The Real Estate Blog - real estate

How to Price Your Home for Sale

How To Price Your Home For Sale

Do you know what your home is worth? Do you know what your homes will sell for? Probably not!

We all want to achieve the highest possible sale price for our home. Consider this when establishing an asking price. In 2014 - 6,638 homes were listed in Cambridge and 3,131 of them sold. This means that only 47% were able to sell their home. So, how do you join the SOLD percentage?

Pricing your Cambridge, ON home accurately is very important to achieving a sale, so be realistic. The price is the first thing buyers look at and if they feel your home is overpriced it can linger on the market, or encourage buyers to look at other options. Remember - Although you set the asking price, the value of your home is determined…

1220 Views, 0 Comments

Spotlight on Cambridge Neighbourhoods: Hespeler

Spotlight on Cambridge Neighbourhoods: HESPELER

Cambridge, Ontario is an amazing and diverse city made up of a selection of unique neighbourhoods to call home. However, before you buy a home in any neighbourhood, you'll want to do some research and make sure it's the right place for you and your needs - if you have a family to keep in mind, if you need to be close to the office, or if you need to be near the best jogging trails, and everything in-between.

In this article, I'll be going into depth about Hespeler, one of my personal favourite neighbourhoods in Cambridge. One of the great things about Hespeler is that the houses range from brand new to historic homes that are over 100 years old. The Speed River runs through the middle of Hespeler and…

3358 Views, 0 Comments

Selling Your Home in the Winter

Selling Your Home in the Winter

Winter may be upon us, but the local real estate market is still hot. With many sellers holding off until the spring, this is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of a demanding housing market. The last thing in-the-know home sellers want to do is to slack off on their home’s curb appeal during the winter months. Those trying to sell a home during the winter should take extra care of their property’s exterior to help stand apart from other listings. A little bit of holiday cheer can go a long way when making a first impression with potential home buyers. Here are some tips to help increase your home’s winter curb appeal:

Walkways

There is no way to sell the home if buyers cannot make it to the front door. Take…

1372 Views, 0 Comments

What You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Home

What You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Home

If you're thinking about entering the real estate market, congratulations! Purchasing property is one of the smartest ways you can invest your money. If you're a new home buyer, the process might be foreign to you, but I'm here to help you along the way.

Determine if you are financially ready.

The most important step for any new homeowner is to make sure they can afford a home, and if so, how much home you can afford to buy. You will need to make sure your finances are in place and that you can budget for your other expenses while carrying a mortgage.

Get preapproved for a mortgage.

If you're serious about buying a home, you need to get preapproved for a mortgage. This is a very simple…

1254 Views, 0 Comments

Advantages of Buying A Home in the Winter

Advantages of Buying a Home in the Winter

Don't wait until Spring!

We've shared how to find a hot deal on a home purchase in the summer, but many clients often ask me when the best time of year is to purchase a home. Many people say that it's crucial to buy a home in the spring or summer because you have the most options to choose from but the reality is that people buy and sell homes all year. What a lot of people don't realize is that buying a home in winter can actually have a lot of advantages that you might not even have considered.

One of the biggest advantages to buying a home in the winter is avoiding competition. With most people focused on the holiday season, there is less competition for homes. In today's bidding war-centered real…

1144 Views, 0 Comments

Increase Buyer Excitement With Each Room

Increase Buyer Excitement with Each Room

When potential buyers are in your home they’re going to compare it with other homes they like. If they don’t like what they see, the showing won’t last 5 minutes, and they’ll be on to the next one.

Preparing the Interior

As buyers are viewing your home they’re making a checklist of what they do & don’t like. It’s your job to make sure the list of “Don’t likes” is a short one. You want buyers to move from room to room, gaining more and more excitement. The more you accomplish this, the quicker your home will sell and the more likely you are to receive a higher sale price.

The Minimum

Get out the magic eraser! Scuff marks on the floor or walls are a normal aspect of any home, especially if you have…

983 Views, 0 Comments

Exploring Cambridge’s Diverse Neighbourhoods

Welcome to
Cambridge, Ontario

As a Cambridge realtor, I frequently get asked what part of Cambridge is best to live in. My answer always depends on what the asker’s lifestyle is – do they like to be in the thick of things or are they looking for a quiet spot to settle down? Do they have children or would they prefer to be in a good location to commute to Toronto?

One of the reasons why Cambridge is such an appealing place to live is because of its proximity to Toronto and also because the city itself is mature with a wide range of different styles of homes. There are four main neighbourhoods in Cambridge – each of which I’ve written about before but I think is worth tying together with an nice overview for an even easier comparison.

…

2825 Views, 0 Comments

Are You Financially Ready to Buy a House?

Are You Financially Ready to Buy a House?

Are you a first time home buyer? If you’re starting to think about buying a home and have peeked inside an open house or two, you'll want to keep reading.

If your employment is secure and you plan on living in the same place for a while, it might be time to consider if you are financially ready to purchase a home. Here are some important financial questions everyone should ask themselves before they buy a home:

Do you have a Down Payment?

The minimum down payment to purchase a home today is 5% of the purchase price. Obviously the more you are able to put down the better, and anything over 20% of the purchase price will also help you avoid paying fees for mortgage insurance.

More money for Other…

899 Views, 0 Comments

Why work with a realtor when selling your home?

Selling Your Home: Why Use A REALTOR®?

One of the most common questions I get as a REALTOR® is why work with a realtor when selling your home? There are a lot of practical reasons why working with a real estate agent can benefit you when you’re selling your home – but I’ve narrowed it down to what I think are the top ten. You may already know some of the reasons why you should work with a realtor but I think you’ll discover some hidden benefits that you weren’t aware of!

Top 10 Benefits of Selling with a REALTOR®:

1. A realtor can help you decide when to sell your home so that you can make the most money. We have the market knowledge you need to make sure you are listing at the most optimal time.

2. A realtor can help you determine…

1299 Views, 0 Comments

Spooky Season in Cambridge

Spooky Season is Here!

With Halloween just around the corner, pumpkins and fake spiderwebs have begun popping up all around the neighbourhoods. Like many parents, you might be wondering what to do with your little ones this year, as there is a lot of uncertainty to what is even available or open.

Luckily Waterloo Region has plenty to do! Here are some local fun ideas from TheRecord.com:

Family Fun at Snyder’s Farm

Open each weekend in October, Snyder’s Farm offers classic farm attractions like hayrides, a corn maze, haunted house, animal barnyard and more. This outdoor, physically distanced experience also includes a licensed patio and a bakery serving delicious food and drinks.

Go Thrill-Seeking at Bingemans Screampark

This is one…

388 Views, 0 Comments