What to Expect: When Selling Your Home

Welcome to the first installment of our What to Expect series — all about what happens when you list your home for sale.

Most of us are aware of the effort it takes to get a home ready for market but the lifestyle changes most Sellers experience when they list their home is often a source of stress. So let’s take a moment to lighten the mood & help reestablish your expectations of normal while your home is listed.

Some of the strange phenomenon you can expect…

1. Living in a perpetual state of cleaning– if moving out isn’t an option, there is always a chance Mary Poppins is looking for work.

2. Last minute requests to show your home — most likely while you are having dinner…

3. They requested an hour long showing & you have been sitting in the car. They arrived 5 minutes before their showing time ended and are still in your house — Take a deep breath & remember, any Buyer could be THE Buyer.

4. Yes, they did use the toilet… apparently they don’t know how to flush.

5. Anything left on the counter is considered fair game…

6. Someone will go through your cupboards, closets & drawers — It’s best to be prepared for it.

7. Yes, Buyers will notice the pictures of your adorable dog/cat/kids but we need them to notice the house. Taking down your personal pictures will help keep Buyers focused & help your home sell faster.

8. They will needlessly touch your stuff — at some point you will have someone come through your home who can’t help themselves, so take anything you don’t want touched and put it away.

9. No, you don’t have a stalker… you have drive-by viewings! Often the same car will drive by before they book a showing, arrive for the showing & drive-by repeatedly after. They are considering your home & calling the police will probably not lead to happy negotiations.

10. Don’t hate your neighbour —  yes they appear to be nosy but they could have a friend who wants to move to the area or more likely they want to educate themselves on the value of their home. We are curious creatures by  design so try to keep calm & accept that it’s par for the course.

Selling is stressful but having realistic expectations & an understanding of what is likely to happen can help keep the surprises to a minimum.

Keeping it Genuine,

The Edwards Team

All GIFs via GIPHY