Acton, ON

Each week for the next few weeks i will be posting these samples of what my email news letter is like. If you are interested on recieving a news letter with helpful hints on buying, selling or renos on you home please feel free to contact me at jerri-ellen@bell.blackberry.net or jerri@johnsonassociates.ca Selling your home can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed. But don't worry, most sellers feel just like you do. To help you get through the process, I'll send you regular messages like this with handy tips on how to successfully sell your home. I keep them short and sweet because I now how valuable your time is and how busy you are. As you receive them you may have some questions. If so, simply send me an email or give me a call and we can discuss it together. I'm committed to helping you sell your home on your schedule and for the highest price possible.

Thinking of Selling your Home Privately? Points to Ponder First.

by Bill and Lia McNally

In attempt to save the commission paid to Realtors, some sellers decide to try to sell their homes privately. However, you should be aware of some of the drawbacks before

talking the plunge. We have compiled a list of points to ponder:

It can be a lot of work. The phone calls, making yourself available for showings at all hours, marketing, follow up, paperwork, etc. A realtors job can be very time consuming. If you have a busy lifestyle you may find yourself too short on time to do a proper job.

Unqualified Prospects. A lot of time in real estate is spent sifting through prospects, separating the serious buyers from the time wasting window shoppers or worse, the few bad seeds out there looking to prey on home owners. Realtor screen prospects before they ever make it to your home.

The Bargain Hunters. Buyers who are not working with a realtor are often out there looking for a steal. Of course, you want to get what your neighbors with the same house sold for, but the buyer knows you aren't paying commission and will insist on a price drop. The money you were hoping to save usually ends up in the buyers pocket. So quite often you will be short the commission money and you had to do all the work. It almost doesn't make sense.

When you sell privately you are hiring someone with no experience. Quite likely, you've never sold a house before. Given that your house is probably your biggest asset, why risk it? Your realtor has the training and experience needed to make sure you aren't taken advantage of and to negotiate the best possible deal. Emotions and stress run wild during negotiations and can actually work against you. Your realtor will keep you calm and centered and assess the situation with a rational mind.

Things can get tricky, really tricky. What will you do if the person who wants to buy your home a house to sell? What if the person buying that house also has a home to sell? What is the best and safest way to go about it? Your experienced realtor works with these complicated situations on a constant basis and can protect you from a variety of potentially costly mistakes.

Marketing Costs: Selling a home is expensive and without the benefit of MLS you will be missing out on the vast majority of qualified home buyers and realtors scanning MLS daily. If you end up needing a realtor in then end (which is the case most often) you will have spent that money in addition to commission.

The market is constantly changing. You realtor is up-to-date with what's going on to make sure you don't sell your house for too little or price your home so high that it sits there becoming just another stale listing.

www.willsell.ca

What makes Acton's Honeyfield Neighborhood a great place to live?

by local realtors Bill McNally and Lia McNally

THE RIGHT MOVE

1. Every house has an old fashioned front porch. In the warmer month you'll see many of your neighbors out on their porches enjoying a coffee or entertaining friends and family. Some studies have even shown that neighborhoods with front porches are safer than those without.

2. It looks different- good different! With old fashioned street lights and aesthetically pleasing, Cape Cod style homes, Honeyfield stands out from other subdivisions. When you live here you'll notice lots of people taking evening strolls to admire the homes and the many beautiful gardens.

3. The schools are close- Two great schools, Mackenzie Smith Bennett and Acton District High school, are just on the outskirts of the Honeyfield neighbourhood. You can walk to either one in about 5 minutes or less!

4. The skate park is awesome! Located within the subdivision, this skate park is a big hit with the local kids. You'll see kids of every age here practicing their skills on the quarter pipe or watching from the bleachers.

5. Lots of kids. Honeyfield is a real family orientated neighborhood. Kids don't have to leave their streets to make friends!

6. Great, friendly neighbors. Attend some of the events planned by your neighbors: street parties in the summer, lobster boils, etc. If socials event don't appeal to you, you can be comforted knowing that you can depend on a friendly neighbor to watch over your home while you're away.

7. Close proximity to the community swimming pool, the arena/community centre, soccer fields, shopping, churches of many denomination.

8. Nature trails. Honeyfield is surrounded by Green belt on the east side. Enjoy a little nature just a few steps from home on the few kilometers of nature trails.

9. Honeyfield's park. A great place to take the kids!

10. Availability of Large lots on Browns Crescent. Newer neighborhoods are notorious for having tiny lots. Not here. Stretch out on pool sized lots from approx 114' to 140' deep!

11. A great age of home. Honeyfield's homes were built from around 2003-2005. You can enjoy the lower maintenance a younger home requires without the hassles of a brand new home. Fences are in place for most homes and the finishing touches have been done!

12. If you are interested in finding out more about Acton's Honeyfield community, why not contact local realtor, Bill McNally at 905-877-5165? Bill both lives and works in Acton, making him a great source of information. In addition Bill McNally is a top performing sales representative at his company, Johnson Associates Ltd., Brokerage. He is highly recommended by his past clients and is always happy to help with all your real estate needs.

Contact Bill McNally at 905-877-5165 or email him at b_mcnally@sympatico.ca

WWW.WILLSELL.CA

When you decide to sell your home with a REALTOR®, one of the most important forms you will encounter is the Listing Agreement. The Listing Agreement is the contract between you and the real estate brokerage authorizing the brokerage, including its brokers and salespeople, to market your property. The Listing Agreement is such an important part of your real estate transaction that you'll want to be sure it is as comprehensive and accurate as possible. Your REALTOR® will work with you to fill in all the details and leave nothing to chance. Detailed information about your home is spelled out in the listing agreement which helps other REALTORS® respond to questions from potential buyers about your property. Also, the Listing Agreement forms the basis for any offers drafted on your home as well as any resulting negotiations involving the offer. There are two types of listings - an "Exclusive" listing and a "Multiple" listing. An exclusive listing gives the brokerage the sole right to find a buyer for your home during a specific time period. You agree to pay a pre-established real estate commission to the broker once the sale is completed. The commission is payable to the broker regardless of whether someone else sells your home -- including yourself during the set period or even if your home sells at a future date to someone the broker introduced to the property. A multiple listing is also an exclusive listing between you and the broker, but includes your authorization to allow the broker to market your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and have other REALTORS® help to find a buyer. In this case, you pay the agreed upon commission and it is shared between the listing broker and the REALTOR® who found the buyer. Most often, a REALTOR® will recommend that you list your home through the MLS so that you receive maximum exposure in the shortest time possible. Many REALTORS® in Ontario use a standard listing agreement form such as the one published by the Ontario Real Estate Association. Because the Listing Agreement is so vital to the whole real estate transaction, REALTORS® are well-trained to carefully include every last required detail. The agreement is divided into two sections - authority and property details. The authority section establishes the legal relationship between you and the real estate broker, sets a time limit for that relationship, and describes the obligations of each party. The detail section provides information about the property being offered for sale and the ideal terms the seller would like to see in an offer. Your property will be completely identified by its full legal description, including street and house number, as well as to lot and plan number if the property is in a registered plan or subdivision. Your property size and location, floor area, room sizes, style and number of rooms, zoning, building age and type of construction will all be spelled out on the Listing Agreement. The listing price is specified along with any other clauses regarding price or terms. There is a specific reference to the commission that will be paid upon a successful sale, trade or exchange of the property. Other details to be filled in on the Listing Agreement include mortgage information, how many days until closing after your home sells, and how your property will be shown. Your REALTOR® will also discuss with you what items you are willing to sell along with the home. These items usually fall under one of two categories - fixtures or chattels. Fixtures are permanent improvements that normally stay with a property as part of the sale. Things like central air conditioning, built-in appliances and wall-to-wall carpeting are fixtures. Chattels are usually movable pieces of personal property such as microwave ovens, blinds or washers and dryers. You may wish to include some of these "chattels" to sweeten the deal. These items will be clearly spelled out in the Listing Agreement. Your home is probably the largest asset you will ever sell and you want to be sure you do it right. Selling your home is a complicated transaction involving many legal forms and procedures. Having a REALTOR® on your side will ensure the sale of your home goes smoothly. Visit Jerri-ellen @ www.shesells.org

Hi Moms, Dads and Grandparents of Halton Hills!

Here Some Halloween tips and a joke or two.

I found over the years that treating your kids to a spooky and fun Halloween dinner by black candle light for example made them less likely to eat tooo many candy on Halloween night. Just food for thought,LOL.

Keep walkways lit to your home and please make sure that your candle lit pumpkins are away from where costumes may catch the flame.

Make sure you review the basic everyday saftey tips on traffic and talking to strangers.

It is best to send an adult or older teenager with them so you know they will be OK.

Secure emergency identification discreetly within Halloween attire.

Openly discuss appropriate and inappropriate behavior at Halloween time.

Kids may know what is right and wrong on their own but peer pressure can be a bad thing.

Now for a smile and have a safe and happy Halloween!

And do you know why the Skeleton didn't cross the road?

Because he didn't have the guts!

What do you call a fat Jack-O-Lantern?

A pumpkin