Our recipe for selling your home! Check out our Facebook page and your snail mail to see our staging tips and favourite recipes. From our family to yours!
Tip #1
First impressions are important! Your entrance and walkway should be clean and tidy. It will give buyers an instant impression that your home is well-maintained.
Treat #1: One-Pan Chocolate Cake
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 cup water
- Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
- Heat oven to 350° F and grease & flour 8″ pan.
- Combine flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa, & salt and sift into pan.
- Make 3 small holes in mixture; pour vinegar in one, vanilla in other, and oil in last.
- Add water and mix with fork until smooth.
- Bake 30 minutes, cool, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Tip #2
Here are the Five Things to NEVER Do When Selling:
- Never use heavily-scented products in your home. This includes candles, Scentsy burners,
and perfumes. Potential buyers may have allergies or suspect you are hiding something.
INSTEAD: Consider baking before a showing. People loves the smell of freshly baked
pastries or homemade bread! - Never leave dogs loose during a showing. They could make a mess or startle buyers. You
love your pets, but many people are afraid of animals they do not know. This can give
buyers a bad impression even if they love the home. INSTEAD: Consider crating pets or
taking them with you for showings. - Never cook pungent foods the day of or the day before a scheduled showing. Curries and
fish make great meals, but they leave a strong odour that can be unappealing to buyers.
INSTEAD: Consider baking before a showing as suggested above. - Never leave garbage in the house the day of a showing. Odours that we do not notice in
our own homes can be very prominent to buyers. Old food, other discarded items, and
even the trashcan itself can be a major culprit. INSTEAD: Consider taking out the trash
the day of a showing and leaving garbage cans in the garage or outside. - Never turn down a showing! It is certainly ideal to have your home perfect for a showing,
but life happens – don’t let that stop the right buyer from potentially falling in love with
your property. INSTEAD: Aim to keep your home generally prepared so that you don’t
need as much preparation time when showing requests are received.
Treat #2: Sugar Cookies
- 2 cups butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 pinch of salt
- Optional: icing for drizzle
- Cream butter, beat in sugar, then beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
- Stir/sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Gradually blend into creamed mixture.
- Wrap dough in wax paper and plastic, then refrigerate until chilled.
- Roll dough and cut into shapes.
- Bake at 375° F for 6-8 minutes.
Tip #3
Winter can make it tricky to stage and prepare your home. Here are some of the most important ways to be prepared for winter showings:
- Keep your driveway, walkways, and steps clear of ice and snow. Ensure they are well-salted. This keeps potential buyers safe and gives the impression of a well-maintained property.
- Curb appeal is important, even in the winter. Consider using decor outside to add cheer to your property during dreary winter months.
- Ensure your home is adequately warm. If a potential buyer finds it cold, they may worry that the heating system is faulty or the property is poorly insulated.
- Entry ways can become crowded with boots and coats in the colder months. Ensure these items are put away during showings to keep the home looking tidy.
- Give your windows a good cleaning. The winter’s low light can highlight dirt and fingerprints.
- Keep curtains and blinds open for showings during the darker months.
- Since your house is typically more closed up in the winter, remember to limit use of scented products and pungent foods as these scents can stick around longer.
Treat #3: Margie’s Peanut Butter Balls
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tbsp butter
- cup icing sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- Butter icing (2 cups icing sugar, 2 tbsp softened butter, 3-4 tbsp milk, 1/2tsp vanilla)
- Make butter icing: cream butter and icing sugar, add vanilla, gradually add milk and mix until desired consistency (thin).
- Keep butter icing warm and thin by floating container in a bowl of warm water.
- Cream peanut butter, butter, and icing sugar. Stir in walnuts and cherries.
- Roll mixture into small balls
- Dip in the butter icing.
- Roll in coconut.
- Enjoy!
Tip #4
Consider the Benefits of Having Your Home Pre-Inspected Before Listing:
Why would you pay?
In a hot market, selling a pre-inspected home can help your sale sizzle rather than simmer.
Preventing lost opportunity and added stress Presenting a pre-inspection report to potential buyers will likely eliminate the buyers need fora home inspection and can reduce the stressful 7-10 day waiting period after an accepted offer. A pre-inspection combined with a cash buyer can make for an immediate sale. In this busy market with many homes going into multiple offers, a pre-inspection reduces surprises, like the chosen buyer walking away on inspection. A pre-inspection may prevent lost opportunity with a less particular buyer.
Accepting the home “as is”
When a seller presents their home along with a reputable home inspection report it is expected that if a buyer is offering on the home then they are also accepting the home with any flaws that were found along with the flourishes.
Getting a better price
In a buyer’s market if you do have a pre-inspection then it might be important that you fix any major issues discovered, have them repaired by a professional, and keep the receipts and warranties. Concerns that come up on inspection can be very scary for a first-time homebuyer or the “Not-so-Handy”. Fixing the deficiencies is not expected in a seller’s market, like our 2021 market, as many buyers are willing to accept known deficiencies.
Fixing deficiencies found in the pre-inspection, although not required, becomes a problem solved, an upgrade and an indication of a home well-maintained! Most buyers have some budget in mind for fixes or upgrades and a pre-inspection can help them offer more accurately. Ultimately, the pre-inspection report can give buyers confidence to offer a better price!
Treat #4: Cranberry Brie Bites
- 1 tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls
- Triangle of brie, cut into small pieces
- Fresh rosemary
- 1 bag cranberries (approx. 340g)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Mix sugar and water on medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Add cranberries and cook until they start to pop.
- Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Roll out crescent dough, pinch seams, and cut into 24 squares.
- Place squares in a mini muffin tin. Add brie, teaspoon of cranberry sauce, and sprig of rosemary.
- Bake at 350° until golden and enjoy warm!
