1) Have a pre-sale home inspection. 

An inspector will be able to give you a good indication of trouble areas that will stand out to potential
buyers, and you will be able to make repairs before showings begin. If you're willing to invest the money, this is a great marketing tool and can provide you with peace of mind that there won't likely be any surprises when a buyer brings in their own inspector.

2) Organize and clean. 

Pare down clutter and pack up your least used items. Store items off-site or in boxes neatly arranged in the garage or basement. Clean the windows, carpets, walls, doors, lighting fixtures, baseboards, cabinets, etc. to make the house shine. I refer to this as "Q-tip" clean"

3) Get replacement estimates. 

Do you have big-ticket items that are worn out or will need to be replaced soon, such as your roof or
carpeting? Get estimates on how much it would cost to replace them, even if you don't plan to do the work. The figures will help buyers determine if they can afford the house and will be handy when negotiations begin.

4) Find your warranties. 

Gather up warranties, guaranties, and user manuals for the furnace, washer, dryer, dishwasher, oven, fridge, and any other items that will remain with the house.

5) Spruce up the curb appeal.

Pretend you're a buyer and stand outside the home. As you approach the front door, what is your impression of the property? Do the lawn and bushes look neatly manicured (or at this time of year, is the snow cleared and ice removed)? Is the address clearly visible? Is the walkway free from cracks and impediments?

If you need any help or want a professional opinion, I would love to walk you through the process!

I get asked a lot about how the For Sale by Owner trend is impacting the Real Estate Industry in Edmonton. Honestly, it is a difficult question to answer, but my opinion is that you get what you pay for.

Generally speaking, it is the Baby Boomer generation that decides to try and sell on their own. They are independent and believe they can do it for themselves and save some money – don’t get me wrong, it isn’t just the Boomers, but seems to be most typical of this generation.

So why are some successful and some not? I’m going to cover 4 major issues I see that cause a lack in success.

PRICING

As a REALTOR® a lot of research goes into pricing a property. We look at market history, neighborhood demographics, comparable sales, current competition, the location of the property, the condition of the property, and more. It isn’t an exact science, but we can give you a really good idea of market value. To be honest, I have seen FSBO properties that are listed $100,000 over what they should be, and in conversation with the homeowner they tell me that they sincerely believe it is worth that. An objective professional opinion can go a long way, because no one will pay that kind of money when there are other comparable options for cheaper.

But even if a property is priced well, it still often won’t move, which brings us to…

EXPOSURE

Many times, even if FSBO properties are priced properly they don’t get the exposure that is needed to drive traffic to their property. Did you know that Realtor.ca is the most comprehensive website of its kind? In the U.S. there are hundreds of websites advertising properties for sale, but nothing comprehensive for the entire country. Realtor.ca is Canada-wide and shows every MLS listing – we get over 2,800,000 unique visitors and 3,200,000 visits to the site every month. What do you get Com-free?

It is the job of a REALTOR® to maximize exposure to your listed property. I use tools like MLS, my personal website, my company website, the RE/MAX Western-Canada and RE/MAX Canada websites, social media, quick response codes, neighborhood mail-outs, open houses, signage, and many many more to make sure my clients get the maximum exposure.

So what else can go wrong in a FSBO situation?

AVAILABILITY

It is hard for home owners attempting to sell their home to make it available for showings at all times. If the seller works a day job, how are clients that want to see the property during the day going to be accommodated? What if they aren’t available to answer calls and book appointments? What if someone needs to meet with lawyers, pick up legal documents, etc. There are a lot of issues that can come up at inconvenient times.

And finally…

KNOWLEDGE

REALTORS® are trained and well-versed in staging homes for sale, offer negotiation, the creation of enforceable contracts, all the areas discussed above, and much more. It is my job to take the stress and inconvenience out of your home purchase or sale.

So to answer the question about how the FSBO trend impacts our industry… FSBO sellers that are unsuccessful and motivated to sell their home generally end up working with a REALTOR®. In that way, it doesn’t impact myself and my colleagues too terribly. But the perception is growing that a REALTOR® is not worth the investment, which is dangerous to the industry. To that I say, you get what you pay for.