Your plan
The Right-Size Plan
The house has done its job. The next chapter can be lighter.
You have earned an easier day to day, and the move itself can be handled for you. Below is the whole process laid out honestly, including what it costs, what usually goes wrong, and roughly how long each part takes. Read it, keep it, and take as long as you like.
How it actually goes
Week one
Know your numbers first
- We walk the home with you and give you two figures: what it would sell for as it stands, and what it would likely bring after preparation.
- Alongside that, what the preparation would actually cost, so you can see whether it is worth it.
- We work out what you would net after our fee, legal fees and costs, which is the number that actually matters.
- You get a realistic timeline for the whole thing. There is no charge for any of this, and nothing is listed until you say so.
Weeks two to six, entirely at your pace
Sorting, keeping what matters
- Room by room, never on a deadline. We start wherever feels easiest.
- We help you think in terms of the next home, since most next homes are smaller than people picture.
- We arrange donation pickups, removal and shredding, and set aside anything worth appraising.
- Family can take what they would like, and we can coordinate that too.
- Consignment for individual pieces that will sell better in a shop than in a bulk lot.
- An online contents auction where there is genuine volume or collectible interest.
One honest warning. The market for brown furniture and china cabinets is very soft. Most contents are worth less than families hope, and knowing that early saves months of trying. The full sequence is on our downsizing and moving page.
Weeks four to eight
Preparing the home, only where it pays
- We give you a short list of what genuinely improves the price, and tell you plainly what to skip.
- We line up and oversee the cleaning, the small fixes, the paint and the staging, using trades we trust.
- You approve every quote before work starts. We meet the crews so you do not have to.
- Professional photography, and the listing prepared properly before it goes anywhere.
Weeks eight to twelve, and beyond as needed
Selling, and landing somewhere
- The home is listed and marketed, and we handle the showings so you are not tidying for strangers.
- We review offers together and negotiate on your behalf.
- We help line up the timing between selling this home and moving into the next, including bridge options if the dates do not match.
- We coordinate movers and the closing so you are never caught between two homes.
Who does what
We handle
- Valuing the home, prepared and as is, with the net figure
- Coordinating sorting, donations, removal and cleaning
- Repairs, paint and staging, with quotes for your approval
- Photography, listing, marketing and showings
- Negotiating offers and coordinating closing dates
- Helping find and time the next home, if you would like us to
You decide
- What comes with you and what does not
- Whether to prepare the home or sell it as it stands
- The pace, which is yours to set
- Where you are going next, and when
How the costs work
You only pay for the services you choose, and we get you clear quotes before anything starts, so there are no surprises. Our fee is agreed in writing before the home is listed, and it is only earned when the home sells. Nothing above is a commitment until you say so.
What we would steer you away from
Renovating the kitchen before selling
It feels like the responsible thing and it almost never pays for itself. Paint, lighting, cleaning and small repairs return far more per dollar. Put the difference toward the next home.
Underestimating how long sorting takes
Thirty or forty years in one house is usually four to eight weeks of sorting, not a couple of weekends. Families who plan for that stay calm. Families who do not end up rushing at the worst moment.
Selling before having any idea where you are going
You do not need the next home chosen, but you do need to know the shape of it and roughly what it costs. Bungalows and single level homes in particular are in short supply and go quickly.
Assuming you have to move out before listing
You do not. Most people stay in the home right through the sale, and we work around your life while it is on the market.
Questions people ask at this stage
Do I need to find my next home before I sell this one?
Not necessarily, but you should know what you are looking for and what it costs. We will map the timing with you, including what happens if the dates do not line up neatly.
Do I have to pay for the repairs and staging up front?
You only pay for services you choose, and you see quotes before anything starts. Talk to us about timing, because there is often flexibility in when costs land.
Is it worth preparing the home, or should I just sell "as is"?
Sometimes "as is" genuinely is the right answer, and we will say so. It depends on three things. What the work would actually add to the sale price, which is rarely what people assume. Whether the money to do it is available now, since preparation is paid up front and recovered at closing. And whether you have the time and the appetite to have trades in the house at all, which matters more if you are doing this from out of province, working full time, or caring for someone. We price it both ways before you decide: what the home would likely fetch as it stands, and what it would likely fetch prepared, with the cost of that preparation itemised. If the gap does not justify the work, we will tell you to sell it as it is.
What if I go through all this and decide to stay?
Then you stay, in a home that is tidier and in better repair, and it happens more than you would think. You owe us nothing, because our fee is only earned when a home sells. What would still be payable is any work already carried out: if the painters have painted or the trades have been in, those invoices stand. We would go through exactly where things sit before you decide, so there is nothing to find out afterwards.
The honest part
Preparing a home usually earns back more than it costs, but not always, and we will tell you honestly when it is not worth the effort. We would rather lose the extra work than have you spend money that does not come back to you at closing.
Tip: choose "Save as PDF" to keep a copy, or forward it to family.
Ready when you are.
The next step is a walkthrough and your two numbers, at no cost. Call us on 905-806-6668 whenever it suits you, evenings and weekends included.