Dan and Rachael Polakovic London Ontario Real Estate Professional

The hardest part about selling your home, believe it or not, is not negotiating the final price or packing up and moving from the house you raised your family in. It's keeping it clean during the time it's listed and making sure it's in tip top shape for showings.

Here are a few tips to help you keep the "show readiness" high and the stress level low:

1. Make your bed every morning NO MATTER WHAT! -- this will really help if you get that dreaded short notice showing while you are at work and can't make it back in time to tidy. Some how, even if the room is a little dusty or there is a bit of clutter, a made bed makes a big difference.

2. CLEAR THE CLUTTER! So you are ready to sell.. but not yet ready to tackle the millions of magazines, newspaper clippings, the kids art work from every year of school and all of those books you have been meaning to read... We all lead busy lives and don't always have alot of time to dedicate to sorting through the chaos of clutter that can define our lives. So here's what you do.. get some bins and boxes (rubbermaid tubs work well) and sort everything into easily stored and stackable bins so that you can go through them as you have the time. But this moves them out of plain view of potential buyers that can sometimes get wrapped up in noticing all of your things and not what the home has to offer structurally.

3. Invest in some air fresheners. No!! I am not saying that your home smells!! What I am saying is, the sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses. When a potential buyer comes into a home with a pleasant smell they are more at ease. Try GLADE plug-ins that are scented like baked apple pie or chocolate chip cookie. These scents are associated with home and family.. and of course we want our buyer to feel at home in your home... so much so that they buy it. Try not to over do the air fresheners.. can this can have the opposite effect.

4. Quick Wipes are so handy. Nowadays almost every company has one form or another of these handy wipes. They come in a container almost like a Kleenex box and are great for every day wiping and polishing. For example, Windex, Clorox and Mr. Clean have handy disinfectant wipes in attractive boxes that you can keep right on the counter. Grab one out and swipe down the counter and sink VOILA! In two seconds your kitchen or bathroom, as good as new!

5. Swiffer and Swiffer Wet are equally as handy! For tile or wood flooring. One quick wipe and they'll shine like new. This can be a really quick fix for that right after dinner showing!

I'll stop there before I start to sound like a spokesperson for Johnson and Johnson!

Basically it boils down to this: Do one heavy duty clean a week and clean as you go the rest of the time. Quick and easy helpers such as the items listed above will make things easier. As does asking for help. Get everyone in the house to pitch in.. and hopefully your house will sell in no time at all! Because a house that shows well.. sells fast!!

Dear Future Home Owner:

A customer called me the other day and asked if I could show a relative the difference between buying and renting.

The fact is, under today's computerized and cooperative real estate system, I can calculate the benefits of ownership and locate just the right home for almost any budget. Or I can refer a rental "expert" if that's the best route.

So if you or a friend are curious about a home, or see an ad on a property and want more information, call me and let me do all the checking for you!

Sincerely,

Dan and Rachael Polakovic

www.two-realtors.com

Resale prices for Canadian homes rose to their highest average on record in May, while sales activity climbed for a fourth straight month as consumer confidence strengthened, according to an industry report released on Monday.

But rebounding sales in some of the most expensive markets skewed the national average price, the Canadian Real Estate Association said in the report.

The average home price last month rose 0.4 percent to C$319,757 ($282,971), topping the previous record set a year earlier. It was the first year-over-year increase since May last year.

The average price has recovered 16.4 percent from the low reached in January, CREA said.

Home sales rose 8 percent to 37,649 units in May from April, the fourth consecutive monthly increase on a seasonally adjusted basis.

At the start of the year, the year-over-year drop in sales was a staggering 41 percent and the declines have narrowed since. Nationally, 49,521 units changed hands in May, down 0.8 percent from a year ago.

"In the short space of about 18 months, the housing market has gone full circle from a sellers' market, to a flat-out buyers' market, and back to a sellers' market," said Doug Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.

He cautioned that further gains may be tougher to come by with a still-weak Canadian employment outlook.

"The housing market is not about to go off to the races, even if it has been pulled back from the brink."

Of the 25 major markets that CREA tracks, 14 reported rises in unit sales year-over-year, with five markets, mostly in the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, posting double-digit increases.

Those same markets had suffered the biggest drops only several months ago.

Prices rose in 14 markets from a year ago, led by a 17.3 percent increase in Newfoundland and Labrador and a 12.1 percent climb in Saint John, New Brunswick.

"New records were posted in only 15 percent of local markets in May, none of which are among the most active or expensive," CREA said.

"The strong rebound in sales activity, not price, in Canada's most expensive markets is driving up average prices nationally and in some provinces, just as a sharp decline in activity in these markets pushed average prices lower in late 2008."

New listings eased by 0.8 percent to 65,070 units, the lowest since December 2005.

($1=$1.13 Canadian)

Movie stars and writers have agents, musicians have managers, artists have representation. Very few successful people are lone wolves; they rely on the expertise of others to guide them, to sort out all of the opportunities available to them so that they can make solid, educated choices.

Just like a movie star, you need an agent. Someone to put your needs above all others. As professionals, we pledge to represent you first.

Please feel free to contact us for all of your real estate needs.

We look forward to working hard for you.

Dan and Rachael Polakovic