613-618-4082

Michael Arthur: July 2019 Real Estate Ezine

July, 2019
News From Michael Arthur

Many sellers I have seen make plenty of mistakes when it comes to preparing their homes and/or investment properties for sale in the market. These mistakes have resulted in sellers losing plenty of money when their homes and/or investment properties were either in the market for a long period of time or sold way below the original listed price. As a result, I witnessed sellers become frustrated with their realtors for not doing a good job professionally preparing and selling their homes or investment properties at the sale prices they were expected to get. Observing these experiences were pretty sad and unfortunate.  

Luckily for me, learning from other successful realtors, here are some important low-cost, practical tips I advise my seller clients to prepare and sell their homes and/or investment properties for top dollar:

  • Replace old & burned out light bulbs with highest and safest wattage.
  • Dust all light fixtures, blinds, window ledges, counters, and furniture.
  • Clean interior and exterior of all windows and glass doors.
  • Keep all blinds pulled up to allow maximum light inside.
  • Clean and wipe all stained woodwork with a wood-feeding polish such as Old English (dark for dark stained wood). Clean painted woodwork.
  • Clean all tubs, toilets and sinks: wax sinks with lemon or vegetable oil.
  • Polish all hardware to a shine.
  • Keep flat surfaces cleared off. Store toiletries under counter if possible.
  • Thin out all closets dramatically and organize a few items neatly on the shelves. Leave open spaces so back wall of closet will show when the door is opened. Pack up off-season clothes and remove. If closet appears to have ample space for you, it will seem to be large to buyers.
  • Have carpets professionally cleaned. Keep vacuumed at all times.
  • Replace air conditioning filters and try not to smoke in the house.
  • Repaint all surfaces that need it – interior walls and ceilings if possible.
  • Depersonalize the house by removing all personal pictures. You want buyers to picture themselves in this home not you!
  • Place a nice fragrance in each room.
  • Keep lawn mowed, fertilized & SEVERELY edged. Shrubs should NOT block windows.
  • Weed flowerbeds and top-dress with fresh cedar mulch.
  • Plant colorful flowers everywhere possible.
  • Remove extra cans, boxes and containers from grounds. Keep one covered trash can in garage.
  • Keep patio swept clean and replace any worn outdoor furniture.
  • Clean out garage, workbench or shop area and only store things in neatly stacked boxes.
  • Minimize amount of furniture in each room and allow for unobstructed vision to corner areas.
  • Keep fresh, solid-color towels on bathroom racks.
For more practical tips, you can contact me at (613) 618-4082.  
 
Recently, Anita and I had a great travelling adventure visiting Quebec City where we experienced plenty of rich Canadian and world history, culture, food and tourist sites. 
 
Enjoy the newsletter!
 
 

Quote of the Month
 

A Laugh or Two for Good Measure!
What’s the Gig Deal?
Have you heard of that new band “1023 Megabytes”?
They’re pretty good, but they don’t have a gig just yet.
 
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Ghost on R&R
Q: Where does a ghost go on vacation?
A: Mali-boo.
 
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Letters Love
 
Wife: “How would you describe me?”
Husband: “ABCDEFGHIJK.”
Wife: “What does that mean?”
Husband: “Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous, and hot.”
Wife: “Aw, thank you, but what about IJK?”
Husband: “I’m just kidding!”
 

Helpful Life Hacks 
and Cartoon of the Month
       
 


Why Invest In Real Estate?
          If you are like most people, the idea of riding the stock market ‘roller coaster’ makes you feel a little queasy.  The highs can be a lot of fun, but the lows really give you a kickin’ (and there seem to be a lot more lows than highs for most investors).

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.
 

About Michael Arthur:

Who are we? Creative Real Estate Ventures is a real estate investment company. We have been actively involved in Ottawa area real estate investing for a number of years. Our mission is to provide quality housing for quality tenants, while at the same time providing an above-average return on investment (R.O.I) for our investor partners and ourselves. It is truly a win-win-win way of investing!

And if you are ready to find out more about our investment program, I invite you to contact me directly, and I will be happy to show you exactly how it works, either in person, by phone, or on-line.

You can email me at:
michael@michaelbarthur.com
or give me a call at 1-613-618-4082