Buying and selling a home are about as similar activities as rugby and crochet, so you’ve got to approach them differently. What real estate buyers and sellers have in common, is that they’re in transitional stages in their lives - they need a bigger place, they’re moving to a new city, or they’re going through a lifestyle change. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Selling is all about getting as many of the right people exposed to your property as possible. That’s where we come in. We make sure that literally thousands of people in Toronto, in Ontario, and across Canada know about the real estate you’re selling, and make sure that when they see your property listed for sale, they think ‘Yup, this is a nice a place.’ We use all kinds of strategies to get the word out about your listing. So, when you list with us, you know that tons of people will not only see your listing, they’ll also want to see your property.

1. get a dedicated agent, get a creative agent.
When you’re selling your home, choosing the right real estate agent should be like having first pick for teams at a pick up game. You’ve got all the power, and you want to get the people who will make a winning team. Jonathan Ferrier is a first-pick kind of guy. As MyArea's primary selling agent, he is mainly focused on selling. While he uses his experience with buying real estate to understand what buyers are looking for, his chief focus is on representing sellers, getting people interested in the listing and the property, and getting the best price for his clients. You also need agent who can get the word out about your listing. Jonathan and the MyArea team are the kind of people who know how to get the buzz going about your place. We get creative. We don’t just rely on the listings to get people in. Beyond this site, we use both conventional and non-traditional marketing media to break through and make people notice your listing and your property. The more people interested, the closer you are to getting the right offer. It’s not rocket science, but it is the sort of thing you want to have the right people doing.

2. figure our your listing price.
This task is one-part math, one-part psychological game. We perform a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), which tells us what similar properties have sold for recently. But to effectively price and list your property within this range, we also consider what potential buyers will think of the asking price. Price yourself too low, and you might not get as much as you can for your property (and nobody wants less money, right?). Price yourself too high and you may scare off potential home buyers who think your property is out of their price range. We strategize with you to make sure your property doesn’t sit on the market and become stale, and that you get the highest price possible for your property. We can even help you figure out how to price your property to increase the chances of receiving multiple offers, but give Jonathan a call for all the details on that one.

3. make it official.
As with many important things in life, selling your home involves some paperwork. But Jonathan will take you through it, and help you make sense of what you’re reading and signing. This part of the process will officially list your house up for sale in Toronto, and make your relationship with us official.

4. get ready to sell.
• First, clean. It’s simple, but a clean house always sells better. We can’t stress this enough.

• Next, remove the clutter. You might like that ‘lived in’ feel, but the more potential buyers focus on your collection of Van Halen memorabilia, the less they notice the property. Put it away.

• Third, consider a professional home stager. If your place is empty, or lacks a bit in the decorating department, these people can make your place look like spread from Better Homes and Gardens in no time. This will help sell your home, and help you get a better price. On the other hand, home stagers can be costly. If this isn’t an option, Jonathan can personally help you make the most of your space.

• Picture time. We send in a professional to take flattering shots of your place. Good pics get people interested. And professional photos are the way to ensure your place looks its best. We’ll also make sure we’ve got accurate measurements and floor plans because for most buyers it’s never too early to start thinking about which way the couch is going to face.

• Clean again. Really. Keep doing it. It’s that important.

5. get the buyers interested.
Many properties are listed on the MLS online database, but you’ve got to go beyond this sea of thumbnail shots if you want to sell quickly and for a high price. So we get the word out about your listing in other ways, and through media that home buyers actually respond to.

Most buyers begin their search online, so we’ve invested in creating and heavily marketing a website that attracts buyers. Our site is on the top of the search engine lists and it’s advertised everywhere. The content is designed to keep people reading and keep them coming back again. The site is the go-to place for people looking for the inside scoop on neighborhoods in Toronto and for detailed info on buildings. Our site also makes the buying process super simple, which makes it just that much easier for potential buyers to buy your property.

Your listing will be featured prominently on our site, and on our online mapping tool, so those thousands of people visiting daily will see your property listing, the pictures of your home, and they can read about all of your property’s great features. Potential buyers can check out your place and they can send it to a friend.

We also get the word out with a mass e-mail to our massive database that includes realtors and potentials buyers. As soon as your listing is ready, thousands of people will know.

Outdoor advertising is also something we do that most real estate agents don’t. We pick high traffic places for our ads, where quality buyers will see them. We use these ads to get people on to our website to see your property listing.

The web is critical, but we haven’t forgotten the printed stuff either. We get your property into newspaper ads and Toronto-wide flyers. Not to mention the really good-looking feature sheets we always leave at the property.

Gone are the days of just putting up a ‘For Sale’ sign (although we do that too).

Give Jonathan a call and he’ll take you through a marketing strategy that could help sell your house for a higher price than you thought possible. He’ll figure out your needs, and exactly what we can do to make your house the one everyone talks about. When you list with us, get ready, because your place could get busier than Bloor Street on a Saturday afternoon.


6. showings.
The truth is that showings can be tough. It’s a bit weird having people come through your place. We make this as easy on you as possible by scheduling showings when you’re comfortable with them, by always checking with you first, and by ensuring that all visits are made with a licensed realtor. We also take an extreme amount of care in ensuring that the key to your home is kept safely, in most cases in a lock box and is only accessible by real estate agents.

Open houses can also be a great way to get people in to see your property. Jonathan will take you through this process, so you can decide if it suits you.

7. the offer.
Hopefully by this point tons of people are clamoring to make offers on your home. You might be in a single offer situation, or you might have multiple offers. Sometimes creating a multiple offer situation can drive up the sale price (woo hoo!) and Jonathan can take you through that possibility in detail.

In addition to a purchase price, offers include a closing date (or the date the buyer gets occupancy of the property) and the offer could also have a number of conditions. A convenient closing date is important, since in some cases sellers can be left without a home for a certain period and that gets expensive. Conditions on the offer could include a condition that the buyer gets financing, that a house passes a home inspection, or that a lawyer reviews a condominium’s Status Certificate. In an ideal situation, the buyer has made an offer without any conditions, in an attempt to make the offer more attractive to you, the seller. There can be a lot of variables, but Jonathan will help you through every step.

Of course the most important part of the offer is the price. We’ll help you consider the offers you get, help you take into consideration your property’s market value and advise you when you’re deciding what to do about the offer, or offers you’ve received.


8. the deposit.
At this point, the buyer provides a deposit cheque, which we hold in trust until all the conditions have been met. Of course, if the buyer is unable to fulfill all the conditions for whatever reason the offer becomes null and void and they get their deposit back - simple. If the conditions are met, the deal becomes ‘firm’ and we hold the deposit until closing. To make the whole process easier on you, the MyArea team will make sure the deposit is picked up and delivered as needed.

9. fulfilling the conditions.
Conditions can take a while, or very little time, depending on how much the buyer has done ahead of time.

Usually the offer is conditional on financing. In most cases the buyer is pre-approved, so they simply need to have the approval applied to your property.

If you’re selling a condo, the buyer’s lawyer will want to review the condo’s financial and legal profile from a document produced by the condo corporation called the Status Certificate. The cost for the document is usually $100, which is paid by either the buyer or seller, depending on what you’ve negotiated. The document can take up to 10 days to put together, and about 2-3 days for the buyer’s lawyer to review.

If you’re selling a house, the offer may be conditional on a home inspection. In this case, a professional home inspector spends 3-4 hours thoroughly checking out your home, and the buyer usually accompanies them. The inspector will produce a summary of their findings, and if the buyer is happy with them, they’ll waive the inspection condition.

Sometimes, especially in situations where there is more than one offer, the potential buyers will complete these steps before the offer in an attempt to make their offer condition-free and more attractive. They’ll complete the home inspection, or check their financing before they submit an offer. This is usually the case if the property is in high demand.

If it turns out that the buyer can’t, for whatever reason, fulfill the conditions, the offer is null and void. Not ideal, but not the end of the world either. We’ll get right back out there and find you some new potential buyers.

Once the conditions are met, the buyer signs a waiver and the deal is firm. If you’ve completed all these steps, then you are a successful home seller.

Congratulations!