Swapping Roles From Agent to Seller: Week 1

It has been a week since we listed our condo for sale and, I'm gaining a whole new respect for my seller clients!  While I have experienced the process from the buyer's side, this is my first experience with a personal sale.  I hired a friend in the business to list my condo and spent some time staging and cleaning to prepare for showings.  Now I am hoping for the best.

I thought my readers might find it helpful to know my "to do" list prior to each showing.  When I list a client's home, I give them a similar list to ensure that their home shows well and I certainly hold myself to the same standards.

Before Each Showing:
-  Tidy, tidy, tidy.  This includes all personal items and valuables locked in the safe.
-  Vacuum.  This is necessary when you have a dog or are listing in the winter.  We are dealing with both!
-  Wipe surfaces in bathrooms and kitchen.
-  Clean those bathrooms.  Do not leave out your half finished toothpaste tube or a brush with clumps of hair.  Yuck!  Toilets should be scrubbed and sparkling.
-  Make the bed.  We don't pretend to be daily bed makers... Especially when Corey is working nights.  However, for the sake of selling our home, we are!
-  Take care of odours.  This includes opening and checking the fridge, the closet where we store dog food, the laundry hamper and especially the dog's bed.  I walk through with a bottle of febreeze and I light some candles in the kitchen and bedroom.  Lavender is nice and relaxing for a bedroom, while I prefer a Bath and Body Works candle that smells like fresh baked bread for the kitchen.  I do this with enough time that the candles can be put away right before a showing.
- Turn on our digital photo frame. While we keep our decor fairly neutral and remove many personal items during the listing period, we feel it doesn't hurt to allow buyers to see that nice, happy people live here. We have a small digital frame with a carefully edited selection of photographs which allows a small part of "us" to be visible.
-  Turn on the lights!
- Leave with the dog.  I love my dog and I know he's gentle when I'm around.  However, many dogs become fearful or aggressive when they perceive a threat such as strangers in their home.  Some sellers prefer to lock their animals in a small room or crate but I prefer to give buyers an opportunity to see a home without the distraction of noise or possible allergies.  Even those without pets should give buyers the privacy to fully explore their home by leaving or (at the very least) remaining in the back yard.

Does this sound exhausting?  Yes, it is but it's worth the effort to give buyers the best possible impression of my home.  I'm prepared for a long listing so I may be singing a different tune next month but for now, we're sticking to our list. :)

To view my listing, click here.  Or, enjoy my fabulous virtual tour.

Does Your Listing Need Professional Photos?

As a real estate agent, a partnership with the right photographer can make a huge difference in the marketing of a listing.  I work with Thea Menagh whenever possible, and I'd like to credit her for taking the professional "after" photographs in this post. 

I recently listed my condo for sale and many people have been really interested to know how someone in the business lists their own place.  I've had many questions about pricing, my own expectations, whether I post the listing under my own name or if I hire a colleague, and many others that I can't think of at the moment.  While I'll address most of the questions in a subsequent post, the short answer is that I treat my own listing the way I would treat a client's.  This is includes, hiring my favourite photographer, which is the topic of this post.

I met Thea early in my career although I wish now that I had known her from the start.  I like to see a listing with bright photographs and my biggest pet peeve is the notorious fish-eye lense which, when used in a listing can make even the nicest house look unattractive.  Instead of making a room look large through digital trickery, Thea uses a classic wide-angle lense and moves around (sometimes performing some impressive acrobatics) to find the best shot which will make a room appear as large as it is.  Not larger.  I find it heartbreaking to see the look on a client's face when they arrive at a home only to be disappointed that the house did not live up to the photos.

Thea always reminds me that something that looks nice in person, may not show well in a photograph.  For this reason, she insists on undertaking some pre-photoshoot staging specifically for the camera.  I know from experience that this can make all the difference so I tucked my ego aside and helped her move some of my favourite items (including my fabulous retro orange chair) and I told myself that in this area of the listing, she was the boss!  Below, I'll show some of the actual photographs from my listing along with some others I took on my own.  It will be obvious, but I'll mention anyway that the photographs on the left or top are mine and Thea's professional shots are on the right or bottom.  Think of is as a before and after.  Also, I'm excluding exterior photos as well as bathrooms and my second bedroom/office. 
















I know, I know, the "before" is just awful, right?  Well, unless you're a professional, black cabinets are not easy to capture.  Thea cleared away some items from the counter, adjusted the angle to show the opposite side of the kitchen, and made proper use of her lighting.  Her photograph gives a much more accurate portrayal of my modern yet warm kitchen.





Next, we look at the dining room.  With an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows, I don't know how I managed to make my picture look so dark.  It's also a little embarrassing that I managed to make my large dining room (which has room for an entire church pew along one wall) look cramped.  Thea moved some of my art as well as my little butler table and replaced it with a vintage kidney shaped stool in a light colour.  Essentially, she removed anything that would photograph as clutter while maintaining visual interest.

She also managed to capture the light and space in the room in the second picture.  She stood back and wasn't afraid to show the walls and ceiling.  In the second picture, you see the windows as well as the floorspace.  A buyer would be able to see this and decide whether there was space for their own table or buffet.  I was also amazed that Thea was able to capture subtle details like the wood grain in the floor and the reflective top of my buffet.

When we moved into the living room, I had to bite my tongue.  I knew Thea was right to move my orange chair but even my fabulous piggy bank wasn't safe on the mantle.  It was nice to consult with a professional who could remind me gently that my quirky taste does not always have mass appeal.  Pros need reminders too and while I love my living room in person, I can't argue with the fact that some editing produces cleaner listing photos.









Thea's use of HDR not only exposes the hallway properly, allowing a buyer to see even space but it also allows my lamp to be on while allowing my walls to still appear as a true light grey.  Even my flokati rug looks more plush and cozy!

Finally, the master bedroom photographs show perhaps the best example of how a pro can show the actual size of a room.  The photograph I took was only really able to capture the bed.  Considering the fact that my bedroom is quite large, the effect was underwhelming.  Thea chose an angle which captured significantly more floor space and furniture.

I believe the results speak for themselves. I would not list a home without the assistance of a professional photographer. Remember, the main objective of listing photographs is to show buyers a true picture of the home. While some pros brag that they can make rooms look "bigger and better" this could also backfire by leading to more showings with disappointed buyers. I prefer to choose a professional who captures the nature of the home instead. I want buyers to be interested enough to visit, but also pleased when they see the home in person. Wish me luck with my listing!

How To Maintain Your Privacy During An Open House:

It's the day of your open house and, in this market, that could mean your agent is expecting dozens of interested buyers to visit your home.  Your house is staged and tidy.  A large bowl of fake fruit sits on your kitchen counter.  The floors are scrubbed, the closets cleaned and you feel prepared for anything and excited at the prospect of offers on the horizon. 

Most good agents will request that owners and pets vacate the house during the open house in order to allow prospective buyers to feel comfortable looking carefully and even contemplating changes they might make if they were to purchase the home.  Your agent has advertised the open house and even brought some extra feature sheets, information on local schools and refreshments.  You know you are leaving your home in good hands.  Everything is perfect.  So what are you forgetting?

 Open houses are such a common step in the selling process that we often forget the fact that there will actually be strangers walking through our houses and looking at our things.   When a seller opens their home to showings, each buyer is accompanied by a licensed agent and the listing agent has a record of all visits.  The very nature of an open house, however, is to allow maximum exposure and so many of the visitors will be looking without their own agent.  A listing agent usually stands downstairs to greet guests and answer questions, but who is watching what happens upstairs?

I recently read a fantastic article in Real Estate Magazine on protecting sellers' privacy during open houses and showings.  Many sellers will not feel that all of these suggestions are necessary and some may seem obvious but I think every seller should at least consider them.  I don't know how many times I've seen calendars in houses during showings with vacation time blocked off.  Do you really want all the guests at your open house to know when your home is vacant?

I would add to the suggestions in the article that it is prudent to ensure that your agent is requesting that each guest sign in with first and last name as well as a home address and telephone number.  People tend to be more respectful when their identity is known.  Another good idea if you own a very large home or if your agent is expecting heavy traffic is to ask your agent if they have a colleague who can assist them by walking around and answering questions.  I also happen to think a one day open house that lasts two hours tends to generate more traffic than an open house that stretches an entire weekend.  Remember, other open house guests also serve to eliminate snooping behaviour.

Last but not least, plan, prepare and then RELAX.  You have hired a professional whom you trust so if you have any nagging concerns, allow them to set your mind at ease with their own security ideas.