The Riz Team Blog

Hunting for a new home online is a great place to start your search, but it should not be your end all be all. Good listing agents are excellent at highlighting the best features of the home, but keep in mind there may be more than meets the eye. To make the most of your time and efforts and gather a well-rounded picture of home listings online, keep the following three things in mind.

1. Stay up to date. When you start your search, make sure you find a site that pulls up-to-date listings directly from the multiple listing service (MLS) where real estate agents actively post their most current homes for sale. Many online resources update less often or fail to remove listings that are off the market, making it more difficult to sort through the clutter.
2. Pictures can be deceiving. Real estate photographers are experts at showing a home in the best possible light. Many use tools and strategies to boost appeal, such as a fisheye lens to make areas look larger and creative editing to make colors and textures really pop. But, often listings will not contain photos of unappealing parts of the home, like small closets or outdated bathrooms.
3. See it to believe it. Once you find what appears to be your dream home online, call up your real estate agent and schedule a showing. You want to take the opportunity to vet the home in person and explore every part of it before beginning the offer process. Your real estate agent will help you cover all your bases and will ask questions you may not have thought of.

A recent survey from the National Association of Realtors® revealed that 77 percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home makes it easier for potential buyers to visual it as their own. That’s why here at Breakthrough Broker, we believe staging is not to be overlooked! Here are our top tips.

1. Dress up your yard. First impressions count, and the first one your home gives comes from the exterior. Mow the lawn, clean up shrubbery, rake any leaves, clean the walkway and driveway, plant in-season flowers, and pull up any unsightly weeds.
2. Reduce personal items. Make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves making your house their home by removing personal photos and knick-knacks from shelves, walls, and counters. Instead replace them with clean, simple décor, such as abstract paintings, nature images, vases, plants, and more.
3. Organize your storage areas. Storage is a huge selling point. Tidy up and clear out the accessible closets and cupboards in the home and make sure to point them out during an open house or showing.
4. Appeal to the senses. Consider ways you can appeal to potential homebuyers’ other senses. During a viewing or open house, bake some fresh cookies or burn delicious smelling candles and play light, relaxing music in the background.
5. Consider turning to an expert. With their knowledge of current trends and great eye for design, professionally certified stagers can transform a home in a variety of ways and have a keen sense of what homebuyers want and expect in a home. Investing in hiring a pro may pay off in dividends.

KITCHENER WATERLOO HOME SALES RETURN TO MORE TYPICAL LEVELS IN 2018
Home Sales Dip in December, While Prices Increase

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (Jan 4, 2019) –– There were 5,823 residential homes sold through the Multiple Listing
System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® in 2018, a decline of 11.1 per cent
compared to 2017.

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NOVEMBER HOME SALES SECOND BEST ON RECORD

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (December 5, 2018) ––Last month a total of 483 residential properties sold in
Kitchener-Waterloo and area through the Multiple Listing System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo
Association of REALTORS® (KWAR). Home sales were up 14.2 per cent in November compared to the same
month last year, and up 19 per cent compared to the previous 10-year November average of 406 sales, making
it the second-best November on record.

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KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (November 5, 2018) ––REALTORS® sold 514 homes through the Multiple Listing
System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) in October, an increase of
7.8 per cent compared to October of last year.

Read Full Release Here!

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (October 5, 2018) ––REALTORS® sold 448 homes through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®
System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) in September, a decrease of 4.7 per cent compared
to September of last year.

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KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (September 6, 2018) ––

August home sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) were down 0.8 per cent compared to last month and up 4.8 per cent compared to August of last year. A total of 505 residential properties sold in August compared to 482 the same time last year.

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KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (August 2, 2018) ––

July home sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) were down 16.8 per cent compared to last month and down 10.6 per cent compared to July of last year.  A total of 504 residential properties sold in July compared to 564 in the same month last year.

Read the Full Release Here! 

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (June 4, 2018) –– Last month home sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) were up 12.5 per cent compared to last month and down 15.3 per cent compared to last year’s record-setting May.

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KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (May 3, 2018) –– In April, the 616 residential properties sold through the Multiple Listing System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) were up 13.7 per cent compared to last month and down 19.6 per cent compared to home sales a year ago. “Home sales in April were as brisk as the temperatures”, says Tony Schmidt, KWAR President. “While down from last year’s record breaking number of sales, it was a slightly more active April than average historically speaking.”

Read the Full Release Here!