Sandwiched between two detached homes on a quiet residential road in Oshawa is Durham Region\u2019s first tiny house, and one of the smallest homes in Canada. At just 253 square feet, 96 Quebec Street created a viral frenzy, with the cozy yet compact bungalow garnering the attention of local media and thousands of online clicks. Sixty-one showings and more than 100 open house visitors later, the tiny house sold within two weeks for $200,000.<\/p>\n
Managing the advertising and showing aspects of a home can be stressful when it comes time to sell. But, in the case of the tiny house, the better prepared a seller is to handle a steady flow of visiting buyers, the better.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe busier you are, the better it is for the outcome,\u201d says Miranda Fox, a sales representative with Dan Plowman Team Realty and the tiny home\u2019s listing agent. \u201cAt the end of the day, the outcome we want is the best offer, and [the seller] is always in agreement with that. Nobody says, \u2018No, we want a lower offer,\u2019 right?\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s understandable why, as a seller, opening up your home for showings is stressful. There are strangers walking around your space, everything needs to be tidy at all times, and there isn\u2019t much of an opportunity to come home to eat or shower with scheduled showings taking place. While buying a home is an emotional process, selling should be the opposite \u2014 a seller needs to be dispassionate and treat their home like a business transaction. This is a tough spot to be in though, with all of the labour that goes into preparing to show a home.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the preparation starts to put it on the market, I would just tell people, \u2018You know what, it\u2019s not your home anymore. We\u2019re setting up a stage \u2014 a stage for performance. It\u2019s not a functional thing, it\u2019s a pretty thing,\u2019\u201d says Sandra Pate, a Toronto-based broker with Royal LePage Johnston and Daniel Division.<\/p>\n
If the prospect of showing you home for sale is daunting, never fear; Pate and Fox are here to share their advice on how to handle showings like a pro.<\/p>\n
Use teaser tactics<\/strong><\/p>\n Before you even plant that \u2018for sale\u2019 sign on the front lawn, there\u2019s plenty of groundwork to do to prepare your listing for showings. Much of that work goes into broadcasting to the world that your home is for sale, and it starts with picking the right real estate agent. Your listing agent should be the neighbourhood expert, the person who knows what local buyers are looking for, has a deep knowledge of the market and can easily rhyme off how much homes are selling for. Using market comparables and in-depth research, a good agent will price your property at the appropriate amount for the area. Pate says interviewing potential listing agents is a good method for determining who has the best knowledge and most comprehensive marketing plan for your property.<\/p>\n \u201cAn extensive amount of experience and excellent negotiating skills is super important too,\u201d says Pate. \u201cA good agent can make or break their experience both emotionally and looking at the bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Pate, most homebuyers in her area are local \u2014 about 20 percent of her open house visitors are generated just from sending out postcards in the mail. Your listing agent should target the right audience, using social media and hard-copy print strategies to entice the right buyer. Fox says these teaser tactics will generate interest in the property, so that when the home hits the market, showing activity can start right away. Ideally, this will shorten the amount of time a property is up for sale and reduces time spent on the showing process.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is ultimately to make that showing process as short as possible for my clients, because the faster we can get your house sold, the faster you can get on with your life, the faster you can get your cheque at the end of the day,\u201d says Fox.<\/p>\n Embrace the Simon Cowell\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever watched legendary music judge Simon Cowell give criticism, then you know that not all feedback is easy to smile and take. Selling your home is no different; a bunch of Simon Cowell\u2019s will walk into your home and point out what they don\u2019t like. While many seller\u2019s don\u2019t like to hear buyer criticism, Pate says that is can be useful \u2014 criticism could even be a sign that buyers like the property, and are reflecting on what they would change in the space.<\/p>\n While criticism can be hard to hear, Pate says some feedback should be taken with a grain of salt. There may be things in the property that, even with staging and repairs, you can\u2019t change. In one case, Pate sold a Toronto property that some seller\u2019s complained was too small \u2014 an unchangeable characteristic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is what it is. \u2018The basement height isn\u2019t high enough.\u2019 Well, there you go. It\u2019s high enough for some people, but not everybody,\u201d says Pate.<\/p>\n If sellers\u2019 criticism is fixated on the price or the size, it could be an indication that the property is not appropriately priced. Pate says a seller and listing agent need to be confident about the preparation and pricing from the get-go.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there are any concerns about that, \u2018It\u2019s too small,\u2019 often means, \u2018This price is not right for this size,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cIt depends on whether or not you\u2019ve priced it right. Pricing is very tricky these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Go easy on the Febreze<\/strong><\/p>\n Stinky gym sneakers and pet hair-laden couches have no place in a home listed for sale. It goes without saying that your home should be clean, tidy and smell great for potential buyers \u2014 but don\u2019t overdo it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst thing is doing those plug-ins, or Febrezing your house beforehand,\u201d says Fox. \u201cYou want it to smell good, but fresh, not like you\u2019re masking something.\u201d<\/p>\n You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression on a buyer, so you\u2019ll want to give it your best shot: empty the garbage, put away the dishes, declutter and avoid making any meals prior to the showing. Fox also recommends leaving the lights on: a buyer can see all of the home\u2019s potential in a brightly lit space, but they also don\u2019t know where the switches are.<\/p>\n Curb appeal is also extremely important. From your garbage cans to your entryway, the exterior of your home should look well-maintained. Your agent may know how nice the inside of your house is, but a buyer doesn\u2019t, so grab their attention from the start with landscaping and a pristine front door.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll make the judgement right away and they know within seven to 14 seconds if they\u2019re going to buy your house or not,\u201d says Fox. \u201cIf you don\u2019t get them right from the beginning, it\u2019s going to be very hard to get them.\u201d<\/p>\n Short term pain for long term gain<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you have buyers\u2019 attention, showing requests will start to trickle in. While it\u2019s a pain to pack up your things and step out of the house for a few hours, Fox says to think of it as short term pain for long term gain \u2014 if you can cram in as many showings as you can, as quickly as you can, your home will spend less time on the market.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about setting the seller\u2019s expectations right from the very beginning because the more people you have through your house, the better [the offer] you\u2019re going to get on your offer day, or when you get an offer, because the more traffic that we can drive through, the more people are interested, the higher an offer is going to go,\u201d explains Fox.<\/p>\n While it might be easier to stay during the showing, sellers should not hang around for showings and talk to the buyer. Pate says this can make the buyer feel like someone is looking over their shoulder. Asking a friend to look after pets or children can make the process easier, for them and seller. In some cases, Pate says sellers choose to move out and vacate the property altogether, allowing a wide open schedule for showings.<\/p>\n From the beginning, you can determine with your listing agent what showing instructions to give to buying agents that work best for you. You can set the parameters for how the property can be accessed and how much notice is required for showings, but be flexible. If you turn down a showing, or make showing times too restrictive, you could be letting an offer get away, says Fox.<\/p>\n \u201cThat may be the person who\u2019s buying your house, so we do not want to say \u2018no\u2019 to any showings.\u201d<\/p>\n