Home Selling FAQ

Do You Do Open Houses? And How Will They Help Market My Home?

Yes we do open houses. We schedule up to 4 open houses per week, 3 weekends per month, 9 months per year. We do not conduct open houses if there is a potential for ice or snow conditions.  An open house will expose your property to more buyers and open houses are an excellent way to get first hand information from open house attendees about how the property is competing in the market place.

Why Should I Use A Realtor Rather Than Sell By Owner?

Using a realtor can help you in many ways, especially if your goal is a low stress sale. A realtor can help provide lower stress while also getting you the highest possible sale price. The organized network of realtors is a large advantage because your home will be available to all the realtors on the Multiple Listing Service. That way you actually have many agents trying to sell your home. When you sell by owner you are leaving it up to individuals (typically bargain hunters) to come looking for you.

You are less likely to be able to be in contact with potential qualified and motivated purchasers because times have changed! It used to be that someone from out of town would sell their house and then arrive in the town they wanted to move to and travel the streets looking for houses. They would look in the newspapers, and view listings in the windows of real estate offices. Now offices like Points West have an extensive network of realtors in many communities and the selling realtor will refer these clients to a realtor in the city that the client wants to move to.

The local realtor will get in touch with the potential buyers; find out what they want to look at and search in the MLS system for houses that may work. They will then pick the buyers up at the airport and drive them to their hotel, show them around, take them out for lunch, show them appropriate properties and write an offer for them. They will take them back to the airport and make sure that in the meantime everything runs smoothly.

Throughout this process the potential buyers would not have had very much time or opportunity to look at houses for sale by owner. Therefore a home for sale by owner is likely to get less exposure to a qualified buyer than a home listed by a realtor. You also have the safety of an agent who is working for your sole benefit and who is aware of the marketplace and who can draft an enforceable contract.

A realtor will also take care of details such as a home inspection, making sure that the subjects are taken care of and that title transfer, payment of the proceeds of the sale, possession and delivery of keys run smoothly.

How Would You Advertise My Listing?

We advertise in a variety of different ways. We reach thousands of potential purchasers over the internet on our website (www.pointswestrealestate.ca) where we have full colour picture brochures. Our website typically receives 200,000 "hits" per month. We also advertise every other week in a two-page full colour spread in the Real Estate Weekly. For residential listings we put up a brochure box on the sign and create a one-page information flyer with coloured pictures and specifications so passer-bys can get details of the property. We market listings in every possible way to create maximum exposure.

How Do You Let Other Realtors Know That My House Is For Sale?

We put your property on the Multiple Listing Service, which provides information directly to other realtors and is their main search engine when looking for "buyer" clients. We also send out an information email flyer to all the realtors in the local area of our real estate board to let them know of a new listing or change in price, etc.

What Do You Do That Sets You Apart From Other Realtors?

We work as a coordinated team. Our marketing procedures are organized to ensure that everything that should get done actually does get done. We make sure that our clients are continually informed and are "part of the process."

If I Decide To List With You And I Change My Mind About Selling Do I Have To Wait Till The Agreed Expired Date?

No. We have an easy exit listing agreement. If you change your mind or are not happy with our service to you during the listing period, you may cancel at anytime, no questions asked.