Scott Simmons

It's time to move to Salt Spring


Selling your Salt Spring home

This page is about selling your Salt Spring Island home using One Percent Realty. 

Are you about to list your Salt Spring home for sale? Here is some information from a One Percent Realty Salt Spring REALTOR® on how to sell Salt Spring island real estate.

  1. Price your house right
  2. Have your home Staged
  3. Get a home inspection done
  4. Have your home tested an get an EnerGuide rating number
  5. Get a survey and have it available
  6. Historic photos
  7. Permits for various renovations and or projects
  8. Construction plans
  9. Put out Cookies or Muffins
  10. Have a suggestion box
  11. Use a Lock Box for your key to make access easy 
  12. Compare commissions - why pay extra to sell your home

 

1. Ask yourself why you are selling? Do you really want to sell or are you just fishing for a sky high price. If you over price your Salt Spring house you will know it in the first couple of weeks. The buyers are like fishermen, fishing for houses, when one comes on the market the buyers will give it a quick once over. If it is priced right they will view it and put in an offer. If it is over priced they will throw it back like a dog fish. Overpricing will leave your house on the market for a long time. Then the buyers will think that there is something wrong with your house and it will just not sell. The listing information will not go away once you overprice even if you re-list. The information about your home is out there in cyberland. If you under price a house you will know because you will get multiple offers within the first week or so and it will sell fast. Don't list your house with the Realtor that tells you your house is worth x+ when you know it is only worth x. Do your own research and figure out com parables on your own. You can use my enhanced search engine for this purpose.

 2. Very few Salt Spring homes are staged. Last week on the home tour I went to a $900,000 home and it was empty! It was hard to envision it as a home it looked like a warehouse. It is not rocket science it is just basic common sense.

The more clutter you remove the bigger your house looks. Rent a storage locker and fill it. Hire a real home stag-er , get me to help you or do it yourself but just do it. 

 

 which one looks more appealing 

3. Hire a home inspector and get a home inspection. Now this may sound strange but in my opinion this is money well spent. The customers may still want to hire their own inspector but it shows that you are serious about selling. If the home inspector finds any thing wrong get it fixed right away and but save your receipts. If you have to hire someone as a contractor and they are going to hire someone hold back 10% until the 60 days are up then you will know that the contractor has payed all the sub trades and you will not get a builder's lien on your house.

4. Have an EnerGuide test done on your home.  If you do this before May 31, 2010, it's free if you list with me.  Energuide ratings can go on the MLS now.

5. Get a survey done and have the property flagged with surveyor's tape. I don't know how may times I have been asked where the property lines are. If I knew that for all 250 listings on Salt Spring I would have some memory.

6. If you have photo's of your house before you moved in or during a re-no put them in an album and leave them out. Show pride in your renovation and workmanship. You are selling - this is your time to show what a great job you have done building or maintaining your home.

7. Permits, Permits and Permits. Put them in a folder with a copy of your fire insurance and tax notice or put it all in the photo album and create a home brag book.  All this info should be scanned and put on line with your name and personal info whited out.

8. Everyone like to see the blue prints or plans for the house. Even if they are twenty years old it may help someone envision a addition or upgrade. Make them available on line.

9. Chances are when the buyers, show up for a viewing your house will be empty and quiet. Leave it warm and cozy, a cold house is just hard to sell. If you have a fireplace have a fire going before you leave and cookies  or muffins do help make people feel good. It is surprising how few people ever do these simple things.


10. If you would like feedback set up a small suggestion box, with a pen and paper, it can be anonymous it is just a way for you to find out what the buyers think.

11. If I could get you to do one thing ask your listing agents for a Lock Box. Salt Spring is about the only place on the world without Lock Boxes. It makes showing your house hard. Think about it if a customer comes over from Vancouver and wants to see 5 places I would have to make 5 trips to town just to get the keys. Try doing this on a Saturday in the summer. If I can't get in I can't show it and your house won't sell. Lock Boxes just make it easier to show your house. They are secure and not anyone can get in. It is up to you to insist on a Lock Box.  

12. Dare to compare commissions charged by agents. There are different business models some agent charge more some less. 

We Charge $6000 plus $900 disbursement fee if the home is priced at less than 600k

If over 600k we charge 1% plus $900 disbursement fee. 

 

What you save if you list your home with One Percent Realty   

 

Your HouseTypical
MLS® Broker
Savings
$ 200,000$ 6,000+adm*$ 10,000$ 3,100
$ 300,000$ 6,000+adm*$ 13,000$ 6,100
$ 400,000$ 6,000+adm*$ 16,000$ 9,100
$ 500,000$ 6,000+adm*$ 19,000$ 12,100
$ 600,000$ 6,000+adm*$ 22,000$ 15,100
$ 700,000$ 7,000+adm*$ 25,000$ 17,100
$ 800,000$ 8,000+adm*$ 28,000$ 19,100
$ 900,000$ 9,000+adm*$ 31,000$ 21,100
$ 1,000,000$ 10,000+adm*$ 34,000$ 23,100
* Administration charge is $900

based on typical MLS® brokers charging 7% on first $100,000 and 3% on the balance. Commissions are not all the same , there are no "standard commissions" but this is what we are comparing to on this chart. Ask what they are going to charge you and do a comparison.

All commissions are subject to 5% GST  

 

What you get when you list with Scott Simmons of One Percent Realty

  • Full MLS® Exposure
  • National Listing Service  (NLS) up to 36 photos and virtual tour
  • Listed on my site with up to 36 photos
  • Experienced Professional REALTOR®
  • lock box for quick access
  • Full Service Brokerage at a Fraction of the Cost

 

 

Being plugged in to the net and using all the syndicated sites is what we do with our listing.  The days of the none linked stand alone 6 page web sites are over.  The days of print advertising are numbered.  You need an agent who is focused on line.  The buyers are all on line.  They need to find your home and see it in it's best light.

Here is a sample of our listing brochure. (note this is a sample this home is Sold)

Download our listing presentation here.

Call Scott's team if you have any other questions before you list your home.  


Scott Simmons TEAM 

  

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Salt Spring Island real estate team

Scott Simmons, Larry Melious and Rob Irving
Salt Spring Island and Gulf Islands real estate agents for
 
One Percent Realty Vancouver Island
2541 A Empire Street
Victoria, B.C. Canada V8T 3M3
Tel 250-220-8600
Fax 250-388-7382

our new Salt Spring Island blog

 

Salt Spring Island, Mayne Island, Pender Island, Galiano Island and Saturna Island REALTOR®

 SSI has very poor cell phone coverage, call answering on cell phone
 does not work.
To leave me a message please use text messaging
Cell 250-538-8316
fax number 866-778-6376

Email scottonepercent-website@yahoo.com
this is a spam protected e-mail address


 

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