Are you thinking of selling your home this year? If so, you might be paying extra attention to housing market news covered by the regional and national media.

While that news can be helpful information, it can sometimes say little about what’s happening in your particular neighbourhood. In fact, it’s possible for there to be a balanced market nationally or regionally, while at the same time your street may be experiencing a hot seller’s market!

That’s why it’s important to understand what’s happening in your local “micro” housing market when you’re selling your home.

What do you need to know about your local real estate scene? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Is our neighbourhood...

Unless you’re selling in a strong sellers’ market, you should take advantage of every opportunity to show your home. Say, for example, an interested buyer would like to see your property tomorrow evening. If you say no, they might see another listing in the meantime — and make an offer!

So, being prepared to show your home at the drop of a hat is important.

That doesn’t mean you should agree to be inconvenienced constantly. However, if you can put up with some disruptions in your plans now and then, you’ll increase your chances of selling your property.

Consider these tips:

• Avoid restricting showings to a particular weekday, such as Monday evening and Saturday afternoon. What if an interested buyer isn’t available...

If you are thinking about selling your home this coming spring, one factor that may hold you back or delay your preparations is time. You may be worried that you won’t be able to find the time in your busy schedule to prepare your property so you can sell successfully.

If so, here are four strategies that can help:

1. Understand what needs to be done

Do you know what you’ll need to do in order to sell your home? Do you understand the steps involved? Do you have a clear idea of how long it will take to complete these various tasks, such as getting repairs done, decluttering, and doing some ‘staging’?

The more accurately you can anticipate your tasks and how long it will take to complete them, the better you’ll be...

Have you ever had to go last-minute gift shopping? If so, you know what that can be like. You don’t have time to amble casually through numerous stores in hopes of coming across something suitable. The clock is ticking. You need to find the right gift, now!

A similar thing can sometimes happen when shopping for a new home. You may not have a lot of time available in your schedule. Yet, you need to view properties and find the right home, quickly.

So, how do you do that on a tight schedule?

One way is to be clear on the type of home you want to get into. The more narrow your search parameters, the more likely you are to view properties that are strong candidates.

Create a profile of your dream home, including property type, number of bedrooms,...

Until a couple of years ago, internet access was a nice-to-have for most homeowners. But these days, it’s fast becoming a necessity. Kids need good internet to do homework assignments. You may need reliable internet to work from home and attend online meetings.

So, when shopping for a new home, it’s wise to check if the property which you’re interested in making an offer on has good internet available. The last thing you want is to move into a home only to discover that the internet service is slow and faster options are unavailable.

There are many ways to do find out.

For example, most internet services websites have a feature where you can type on the address and find out what type of internet services are available. Pay attention...

Even during the warmest seasons and under ideal circumstances, moving home is a massive undertaking. And if your time line happens to coincide with those colder seasons of the year, cold temperatures and unpredictable weather can easily cause things to go sideways at the wrong time. Sometimes, the only way to forward is to be as prepared as you can be, so here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful move during the winter.

Seek Help

Moving all of your furniture and belongings during the winter won’t be easy; you’re going to need some help, whether its friends and family or a moving service.

If you’re only moving around the corner with a few items, a few friends and family will probably do the trick, but if you are...