In today's highly competitive real estate market, the key to selling your home is being able to attract buyers to your listing. When you're selling your home, it's important to remember that you're in competition with every other similarly priced listing in your area. To win buyers, you need your home to stand out from all the rest.

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Here's an article from shine.yahoo.com with 16 Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades for your home.

For the kitchen: the kitchen sink, a new countertop, new light fixtures or a "Splash of Color"

For the bathroom, their suggestions include: refinishing the cabinets, hooks, or a new tile floor

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Getting your home ready for sale can take anywhere from one to six months, depending on the condition, age of the house and how long you've lived there.

So before you list your house, go over the property to determine what needs to be repaired or possibly replaced. Make a list of both major and minor jobs. Tackle big projects first.

It's tempting to wait until the home inspection and offer to adjust the price in lieu of repairs, but doing so may put the entire sale in jeopardy and may ultimately cost more. Buyers generally tack on extra dollars to any estimate. Most importantly, a major repair left undone creates the impression that the house has not been maintained.

So here is a timeline to help you prepare your home for sale:

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If you having been thinking about listing your property for sale recently, you have probably heard about home staging. It can be amazing what a difference a home stager can make. It is usually money well spent!

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Every seller wants her home to sell quickly and bring top dollar. While there are some factors you can't control, like neighbourhood popularity and market fluctuations, you can help your house put on its best face for showings and open houses. If you want to sell your home, here are some tips to prepare your house and turn it into an irresistible home.

Before any physical preparations, you first need to prepare yourself emotionally. Begin to dissociate yourself, and decide to let go of your attachments to the home. From now on, this is a house you really want to sell, not your own beloved home.

It's important that potential buyers can imagine calling your house "home," too. Make it easier for them by de-personalizing the space. Remove personal photos and family heirlooms. Buyers should be allowed to connect with the space, and to imagine displaying their own photos and artifacts. You want buyers to think, "I could see myself living here."

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When showing your home for sale, it's not just what buyers see inside that counts. We can tell you that sometimes it's all about the view. A good view is a strong selling point for any room in the house. A great view makes one property stand out from all the rest. And on the flip side, when the view is poor, even the most attractive décor may not be enough to counteract its negative effects. What's a homeowner to do?

Here are some easy and affordable tips that may help to improve your outlook:

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A Free Renovation seminar presented by the Waterloo Region Home Builder's Association

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Conestoga College, Roofing Centre
108 University Ave. E., Waterloo ON

We are often asked by homeowners about the potential return on investment that can be expected on a renovation project that they are considering.
According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC) the payback varies depending upon the project.

While these numbers are interesting, it is important to keep in mind that they are only relevant if you are renovating just prior to selling your home. If you are renovating to improve the liveability and/or enjoyment of your home you will want to take a different look at the situation. How much is enjoyment worth? Only you can decide on that Return on Investment.

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If you’re like most Canadians, you’re well aware that the national real estate market has cooled. But with any changing market comes new opportunities. With today’s low financing costs and in some markets, the monthly carrying cost of many homes is becoming more affordable. That’s good news for some home buyers, especially first-timers, who may have previously been locked out of the market.

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