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TIPS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME

For most sellers, their home is their largest financial asset and deciding to sell can be a very big decision with a large variety of reasons and motivations that drive that decision. Getting a home ready for the market these days can involve a lot of preparation and work. 

I am here for you every step of the way from advising on what needs to be done to getting ready and even better yet, letting you know what things you won't have to do. To top that off, rest assured that I will continue to be there advising all along the way, step by step to best serve your personal needs.

SELLING YOUR HOME CHECKLIST

This checklist will help you learn what steps you need to do in order to sell your house. Selling a home can be a complicated and lengthy process, so getting organized ahead of time will save you time. This is important if the real estate market is fluctuating quickly, so make sure you are ready to get the best price for your home possible. I am here to help get your home sold quickly with the best price possible.

Realtor helping clients hire a realtor

HIRE A REALTOR

Real estate agents are experts in buying and selling homes. I take this to heart and offer exceptional customer service and commitment to my clients. I have seen time and time again what works, what doesn’t work, and what is a waste of time and energy. Part of my services includes professional photos, brochures, and floor plans. 

Living room of Ann Watley sold house Getting your house ready to sell

GET HOUSE SALE READY

Potential buyers want to imagine themselves in their new homes. They don’t want to see heavily personalized details that they cannot relate to. A clean, fuss-free home will sell better than a neglected one. Some quick fixes to spruce up your home include decluttering, minor repairs and touch-ups, deep cleaning the entire house, and staging your furniture.

Outside view of home sold by Ann Watley Home Inspection

HOME INSPECTION

Most buyers get a home inspection done to protect themselves from potential disasters. Getting one done ahead of time will let you, the seller, understand what major things need to be done first. Often, the home inspection can make or break a sale so knowing ahead of time what to pay the most attention to is important.

Realtor showing papers and setting a price for client little house on table

SET A PRICE

To have a general understanding of how much your home is worth, you can use our Online Home Evaluation form. By using a Comparative Market Analysis, I can find the value of your property in the current real estate market. In addition, I can help show you what similar homes to yours have sold in recent months and how long they were on the market. 

Photo of living of Ann Watley sold home in Allbay List your home

LIST YOUR HOME

These days, most people look online first when trying to buy a house. The virtual first impression of a home matters. Professional photos and staged furniture will go a long way in grabbing the attention of potential buyers. I list all of my homes on MLS so buyers all across the nation can see your real estate listing. I schedule open houses for those that want to see the home in person as well.

Realtor showing clients a home and shaking their hand Showings and Offers

SHOWINGS & OFFERS

Open houses and showings are effective ways to sell a house. They are also ways for potential buyers to provide feedback on things you might still have the ability to improve. A potential buyer might negotiate for a specific change to occur before they put in an offer. Once a buyer is happy, they may give an offer on the home that you can accept, counter, or reject.

CONDITIONAL PHASE & CLOSING COSTS

Once an offer is accepted, the conditional phase begins. This is a set period of time that the seller has to fulfill the conditions of the offer. Home inspections and insurance are usually part of this phase. Once the conditional phase has ended, the house is officially sold. 

Closing costs are usually paid for by the buyer. This includes costs like the property transfer tax, prepaid property taxes, legal fees, and GST to name a few. 

Outside photo of home sold by Ann Watley at Dean Park Conditional Phase and Closing Costs

VIEW MY CLIENT REVIEWS



Good negotiating skills. Hi Ann, I wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all of your efforts on our behalf in selling our house in this "down" market. What I think most people who want to sell their house don't acknowledge is that a well priced house will sell, even in a soft market. But a realtor who does not have excellent negotiating skills can sour even a good deal. That's where you excel; you know how to negotiate the best deal possible for your clients and you certainly did that for us. Quick sale with maximum return for us and happy buyers due to your good negotiating skills. Thanks again.

ERIK AND CATHERINE

Big smile and kind heart. Dear Ann, Tim, I and the kids want to thank you so much for all your hard work. We are leaving a home that we put lots of love and work into and entering a dream home. Your billions of hours day & night did not go unnoticed and you did it all with a big smile and kind heart. Love ya lots.

TIM, MARYLYNN, JORDAN & ALLIE




Supportive through the entire relocation process. It is with pleasure that my husband and I write this to express our pleasure in dealing with Ann Watley as our realtor to sell our home. After searching for quite some time for another home, we unexpectedly found one that suited our needs perfectly and needed to make a fast offer. We were somewhat apprehensive about not selling our current home first but Ann was understanding and professional. She provided us with all the necessary information about our local market and helped us price our home competitively. As a result, we sold in 5 days for close to the full asking price!!! We were very pleased. Ann was supportive throughout the entire relocation process and never pushy. (Continued)


She sincerely made the whole process of buying and selling as pleasant and non-stressful as possible. We would recommend her, and already have recommended her, to anyone in the market for a realtor. I am sure that if the time comes again we would not hesitate to call her for her services.

MICHEAL & GINA



#1 in our books. We have had the opportunity on several occasions to have Ann as our Realtor, both in selling and purchasing and again selling our homes. The homes were in Oak Bay and Langford. We were very satisfied with Ann's professionalism. Ann was always there for us when we needed her and most times when it came to viewings she was ahead of us. Her open houses were well presented and she had great success with them. Her photographer is top-notch and really knows how to show the full potential of your home.We highly recommend Ann as your Realtor and I would not worry about the distance between her office and your home, she is highly regarded by her peers and she is certainly #1 in our books. Very satisfied clients of Ann's,

DEBRA T. & JOY O.



Superior customer service. I am writing this letter as we want to extend our sincere gratitude for all of your hard work and dedication that you possessed in buying and selling our home. Also we wish to commend you on your superior customer service which truly does set you apart from other realtors in the field. We feel that is absolutely necessary to take the time to make you aware of the exemplary treatment we continue to receive from you Ann. As a realtor, and as a person, you are an extraordinarily dedicated person. It goes without saying how grateful we are to you and your hard work. Although we were very stressed through the entire process you made everything genuinely smooth. Not hesitating for a moment you always insisted that we leave everything up to you. (Continued)

REGAN & MIKE




I know that you put a tremendous amount of hard work and time into all of your clients, but we really felt that you had us exclusively as that was how dedicated you are as a realtor and as a person. Through your affirmative actions you took all the necessary steps to get us into the house that we will call home for years to come. We personally feel that the proficiency and expediency with which you handled our affairs Ann, was second to none. We feel that is essential to emphasize that our dealings with you have been truly the greatest that we have had when dealing with Realtors. Ann you have proved to us that you are a definite asset to DFH realty and that you are the epitome of professionalism. It's always comforting to feel that there is a personal touch when dealing with such a huge milestone in ones life. It is because of such outstanding service that we will continue to do business and refer friends to Ann Watley with out at doubt. So Ann thank you for being you!

REGAN & MIKE




Ann Watley, realtor extraordinaire. My wife, Kirsti, and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the company by way of applauding Ann Watley, realtor extraordinaire. Honestly speaking, we have only known two in our Lives. Having said that, Ann became known to us by way of a now common friend, our financier at our bank. Ann impressed us immediately with her knowledge and understanding of the real estate realm and people, like us, searching for a new home. In the short time that has passed since first meeting Ann, I could write volumes about her attributes, good graces, and personal skills as she applies them on a daily basis with confidence and utter competence. (Continued)


 Should I continue on in this vein I feel I might come across as corny. NOT EVEN CLOSE! Ann is real in the way the rest of us hope the world could be. DFH has a jewel in their midst. It will be a kinda sad day when our business dealings have gone by the way. We don't wanna miss you Ann! Stay in town, stay in touch, and stay real! (that be a smoothie for you girl). Sincere admiration, deep gratitude, and fond remembrance forever...

LI NA, KIRSTI, ZACH AND JUD



Creative. Dear Ann,Thank you for making our recent home purchase an enjoyable experience.We appreciate the effort you put into scheduling each of our visits and making the most of the limited time we had for each trip.The houses you were able to show us, even with what you called limited inventory, were all a consideration even though we had a very specific property in mind. We felt comfortable discussing the pros and cons of each home without feeling selling pressure. You seemed to understand very quickly what we had in mind. We are so happy that your creative offer suggestion worked in the multiple offer situation we found ourselves in. Thanks again and we look forward to working with you again. Best Regards,

BILL & LORI WILLIS
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