Finding a Good Real Estate Agent to Sell Your House

Is selling your home on the agenda for next year? Or are you hoping to make a quick sale before Christmas? Finding the right real estate agent is crucial to securing the best price for your house, and to ensuring the whole sale process goes smoothly. Following are some important questions to ask before hiring a real estate agent to act on your behalf. 1. Are they experienced? Your agent may have a natural flair for real estate, but there is some knowledge that only comes with experience.  Look for an agent who has been working in the industry for at least a year full-time, or the equivalent in part time experience. Strong professional networks are also a good indicator of experience, so look into whether your potential agent has good relationships with other real estate agents in the area.

2. What are their selling credentials? Specifically, you want to know how many houses your prospective realtor has sold. Their recent figures will reflect the wider market trends, but still provide a useful tool for comparing different agents.

3. Do they know what they are talking about? Ask your potential agent as many questions as you can. If they seem unsure or bluff on a lot of questions, then they don’t have the expertise you need.

4. Are they a member of the National Association of Realtors?  You can weed out dubious operators by confirming they are a member of this organization, which sets down certain standards as a condition of membership.

5. Are they a member of the National Association of Realtors?  You can weed out dubious operators by confirming they are a member of this organization, which sets down certain standards as a condition of membership.

6. Will they look out for you? You want an agent who will truly represent your best interest at every stage of the selling process. Make sure the person you are considering will guide and advise you through housing inspections, closing a sale and contract negotiation. They should be committed to protecting you from any liability and to negotiating to get the best possible price for your house.

7. Do they know your area?  Your agent should have an intimate knowledge of your neighborhood –its better and less known selling points, the local market conditions and value of other homes to start.

8. Do you like their communication style? Would you prefer weekly phone calls or daily email updates? Ask the agent how they normally liaise with their clients and let them know your own preferences.

Or maybe if you wind up keeping your house and just doing some work on it, we'd be more than happy to help out. One way or another, we hope you keep these tips in mind!

Budget Decorating Ideas

Want to spruce up your home but don’t have the cash to spare? Here are some easy, effective and low-cost decorating ideas.

• Add elegance and drama by hanging a mirror in a living area or entrance way. Mirrors will also make small, dark areas seem larger when hung opposite windows and doors.
• Add a few wooden shelves above the toilet for valuable extra storage.

• Create a statement table runner by sewing together your favorite place mats.

• Plant herbs in terracotta pots (paint them for extra craft satisfaction) and line them up along a kitchen window ledge.

• Add color and interest by re-tiling your kitchen backsplash – use patterned tiles or break up plain porcelain tiles with hand-painted tiles.

• Create funky mobile storage boxes by painting wood crates, then screwing colorful casters to the bottom corners. Or make plain old cardboard boxes more appealing by covering them with wallpaper or recycled wrapping paper.

• Look in the bargain bins of your local carpet store for offcuts of top-quality carpet, which you can turn into a sumptuous rug. Ask a sales assistant if they can bind the edges for you. Otherwise you can hand sew and use carpet binding tape.

• Add a character-filled accent to doorjambs, window sills, baseboards and around fireplaces by painting the trim in a contrasting colour.

• You don’t need expensive art works to liven up your walls. Instead, you can fill empty spaces by hanging rugs, tapestries, scarves or blankets with interesting textures and colors. As well as being visually appealing, it will help to soundproof your home.

• Frame your family photos in coordinating or contrasting frames, and hang them together to create a feature gallery wall. Stairwells and entranceways are ideal spaces to convert. Plan out your gallery on the floor first to get the composition right.

• Even your ceiling fan can be spruced up – just clean and repaint the blades.

• You can reinvent a space simply by rearranging your existing furniture. Ask for a friend for their advice on how you could move things around to get more out of a room.

• Don’t forget about your garage and basement. Donate and recycle things you don’t need (including electrical equipment). Then paint the walls, soak up musty smells with odor sponges or volcano rocks, and create extra space with smart storage.