Toronto-based, but living and working locally.
Serving Prince Edward County, Belleville, Napanee and surrounding areas.
Downsizing in real estate can be a significant decision, whether you’re an empty-nester looking to reduce your living space or someone seeking to simplify their life. Here are some of the best downsizing real estate topics to consider:
Benefits of Downsizing: Discuss the advantages of downsizing, such as lower costs, reduced maintenance, and a simpler lifestyle.
Plan of Action: Know where you are going to moving to. Do not leave it to last minute to call your real estate agent to list your house. Rushing to market unprepared can be a mistake that will cost you 1000s.
Choosing the Right Time: Explore when it’s the right time to downsize and the signs that indicate it might be time for a change.
Financial Considerations: Analyze the financial aspects of downsizing, including how to free up equity and make the most of your resources.
Finding the Perfect Smaller Home: Tips for selecting a smaller home that fits your needs and lifestyle.
Decluttering and Organization: Strategies for decluttering and organizing your belongings before and after downsizing.
Emotional Challenges: Address the emotional aspects of downsizing, including dealing with sentimental items and the psychological impact of a smaller living space.
Rightsizing vs. Downsizing: Explore the concept of rightsizing, which means finding the right-sized home for your current needs, rather than simply downsizing.
Senior Downsizing: Specifically, discuss downsizing considerations for seniors, including assisted living options and aging in place.
Estate Sales and Donations: Information on how to handle unwanted belongings, including selling items through estate sales or donating to charity.
Legal and Financial Planning: Tips on navigating legal and financial considerations when downsizing, such as estate planning, tax implications, and selling real estate.
Moving and Transition Services: Recommendations for moving companies and services that specialize in downsizing and transitioning to a smaller home.
Real Estate Market Trends: Information on current real estate market trends related to downsizing, including the availability and affordability of smaller homes.
Rightsizing for Families: Discuss how families can make the transition to a smaller home, including considerations for children and teenagers.
Community and Lifestyle: Explore the advantages of downsizing in different types of communities, such as urban, suburban, or retirement communities.
Home Renovation vs. Downsizing: Compare the costs and benefits of renovating your current home to meet your changing needs versus downsizing to a smaller property. Will the renovations you make impact the sale of your home in the future?
Downsizing Success Stories: Share stories of people who successfully downsized and improved their quality of life.
Local Downsizing Resources: Provide information on local resources, such as real estate agents, senior living facilities, and organizations that can help with downsizing.
Budgeting for Downsizing: Tips on creating a budget for the downsizing process and managing expenses.
Preparing Your Home for Sale: Guidance on preparing your current home for sale, including staging and marketing strategies.
Downsizing your home can be a significant decision, and selling your current home is a crucial part of the process. Here’s a guide on how to sell your home when downsizing:
Assess Your Goals: Clearly define your downsizing goals, whether it’s to reduce expenses, simplify your lifestyle, or move to a more suitable location. Knowing your objectives will guide your decisions throughout the process.
Choose the Right Time: Determine when it’s the best time to sell, considering the local real estate market conditions, your personal circumstances, and your readiness for the move.
Consult a Real Estate Agent: Hire an experienced real estate agent who specializes in your area. They can provide valuable insights, set the right price, and create a marketing plan tailored to your home.
Prepare Your Home: Make your home as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Clean, declutter, and depersonalize your space to help buyers envision themselves living there.
Minor Repairs and Updates: Address any necessary repairs or updates, such as fixing leaky faucets, repainting scuffed walls, or replacing outdated fixtures. These small investments can boost your home’s value.
Staging: Consider professional staging to showcase your home’s potential. Well-staged homes often sell faster and at higher prices.
Set the Right Price: Work with your real estate agent to set a competitive yet realistic price for your home. Overpricing can deter buyers, while underpricing may leave money on the table.
Market Your Home: Utilize online listings, high-quality photos, and virtual tours to market your home effectively. Your real estate agent will handle the marketing strategy.
Showings: Be flexible with showings to accommodate potential buyers. Ensure your home is clean and inviting for each viewing.
Negotiate Offers: Review and negotiate offers with the guidance of your real estate agent. Consider factors like price, contingencies, and closing dates.
Accept an Offer: Once you’ve accepted an offer, work closely with your agent to navigate the closing process. This includes inspections, appraisals, and any necessary paperwork.
Plan Your Move: As the closing date approaches, start planning your downsizing move. Decide what items you’ll take with you and what you’ll sell, donate, or discard.
Pack and Organize: Begin packing and organizing your belongings well in advance. Label boxes to make unpacking easier in your new home.
Notify Utility Companies: Inform utility companies, post office, and other essential services about your move to ensure a smooth transition.
Closing Day: On closing day, complete the necessary paperwork, hand over keys, and fulfill any final requirements. Celebrate the successful sale of your home.
Moving Day: Coordinate your moving day logistics, hire professional movers if needed, and settle into your new, downsized home.
Enjoy Your New Lifestyle: Embrace the benefits of downsizing, whether it’s reduced maintenance, lower costs, or a simpler life. Make the most of your new living space and community.
Remember that downsizing can be an emotional process, so take your time, seek support from friends and family, and focus on the positive aspects of your new chapter.
When it comes to selling your home, first impressions matter—a lot. That’s where home staging comes into play. Home staging is the art of preparing and presenting your property in a way that appeals to potential buyers. But why is it so important, and why does it work?
1. Maximizes Visual Appeal: Staging your home makes it visually appealing and welcoming. It helps buyers see the full potential of the space by arranging furniture, decor, and lighting to highlight its best features.
2. Enhances Online Listings: In today’s digital age, most buyers start their search online. Well-staged photos stand out and attract more views, increasing the chances of your home getting noticed in a competitive market.
3. Facilitates Emotional Connection: Staging helps buyers emotionally connect with your home. A well-staged living room can make them imagine cozy evenings, while a tidy, organized kitchen can inspire visions of family gatherings.
4. Defines Room Functionality: Buyers often struggle to envision how they would use a space. Staging clarifies room functionality and demonstrates potential layouts, making it easier for them to see themselves living there.
5. Highlights Property’s Best Features: Staging allows you to accentuate your home’s unique selling points. Whether it’s a beautiful fireplace, a spacious walk-in closet, or a stunning view, staging draws attention to these features.
6. Depersonalizes the Space: Removing personal items like family photos and personalized decor allows buyers to see the house as a blank canvas for their own style and preferences.
7. Creates a Memorable Experience: Potential buyers are more likely to remember a staged home compared to an empty one. This lasting impression can lead to a quicker decision and potentially a higher offer.
8. Promotes a Faster Sale: Staged homes tend to sell faster than non-staged ones. A quicker sale not only saves you time but also reduces carrying costs like mortgage and utilities.
9. Increases Perceived Value: Staging can help buyers perceive your home as more valuable. When they see a well-maintained, move-in-ready property, they may be willing to pay a premium for it.
10. Justifies the Asking Price: Buyers are more likely to justify the asking price when they see a home that feels well-cared-for and well-maintained through staging.
In conclusion, home staging isn’t just about decorating; it’s about selling a lifestyle and creating a memorable experience for potential buyers. It helps your property stand out in the market, accelerates the selling process, and often leads to more favorable offers. So, if you’re considering selling your home, investing in professional staging could be one of the smartest decisions you make. It’s an investment that pays off in both time and money.
Decluttering your home can be a transformative process that creates a more organized and peaceful living space. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to declutter effectively:
1. Set Clear Goals: Define your decluttering goals. What do you want to achieve? More space, reduced stress, or improved functionality?
2. Start Small: Begin with one room or area at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
3. Gather Supplies: Collect bins, bags, and labels for sorting items into categories like “keep,” “donate,” “sell,” and “discard.”
4. The Four-Box Method: As you go through each area, use the four-box method to categorize items quickly: Keep: Items you want to keep and use regularly. Donate: Items in good condition that you no longer need but could benefit others. Sell: Items you want to sell or consign. Discard: Items that are no longer usable and need to be thrown away.
5. Be Ruthless: Be honest with yourself. Ask, “Do I really need this?” and “Does it bring me joy?” when deciding what to keep.
6. Declutter by Category: Instead of decluttering by room, consider tackling items by category (e.g., clothing, books, electronics). This approach can be more efficient.
7. Prioritize Sentimental Items: Sentimental items are often the most challenging to declutter. Keep what truly holds meaning for you and let go of the rest.
8. Sort Paperwork: Organize paperwork into files, and shred or recycle unnecessary documents. Consider going paperless for bills and statements.
9. Create an Organizational System: Invest in storage solutions like bins, shelves, and drawers to keep your remaining items organized.
10. Minimize Duplicates: If you have duplicates of items, such as kitchen appliances or clothing, keep only what you use regularly and donate or sell the rest.
11. Digital Declutter: Clean up your digital life by organizing files and deleting old emails, photos, and apps you no longer need.
12. Maintenance Plan: Establish a maintenance routine to prevent clutter from building up again. Regularly reassess your possessions.
13. Dispose of Decluttered Items: Follow through with disposing of items in the “donate,” “sell,” and “discard” categories. Schedule a donation pickup or plan a garage sale if needed.
Every 30 seconds, a RE/MAX agent helps someone find their perfect place. With over 7,000 offices worldwide, RE/MAX serves home buyers and sellers closer to home.
With a presence in over 100 countries and territories, the RE/MAX network’s global footprint is unmatched by any other real estate brand.
Source: MMR Strategy Group study of unaided awareness.
RE/MAX agents worldwide sell more real estate than any other brand. As measured by residential transaction sides.
Over 90% of consumers will search online to find their home
REMAX.CA ATTRACTS MORE CONSUMERS THAN ANY OTHER REAL ESTATE FRANCHISE WEBSITE.
111,915+ Associates | 7,400 Offices | 100 + Countries
The Go-To Resource for Buyers and Sellers. One of the industry’s most visited franchise sites, remax.ca has received over 131 Million visits since site launch*.*site launched April 2016, data as of July 2017, Google Analytics WE HELP YOU CONNECT WITH THE ONE BUYER THAT IS PERFECT FOR YOUR HOME
Selling a home in Ontario involves several steps, from preparing your property for sale to completing the transaction. Here’s a general overview of the process:
Clarify your reasons for selling, set a timeline, and establish your financial objectives.
Select a licensed real estate agent with local expertise to guide you through the process.
Clean, declutter, and depersonalize your home to make it more appealing to potential buyers. Consider minor repairs and updates if necessary.
Work with your real estate agent to determine the optimal listing price. They will likely perform a comparative market analysis (CMA) to assess your home’s value.
Sign a listing agreement with your real estate agent, specifying the terms and conditions of the sale, including the listing price and commission.
Your agent will market your property through various channels, including online listings, open houses, and networking with other realtors.
Potential buyers will schedule showings. Your agent will help negotiate offers and provide guidance on accepting, countering, or rejecting offers.
Buyers may include conditions in their offers, such as a home inspection or financing approval. You can negotiate the terms and decide whether to accept these conditions.
Once both parties agree on the terms, the offer becomes firm, and you move forward with the sale.
You and the buyer will hire lawyers or notaries to handle the legal aspects of the transaction. They will review contracts, ensure all conditions are met, and prepare for the closing.
The buyer may arrange for a home inspection to assess the property’s condition. Any issues that arise may lead to further negotiations or adjustments to the sale price.
The buyer’s lawyer conducts a title search to ensure there are no outstanding liens or title issues. The buyer also secures mortgage financing if needed.
Prepare for closing costs, which can include legal fees, land transfer tax, real estate commissions, and other expenses.
Before closing, the buyer typically conducts a final walk-through to ensure the property is in the same condition as agreed upon in the offer.
On the agreed-upon closing day, ownership officially transfers to the buyer. Funds are exchanged, and the keys are handed over.
After the sale, you should cancel your home insurance, utilities, and notify relevant parties of your change of address.
The process of selling a home in Ontario can vary based on individual circumstances and market conditions. It’s essential to work closely with a qualified real estate agent and legal professionals to ensure a smooth and successful transaction.
We help you prepare your home for the market
Every Home and every buyer and seller is unique, which is why AG ensures every listing receives a personalize positioning review.
Alexandra, through consultation with the seller/client reviews goals and aspirations and uses this information to help formulate a positioning plan. Using all the visual and conversational data a custom marketing a positioning plan is developed. These plans includes a wide range of professional marketing and support solutions that AG customizes to each and every client.
Hiring a professional to do a deep clean of your home prior to listing is a great option. We partner with a local company and offer this service under some circumstances. This includes washing windows, baseboards, bathrooms, kitchens, light fixtures, flooring etc. It is important that the house is show ready when it is first listed. This is when you get the most action/viewings on your home and you want everyone to have positive things to say about it.
It is very important to know any issues about your home prior to listing. It’s best to deal with them prior to listing, but if we can’t, then price the home accordingly and let the buyer be aware of any issues prior to viewing the home or submitting an offer. Buyers will often try to negotiate a much larger reduction in price than what is required to take care of problems. If we price the home accordingly, or fix known issues prior to listing, this can help provide you with a more seamless transaction.
We help you prepare your home for the market
We have a professional staging service available to dress up your home. This is an optional service but we highly recommend it. When you’re dealing with such a significant financial transaction, you don’t want to settle for a lower selling price. We provide consultation for arranging house hold Items and furniture / décor / accent pieces brought to your home.
Buyers start searching for homes online and first impressions are very important. Buyers will skip past a home that does not present well with good visual content. Professional photography will draw them in, and if the pictures meet their approval, they will seek further verification in the virtual tours, and the written content describing the property. A listing with poor visual content will sit on the market for a much longer time period.
Homes with larger lots, extensive landscaping, out-buildings or unique location benefit from an aerial tour by drone.
Buyers want as much online information as they can possibly get before calling to book an appointment. Sometimes still-photos cannot represent the whole property well enough, so virtual tours are needed to show more content. We use 3D tours with floor plans so the buyer can virtually walk through the home, as well as video tours that allow the buyer to sit back and enjoy a tour without having to makes various directional “clicks”. Virtual Video Tours are more often viewed than still photos and written content so this is an important marketing feature to capture as many views online as possible. It is also easier for someone to sit back and watch a video than it is to browse through pictures and read written content.
Videos give a better representation of a home’s size, location and features and helps to bring the right buyers to view your home. That’s why we hire a professional team to make sure the video content is on-point to capture the Buyer’s attention.
403% More Inquiries for real estate listings that included a video than those without.
50X EASIER to have your listing ranked on a page 1 search on Google if it includes a video. Especially on Youtube since it is owned by Google.
88% MORE TIME: The average increase in the time a user spends on a website viewing a listing if it includes a video.
95% Viewers Retain 95% of a Message when they watch it on video.
1200% More likely to be shared on social media if it includes a video.
We help you prepare your home for the market
I create a custom feature sheet for your home that gives additional information about the home. I have these attached to all the listings online for the agent’s to download and are also left at the home for all buyers to take with them to remember the property.
Included are such items as:
• A list of upgrades to the home
• Features about the property that aren’t included on a standard MLS® form.
• Community Knowledge & Amenities
• Survey and Floor Plans
• Dimensions
• Utility Costs
Sometimes, despite all the efforts we make online and on print media, the “old fashioned” sign on the lawn does the trick. I like to make this as visible as possible. I hire a professional installer to mount the sign on a wooden post which helps all traffic clearly see that the property is for sale.
We use social media apps like Facebook and Instagram to advertise your listing, as well as Google Ads and Algorithms. With these platforms, we can target specific demographics, interests, locations and ages so ads are seen by the right buyers. The ads will automatically appear on a buyer’s newsfeed or on non-real estate sites that they are browsing. Why do we use this tool? For maximum exposure, all without having to “like” my pages or view my websites. I have sold many homes this way to buyers who were not even considering my area as an option to purchase in. Websites like realtor.ca offer only limited exposure since they are a map-based search… which means, if the buyer isn’t looking specifically in your area, they will miss your listing.
• google target ads
• facebook ads
• instagram ads
• homesforsalein-princeedwardcounty
• remaxhallmark
• remaxglobal.com
• remax.ca
• Exposure to markets in Toronto, Ottawa, York, Durham, Barrie, Simcoe
RE/MAX Hallmark® is a GTA-based brokerage which gives you exposure to this dynamic marketplace, but with local representation.
Alexandra has deep ties to the rural outskirts of Napanee, where she currently resides. Growing up in this serene environment, she has gained a profound understanding of rural living and cultivated strong connections within the local community. These connections extend not only to Napanee but also to Prince Edward County and the Quinte region.
Alexandra’s achievements in the real estate industry have earned her numerous prestigious awards from RE/MAX®, establishing her as a respected leader in the field.
Beyond her thriving real estate career, Alexandra cherishes her time spent with her family and two children. Her passions include gardening, golfing, and creating culinary delights in the kitchen.
As a dedicated Rotarian, Alexandra is committed to supporting her communities and the businesses that sustain them. She actively contributes by hosting monthly draws to highlight and support local businesses. Additionally, a portion of every sale she completes goes toward supporting the Children’s Miracle Network.
Alexandra prides herself on being open, honest, and transparent. If there’s anything you’d like to learn more about or discuss with her, rest assured she’ll provide you with the information you seek.
Meet Alexandra – your trusted partner in real estate.
We came to meet Alexa Grant through a referral. She came prepared at our initial meeting with all sorts of sales data and market research related to our particular location and property. Later that evening, she sent even more material to back up her suggested listing price. All this before we even decided to work with her. She and her two talented photographers pulled together excellent photography, drone photos, a video and feature sheets. Our property sold at asking price within 19 days. Alexa is incredibly hard-working and an absolute pleasure doing business with.
—Shawn Hiessler & Jack Bensimon
In February we reached out to Alexandra to assist with the selling of a parents home. She was responsive and very knowledgeable of the market conditions. She offered valuable opinions with staging the home and clearly understood what today’s buyers are looking for. Marketing photo’s and video’s were well done and focused on the homes strong aspects and potential. The house sold in March meeting our hopeful expectations. We absolutely recommend Alexandra Grant for home or property sales in the Napanee area. As a life local she understands the area and potential market. We would definitely return to her for any future real estate needs.
—Brenda & Brian Luffman
We chose Alexandra Grant as our Realtor to sell our severed lot because of her knowledge and detailed research, professionalism/communication, her dedication and hard work. Would highly recommend Alexandra to anyone looking to either buy/sell a house/property/or waterfront home.
Excellent job Alexandra…..Two thumbs up
—Laurell Lyman
We loved working with Alexa and were completely in sync from the beginning. We all agreed that potential buyers would likely come from a large urban centre like Toronto and Alexa set about developing a listing package with that in mind. She brought in a team of professionals to take photos, videos and even drone footage, and put together a spectacular multimedia package. We got an offer the first day the property was listed and accepted the offer from the buyer from Toronto at 99 percent of asking. Anyone would be fortunate to have Alexa as their agent.
—Norma & Jim
Alexandra has been showing me and my boyfriend homes for 2 years. She is always ready and willing to take us through any house we want to see and keeps us updated on what is on the market. She recently helped us purchase our first home. As first time home buyers we had many questions which she was always available and willing to answer. She is very professional and is great at her job. I cannot recommend her enough!
—Lisa McCracken
Alexa is a wonderful agent! She is honest, responsive and personable to work with! My husband and I are moving from Hamilton to Yarker and Alexa has made this transition for us to be a smooth and stress free as possible. I would absolutely recommend Alexa to anyone looking for a home!! She is a wonderful person and a great agent to have on your team!
—Sarah Palma
Awesome agent. Beautiful , professional and hard working. She is the best. Thank you Alexandra for working with us to sell our property.
—Nili Wagner
My husband and I met Alexa about a year ago while searching for a home. She came highly recommended to us by someone we trusted. I can’t say enough good things about her and our experience. Alexa makes home hunting fun and stress free like it should be. She is the main reason my husband and I are now in the house of our dreams. There really wasn’t a lot to choose from when we were looking but she knew exactly what we were looking for and didn’t stop until she found it. She obviously cares deeply about her client’s happiness. We were so lucky to have her as our agent. Thanks Alexa!!
—Joanna Lewis
Serving Prince Edward County, Napanee, Belleville and area.
