Tara Matthews

(778) 834-7355

5 Minute Tips: Prep Your Home for Viewing


You have potential buyers coming but you’re already running late for work. What can you do in 5 minutes that will have the most impact?


1. Tidy the foyer / front entrance.

The front entrance is the first impression of your home. Put away your family’s shoes, hats, jackets, mail, etc.


2. Turn on lights and open the curtains.

Brighter homes look larger and more welcoming. Your real estate agent would be happy to turn off the lights and close the curtains after the prospective buyers have left, if you ask them.


3. Give the powder rooms a once-over.

Put the toilet lids down, wipe any hair and toothpaste spills from the sink, and put away toiletries.


4. Remove personal items.

Quickly go through your home and remove personal items such as family photos, bills and jewellery. This will help potential buyers picture themselves making the home their own.


5. Shake off your welcome mat.

Make sure your welcome mat is clean, free of leaves, bugs or other outdoor distractions that have a habit of accumulating.

This quick and easy task list will help you present your home to buyers in the best light, and it will ensure your mind doesn’t wander back to your house throughout the day with worries that you did not leave your home as clean as you could have.


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About to put an offer on a Central Coquitlam home? Here's one thing you will want to make sure you have in your contract - the right to a home inspection!

Central Coquitlam Home Inspection


When you make an offer on a home, it’s a smart idea to have a professional home inspector check it out from top to bottom. This inspection will ensure that the property doesn’t have any unexpected “issues”. After all, you don’t want to buy a home only to discover that the roof needs to be replaced, immediately, for thousands of dollars.


That being said, you might question whether you really need to invest the few hundred dollars it costs for a professional home inspection. “The home we want to buy looks like it’s in very good shape,” you might be thinking. “I can’t see anything wrong with it.”

However, a professional home inspector can see things you can’t. When you view a property that’s on the market, you might be able to notice obvious issues, like a crack in the foundation or a dripping faucet. If you’re experienced with home maintenance, you might even notice roofing tiles that look like they’re overdue for replacement.

But you won’t pick up all the issues a home inspector can. A home inspector will, for example, use a special device to check for moisture build-up in the washrooms – which can be an indication of mould.

He or she will also inspect wiring to make sure everything is safe and compliant with the building code.


That’s not all.

Like a determined detective, a home inspector will investigate the property’s structure, electrical and plumbing systems, insulation, and other components — and then report the findings to you.

In the end, a professional home inspection gives you peace-of-mind and protects your investment. So getting one is highly recommended
— even for recently built homes.

At Team Tara Matthews, we have a list of trusted home inspectors that we would recommend for you. Looking for more ideas on making smart decisions when buying a Central Coquitlam home? Don't wait, call us today.
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Deciding what to price your home in Central Coquitlam? It can be tough. Team Tara Matthews has some insight for you on Home Pricing.

Central Coquitlam Home

As you're probalby aware, the list price you set for your home has an impact on how quickly it sells - and how much you earn on the sale.

What you may not realize is just how significant an impact is has. Consider the following examples:

 

Example 1:

You price your property well above it's current market value. As a result, many buyers don't bother to see it because it's outside of their search price range. Those who do see it are confused by the high price tag, (and may even be suspicious.) They may wonder, "What's going on?"

 

In this scenario, the home will likely languish on the market for weeks or even months. You might even have to lower the price dramatically to re-ignite interest.

 

Example 2:

You price you property just a couple of percentage points lower than what is necessary to gain the interest of qualified buyers. That might not seem like much of a problem. How much can a couple of percentage points matter?

 

Those points matter, a lot.

 

On a $400,000 property, pricing your home just 2% lower than necessary could cost you $8,000 on the sale. That's a serious amount of money!

 

So, as you can see, pricing your home right is serious business. Fortunately, you've come to the right place. A great Realtor® like myself at Team Tara Matthews knows how to set the price right. Contact me today!

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Are you in the market for purchasing a home in the Central Coquitlam area? Read about some tips below from the Realtors® at Team Tara Matthews.

Surprising Ways Buyers Find Homes
Do you ever wonder how most people find the homes they eventually buy?
You might imagine them driving by a “For Sale” sign or seeing a home for
sale in the newspaper and then calling to enquire.
Of course, many buyers find out about listed properties that way. But,
according to research by the National Association of Realtors, there are
many other sometimes surprising ways buyers find their next dream home.

Central Coquitlam Home


For example:
•88% of buyers find a home with
the help of a real estate agent.
•90% of buyers search online as part of the home buying process.
(Such as viewing a property’s profile on the agent’s website.)
•69% of buyers searching for a home using Google, use a specific
local term, such as “Whitbysouth homes for sale”.
•29-46% of buyers attend an Open House as part of their home
hunting activities.

 


Overall, the research shows that buyers are using a multitude of ways
combining online and offline methods to find homes.  

What does all this mean to you? If means that if you’re preparing your home
for sale, you need to ensure your marketing plan takes into account all the
ways buyers are finding properties so you can be sure that they will find
yours.

Looking for a REALTOR® in Central Coquitlam who knows how to market your home for
maximum exposure? Call Tara Matthews and Team today.

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