10 Steps To Sell Your House Fast in Canada

Are you looking to sell your house fast in Canada? Then you’re in the right place. In this ultimate guide, we take you step-by-step through the process. Plus, we give you online resources that will help get your home sold… fast!

Step 1: Find your realtor

The first step to selling your house fast is to decide if you want to sell privately vs. selling with a licensed realtor. Selling privately comes with lower fees, and more control during the selling process. But take into consideration the cons: it may take longer to sell, it’stime-consuming, there may be increased lawyer fees from additional paperwork the agent would have handled, negotiating is required, poor quality photography/videography can lead to less interest from buyers, no help with staging, buyer agents may be hesitant to show your FSBO listing to their clients, and in general it’s a more stressful sales process.

The pros of selling with a licensed realtor are: the possibility of a faster sale due to experience, trusted vendor recommendations, consistently good photos & video, negotiation on your behalf, assistance with staging, which all make for a less stressful sales process. The cons include the average commission that can be anywhere from 4-6% of the sale price of your home (commissions are negotiable), and having less control over the sales process.

Based on the above criteria, if you’re looking to sell your house faster, it’s likely in your best interest to work with a trusted realtor. The first step to finding the right real estate agent to work with is reading client reviews.

You can check out Google, Facebook, REW.ca and RankMyAgent.com for local Canadian real estate agent reviews. You should also ask friends & family for personal recommendations of stand-out agents they’ve worked with in the past.

Just because a real estate agent seems to be the biggest in an area doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be the best fit for your needs. Don’t discount smaller, more boutique brokerages and agents. They may be ready to give you more of their time and effort than a busier agent.

Step 2: Understand the costs required

There are many varied costs to consider when listing your home for sale in Canada. For example, realtor commissions can range anywhere from 4 to 6% on average and can legally be negotiated by the seller. Before you put your property up for sale, put some money aside in a savings account.

Chat with your lender’s mortgage representative to find out if you’ll be hit with any fees associated with the early prepayment of your mortgage loan. If you can instead port your mortgage to your next property, prepayment fees won’t apply.

Additionally, you should also get quotes from local moving companies. Be sure to check reviews of moving services on Google and Facebook before hiring anyone.

Hiring the wrong moving company can seriously throw off your moving plans, so do your research first and don’t hire the first company you find in the phone book. Again, friends and family are the best way to learn about movers that go the extra distance for their clients.

Step 3: Gather important documents to sell house fast

Collect any important documents including builder layouts, home improvement permits and receipts, land tax receipts, utility bills and warranties.

Compile any and all rental contracts. For example, many people are renting their hot water heater, water softener or furnace. These contracts can often be transferred to the new homeowner. But this isn’t always the case.

You should take the time to investigate whether the contract can be transferred. If it’s untransferable, you’ll most likely need to pay out the remaining term on the contract before closing.

Looking to make your sale as smooth as possible? A little planning ahead can go a long way. Taking the time to invest in an updated land survey & pre-listing home inspection report will give your buyers peace of mind and information about your home.

Step 4: Clean, declutter and repair your home to sell a house fast

Your home should first be decluttered as this will make the listing process significantly easier. Consider hiring a junk removal company to help you get rid of extra stuff taking up precious space in your home.

A bin rental service may also be helpful when completing any necessary decluttering of your home. Do a deep cleaning of your house, including the shampooing of any rugs, wiping down light switch plates and scrubbing the grout in your shower.

A great way to freshen your home is with a new paint job. It’s a relatively affordable and easy update to make when preparing to sell your house quickly. Fresh paint not only looks great but once dry, new paint helps a house smell fresher too.

Even if you’re rushing to sell your house fast, you should take the time to make any necessary updates or repairs such as replacing damaged baseboards, fixtures and burnt-out lightbulbs. 

Outside, clean up any dead leaves, trim your trees & shrubs, mow the grass and weed gardens & walkways. You may want to bring in a landscaping company to do a clean-up if you’re too busy to do it yourself. Consider re-paving or re-sealing your driveway for a cleaner look.

Pay attention to your roof. Either fully replace the roof or replace any missing shingles. Clean out the rain gutters.

Pressure washing can give your home an instant facelift. Dirt, algae and even mold are likely covering the exterior of your house. You can easily rent or borrow a friend’s power washer to freshen-up siding and blast away grime from dirty driveways, patios, decks and walkways.

Step 5: Stage your home for photos and videos

While there are important steps you can take to ensure potential buyers “see themselves” in the home (such as removing personal family photos), there are reasons a home should be fully staged. According to REALTOR.com, 20% of buyers agents say staging a home increase the price offered. This is because buyers don’t always have the best imaginations.

Furniture should be in place when buyers are viewing your home so they can quickly identify the purpose of each room. It’s easy to tell someone which room is the dining room and which is the family room, but it’s much better to show them staged rooms.

Next, your agent will arrange to have your home photographed. This is one of the most essential steps in listing your home for sale. Great photos and videos of your property are almost priceless.

Potential buyers perusing the MLS will see your home and form a first impression immediately. Make that impression a great one with the best quality photos & videos possible. A beautifully-shown home sells a lot faster and for more money than homes with poor-quality photos and videos.

Step 6: Price your home correctly for the current real estate market

If you want to sell your house fast, too often the incorrect price will lead to a slower sales process. Pricing your home too high will often result in fewer showings and more cumulative days on market.

Pricing correctly is both an art and a science. Your realtor will study recent local sales of similar homes in your area to come up with the appropriate listing price.

It’s important when interviewing agents that you hire a realtor who is educated about your local real estate market. You should be able to trust your agent’s opinion of the valuation of your home and the reasoning behind their recommended listing price strategy.

Step 7: Decide whether or not to hold offers to sell a house fast

Depending on your local market, your real estate agent may suggest you hold offers. Holding offers means that the seller gives written instruction to the agent not to present any offers before a certain date & time. At offer time, offers will be presented to the seller and negotiations begin.

If the speed of the sale is your main concern, you may not want to hold offers even if that’s what the agents in your city are doing. This is because it delays an interested buyer from submitting a serious offer quickly.

But, holding offers may be more likely to result in multiple competing bids from different buyers. The sales technique of holding offers is best discussed with your realtor. Trust their opinion as they study the local market daily and should be able to tell you if holding offers will or won’t benefit the quick sale of your home.

Step 8: List your house and prepare for showings

Maintaining a clean, presentable house is important during the time that your house will be shown to buyers. Make yourself a short pre-showing checklist with reminders to do things like empty the garbage, wipe the counters and tuck away any toiletries or towels. 

When it comes to your availability for buyer showings, you should make your home as available as possible. Try to set the showing hours between 9 am and 9 pm daily.

Encourage your agent to host open houses on the weekends to engage as many potential buyers and agents as possible. Remember to be patient! It can take time in a slower market to sell your home but don’t lose hope.

Simply ask your real estate agent how long houses similar to yours are currently sitting for sale on the MLS before selling. This will give you a realistic ballpark expectation of how many days you’ll need to allow showings before receiving an acceptable offer.

Step 9: Discuss offers and negotiate

When it’s time to present offers, your agent will work to negotiate a deal in your best interest that is also pleasing to the buyer. Keep in mind that the most serious buyers tend to offer sooner than later, so don’t assume the first offer won’t be the best one.

Never turn down an offer flat-out and remember that this is business. Don’t get emotional about the deal. Always try and sign back the offer with more preferable terms, even if that means signing back at the list price or higher.

Your buyer may submit an offer that has conditions. Some common conditions you’ll encounter include a home inspection condition, financing condition (securing a mortgage) or a sale of buyer’s property condition.

All conditions must be fulfilled by the date stated on the agreement of purchase and sale (APS). Once notices of fulfillment have been delivered to the appropriate persons, the deal will become firm.

Step 10: Accept an offer and prepare for closing

Congratulations! You’ve come to agreeable terms with a buyer and you’ve sold your house to the right people.

Now, to prepare for a nice smooth closing, you’ll need to hire a local real estate lawyer or get a notary. They will take care of many items on your closing day checklist, including but not limited to the title search and disbursement of funds on closing day.

Your real estate agent will ask to be put in contact with your real estate lawyer or notary so they can forward all necessary paperwork well in advance of the closing date. For example, the agent will forward the lawyer the APS and any other forms legally required by your local real estate association.

Next, you should pack your belongings ahead of time so you’re not scrambling at the last minute on closing day. Also, ensure any movables and fixtures included in the sale are in working order up until the agreed-upon completion date stated in the APS.

10-week Canadian home seller’s checklist