How do we go about changing the “For Sale” sign on your home in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or the Edmonton area into “Sold”? 

Once you’ve signed the Listing Contract and your house is officially “on the market”, lots of things take place in my office to make sure that as many realtors and potential buyers as possible are aware of it. 

First of all, I post your listing (detailed description of your property, pictures and measurements I took during my visit, other particulars such as asking price, annual property taxes, neighborhood features and so on) to the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS®.  This powerful online service immediately makes your property’s information available to the thousands of realtors working in the Edmonton region.  They, in turn, can make this information available to their clients who might be looking for a property like yours.  Clients who create a customized search profile listing their desired property features can opt to receive automated “highlight sheets” showing properties available for sale that match what they are looking for.  Potential buyers can also search MLS listings directly by using their realtor’s website or by going to MLS.ca or Realtor.ca.

Back at the Realty Executives Leading office, a full-color printed “window ad” showing a picture of your home and a verbal description is posted in the front window of our building so that passers-by and visitors to the office can see the properties listed for sale by the realtors from our office.  Using a graphic designer, I may also create a glossy color highlight sheet featuring several photos of your home’s best features for potential buyers to pick up when they are viewing your home with a realtor. 

I advertise most of my listings every week in the local newspapers, the Grove Examiner in Spruce Grove and the Stony Plain Reporter in Stony Plain.  I also place ads in the Real Estate Weekly (circulation 60,000) published by the Realtors Association of Edmonton.  Printed copies of the Real Estate Weekly are inserted in home-delivered newspapers and sent out to newsstands selling the Edmonton Sun, as well as high traffic food stores, banks and real estate offices all around the Edmonton area.   Websites for all three of these publications mean an even greater possible audience for this advertising. 

I make extensive use of technology in marketing your property, featuring my listings on my website, my Facebook Business Page, my Activerain blog, and my Pinterest board of listings.  I also post ads on Kijiji and create special in-house virtual tours, using software called VisualTour, that are attached to my MLS listings.  

Special mention needs to be made of my website, www.barryt.ca.  Buyers searching for “Spruce Grove real estate”, “Stony Plain real estate” or “Parkland County real estate” will find my website consistently showing up in the top organic search results on Google.  The potential exists for your home to be viewed online by thousands of visitors every day. 

While we still put a For Sale sign on your front lawn and maybe stage an open house, you can see that today’s real estate marketing goes well beyond traditional sales methods! 

Looking to sell your home?  I can help!  Call me today at 780-910-9669, email me at barry@barryt.ca, or contact me here. 

How do we go about changing the “For Sale” sign on your home in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or the Edmonton area into “Sold”?

Once your house is officially “on the market”, lots of things take place in my office to make sure that as many realtors and potential buyers as possible are aware of it.

First of all, I post your listing, consisting of a detailed description of your property, the pictures and measurements I took during my visit, and various other particulars such as the asking price, annual property taxes, neighborhood features and so on, to the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS®.  This powerful online service almost instantly makes your property’s information available to the thousands of realtors working in the Edmonton region.  They, in turn, can make this information available to their clients who might be looking for a property like yours.  Clients who create a customized search profile listing their desired property features can opt to receive automated “highlight sheets” showing properties available for sale that match what they are looking for.  These days, most realtors, or their offices, have websites with a direct link to MLS, making it possible for their clients to see all the pictures and other information posted on MLS.  Potential buyers can also search MLS listings directly by going to MLS.ca or Realtor.ca. 

Back at the Realty Executives Leading office, a full-color printed “window ad” showing a picture of your home and a verbal description is posted in the front window of our building so that passers-by and visitors to the office can see the properties listed for sale by the realtors from our office.  I may also create a glossy color highlight sheet featuring photos of your home’s best features for potential buyers to pick up when they are viewing your home with a realtor.

I advertise some or all of my listings every week in the local newspapers, the Grove Examiner in Spruce Grove and the Stony Plain Reporter in Stony Plain.  I also place ads in the Real Estate Weekly (circulation 60,000) published by the Realtors Association of Edmonton.  Printed copies of the Real Estate Weekly are inserted in home-delivered newspapers and sent out to newsstands selling the Edmonton Sun, as well as high traffic food stores, banks and real estate offices all around the Edmonton area.   Websites for all three of these publications have meant an even greater possible audience for this advertising.

I make as much use of technology in marketing your property as I can, featuring my listings on my website and on my Facebook Business Page, as well as posting ads on Kijiji and creating special in-house virtual tours, using software called VisualTour, that are attached to my MLS listings. 

While we still put a For Sale sign on your front lawn and maybe stage an open house, you can see that today’s real estate marketing goes well beyond traditional sales methods!

Looking to sell your home?  I can help!  Call me today at 780-910-9669, email me at barry@barryt.ca, or contact me here.   

My clients in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County and the Edmonton area ask lots of questions, and I’m happy to answer them!  Here are some of the most common questions they have about the process of listing and selling their home.

Why should I list with a Realtor®?

Only REALTORS® can place your listing on the MLS® or Multiple Listing Service®, the cooperative listing system operated by local real estate boards.  The MLS® is literally the “store front” where the vast majority of serious buyers come to look for housing.

Once listed, information about your property is accessible to all other REALTORS®, who all have the opportunity to sell your property.  This means much more exposure for your property and many people working on your behalf.  This all happens at no charge to you until your property sells.

What is a listing agreement?

The process of selling a home through a REALTOR® starts with the Listing Contract.  This is a binding agreement between you and the brokerage company the REALTOR® represents.  Information found in a standard Listing Contract includes the following, as well as various other terms, conditions, definitions and explanations:

• identification of the persons entering into the agreement, along with contact information
• details about the property, such as list price, detailed address, unattached goods (chattels) included with the property
• start and end dates of the agreement
• services offered by the REALTOR® and his/her brokerage, along with their obligations to you the seller, and your duties as seller
• remuneration in the form of a commission (a percentage of the selling price) available to listing and selling REALTORS®

It is important that the agreement accurately reflects your property details and clearly spells out the rights and obligations of all parties.  Both you and the listing REALTOR® sign the agreement, and each receives a copy.

How much should I ask for my house?

This is a major issue for anyone selling a property.  If your price is too high, your home won’t sell, and if it’s too low, you lose money on your investment.

You probably have an idea of how much your home is worth, but it’s important to get input from an impartial professional.  REALTORS® can use their research and experience to provide a market assessment of what similar properties in your area have sold for, as well as a history of the local market.   This should allow you to reach your goal of getting the best price you can for your home.

What do I need to do to prepare my house for showings?

People want to buy clean, well-cared-for, up-to-date homes.  When prospective buyers view your home, they picture themselves living there, and they are greatly influenced by the senses of sight and smell.  The best advice is to make all minor repairs, thoroughly clean and de-clutter your home from top to bottom, light it well, and remove as much evidence of your presence as you possibly can, including keeping all pets out of the way.  Your goal is to make your home feel as spacious, attractive and welcoming as possible.

What happens when I receive an offer?

Once a buyer is found, you’ll receive an offer in the form of a Purchase Contract which will detail how much money is being offered, what conditions are attached by the buyer (details of financing the purchase, request for property inspection, sale of the buyer’s home, etc.), when the buyer would like to take possession, and when the offer expires.  As an act of good faith, the buyer will usually make a deposit with the offer.

You don’t have to accept the offer as written.  Most people think an offer is about the price.  It really is more than that:  a combination of the purchase price, conditions (financing, inspection, sale of the buyer’s home, etc.), chattels (unattached goods, such as appliances and window coverings, for example), possession date, and in some cases, the deposit.  This combination of things has value to both the buyer and the seller, and as the seller, you basically have three choices:  accept the offer as is, reject the offer, or make a counter offer.  Counter offers represent one more step along the way to negotiating the final terms and conditions of the sale.

Do I need a lawyer to complete my transaction?

Yes, when working with REALTORS®, you must use a lawyer to complete the selling of your home.  Your lending institution may also require the use of a lawyer for any kind of property sale with or without the assistance of a REALTOR®.

When do I sign the papers with the lawyer?

Be prepared to meet with your lawyer about one week before the agreed-upon possession date to sign the important documents that will allow the transfer of funds for the sale of your property.

Who sends the paperwork to the lawyers and when does it go to the lawyer?

The real estate office that listed the property (that is, the seller’s REALTOR®) will send all the paperwork to both the seller’s lawyer and the buyer’s lawyer, and this will usually be done after all conditions have been removed.

What do I need to bring with me to the lawyer?

Each person listed on documents associated with the purchase (such as the Listing Contract, Purchase Contract, mortgage documents, etc.) should bring two pieces of identification (one with photo), such as a driver’s license or passport, major credit card, social insurance card or health card.

If you don’t see your question here, it might be answered in the Sellers Guide section of my website.  Or, feel free to contact me  here any time  or by email at barry@barryt.ca or by phone 780-910-9669.