About Kingston's Cataraqui

homes for sale by owner kingston ontario

John Marston, BSc., eng.tech.,CIM, CPI

Certified Property Inspector

(613) 893-0159

JohnHomeInspector@gmail.com

www.ActiveRain.com/HomeInspectorMarston

If you are the buyer in a homes for sale by owner kingston ontario transaction, you should hire a professional home inspector so you have a complete understanding of the money you are about to spend.

A professional Home inspection costs about $350 or so with free Infrared reporting. A great looking report is a terrific sales tool. But most of all, it is a show and tell document with lots of photos showing the current state of the property. Nobody wants to be the subject of a Holmes on Holmes story.

The right image is a typical view and the left is the same area but with an Infrared camera. This represents a huge thermal loss that needs attention.

Understanding your typical real estate agent

The Canadian Real Estate Association says that the average price for a home sold through Nov 2011 was $250,001. In fact residential sales numbered 212 units in Nov 2011. On a year to date basis, some 3,028 homes have traded hands. (Home sales recorded through the MLS system of the Kingston & Area Real Estate Association) http://creastats.ca/king

This does not represent transactions negotiated through homes for sale by owner kingston ontario

If you imagine that the KAREA represents over 500 real estate professionals, less than half of these agents made a sale in the month. In fact year to date sales average only 275 per month. In fact if 4% is the average sales commission, or $10,000, and the average sale is one/two month… then that is $60,000/year gross. The top agents sell more than one/month… so other agents don’t sell enough to live. Which agent are you considering dealing with?

Agents don’t want to be part of a homes for sale by owner kingston ontario transaction. The real estate agent will try to convince the seller to list the property and the buyer to consider listed properties. And in fact, it might be in your best interests to list your property or engage the services of a quality agent. A quality agent will likely have access to quality buyers… as well as help you find the property that suits you best. After all the buyer pays no commission. So in a homes for sale by owner kingston ontario transaction, the buyer needs to be well informed about the current and future price of the home.

A quality agent will not put your home on the market with structural defects, or severe moisture problems. A quality agent will encourage the seller to hire a home inspector to ensure that the home meets quality standards. A quality agent knows that money spent to repair the home will likely be recovered in the sale price, and may result in a quicker sale.

Look at the huge heat losses from this before and after view. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate the potential dollar savings here.

So if you are a seller, $350 is nearly negligible compared to the $10,000 average commission you are going to pay the agent. Or in a homes for sale by owner kingston ontario transaction, a professional report will offer confidence to a buyer showing that the home is structurally sound and that the seller is not trying to hide anything. Also, it will give the seller an opportunity to repair something if needed and that expense will likely translate into a higher selling price.

If you are a buyer, $350 is a ridiculously low fee for such a valued service. There is a reasonable chance that the fee is tax deductible for you as well. Moving Expenses are tax deductible resulting in tax savings of 46% combined Federal and Provincial depending on your MTR. If your move is at least 40 KM closer to your new place of employment, then you should take a serious look at this.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns206-236/219/menu-eng.html

If you are a buyer in a homes for sale by owner kingston ontario transaction, then who is going to look after your best interests if you don’t have an interested agent. … YOUR HOME INSPECTOR, of course

Your home inspector needs skills in a number of areas… knowledge of MPAC property values and the 5 major steps used to calculate this fair market value. (www.mpac.ca) Why is it that the asking price for a home is sometimes equal to the MPAC calculation and others 30% higher or more. Just like the Holmes on Holmes TV show program uncovers, there are lots of home inspectors that are either incompetent, or simply don’t care about you. There are lots of Real estate agents that are incompetent, or simply don’t care about you. You need to know the difference in a homes for sale by owner kingston ontario transaction.