The Hintze Team Blog

Agents are both “agents” and “salespersons.” As agents they represent you and provide advice and guidance. As salespeople, they don’t earn an income if you sell by owner. So…they will always tell you that selling by agent is better than selling by owner, and they will give you lots of reasons why that is true.

When attempting to sell by owner, homeowners copy what the agent does. They put a sign in the yard, hold an open house, run an ad in the paper, and put their house online on some site that very buyers people ever visit, much less buyers from the local area.

Agents do things that homeowners DON’T see and don’t even think about. Most listing agents are NOT trying to sell your home directly to a buyer (though some do). They are trying to convince other agents to sell your home. That’s the secret. They spread the word about your house to other agents who have buyers that are looking for houses.

Despite concerns over a higher Canadian dollar and its impact on the province’s manufacturing sector, housing markets across Ontario continue to perform above and beyond industry expectations, according to a report released today by RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada.

In Ontario, in order to trade in real estate, brokers and salespersons must be registered under the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002. Before you begin working with a real estate broker or salesperson, make sure you confirm that they are registered by using the online search feature.

The information available to you includes the registration status, the current expiry date of registration, whether or not the individual has complied with insurance requirements, and regulatory activities related to the brokerage, broker or salesperson.

Pay for all marketing and advertising costs, even if your property does not sell.

Add experience and expertise in all aspects of the sales process, including marketing, financing, negotiations and more.

Handle all showings and open houses.

Bring a network of local, trusted real estate professionals to view your property.

Always look after your interests, so you always have someone on your side.

Handle and advise on all price and contract negotiations.

Provide you with all the possible options and opportunities without holding back any information.

Being a third party, potential buyers are more likely to tell your agent the truth about your home, even if it is unflattering. This objective viewpoint will help you make the necessary changes to get your home sold.

Kitchen and bathroom improvements increase the value of your house more than most renovations and offer the highest average return on investment.

Adding living space — either by finishing an unused basement or putting an addition on your home — is the second most popular reason to renovate.

Exterior projects make up almost 40 per cent of renovations and can include installing siding, a roof, deck or patio; improving the foundation; landscaping; fencing; building a garage; painting the exterior; sidewalk or driveway work, and making improvements to the gutters or eavestroughs.

With some renovations, you'll make back what you spend on the upgrades, plus a profit when you go to sell. But that's assuming the work is done well by a skilled contractor, using quality materials. A bad job might reduce the value of your home.