Selling your home in Penticton and the South Okanagan

A lot of the sellers I work with have been in their house a long time. Here is how I would take you through it, in order, with the detail on my blog for each step. I walk the house before we talk price, and I will tell you what is wrong with it before a buyer’s inspector does.

1. Decide whether it is time

The house question and the life question are different questions. Answer the second one first.

• When is it time to leave the family home
• Is now a good time to sell in Penticton?

2. Know what the house is worth, and why

Your assessment is not your price. What comparable homes actually sold for is the starting point, and then the condition of your house moves it.

• What your home is actually worth in Penticton
• Why your BC Assessment is not your sale price

3. Know what is in your house before a buyer does

Whoever learns about a problem first controls the conversation about it. On an older house I run the same list every time.

• What to check in an older South Okanagan home
• Should you get a pre-listing home inspection
• Poly B plumbing when you sell your home
• 60 amp electrical service and why insurers care
• Buried oil tanks in Penticton
• Vermiculite and asbestos in older homes

4. Fix what matters, leave what doesn’t

Renovate less than you think, and fix more than you think. Repairs that remove a buyer’s reason to walk away almost always pay. So do cleaning, decluttering and getting the light in. A new kitchen usually does not.

• What to fix before you list, and what to leave
• Should you renovate before selling

5. Know what it costs and what you keep

Know what comes off the sale price, and whether any tax applies, before you list, not at closing. For your own numbers, talk to your accountant.

• What it actually costs to sell a house in BC
• Capital gains when you sell your home in BC
• The BC home flipping tax

6. Sell first or buy first

If you are moving within the valley, the order matters as much as the price.

• Sell first or buy first when you are downsizing
• Making the dates work when you sell and buy

7. Once it is listed

What happens week by week, how showings work while you still live there, and how to read an offer when one comes in.

• What happens once your house is listed
• Showings while you still live in the house
• How to read an offer on your house

Thinking about selling? I’ll walk the house with you before we talk numbers. Email dano007@shaw.ca or call 250.488.0226. Or start with a home evaluation.

Nothing on this page is legal, tax or lending advice. Talk to your lawyer, accountant and lender about your own situation.