Victoria BC Community Blog

DIY Home Improvement Projects for Your Home Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on April 19, 2023

Spring is the perfect time of year for change and making improvements to your home — something that is especially important if you have plans to move. Making the most of this valuable asset is the best way to ensure you get the best returns and are able to move into your next dream home with ease. 

While there are extensive (and expensive) renovations that you can undertake, there are also a number of simple smaller changes that will make a tremendous difference to your property. We’ve recently talked about exterior changes in the form of curb appeal, and now we’re going to look at some of the interior changes where you can Do It Yourself. 

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4 Ways to Increase Your Home Value with Curb Appeal Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on March 17, 2023

First impressions count, especially if you are looking to sell your home. We know buyers are guided by emotions, and so much of this can be influenced by what they see before they’ve even stepped foot in your property. Because the exterior of your property is the first thing anyone will notice about your home, it’s important to take the time to showcase your property in the best light! 

But curb appeal isn’t just about selling your property — it’s a long term investment that can make a property a more enjoyable place to live, as well as raising the value and appeal of your neighbourhood. It can also often be an inexpensive and relatively simple cosmetic makeover that still has a marked effect on the look and feel of a property, ensuring you create a meaningful and lasting first impression on visitors and prospective buyers. 

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Why Your Home Needs to be Staged When Selling Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on May 19, 2022

Selling your property and getting the best return possible is all about appealing to prospective buyers. And a big part of that appeal comes from how you present your home; it’s about showcasing its potential and qualities in the best light possible, ensuring you make the right impression. 

This is where staging comes in. Professional staging will usually involve arranging furniture, decorations, and other design elements in a way that is designed to appeal to prospective buyers. Professional staging is an expense, albeit one that will often pay off in terms of increasing the sale value of your home. 

However depending on the budget, and your aims and expectations, it may be beneficial to either go the professional route, or to take a more hands on DIY approach. But no matter how you go about it, there are a wide range of benefits when it comes to staging your home for sale, which we’re going to take a look at now. 

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How To Price Your Home And Deal With Multiple Offers Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on April 26, 2022

Pricing your home to sell is an essential part of budgeting and planning for your next move, and there are several factors that go into the final number. For homeowners it can sometimes be a little difficult to parse the number they’re offered by appraisers and real estate experts, but with a little research and understanding, you can have a better idea of what the market value range for your home truly is. 

Something that’s unique to BC homeowners is the BC assessment, which provides an estimated value for your home. In this blog we are going to to explain a little more about that, and its limitations, as well as providing you with advice on how to understand the true market value for your home, and what to do afterwards should you receive multiple offers.

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Should You Renovate Before Selling? Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on March 24, 2022

One of the trickiest propositions for anyone selling their home is that of deciding exactly how much work, if any, they should put into renovating the property before selling. Renovations are often costly, both in terms of time and money, and therefore there is a definite risk/reward element to any considerations. 

On top of this, even minor cosmetic changes need to be thought of with the broadest audience in mind, something that’s a much more fraught process than just accounting for your own individual taste! 

Luckily, you don’t have to make that decision alone, we’re here to lend you our expert opinion with this guide on whether or not you should be renovating your property before selling, and which renovations would better serve your interests. 

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Buy or Sell First? What To Keep in Mind Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on February 23, 2022

When it comes to property timing is everything, not just in terms of the market, or picking the right time for you to make your move, but in terms of making sure you have the easiest transition possible between your old and new homes. 

One of the most important decisions any homeowner has to make is whether they want to sell their old home before or after purchasing their new one. 

Truthfully there is no one right or wrong answer, it’s a matter of understanding your situation, and finding the right path for you. Which is why we’ve laid out some of the benefits and drawbacks of each approach when it comes to whether you should buy or sell first when moving to a new home. 

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Backyard Gardening in Victoria - Showcase Your Home Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on December 14, 2021

The west coast is famed for the spectacular beauty and diversity of its fauna, with some of the best gardens and forest areas in the world. But what about something a little closer to home? 

It’s true that some of the same conditions, the temperate rainforests, towering trees, and ample space, that make this area so beautiful, also pose their own unique challenges to home gardeners. Not to mention the increasingly unpredictable weather cycles and seasons! 

But ultimately it’s worth it to get that spectacular garden that can make your home feel more like a home, and provide exceptional value when it comes to the time to sell. 

So here’s our look at what you need to know to make the most of your Victoria backyard garden, and why gardens are so important to us as homeowners, and realtors!

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Home Makeover: Social Distancing Edition Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on May 8, 2020

We’re all spending a lot more time in our homes these days, meaning it’s never been more important to make sure you’ve got your home environment just right for you.

In lieu of being able to do any more involved changes that involve builders and tradesmen and lots of supplies, we’re going to take a look at some of the ways you can give your home a makeover while physical distancing measures are in place. Implement these for you personally to enjoy, or as a precursor to setting up to sell. 

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The Importance Of Listing Photos - Why A Listing Needs Good Photos Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on November 20, 2019

Do listing photos matter? When it comes to selling your property the answer is a resounding yes. In the past one of the biggest selling points of any property was its curb appeal, because of that first impression made when a prospective buyer would view a property. Nowadays, that first viewing doesn’t come when the buyer approaches the physical property — it happens when they view a listing online.

We’ve seen this replicated in numerous studies of the property market which show that listings with professional quality listing photos sell faster, and often for higher sums, than those without. With studies showing that professional photography can cause a listing to sell around 50% faster. And as prospective buyers put more and more stock into their online property searches, it’s reasonable to expect this to continue.

Why is this the case? Read on to find out, and to gain a better understanding of just how and why you can use professional-quality listing photos to your advantage. 

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How To Stage Your Home For Success - 8 Aspects To Consider Category: Selling A Home

Posted by Niels Madsen on September 27, 2019

‘All The World’s A Stage’ — and your home should be the grandest of them all, especially if your audience is prospective buyers. Staging is vitally important because those in-person impressions will be what ultimately sways a buyer. Your home may look good in photos, and sound good on paper, but if the reality doesn’t match up with expectations buyers may very well look elsewhere.

Imagine a job interview: you dress to impress, you prepare the right answers, and you go out of your way to win over your hopeful future employers. Think of staging as preparing your home for its very own job interview! With that in mind, here are our top tips for how you can stage your home and win over prospective buyers. 

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