2010 August | Guelph Housing Information Blog

Fall Home Maintenance To-Dos

As autumn is quickly approaching, here are some areas of your home to inspect and repair now so you can relax and enjoy a safe and cozy fall season:

Pests

Mice are excellent climbers and only need an opening the width of a pencil (¼ inch) to sneak inside your home to search for food. Protect yourself by sealing all cracks and other openings into your home and blocking off ventilation ducts with heavy-gauge wire mesh.

Fire protection

Open your fireplace damper and inspect the chimney flue for any nesting birds or animals. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that all chimneys, fireplaces and vents be inspected every year to reduce the danger of house fires caused by excessive creosote build-up.

Nooks and Crannies

Replace worn or missing caulking and weather stripping to keep energy costs down.

Windows

If you use storm windows to protect against the cold weather, make sure they are clean and free of cracks before installing.

Air Circulation

Clean and adjust ceiling fans so that air circulates more efficiently. This allows fans to gently mix warmer air (which naturally rises) back into the room.

Gutters

Whether you do it yourself or hire a handyman, have your all dead leaves and debris removed from rain gutters.

These are just the basics—but they’re important. And while you’re at it, take care of two more items on your home maintenance to-do list: Clean in and around dryer lint vents and replace all smoke alarm batteries. Enjoy the upcoming cooler weather!

Don’t forget to check out our current home listings at: www.guelph-real-estate.ca

Overpriced Homes – Sell Slower and For Less

Overpriced Homes-Sell Slower and For Less If there’s anything we can take away from the plethora of Bank Owned Foreclosuresis they certainly know how to price a home to move!

I maintain that you almost always shoot yourself in the foot by overpricing your home. Your home will almost always sale at or above market value by pricing at or below market value.

So why is that? Well think back at when YOU were buying a home. Remember when a “great deal” came on the market and everybody and their agents were “swarming” to the open house? You placed your offer only to find out their were 10 other offers and they were going above the asking price? This “bargain price” created an auction affect and got people excited. THAT is how banks are pricing their homes andif you want your home to move quickly and for the most amount of money, this is a winning strategy.

So why don’t sellers do it? I think it’s because there’s a little voice inside of our head (and pocketbook) that says “what if”.

“What if”- I can get $50K over market value. (even if someone were excited enough about your home to pay $50K over appraised value, their lender won’t loan the money if the value isn’t there. No loan, no buyer)

“What if”- I don’t get multiple offers and I only get one offer (May be still overpriced!)

Often fear (and greed) hold us back from making smart choices! Don’t feel bad though, even Real Estate Agents are guilty of senselessly overpricing their homes. Somehow when it’s our turn to sell all of our “market knowledge” becomes goo and leaks out of our ears! It’s like the hairdresser with bad hair!

The bottom line is, almost always, an Over Priced House will sit on the market longer and sell for less than it should have had it been priced strategically from the beginning.

Fall Home Maintenance Check List

Fall Home Maintenance To-Dos

Overpriced Homes – Sell Slower and For Less

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