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Too many novice homebuyers and investors still make the rookie mistake of buying the right house in the wrong neighbourhood.  While most people are familiar with the real estate mantra – LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION – some buyers fall in love with the look, feel and features of a particular home and, as we all know, love is blind.  Location ends up getting trumped by the hard-to-resist lure of a pretty façade.  In truth, buyers are better off buying a home in the right neighbourhood that has only half the amenities on their wish list than buying their perfect dream home in the wrong neighbourhood.

Narrowing a property search to the right neighbourhoods requires the guidance and assistance of a professional Realtor who has a clear understanding of your purpose in buying and your short and long-term real estate goals.  Your Realtor also needs to get to know you a little on a personal level to help in targeting the neighbourhoods that will offer the best fit for your personality and lifestyle.  The right neighbourhood for an investor will not necessarily be the right neighbourhood for a young couple with school age children or a single person seeking access to downtown amenities.

In order to maximize short-term cash flow and long-term equity growth, investors need to search for properties in up-and-coming communities that attract quality tenants.  If you are intending to be a landlord near a university, access to public transit is a critical element since many students and faculty members do not own their own vehicles.  Homebuyers with children need family-friendly neighbourhoods with proximity to good schools, parks and recreational facilities.

There are a myriad of factors to consider when buying a home.  Pinpointing the right location is a function of all of these considerations.  Do you work?  Where do you work?  Do you have children?  How do you feel about commuting?   How do you spend your leisure time?  Are you a condo or a house buyer?  If you are an investor, what are you hoping to achieve?  Is this your first investment or part of a larger portfolio?  These are only a few of the questions to consider before launching a property search.  The answers to these questions, in the hands of a knowledgeable Realtor, will help determine the locations to focus on in your search.

Even though all clients come to the table with wildly-differing goals and expectations, everyone is looking to achieve a positive return on investment (ROI) and location has a huge influence on ROI. At the same time, if you are going to be living in the home, you want to be in a neighbourhood that will accommodate your needs and complement your lifestyle.  The suburban home you fell in love with at first sight may start to wear on your nerves if it involves a long commute.  And the downtown condo that is close to work may leave you disenchanted if you have always harboured dreams of large backyard barbecues and an expansive garden.

Pinpointing the right location with strong potential for both long term ROI and short-term comfort and satisfaction involves a delicate analysis that is best conducted with the help of an experienced and objective Realtor.  You will need a pro to help you weigh all factors and choose the right property in the right neighbourhood for you and your family.

Are you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard and his team of Calgary real estate professionals sell an average of two homes a week. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. His aim is not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell a home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is a member of the RE/MAX House of Real Estate that leads in the Canadian market. Learn more about Bryon at TheHowardTeam.net.

When it comes to preparing a home to list for sale, successful Realtors and sellers understand that it is all about the details. There is more to selling a home for top dollar than simply staking a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. Paying attention to seemingly minor details will help separate your property from others in the MLS and instill in buyers the confidence that they are purchasing a home that has been cared for.

Rather than just issuing blanket instructions to sellers that they get their homes in shape to sell, we like to take an individualized approach and make specific recommendations to sellers based on their needs and circumstances. The goal is always to help ensure the property shows as well as possible. Many clients find that a small investment of time and money prior to listing a property for sale more than pays for itself at closing.

Of course every home is different and the extent of preparation work will vary according to the age and condition of the property and the size of the seller’s budget. While we always sit down with our clients and craft a personalized strategy, we find that attention to any of the following basic items will help sell any home:

Declutter and Depersonalize – Remove as much clutter and extra furniture as possible. Traffic in the home should flow smoothly from one room to another. It is also helpful to remove personal photos, memorabilia and knickknacks to help buyers begin to envision the home as their own.

Deep Cleaning – Arrange for a deep cleaning of the home – inside and out. Power wash the exterior, and clean all walls, surfaces, windows and fixtures until they shine. Steam-cleaned carpets will look and smell like new.

Landscaping – Trim trees, bushes and any landscaping that is overgrown or obscuring the home. Make sure the lawn is cut on a regular basis.

Minor Repairs – If feasible, now is the time to take care of all those little repair items that accumulate over time. Repair or replace cracked floor, wall and counter tiles. Patch holes and cracks in the walls. Fix leaking pipes and faucets. Repair any broken doors, windows and cabinetry. Clean chimneys and replace HVAC filters.

Fresh Paint – Consider painting the interior of the home in neutral tones to appeal to the most buyers. Don’t worry! You can paint your next home in your favourite shades of pink and orange.

Finishing Touches – Replace burnt out light bulbs and worn, discolored switch plates. Pull back curtains and blinds to allow natural light to flow in. Consider replacing any worn out window treatments, bedspreads and comforters.

Some of these items may seem minor and insignificant, but experience tells us that lack of attention to these little details can make your home seem frumpy and neglected. Once you have prepared your home for listing, we can help you in the next steps – setting the appropriate asking price based on a market evaluation and determining if staging the home will assist in the sale. At first glance, it may seem like a lot of work. Just remember that once we place a “Sold” sticker on your “For Sale” sign, you will know that the time, money and labor invested in preparing your home for sale was well worth the effort.

Are you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard and his team of Calgary real estate professionals sell an average of two homes a week. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. His aim is not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell a home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is a member of the RE/MAX House of Real Estate that leads in the Canadian market. Learn more about Bryon at TheHowardTeam.net.

Potential buyers may be visiting numerous properties on a Saturday afternoon. As a seller, your first priority is to get them in the door. If your house’s curb appeal is not eye catching, they may simply decide not to stop at all. Your home’s curb appeal will always set the tone for what potential buyers expect when they first walk inside.

Most people’s buying decisions are based on emotional responses and the curb appeal starts the love affair or will end it before they even walk in. This doesn’t mean you have to completely overhaul the outside of your home for it to sell. Just pick a few exterior home improvements that will have the most impact and go from there.

Here are a few tips to add some curb appeal for your home to achieve a higher market value.

1. Add planters

Adding planters can go a long way toward creating the perception of a well-kept home. Planters can add colour to a porch or patio and are quit eye-catching.

2. Spruce up your driveway

The driveway is one of the first things a buyer will see, so it’s a good idea to freshen it up. Adding a sealer can refresh a tired driveway and is an inexpensive makeover that can be accomplished in a short time by almost anyone.

3. Create a welcoming porch

An empty porch can look stark and cold. If you have a porch large enough to accommodate furniture, set up a nice table or a bistro set for dining and lounging. It’s also a good idea to add some colour with plants in containers.

4. Repaint

Giving the exterior of your home a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for curb appeal. Try painting your house in the colour of homes in a more expensive neighbourhood. It’s a great way to create the perception of quality while doing something you probably already should have done.

5. Spring for new accent pieces

Adding a new mailbox, house light or house number is a cheap and cheerful way of updating your home’s exterior. Shops like Walmart and Canadian Tire usually stock simple yet stylish, well-priced options for these items.

Other simple things you can do are putting a fresh coat of paint on the front door, mowing the lawn, trimming the bushes, cleaning the windows, sidings and gutters, and add a wreath to the door to enhance that welcoming feeling.

Are  you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard and his team of Calgary real estate professionals sell an average of two homes a week. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. His aim is not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell a home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is a member of the RE/MAX House of Real Estate that leads in the Canadian market. Learn more about Bryon at TheHowardTeam.net.

Purchasing a new home is a sentimental and emotional experience for many buyers. This makes it especially important to stage your home in a way that people can imagine themselves living there. Although an empty home may appear larger, buyers have to really tap into their imagination to envision the empty space functioning as their home. Typically a showing may last from 10 to 40 minutes, so it is important that your home makes a great first impression during this short time.

Highlight your home’s strengths. Think about what you first noticed when you purchased your home. A beautiful fireplace, large windows, or an updated kitchen are all things that could set your home apart from the other listings on the market. Ask your friends what they like best about your home and then make sure those features are showcased.

Clearing up clutter is the most important task. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with clutter, especially if you have a busy family. We have a rule in my house that whenever we bring something new into the house, we get rid of something else. This is a great way to manage toys, clothing and other stuff that starts to accumulate over time. When the time comes to list your house, get rid of extra unwanted items by donating them to charity or have a yard sale.

Make a great first impression. The front door, mailbox and house numbers should look clean and new. Add some potted plants to your entrance way, and make sure that the yard is well-kept and free of debris.

Bring in the professionals. A professional stager can make your home look like the perfect 10. Last year I listed a home for a client at slightly above market value. The home sat on the market for several weeks with no activity. We made the decision to take the home off the market and bring in a professional stager to overhaul the home. We put the house back on the market, and it sold for 99.5% of the asking price. Even though the market hadn’t changed, professional staging helped to increase the perceived value of this home to potential buyers.

Are  you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard is a top-producing real estate agent with RE/MAX House of Real Estate in Calgary, Alberta. He and his team sell an average of two homes a week–mostly single-family homes, luxury homes, condos and commercial properties. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. Bryon is above the pack because he aims not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell their dream home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is well-equipped to do this with his sterling education, capped by an MBA degree from Athabasca University and degrees from Acadia University, the University of Prince Edward Island and the Universite de Bourgoyne in France.