Preparing Your Cottage for Spring Sale
A question we are often asked this time of year is, 'what's the best time of year to sell my cottage?'
Traditionally, the answer to that question is the spring, when the weather is improving, lawns are green and summer is just around the corner. It's not always the case, as sometimes the inventory is low in the fall and winter months, and the people looking at that time of year are quite serious but generally cottages show best in the sunshine and warmer temperatures.
This year, we'll once again be attending the Cottage Life Show from March 30th to April 1st to showcase all the new waterfront listings and hopefully get some soon to be new cottage owners excited about the prospect of waterfront ownership!
You can see the Cottage Life show website here http://cottagelife.com/21055/shows/spring-cottagelife-show and if you're thinking of attending the show please feel free to call me, we'd be happy to send out complimentary tickets to those people who may be looking to buy or sell a cottage in the Kawartha's this season.
For those looking to sell this season we've got a few tips and videos that should help you get the most from your waterfront investment. Number one, is making a good first impression. The entrance should get potential buyers excited about your property and make them feel welcome. Taking care of any maintenance/ spring cleaning before listing your property will be a small investment of time with a big return on investment.
It never helps having last year's leaves piled around the door when you're showing a cottage. Having these little jobs cleaned up can make the difference between excitement to buy your property, or dismay at all the work needed before they can enjoy their vacation. Some buyers may not be scared off by a little clean up or deferred maintenance, but will definitely take these items into consideration before making an offer.
Once you've got the entrance cleaned up and ready to welcome potential buyers it's time to move out any unnecessary items from the cottage. If you've decided to sell most items will need to be moved eventually, so there's no reason to leave old items lying around that may detract from the property. A day of cleaning can make a world of difference in the eyes of potential clients.
Outside, the waterfront is your most important asset and taking the time straighten up old docks, rake or clean up the shore line, and remove any trees restricting the view from the cottage will certainly help with your sale.
Re/Max has produced a number of videos further relating to this topic, see www.fittosell.ca for more general information and as always if you have specific concerns in relation to your waterfront property we'd be happy to come out and give you our opinion on what areas might need attention prior to listing.