Hiring the right REALTOR® does not have to be daunting task when you have the right questions to ask!

Consider these a MUST ask list:

1. Why should someone list with you over other REALTOR®’S  in the area?

2. How are you going to get my house sold other than a for sale sign and a posting on mls?

3. Are you social media saavy? Are you connected? How are you connected?

4. Do you have any closing strategies?

5. What do you offer the buyer’s agent compensation?

6. Do you work solo or part of a team?

7. How do you keep your seller informed of all the goings on during the listing? Do you have a system in place for this?

8. How accessable are you? How accessable are you to other REALTOR®’s who call for information on the listing? Office (trunk)  number or direct cell? (and there is a BIG difference).

9. Do you offer any other professional services to help prepare the home for sale/listing?

10. If a client is unhappy with your service, can he terminate your contract and the listing? (this one is sooo important to ask!!)

And BONUS question:

Do you have a list of references for potential clients?

The answers to these questions should make your choice that much easier to make!

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Less Work - More Play

Downsizing your home and lifestyle  

You have made the decision that it is time to downsize for one reason or another. . This can be a very emotional time for you and your family. Take your time, and make sure you are ready for this life altering change. The thought, the idea, the wrench of leaving, the excitement of a new beginning.  Moving to a smaller home does have its benefits, and there can be many reasons for the downsize

1. You have become an empty-nester, the children have left home and you no longer need that large home.
2. You are tired of the upkeep, housework just doesn’t have the thrill it once did, and well yard work, that is for the younger generation.
3. You want to reduce your living expenses; smaller home equals fewer utilities, and hopefully less mortgage, or no mortgage.
4. You are ready to travel, you are retired, and now you want to put your time and energy into your dreams of traveling to all those exotic places and for longer periods at a time. You have desired to go to and never had the time or money, and now you can do that and not have to worry about your home and all the chores that need to get done on a daily or weekly basis. You want to be free.
5. Your health just doesn’t let you do what you used to; you need to downsize to keep your health in check.

There can be many reasons to downsizing, and each individual has their own. Whatever your reasons may be for downsizing your home, like most life transitions, has its emotional ups and downs. You have many decisions to make, you are eager to get started and eager for your next journey. Downsizing means leaving your home of many years and many of those treasures, your neighbors and friends. You now have the task of decluttering and deciding on what you can live without and what goes with you to your new home.  What kind of home are your downsizing to, a smaller home, a condo whether it is a townhouse or apartment condo. How big will your new home be?  Bottom line, what stays and what goes with you. I suggest you start off with  taking 2 rooms in your present home, and set them up with tables and shelves.

•  Room #1 goes with you to your new home.
•  Room #2 is all the stuff you have collected over the years and you can live without.

Throughout your day as you sort through your possessions start distributing items to either of these rooms. By putting something in Room #2, you haven’t gotten rid of it yet, but you have made the decision you can live without this item. If you never use it, then you definitely can live without it. Do the same with Room #1, put the item in this room, then as you go to the room and see what is there you can decide if you actually need to have that item, memento or souvenir. Just remember you are downsizing, so you do need to limit what makes the move with you to your new home.  This is only the first step to downsizing to a smaller home.

Thinking of downsizing? Need to know what your options are…give me a call and we’ll get you headed in the right direction!

There are a gazillion reasons and articles written on this topic of which I am sure you have read a few…

HOWEVER – this article is written from a REALTOR® perspective.  After ten years of real estate buying and selling here are a few things I appreciate about having a REALTOR® involved in the process:

1. Market and Demographic Knowledge: “is this a good deal?” or “what’s the demographic like in this neighborhood/condo complex?” If you are new to either the market or the city having a REALTOR® at your disposal to navigate the unknown waters of value and demographics is a HUGE benefit and saves time to – as they are able to direct you in the right direction. Demographic knowledge plays a big role when advising on an area/community/condo for downsizers – or for those looking to buy their first condo/home and want to make sure they are buying into the ‘right’ neighborhood/complex.

2. Representation: when the deal is signed that’s when a REALTOR®’s work begins. If they want to get paid, they better make sure that they not only get any conditions/subject to’s satisfied, but  also ensure that the buyer closes on possession day. When you sell on your own – who ‘takes care’ of your buyer to ensure that they close and on time or at all?? I would gladly pay a REALTOR® to ensure my investment gets sold and closes on possession day.

3. Qualifying Buyers: if I were selling my house – I would only want qualified buyers to walk through the door – otherwise it’s a waste of my time and prep time for the showing. REALTOR®s qualify their buyers ahead of time. SO the folks coming through your door are the ones that can actually AFFORD your property. REALTOR®s also have access to awesome Mortgage Brokers that aid in the process of qualifying clients. When you sell on your own – how do you know if your buyer can qualify or afford your home when signing up the papers…oooh this is a recipe for despair…see the tidbit below 🙁

4. As a BUYER’S agent they are free to use! So why wouldn’t you use a REALTOR® when buying a home – in addition to the above – its FREE…and I’ll take anything that’s FREE 🙂

5. Assurance that the deal will get done. REALTOR®s have the knowledge and tools to get the job done. They are also only paid for results. So I know they are motivated to get the job done. They are the ones getting their clients into the homes/condos and making that happen. When you sell on your own – who is working on your behalf to get the buyers in the door? We have 3000 REALTOR®s in town that are all hungry for a pay cheque. They all have access to sell your property. Wow – do I need to go on? That one is a biggie – for sellers anyway. When you FISBO it (for sale by owner) you loose the ability to access a 3000 REALTOR network. Now why would you want to do that?

One other tidbit …

Did you know that if your buyer removes conditions and gives you an additional deposit cheque that does not clear (NSF) – and subsequently leaves for Timbuktu – YOU are hooped! You will be unable to sell it until after said possession day. Yeesh…another GOOD reason to have a REALTOR® on your side AND the buyers side too!

Did you learn something new in this post? Insightful from a REALTOR®  perspective? I hope so 🙂

Find out more about our  fanTABulous bunch of REALTOR®’s

Learn more about how the KENNEDY ADVANTAGE can get the job done for you!

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

How To Prepare Your Home For The Market…

“Move-in Ready”… “Turn-Key Condition”… This is what a home Seller and their REALTOR® want to “hear” from potential Buyers when they first list their home for sale.  A home in which no project needs to be completed.

You want to begin to impress the potential Buyer from the “Outside – In”… in other words it starts with curb-appeal.  Having your home attractive from the outside will not only entice the home Buyer, searching on the internet, to want to see more, you are also captivating those who are walking or driving by your property.

The outside of your home is what draws the Buyer in…, once they are inside, its time to really impress…

Below is a list of 10 projects that can and WILL serve to impress any potential home Buyer and their REALTOR®…

1. The Exterior Shell:  A new coat of paint, or replacing the vinyl siding may be needed.  Make sure you choose a neutral color that will appeal to the majority of home buyers.  For a little  jazz,  you could add  a splash of color by re-painting the front door.

2. Energy Efficient:  In order to receive top dollar for your home and to avoid a failed inspection report, now is the time to get these areas of your home in order.  Replace the old furnace and hot water tank, install new energy efficient windows, and have the roof and foundation inspected.

3. Landscape:  Get out there and trim your hedges, maybe you need to hire an arborist for your trees.  “Greenify” your lawn,  If you have a perennial garden, replace the old mulch with new.  Draw attention to your home at night by adding outdoor lighting.  If a new home, have the fence finished and deck completed with privacy panels.

4. Flooring:  Your home’s floors need to sparkle…  Now’s the time to install hardwood or laminate.  If your unsure of what type of flooring to choose visit a few Show homes for ideas.

5. The Kitchen:  Always an important room in the home…you can give your kitchen a “face lift” by re-finishing or replacing the cupbards, replace the counter tops and plumbing fixtures and last but certainly not the least…replace your appliances.

6. The Bathroom:  Start with the smaller projects like re-caulking, replacing tile grout, repainting the walls and add new plumbing & lighting fixtures all this can make your bathroom look brand new.  For a little more, installing a new vanity with a vessel sink (above counter sink) always adds inspiring designer “vibes”.

7. Lighting & Interior Paint:  A well lit home can accent the best features of each room, however, if there are swag lamps still hanging it’s time for an update.  Play with a little color, paint a couple accent walls in your home.   Canned lighting can be used to highlight any décor and design element (such as your new accent walls).

8. Basement Development:  Having your basement professionally finished adds to the home’s useable square footage.  Finished basement homes sell faster, and will continue to do so.

9. Deep Clean:  Nothing you have done to improve your home will matter if your home is not clean.  This means a THOROUGH clean, this includes the areas in the home that are not normally cleaned on a regular basis…yes, you will have to pull out your appliances.

10. HOME STAGING:  Lastly, its time to allow the Buyer to envision their new life in your home.  Home Staging is about “enhancing what’s already there”.  Using this tool is a great cost-effective way to prepare your home for the market.  For more information on Home Staging visit this link:  www.edmontonhomestager.ca

Additional “Carrie’s Corner” Articles…

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles… 

Carrie Wood
Business Development & REALTOR®
Edmonton’s Buyer Agent 

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton Realtor® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Jumping into the Market?

I was asked this question the other day via Twitter = thanks to Mike!

“what’s some good advice for a 25 yr old looking for his starter home!”

Here we go…

What to Buy: Duplex with rentable basement suite

Cost: $200,000 – $300,000

Plan to stay: 5yrs

Why: no condo fees, tenant pays your mortgage. It’s a flexible investment – because they are easy to buy and easy to sell. Tenants of duplexes tend to rent for longer periods – hence less turnover – less headache – or landlord ache 🙂

Build up enough capital in your home and when you are ready to buy your next place- simply rent out the top floor – use the income from the rental towards qualifying for your next place. This way you are building your investment portfolio along the way!

*Any investment is most beneficial if kept  for the long term. By starting off with an easy rentable, affordable property you stand the best chance of hanging on to it for the long haul.

Here’s the numbers for financing:

Purchase price: $250,000

5% down – mtg at 237,500

25 yr term, 3% rate = monthly mtg pmt = $889.15/month*

taxes = $150/month

Heat/Power = $150/month

Total = $1199.15

Rent: $1200**

* this does not take into account the CMHC fees – which could up your monthly payments by $50-$60

** this is the average rent for a decent condition and location 2bdrm unit. You may want to consider furnishing your unit – it will always garner a better rent.

Examples of such properties:

Duplexes in Edmonton

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles… 

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Living In St. Albert

Owning a home in St. Albert or Edmonton allows you to put down roots, and become a part of a great community. When you rent, your neighbors come and go as quickly as leases change or the weather.  When you own a home you can develop many lifelong relationships with your neighbors, and  your family has room to expand and grow.

Living in St. Albert  you are part of a community that has many opportunities for countless memories for your family, including great school system, 70KM of walking trails, Mark Messier Arena in the state of the art Recreation Center, Lois Hole Enjoy Centre ,farmers market, Arden Theatre only to mention a few.

There is a certain pride that comes with owning your own home.  This piece of property is yours, the land is yours, you can plant your family roots, plant trees or even a garden.  This is your gem, and you can cultivate it to meet your character, your needs  and your wants.  Your GEM, Your HOME will be a lifetime of memories, friendships, good times and important milestones. Owning your own home not only allows you to take pride in ownership, but helps grow home value and  assets.

I would be pleased to help you find your next HOME!

www.liveinstalbert.com

Additional “Anna’s Advice” Articles…

Here are just a few of our ‘fun and fabulous’ listing videos…we like what we do and have FUN doing to!!

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

At KENNEDY Real Estate we understand the importance of having an online presence – to direct traffic and leads to our site. To that end we have over 30 domain names that all lead to various spots on our main website www.kennedyrealestate.ca

This drives both buyer and seller leads to our site – great for our REALTORS® and Sellers alike.

In addition to our single website addresses for all of our listings we have multiple domain names working on your behalf 24/7.

These are a few of our domain names:

www.EdmontonWestendRealestate.ca

www.EdmontonSouthsideRealestate.ca

www.EdmontonNorthsideRealestate.ca

www.SherwoodPark-Homes.ca

www.StAlbert-Homes.ca

as well as:

www.EdmontonBungalows.ca

www.EdmontonWalkouts.ca

www.EdmontonLuxuryEstates.ca

www.EdmontonNewListings.ca

and Our NEW one – soon to be a blog of its own:

www.EdmontonHomestager.ca

www.DesignerRealEstate.ca

as well as these fine options to locate a FAB agent:

www.TopEdmontonRealtor.com

www.YourAreaSpecialists.ca

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles… 

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing


REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Home Marketing: The Kennedy Advantage

• Lifestyle Marketing

• Setting the Price

• Getting the Word Out

• The Kennedy Advantage

Lifestyle Marketing: what does it mean?

Staging

• Checklist: we provide and review our checklist how to prepare your home for sale

• Before & After’s : Staging Case Studies… or our Work in action – video presentation

• **NEW FEATURE ** Virtual Staging / Design Center/ Home Style Designer : allows potential buyers to actually change the way your listing looks online to meet their personal taste with the click of a mouse. Our new Style Designer will captivate interested buyers and allow them to dream the potential of your property – all from the comfort of their computer. There’s something magical about clicking a button and instantly painting an entire room. While painting walls and laying down carpet have traditionally been a laborious event, potential buyers can now bring your property to life and explore what’s possible in a matter of seconds. It’s simply brilliant!!

Professional Photography & Video

We use professional grade photography for all of our listings – a picture not only can say a thousand words – it also has the power to engage and hold the interest of the viewer – “the hook”. At KENNEDY Real Estate we like to ‘hook’ the buyer with our photos… Here are some of our memorable “hook’s” and some awesome custom print work!!

Lifestyle Searches

At KENNEDY Real Estate we are also concerned with driving buyer traffic to our sight – to that end we have created custom LIFESTYLE SEARCHES … Search By Lifestyle

Promo’s for Our Clients

We take good care of our clients! See here for a list of client closing gifts. Whether you buy or sell with KENNEDY Real Estate, you are entitled to a list of ‘thank you’s’. These promotions can also be used to help sell your property. At KENNEDY Real Estate we are able to advertise any of these promotions with the sale of your property. A first of its kind in Edmonton and exclusive to KENENDY Real Estate …our move in or move our cleaning is our #1 choice of our buyers and sellers!

Setting the Price

Why you need to sell your house twice : it’s not what you think!

Selling vs. Timing: setting the price right the first time

Current Market Value: how market value is determined

Who Controls price? Pricing to meet your goals

What happens when your home is not priced right: a chain reaction begins

Getting the Word Out

We are connected and SO is your property! At KENNEDY Real Estate we work the SOCIAL circuit:

• Zoocasa, You Tube, Linked In, FACEBOOK FAN PAGE , Twitter, Kijiji, Google+

• 33 domain names that direct traffic to our site

• QR codes for all of our Listings

• mobile friendly website and property viewer

• Single Property websites: your home will have its own website – how cool is that!! Driving traffic directly to YOU!

• In House Lead and Listing Coordinator: no leads left unturned for follow up to all listing inquiries

• FABULOUS print work – best in the bidnazz…dare to compare

• Our latest Ad campaign

Other Helpful Resources for Sellers:

• FAQ for sellers

• Moving Checklist

• Moving Tips

• Feng Shui and Real Estate

Additional “Edmonton Realtor: KENNEDY Real Estate” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Check out these Unique house’s from around the world

Additional “Christy’s Confidentials” Articles…

Christy Van Dyke
Associate | REALTOR®
Your Greenview | Hillview Area Specialist
Search Homes For Sale in Greenview | Hillview 

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager
Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing