Success Stories
The stories behind the sales
I’m sharing these stories so you can see the challenges other families faced when selling their home. You’ll see you’re not alone in your situation - navigating each individual situation involves a collaborative, well thought through plan.
Retiring to a small town from Toronto
Congratulations to myclients for getting their retirement property in Wiarton. Here’s what their retirement journey looked like.
They bought their homeabout 10 years ago in multiple offers (yes multiple offers have been happening for a long time in Toronto) Over the years they did updates to perfect it for market; including finish the basement & renovating bathrooms. About2 years ago they had a plan to move to Wiarton to be near family. To do this they spent about 6 months getting their house showing ready and we proceeded to sell first.
Once they gave me aheads up they were selling this spring, I joined the local real estate board, ITSO to send them listings & get up to speed with prices and properties in the area.
Once their Toronto home sold, It took acouple of trips up there to get the perfect home, but after our first journey,the ideal property came on the market and we snapped it up. A thoughtful offer well presented was accepted and I think they got a very good deal.
This house is also on municipal water andsewers which makes the transition to a small town easy. And Wiarton is lovely; right on the water -and it has a huge bonus - a hospital in town. For those that have moved up north, health care can be trickier than ina city, so this is a big deal. And moving allows them to be not only mortgage free, but have some money in their pocket.
If retiring to a small town is of interest to you, the pros are:
1. More money in your pocket as prices homeprices are lower
2. A sense of community that may be lacking in a large city
3. Lower cost of living
The cons can be:
1. Depending on where you are, there may be fewer essential services may near by; especially related to healthcare/aging
2. My observation is homes in smaller towns tend not to be as 'done' or 'fancy' as in the city - especially modest ones
3. You may need to deal with things like well water or septic tanks
I have also done a blog post on things to consider moving to a smaller town; if you're interested - the link is here:
https://www.suesellsscarborough.com/Blog/3-pitfalls-to-avoid-when-moving-to-a-small-town
How do you work with a realtor if you’re buying out of their area of expertise?
As a realtor we are not supposed to work outside of our expertise, as it’s our fiduciary responsibility to our clients to act with their needs first. But what if they know and trust you and don’t want to work with anyone else?
First I’d have a discussion about the pros and cons. Out of town properties can have many differences between city ones, and I’d discuss what the best way to serve them might be. You may also be surprised to know there is not just one real estate board that serves all of Ontario. There are several boards and notall of the properties listed show up on every board.
Once they decided on this move I joinedITSO - which is the real estate board that covers this area of Ontario. That way I could send them listings andfollow the market there closely.
They chose Wiarton so they could be close to family.
Other ways for your realtor of choice to help you move out of area:
have your realtor interview local agents andreferring them to someone in that region. Quite often our clients want us to benefit financially, and rest assuredwe have agreements in place to ensure it’s fair practice.
I've done both referrals and out of townpurchases successfully.
Condos come in different flavours!
This lovely townhouse is actually a condo! Located in Henderson Place Ajax, my clients purchased this home this past spring. Close to the GTA there are several similar developments at different price points, ownership structures & amenities.
This is an enclave of 49 homes near Harwood & Hwy 2. This gated community features a clubhouse, social calendar and private parkette.
Other communities include Swan Lake in Markham and Lynde Creek Village in Whitby (life lease properites) .
I’m happy to buy you a coffee (or tea) and explain the differences
416-562-5002!
An active retiree downsizing story
This client was referred to me by a past client who downsized last year. They had been thinking of downsizing for several years and had explored condo living before we met.
Together we viewed several condos; this client, while a senior was very active and youthful - they felt that condo living just didn’t give them enough value to make the leap. In addition, they needed garage space for at least 2 vehicles.
After a few months of searching we successfully negotiated a spacious townhouse with a double car garage close to his existing home.
By paying attention to the market conditions, we even got it for a bit less than we anticipated (in fact as I write this post 5 months afterwards — he paid less than a substantially smaller townhouse that just sold)
Decluttering & preparing his load home for sale came next; while the market had turned we were still able to adjust strategies and achieve multiple offers!
The moral of the story? Sometimes it’s not about identifying possibilities - it’s about eliminating what doesn’t spark joy. Don’t let others to find your downsizing goals; work with someone who helps you navigate the process!
829 Huntingwood, Scarborough
This is an interesting story. My client chose to list with a different realtor in spring 2022. The house didn’t sell. I would say the housing market at that time was average. After a month the house was taken off the market.
Come June 2022 my client decided to move forward with my services. Part of the issue with the first sale was that the house needed updates & they had chosen to sell as-is.
For sale of the story, I’ve put some pictures. #1 is the first listing photos; #2 are my photos.
First we set a budget for updates & prioritized: flooring, painting & removing old baseboard heaters. Then we got 3 quotes.
It was a lot of work decluttering & clearing the house, my client got a storage unit to help.
The result was we achieved & surpassed the price the home had been listed for in 2022, even though 2023 was a softer market overall. Here’s what the client said:
“Following a very disappointing experience with another realtor we engaged Sue to list our property.
Sue produced results! We accepted an offer 30% over asking!
We were listing a dated property during a market downtrend with no idea what to do or how to have it done.
Sue rolled up her sleeves, identified what was required, and proceeded to obtain quotes, help us select trades people, and made sure the work was satisfactorily performed and completed on time.
Sue was always available and on hand to provide “muscle”. Sue and her team provided so much physical help and support organizing, packing, and physically moving things which we seniors were unable to do.
When our cleaning lady was unable to help the day before staging, Sue physically cleaned our 4 bedroom house, washed the windows, by herself, to be sure our staging and listing dates were met.
The staging was a work of art.
We received multiple offers, culminating in a very satisfactory transaction.
We highly recommend Sue Anfang , and will always be very grateful for her help”
What my client said
Here’s what my lovely client that sold the house in the previous post said about working with me:
I made a brilliant choice in choosing Sue as my agent. I lived in my house over 47 years. Now alone, with my husband in LTC, beginning to finally look after myself, sell the house and rent a condo.
Where to begin? I checked out a number of agent but they gave me a nagging defensive feeling.
Last summer, I heard of a downsizing workshop. It was hosted by such a welcoming pair, Sue and Clare. This was my introduction to Sue Anfang and no turning back.
She suggested I wait until Spring(realizing there was a lot of territory to cover). The next 6 months I fired questions at her, through all forms of media. She responded immediately, a bottomless pit of information, always transparent and straight forward. She is so intuitive with her training and expertise in moving seniors. She came over, took out my garbage, dragged mattresses to the curb, painted my window sills, etc. etc.
She drove me in an all day downpour during rush hour across the city to view condos. Right on the button with the listing, which sold in 3 days. Thanks, Sue!
280 Beechgrove, West Hill Scarborough
I met my client at one of my downsizing seminars. She was at a bit of a loss where to start to get her home ready to sell. She had been through a lot lately, including a long commute from Scarborough to Mississauga where her husband was in a LTC.
First we did a MaxSold content sale to clear the unwanted items. Then we painted and replaced some light fixtures to freshen up the home, with a goal of creating a cohesive experience for buyers (the house had some very customized features that needed to be toned down). Then our stagers worked magic!
The reel-style video had a remarkable 1000+ viewings in 3 days.
The result was attracting several buyers within the first few days that offered on the house - which was priced at what we felt was market value - and selling slightly over the asking price.
When I asked her what advice she’d have for others in her situation she said:
Real estate now days is a complicated and involved process, so find someone like Sue that can help you through all the steps.
Sort through your belongings in stages. As you move forward you will change how you value things. It will take longer than you think because it will bring up lots of emotions
14 Langevin, Centennial Scarborough
When these clients approached me, they had a very specific plan in mind, to purchase a condo in Gates of Guildwood, then sell their house.
The first thing we did after they chose me to represent them was to tour several different condos to compare layouts & floor plans. We chose a specific floor plan as the perfect one!
Unfortunately there were none on the market. So I got to work, hand writing over 70 letters to suite owners of that model, as well as speaking to my realtor network. We found the perfect one and negotiated a good price.
In the meantime we set the financial foundation to make sure they could purchase the condo and carry their house for a few weeks. Working with my trusted mortgage broker, we were able to purchase the condo with confidence.
During the condo search timeframe, we decluttered their home using MaxSold, and did some painting to neutralize bold colours. Then my home stagers did a beautiful job getting the house showing ready.
The result was several offers, selling over asking in a tough market.
My clients were so happy with the results, they hired my stagers to design their new home!
Here’s what they had to say:
Bonnechere Cres, Bendale Scarborough
Family Story:
A well loved home since the 1970’s a combination of owner’s health issues (one used a mobility scooter in the house which causes a lot of wear and tear on the house) & some undesirable basement ‘guests’ meant the house had fallen into disrepair over the years.
The challenge:
Removing unwanted ‘tenants’ from a home is always a challenge, whether they are paying rent or not! The home also had a geothermal heating & cooling system, which is unique, but unique features sometimes cause fear in buyers. The biggest challenge was to improve the look of the home to appeal to as many buyers as possible in a declining real estate market.
The house was cleared, cleaned, painted and light fixtures were replaced. An agressively low list price strategy was adopted to ensure maximum exposure.
The results: over 40 showings in a week resulted in multiple offers and a sale of just over $1M
Lillington Ave, Birch Cliff
Family Story:
This spacious home had been kept immaculately by the original owners for the past 40 years.
The Challenge:
A quick decision to move meant the family needed someone who could come in and get the house sold fast!
A full marketing pakage, including a home inspection, staging, video & print was pulled together in a week.
The results:
In a changing market this resulted in 3 bully offers!
I think the key to success here was being able to mobilize quick preperation & beautiful presentation.
The clients said: Sue is simply FANTASTIC! She fully understood our needs, and was extremely communicative. She looked after everything from begining to end, making it feel seamless to our family with a complicated moving situation. If you ever have the chance to list with Sue, we can't suggest anyone better for the job!
Ravenview Dr., West Hill
Family Story
The long-time owners moved into an apartment and found clearing of the house too overwhelming to deal with. When I met them they needed someone to step in to deal with the clutter, clearing, cleaning, painting and staging.
The Challenges
With busy family too far to help, we first cleared contents with a bin, then painted, cleaned & staged the home to sell.
The Results
This home sold just as the market was taking a pause - lower showings than usual. However aggressive marketing resulted in almost 300 video views on YouTube, and multiple offers & a sale price of 110% of list price.
Dunstall Crescent, West Hill
Family story
The homeowner passed away in March 2020, his daughter, the Estate Trustee moved into the home to prepare the house for sale while working a full time demanding job from the home.
The Challenges:
Clearing and preparing the home. Last minute decision to remove dated wallpaper & paint. I managed the trades & helped the homeowner clear extra household items. Housing market slightly cooling. Home was fully staged to sell.
Results:
Aggressive marketing, pricing strategy & negotiating resulted in a bully offer after 2 days in an uncertain & possibly changing housing market, achieving target price & closing date.osing date.
Rolling Meadows,
Centennial
This home had been in the family since the 1970's. The owners were tidy, but had accumulated a lot of items that needed purging. They had bought a home and had a deadline to meet to sell their property. They were very sentimental about their belongings; they also loved the house but needed to sell because of health issues. The home needed certain areas updated to net top price. During the sale the market was stable, a balanced buyer/seller market.
The Challenges:
Homeowners had a lot of clearing out to do that required hands on help
Need to net a certain price to maintain their lifestyle during retirement
The homeowners were very sentimental and it was a challenge for them to work on a deadline to de-clutter
Homeowners required a lot of gentle support as the move was very stressful & overwhelming
We were on a deadline to sell as they had purchased a property
Actions
Provided hands-on help in decluttering
Brought in trades to update basement rec room (these pictures show before and after)
Did a pre-home inspection
Home staging incorporating homeowners cherished belongings
Worked closely with their family to achieve their goals
Provided a lot of emotional support to the homeowners who were understandably stressed with the life-changing decisions
Had the stagers assist with unpacking and setting up their new home so they would feel happy
Results:
2 Offers, 101% over asking
19% higher than average sale in that MLS district for 3 bedroom homes that month: $836,000
Guildwood Parkway, Guildwood
This home had been in the family since the 1970's. The owners had passed away, but were avid shoppers, gardeners and collectors. The son and his wife were responsible for clearing and selling the home. They live in Waterloo with full time jobs and were only able to be at the house part time to clear it out. They had never sold or bought property before and it was overwhelming and unfamiliar to them. The house was on the market in a balanced, stable market.
Actions
Assisted with de-cluttering and disposing of items
Advised of updates including staging plan to appeal to buyer (move up homeowners in the area & families moving from downtown/Beaches/Condos)
Did a pre-home inspection
Home staging incorporating homeowners furniture
Staged dining room as a home office (Covid work from home space) and moved dining room to another space. This also eliminated any issue with the dining room facing the bus stop - which was a concern
Worked closely with their family to achieve their target price
Exclusive marketing and agent networking resulted in 6 showings before MLS & one offer
Results:
3 Offers, 99% of list price Sold in 2 days; area average at that time was 4 days; with many Guildwood homes priced over a million being re-listed (sometimes several) times before selling
Ramblewood Dr,
Pickering
This home had been in the family since the 1980's. The home was custom built for them, the son and his Mother were still living in the house.
They had never sold or bought property before (the father, who had passed away many years ago had done that) and it was overwhelming and unfamiliar to them. The son was retiring up north and both he and his Mom had reserved new apartments to be near other family, so this was both a big move and a downsize for Mom. The house was for sale during a strong sellers market.
Challenges:
Other than the furnace, washer & dryer, all the elements in the home were original, the house was spotless
They did not want to renovate as it was a hot sellers market
There was water damage to the basement parquet
House was well maintained but had original features (like windows) that might impact sale price - with a 3,000+ sq ft home, the renovations can add up in the buyers mind
lawns/lanscaping had been a little neglected
Actions
Minor repairs & painting of the
The realtor behind the sales
Please enjoy this little video to ‘meet’ me virtually!
Sue Anfang
Cell: 416-562-5002
Office: 416-465-4545
Keller Williams Advantage Realty Inc, 1238 Queen St. E, Unit B, Toronto M4L 1C8
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