This week we’re featuring a guest blog from our team member Irene Szabo. Irene shares a client success story about how a great marketing plan can make all the difference. Enjoy!

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A TALE OF TWO SEMIS

What would make a difference in a seller’s market to get the most for your home?

Guelph has been in a seller’s market for over 20 years.  I often hear sellers say, if it’s a strong market, we don’t feel the realtor really needs to do anything to sell my home. I have always strongly disagreed with this opinion and have seen time and time again that preparing a home properly, pricing it properly, and marketing it properly makes a huge difference, even in a hot market.

Recently, I had an opportunity to market a semi-detached home in Guelph’s south end, which was occupied by renting tenants. I visited the home a month before we put it on the market and advised the property owner to:

1. Repair things that would distract buyers or make them think the home had problems.

2. Paint the home in a light neutral color.

3. Declutter the home of excess furniture and unnecessary boxes.

4. Have the home professionally cleaned.

5. Ensure the home is tidy, all lights are on, and all curtains are open for showings.

While the owner was getting the home ready for market, I did my research to find the best listing price and came up with this proposed strategy for the sellers:

1. Have a pre-listing home inspection done so that no valuable showing time would be lost to buyers doing a lengthy inspection. This gave any buyer putting in an offer the comfort to put in their highest offer and not be afraid of unknown repairs.

2. Have professional pictures taken the day after the cleaning.

3. Give the tenants somewhere to stay during the showing hours so that we wouldn’t need 24 hours’ notice and didn’t have to worry about tenants refusing access.

4. Have the tenants sign the proper forms to ensure that, before closing, they would empty the home of their possessions, so the buyer had reassurance of a clutter and garbage free home.

5. A week before listing, announce to prospective buyers that the listing was ‘Coming Soon’ via email and social media, and a lawn sign.

6. Set an effective and realistic market price and hold offers for 5 days.

The result was 28 showings, 4 offers, and a sale price $70,000 over the list price.

Did what we do make a difference?  An identical semi with tenants in the same area was on the market 2 weeks before and sold 1 week before we launched. That home was messy, cluttered, and sold for $38,000 less than my clients’ property.

In short, yes; using a realtor who can help you prepare and market your home before listing will make a difference—for your bank account and your peace of mind.

Irene Szabo

REALTOR®

Irene is a REALTOR® with Home Group Realty and a member of our mentorship team. Outside of real estate, Irene is a voracious reader, enjoys interior decorating & travelling, and is a dedicated local leader, building a strong community of friends, families, and businesses through volunteer initiatives.

THE PAST WEEK IN THE GUELPH REAL ESTATE MARKET

Generally speaking, our local real estate market is cyclical: busier in the spring and fall, quieter in the winter and summer months. This rhythm has been shifted slightly due to the pandemic, with a delayed spring market in 2020 and a demand-fuelled start to 2021. With restrictions recently lifted within the province, a delayed start to summer vacation is a likely contributor to the already-quieter summer market. This past week, just 28 homes sold – that’s down 50% from last week. Perhaps the upcoming holiday weekend is a factor in this unusually quiet week, but only time will tell.

Take a look at the full key week comparison below:

View the new sales reports at soldinguelph.ca

We’ve upgraded our sales reports! View the same weekly sales data you’re used to, with the addition of photos, maps & property details – imagine realtor.ca, but for sold properties! To access these new reports, you’ll just need to set up a login – it takes less than 2 minutes, and you can access the reports any day of the week!

HOW TO CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

1. Sign up using the email address you have subscribed to our blog with

2. You will receive an email – click the longer link in that email

3. On the page that opens, click “Log In” and create a password, confirm your password, and click “Submit”

HOW TO ACCESS THE REPORTS

Once you are logged in, click the “Menu” button in the top right corner. All of the reports you’re used to are available here, but instead of PDF reports, you’ll notice they look much like Realtor.ca property listings. Feel free to explore the new features of the site, and let us know your feedback.

Find our full JUNE 2021 MARKET REPORT below:

This monthly report includes:

• Year-to-date and quarterly stats for Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge

• Sales stats for all Guelph home types

• Price breakdowns for all 18 Guelph neighbourhoods

• Township comparisons: Puslinch, Guelph/Eramosa, and Centre Wellington

• Freehold & condo breakdowns for Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge

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