Timing is a strategy, not a season
Spring listings get the attention, but the right time to sell your home is when your segment has buyers and limited competition. You can measure that: the sales-to-active-listings ratio in your area and price band, the number of comparable homes currently listed, and what has sold in the last ninety days.
The first thing I give you is that read of your micro-market, with a recommendation on when to list and why.
Pricing with evidence
A list price does two jobs. It positions your home against the competition a buyer will tour the same weekend, and it determines which search bands your listing appears in. Buyers search in round-number ranges; a price just above a band boundary can hide your home from the people most likely to buy it.
The comparable-sales analysis looks at what sold, what is competing and what expired without selling, weighted for condition and timing. You see the full analysis before a number is discussed, and you see the plan for the first fourteen days, which are the most important of the listing.
Adjusting
If showings are steady but offers are not, the market is telling you something about price or presentation. The plan says in advance how and when that gets addressed.
Preparation that moves offers
Most returns come from repairs, decluttering and presentation rather than renovation. I rank preparation by expected return in your segment: what buyers in your neighbourhood notice and pay for, and what they do not. Larger projects only make sense when comparable sales show buyers rewarding them.
Trusted trades, stagers and cleaners are available if you need them; the goal is a short list of work that changes the outcome.
- Repairs buyers will see on an inspection anyway
- Declutter, depersonalise, light
- Staging where it changes the photographs
- Documents ready: strata package, permits, warranties
Presentation and marketing
Every home I list gets the same standard: architectural photography including dusk exteriors, measured floor plans you can read, a walkthrough video, a dedicated property page and targeted digital advertising to buyers already searching your area. Open houses and agent tours are scheduled to concentrate attention in the first two weeks.
Presentation is the baseline whatever the price, because buyers form their shortlist from a phone screen.
Reading an offer
The highest number is not always the best offer. Subjects, dates, deposit size and the buyer's financing position all affect whether a deal completes. In a multiple-offer situation the process matters as much as the outcome: disclosure obligations, fairness and documentation.
I review every offer line by line with you and recommend a response, counter or acceptance with the reasoning written down.
From firm to completion
Once subjects are removed the sale is firm. Your lawyer or notary handles the conveyance; I coordinate access for appraisals and the buyer's walkthrough, and plans the hand-off. If you are buying at the same time, the sequencing was decided earlier so you are never forced into a weak position on either side.
Questions
Commission as set out in the listing agreement, legal fees, any mortgage discharge or penalty, and preparation costs. You receive an estimate of net proceeds before you sign.
It depends on your financing, the market in your segment and your tolerance for risk. Options include subject-to-sale offers, bridge financing and timing the two closings. I model each one with you.
They concentrate attention early. They are one channel among several; the property page and targeted advertising reach the buyers who cannot attend.
PDF edition
Prefer to read this later?
I’ll email you the guide as a PDF, along with the one piece of context that matters most for your situation.
Related
Real estate advisor, RE/MAX 2000 Realty
Written by Mervin Truong, Candid Real Estate Group · RE/MAX 2000 Realty. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Last reviewed October 2026.