Tips for Showing a Home Windsor Real Estate

6 Tips to a Great Home Showings

Compliments of www.cameronpaine.com

When it comes to showing your home to potential home buyers, you want to make sure that they are focused on the home’s potential to become theirs rather than constantly distracting them with outside issues.

The following tips will help showings .

Home Showing Tip  #1

Dont have Family and friends just hanging out
When you decide to sell your home, you really do need to consider how you will show your home. It is definitely unsettling for home buyers to walk through a home only to find that there are kids sleeping in the rooms or someone is frying up a steak as they arrive.

A home showing must be treated like a business transaction and in order to drive a sale, you must behave in a professional manner. Ask family members to look after your kids and make sure that the only people in the home are the ones who will be showing it.

Home Showing Tip #2

Being Present for Showings

You have right to be excited about showing your home to potential hom buyers and you may want to gauge their opinion about your home. But  best if the home owner is not present during showings.

If the home owner is home, people often feel rushed and do not give the home enough time.

By letting the Realtor handle the showing, it gives the buyer time to look around and discuss the home with their Realtor.

Home Showing Tip #3

Knowing  your homes strengths and weaknesses

From the moment home buyers walk toward your home, they are searching for flaws and drawbacks, as most skeptics tend to do. I often find it helpful to do a summary of the strengths of a home and show the value of improvements, as well I can often do a cost analysis of any potential weaknesses ie. cost of a new roof or windows.  If a home needs a major repair, it will be obvious to any buyer. Having a quote before hand can often elimante any fears a buyer might have.

Home Showing Tip # 4

Removing any Odours
Nothing says “don’t buy my house” quite like the smell of wet dog. Add the smell of synthetic roses to the mix, and you might essentially be telling home buyers to run not walk away from your home.

As well, cooking before or during a home visit is not appreciated, as no one wants to leave a home smelling like fried food. Boil some cinnamon in water and keep the scent of your home welcoming and delicate rather than invasive.

Home Showing Tip #5

Temporary removing pets

If possible Pets should not be presetn for showings. If they cannot be removed, ensure they have a place that is away from all the main features of the home ie kitchen, baths bedrooms.

Home Showing Tip #6

A Clean Hoouse
If a home buyer walks into a home and all they can think about is the cleaning up they would have to do if they bought your home, chances are they will not want to buy your home.

You need to make your home sparkling clean and I am not exaggerating when I say that it should be clean enough that people could eat off the floor. If you want home buyers to focus on the potential of the home and not the clutter and grime, clean it and clean it well.

 

Making a Room Feel Bigger - Windsor Essex Real Estate

Compliments of www.cameronpaine.com

Most of us can’t afford a home with massive rooms – not just because the square footage is costly, but also because it would cost an arm and a leg to keep that home heated and comfortable. There are, however, a vast array of tricks and methods that lend themselves to creating an illusion and will help you make a room feel bigger.

That said, here are seven ways to make a room feel bigger:

Ways to make a room feel bigger #1

Get Roman blinds
Window treatment are an important part of making a room feel bigger and using roman blinds instead of curtains takes away that cluttered feeling and the look of extra and unwanted material draped over the living room floor, getting in your way and causing more problems than it’s worth.

Ways to make a room feel bigger #2

Use color
In terms of illusion, light colors will always make a room seem larger, so try and avoid darker colors when painting the walls, opting instead for a light shade of blue or white. This method will make rooms appear open and airy, and they are also naturally reflective colors, which leads me on to the next point.

Ways to make a room feel bigger #3

Opt for natural lighting
Letting natural light stream into the room will really open it up, making it feel larger. Make as much use of natural light as possible; add skylights, windows, anything that will open your house up. If this is not possible, then ensure the room is adequately lit as shadows can make a space seem smaller and cramped.

Ways to make a room feel bigger #4

Hang mirrors
Perhaps an odd choice, the use of mirrors is recommended by experts due to the way it gives the illusion of depth. Place it at a specific point in the room, angle it in a way that is going to ensure maximum depth and it will give you the illusion of more open flow. Like light colors, it can also reflect natural light, and helps brighten up a room.

Ways to make a room feel bigger #5

Go for built-ins over closets
Instead of moving each bit of furniture back against the wall, a built-in closet enables you to gain extra space and effectively move a lot of your junk out the way by placing it in the wall closet. The extra space built into the closet will have little effect on the size of the room, and means you are effectively not losing any space, but gaining more room to place decorations, mirrors, and anything else you might want.

Ways to make a room feel bigger #6

Buy folding furniture
This trick ensures that the furniture doesn’t cover too much of the floor or room, and saves you a lot on furniture costs. By using a pinned device, tables and chairs are able to fold inwards without losing their elegance or beauty, and become multi-efficient devices. The important thing is you’ll be able to see the floor, which in turn, makes the room feel bigger.

Ways to make a room feel bigger #7

Declutter
Not incredibly original, but when it comes to adding space, you need to be ruthless with some of your possessions. If they haven’t been used in a while, or just don’t fit in with the rest of the decor, then they have to go. Store them somewhere out of sight or chuck them altogether. This can include small things like cleaning your desk, or larger things such as moving furniture around, or removing it completely.

Did you make a room feel bigger?

Of course, there are a number of other ways to get the most out of your space; the important thing to remember is that you must be organized, ruthless, and willing to make some drastic changes, but it could prove to be one of the best decisions you’ll make in finding that perfect living space.

Windsor Homes Buying vs Renting

Windsor Homes Buying vs Renting
www.cameronpaine.com

I am often asked whether it is better to rent or to buy.  There are several sites which offer lease vs buy analysis.  The main factors are to consider are:
1.    Monthly Rent
2.    Home Price
3.    Down Payment
4.    Mortgage Rate
5.    Annual Property Taxes
Other items such as maintenance, cost of buying, cost of selling, operating costs such as insurance and utilities should also be considered.
As a rule of thumb, if you plan on staying in a home for more than 3 years, it is cheaper to buy.


Most people think the benefit in buying is to "stop throwing your money away on rent," but in fact the equity you build from buying is mostly offset by the money you will "throw way" on taxes, insurance, maintenance, and mortgage interest, which renters don't pay. The real benefit from buying is that you assume your property will increase in value over time while you continue to pay the same monthly payment for 15 to 30 years, and then you stop paying it altogether.

If property values decline, the numbers change in favour of renting fairly quickly.

2005 marked a  peak in the Windsor Real Estate Market with average home prices at around $165,000..  Struggling with high unemployment and a slightly declining popluation, Windsor saw a decline in property values from 2006 – 2009.  Many people that purchased in Windsor in 2005 and attempted to sell in 2009, did so at a loss.  However, property values are again on the rise in the Windsor Area and there is a lot of money being spent on infrastructure over the next several years. 2011 saw property average residential property values of $169,000 over the 2005 average value.
Home prices in Windsor have risen for the past two years an average of 4% per year.  In addition Windsor entered a sellers market in 2011 with the sales listing ratio exceeding 50%, this is a further indication that prices will continue to rise.



Other Factors which make it a good time to buy in Windsor:
The current low interest rates are also very helpful in reducing mortgage payments.
Average house price of $169,000 (2011) is less than half of the National Average.
Massive infrastructure spending in Windsor and surrounding area over the next several years.

You don't pay cash when you buy a home. If you had to do that then nobody could afford to buy a house. Instead you get a loan from a bank called a mortgage. You make payments on this loan every month for 15 or 30 years, and then you get to stop making payments.

Most homebuyers also make a cash down payment of 5 to 20% of the sale price. The higher the down payment you can make, the easier it is to get a loan, and the lower the interest rate is, and the lower the monthly payment is.

By Cameron Paine, Buckingham Realty (Windsor) Ltd., Broker