyer feel when they do their viewing. We want them to see themselves enjoying the property and the home as their own, instead of feeling like they are in someone elses home. Some easy steps to help with this are to remove personal photo's from the walls, or anything with your name on it. ie - a sign outside with your family name etc. Anything that identifies your home as yours could be removed and replaced with more decorative items, or simply removed. This also include artwork that could be on your fridge. 

3. Freshen up Paint Cost $100-$300

There is alot that a fresh coat of paint can't fix and refresh. I would always suggest taking the time to fill, sand and repaint any wall damage. A quick paint refresh is something you can do yourself, at the cost of some polyfil, sandpaper and paint. It also gives the opportunity to ensure that the paint colour in the rooms of your home not only matches but is condusive to a mass appeal. For example - neutral colours in bedrooms and living areas as opposed to bright or mixed colours of different colour palettes

4. Weed. Trim. Cut. Cost - $0

This is so important for your outside space - be sure to keep gardens clear of weeds. There is no requirement to be any kind of gardener (trust me I can relate with my brown thumbed friends), but removing just the weeds and keeping the grass cut and manicured during the showing process can go very far to promoting your property as people drive or walk by, and buyers come to view it. Clean edging is automatically appealing to the human brain - we love structure and neatness as a species! Most current home owners already own the tools to complete this task so ideally this is a quick and easy one that just requires some elbow grease; 

 I hope you enjoyed these suggestions and find them valuable in the journey to sell your home. I would love to hear your thoughts and any additional low cost suggestions! in a future blog post I will talk about some mid to more expensive options that can be completed to really optimize the sellers market, be sure to sign up for notifications so you don't miss out!

Buyer exhaustion. It's rampant right now. But don't let it get you - your time is coming!

The 2021 housing market has been spicy hot - Sellers are enjoying multiple offers and aggresive pricing strategies driving anyone looking for a home into multiple offer scenarios. 

However if you are on the other side of that table clutching the blazer of your supportive and hardworking real estate agent, hoping to all heavens that they will choose your offer this time... the joy is probably less so.  The fear of having to stick it out with your parents a little bit longer may be driving you to mental-drink. 

Buyer exhaustion is a feeling of helplessness, fatigue, and frusteration. Wanting to give up the hunt, and just give up on the dream of being a home owner. Everyone will experience it differently, but there are a few ways to move through it and keep it at bay to meet your goals. So let's talk about it.

1. It's business - not personal.

I know - its difficult not to get your hopes up. Buying a home is often very emotionally driven. Excitement, anticipation, doubt, stress... All of the above - talk about your full throttle emotional experience for most. My advice? Don't. Do. It. This will take some training - but there is a reason the old adage is "it's business not personal". It makes it easier to deal with. Go into your offer process with the best mental foot forward. This is a business transaction nothing more. Mind tricks can work if you do them right, and train your brain into a new way of approaching the situation. 

2. Know that your time will come

There have been too many times where I have been on the buyer side of the table with my whole body laced with disappointment and frusteration at the market. My then brokers, and now partners - Lori Roberts and Lindsay Barlow kept telling me "It just isn't it". At the time I was always skeptical, and felt like thats just something your people tell you to get you through the thick peanut buttery disappointment. But time and again they were right - it just wasn't it. We ended up finding a home that was much better, it was at the right time, and had better features for us. Your time will come - patience is a virtue. 

3. Adjust some expectations

Going for the perfect fit right out the gate? The home that everyone else on the block is also probably spying on? Adjust the expectations - look for something that suits your overall needs, but needs alittle love. Looking at a very specific area? Adjust a few miles over or a town or two, it opens up your scope and makes the inventory you are looking for more expansive.  It's worth a shot!

I often wonder how many wonderful properties are dismissed by buyers based on poor pictures - or just homes where pictures don't do them justice. I can tell you the home I write this from is wonderful, and we almost didn't take the time to look at it because the pictures on the listing weren't great, and I worried it would be a waste of time. Take the chance - the worst that can happen is you find a style you know you don't like. 

These may not all work for everyone, but please don't be discouraged - someone has to buy the house- and when its the right one it will be you! 

If you are interested in diving into the house market or making a move please email me at movewithcandicek@outlook.com, and let me show you how I can work for you!

* This post is not intended to solicit anyone currently under representation