Louise Parker, Real Estate Sales Professional

Hosting out of town guests soon?  Going the extra mile when hosting out-of-town guests can be both affordable and reflect the charms of your town.  Here are some handy tips I like to share with clients who have friends staying in the wonderful Elmsdale area.

For the guest room:

 Clear out a nice space for your guests items. Even a section of a closet or a dedicated set of shelves / drawers will help them feel welcome.
 Fresh flowers are a great way to make an average guest room seem like a little dose of "B&B" treatment.
 Provide local information on the nightstand; local maps, history, and points of interest are great ideas. And we have some great hiking spots in Oakfield, Grand Lake, Nine Mile River, and some local secret gems of trails if you know where to look. Just ask me sometime.

On arrival:

Giving guests a spare set of keys and showing them how to use the alarm (if you have one) is a great way to make sure they can come and go as they please.

 People are often starving after a long day on the road! Have some food available as soon as your friends arrive.
Let them know "what's mine is yours" right away. Books, blankets, whatever they need. Don't assume they'll ask or feel comfortable with your possessions.

While they're staying:

Take them food shopping at one of our local stores or markets.  If they like to cook, plan to make a meal together.  It can be intimate, relaxing, and affordable.

Go beyond the tourist destinations! Show them "how locals do." Try some of our local pubs and unigue dining spots. And we're so close to the city of Halifax or Dartmouth, 20 minutes will find you surrounded by lively night life and shopping.

If they drink, offering a little "wind me down" cocktail at night is nice. Nothing says "Nova Scotia" like cocktails in the kitchen.

 If it doesn't break the bank, find small, local souvenir you can send them home with. We have some gift shops in the area.

By the way, I'd love to meet your house guests!  They might just like East Hants so much, they'd consider moving here.  If you're out and about, give me ring or drop me a line so we can meet!  Contact me today: 902-488-3937  or lparker@ns.sympatico.ca

Are you selling your stuff? 

That is one of the questions I will ask a seller who is reluctant to declutter. After providing some great stats on home staging and experiences of selling homes for over a decade, some sellers say "I don't see what difference it will make. They're not buying my stuff." 

 "True enough", I say. "So why are you showing them your stuff?"

You see,  If you are only selling your house, why would you want a potential buyer distracted by your 1960's vinyl collection, or your menagerie of  Bolivian stone farm animals?  They are appealing to you and probably to many others. But they are also taking the focus off your house. And they are making the space look smaller than it actually is.

 And aren't you moving anyway?  Why not get a headstart on the packing by boxing up everything you don't need during the sale period. You don't have to spend money on storage space.  Neatly packed and piled boxes in a corner of the garage or in a corner of your home are not a distraction. Everything you don't need includes most of the childrens toys. (They'll have fun unpacking them once you relocate if they haven't seen them in awhile. And maybe even not miss them at all which means you have a good start on keeping the new place decluttered).  Family photos should be kept to a bare minimum. I have shown homes to buyers who spend too much time looking at family photos trying to figure out why the sellers look familiar.

And the kitchen; wow. I had no idea how many kitchen gadgets there are. Open up those cupboards and drawers and remove everything you haven't used to  open,poke, peel, cut, chop, incinerate,mulch,dissect,tie,or wrap. Don't put them far, because you might just need to deseed the dragon fruit someday soon. This will show your kitchen drawers and cubboards as being spacious and tidy. This leads the buyers to envision all of their gadgetry in your space. That's when a buyer starts to buy; when they imagine what their house will look like with their stuff in it.

 That envisioning can only take place when they can actually see the space. Homes sell faster and at a higher price if they are decluttered and depersonalized.

There are many books, websites and articles dedicated to this subject. And for good reason. It's true and it works everytime.

   One of the things that makes an item appealing is finding out someone else wants it. This can cause a warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction if you already own the thing. But if there is a competition to get it, then panic can set in. That 'nice to have item' can become that "I GOTTA HAVE THAT".

  If that item happens to be a house, the frustration and anxiety can take on mammoth porportions. Here are some tips to help you avoid ending up in that situation.

1. If you are indeed house hunting,and... you KNOW I am going to say this, it is vital you have a qualified real estate agent helping you out. Pick one that knows the area for obvious reasons. Pick one with whom you connect and feel comfortable with and trust. Because when you need someone in your corner negotiating hard, you need to be confident your wishes and expectations are known and respected. And don't pick one by calling around to listed properties. Ask around. Ask for a recommendation from people you know. Google the area in which you are interested for active real estate agents. Visit their websites, call a local real estate company in the area and ask to meet with an agent.

2. Get preapproved. Many people might expect this to be number 1 on the list. But when you connect with a real estate agent first, they will often have mortgage experts offering deals that a regular visit to the bank would not reveal.

3. When your agent sends you information on a listing, book an appointment as soon as you can. As consumers we readily take time off work to visit the dentist, the doctor, the lawyer, the accountant. But when it comes to visiting the largest financial investment you could possibly make, you put it off until you have 'time'.  And often, by the time that "time" comes, that house is already under contract. So, if the house is appealing to you, get there asap.

4. If you like the home you viewed, WRITE an offer. Most people know pretty quickly if this is the home for them the minute they walk in the door. After over a decade of selling houses, I have heard hundreds of times; "We knew right away that this was the house for us". Go with your gut.

5. This does not mean you have bought the house. It means you are creating some paperwork that will put the home under contract so no one else can buy it. What is heartbreaking to a real estate agent who has worked to locate properties for buyers is having them say, "We need to think about it."  And then receive a call a day or so later from the buyers ready to write an offer. And we have to say, "I'm sorry, someone else already has."

6. There are conditions that have to be met in every Agreement of Purchase and Sale. And that time frame allows you to consider the features of the house and confirm they meet your needs. Heating costs, taxes, lay of the land, neighborhood amenities, condition of the home after an inspection report is created for you, financing. You'll have time to "think about it", believe me. And chances are you'll like it even more. And if you don't, you have every right to walk away.

An overly cautious consumer might say, "Yeah, but you have to look before you leap."  Absolutely. And your real estate agent whom you trust is doing the looking. You do the leaping and we'll make sure you land right side up. And you might have a real estate agent who quotes back, "Yeah, but he who hesitates is lost, and follow it up with, the early bird gets the worm".   I think then you know you've found a match.

Happy House Hunting.

I am hiring a home inspector to pre-inspect some of my listings.

Buying a home is expensive. If we can minimize the cost without maximizing the risk, why not?

I'll be advertising the first home as Pre inspected and ready to go. It's a great boost for first-time homebuyers.

Hammonds Plains, French Village  -  The bungalow at 522 Glen Arbour Way has been sold.

Property information

• 2,100 sq. ft., 3 bath, 4 bdrm 2 1/2 story - $399,900

Horne Settlement, East Hants  -  A rare masterpiece. This splendid home sits on a private 6.5 acre estate in Enfield. Sheilded from the road by a tree lined lane and forest, you're secluded but not isolated as you enjoy 4500square feet of living space with no expense spared. Opulent ash floors, a gourmet entertaimment kitchen, a library or music room, 30x25 family room, office two stairways to a second level worthy of royalty. Four elegant bedrooms, three bathrooms including a master ensuite you'll never want to leave, a 28x13 games room. The 600' driveway is heated, the property is wired and plumbed for serviced gazebo options, the electronics and heating system are state of the art. This home is a show stopper!(Vender requests all interested parties be prequalified to purchase

Property information

• 1,200 sq. ft., 1 bath, 2 bdrm single story "Bungalow detached" - MLS® $69,900

Gays River, Colchester, Subd. C  -  The setting is picturesque with a healthy distance between neighbours. The home is mid-reno, with mostly tlc required. It`s a flippers dream, fiver-upper in a great location at a great price. There are 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, large kitchen and dining area, plus family room and cozy living room with gravity fed oil stove. A convenient fronch porch entry for snowy winter boots and dirty dogs. A solid wrap around deck with wheelchair access is a great feature. Large storage shed, excellent country location in beautiful Gays River, just a few klms from the Villages of Elmsdale, Shubenacadie or Stewiacke. This property is being sold `as is where is`. no warrantiesare implied or included. Schedule A must accompany all offers. All offers must be left open for three business days.

Property information