There are a few things that you should consider doing before hiring us to sell your home. Although you may hesitate to spend more money on your home, we can assure you that certain improvements or professional documents will help your real estate agent protect the value of your home as well as significantly minimize the length of time your home remains on the Okanagan multiple listing system [MLS] .

Here are 3 tactics that will help you and your real estate agent get the most bang for your buck:

1.) PROPERTY INSPECTIONS.
When was the last time you had a licensed property inspector investigate the ‘soundness’ of your home? If this was done recently or in the past couple of years, be sure to provide your real estate agent with a checklist of all the improvements that have taken place since your last inspection. This document has proven to be very instrumental in protecting the value of your home, especially if your asking price is nearly double the cost it was when you purchased your home.

If you have never hired a property inspector, you should consider having an inspection done before listing your home. Any major structural issues should be addressed beforehand, as they may cost you the buyer if left to be addressed right before the subject removal date. You are best to know the state of your home now, so your asking price is reasonably positioned in the market and reflects any work needed in the near future. 

2.) APPRAISALS.
Although we can give you a market evaluation of your home, this isn’t the same document as an appraisal. They are often confused by clients; however, a professional appraisal uses different methods to calculate their suggested property value. Having this document handy at time of negotiating an offer will prove handy and beneficial to the seller. 

3.) STAGING & DE-CLUTTERING

By de-cluttering, improving the lighting, landscaping the yard and staging a home, HomeGain.com suggests a seller can expect anywhere from 300% to 578% return on these investments. This is a wise marketing strategy to consider, especially if you have to sell quickly or are trying to sell a vacant home.