One question many private sellers ask is "How long will it take me to sell?"

The answer: "That depends." There are many factors within your control that will help you sell your home quicker. Some sellers may take days, and others will take months. But properly priced home should sell within four weeks under normal market conditions. If it's taking you longer, then consider these points and what you can do to speed things up.

Curb appeal

The first thing a prospective buyer will notice as they approach your home is its 'curb appeal'. Are your windows washed? Has your garden been trimmed? Is your front hallway freshly painted, well lit, and free of cobwebs? These minor cosmetic fixes can make a significant impact on your sale.

The Price Is Right

This is a critical when it comes to selling, and often the most difficult for the "for sale by owner' to evaluate because of emotional ties and lack of industry knowledge and experience. Getting a market analysis to objectively compare your home with others that have sold, can help strategically determine you selling point. You don't want to discourage prospective buyers by pricing too high.

But there are also factors, that are not under your control, that as a "FSBO" you should be aware about.

Market demand

If you area is in demand, and there is lack of supply of homes available in your neighbourhood, then you are in a 'seller's market'. The are few homes available for the demand from buyers, and you should sell quick and receive a good offer. On the other hand when supply outwieghs the demand, then it will probably take longer to sell, and you may have to accept less than your anticipated.

Economic influences

Local jobs, city development, fluctuating interest rates also influence your sale. When interest rates increase then there will be fewer people who can afford to borrow more. And if the area's largest employer closes its doors, and jobs are lost then fewer people will be in the market to buy a new home. Monitor current property sales and do some research on your own to get a accurate representation of whats happening in your market.

This recent article in the Globe & Mail, confirms that the Niagara Area residential real estate market will remain strong in 2008.  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080227.RREALESTATE0127/TPStory/Business

The Niagara Area provides great value and affordability, especially for the retiring baby boom generation seeking to retire from larger urban areas where property values have climbed in recent years. With a good inventory of homes, easy access to the US border, and nearby casinos and golf courses, Niagara provides a perfect dream retirement community. 

Private home sellers have much to gain from this migration into the St Catharines Area, since it's expected that housing prices will continue to increase.

If you're a considering retiring and buying or selling a home in Niagara, HomesByOwner.com Area can help connect you to local professionals that can assist you in all aspects of your planning, and make your transition smooth as possible!

HomesByOwner.com, the North Americas’ largest national network of local For Sale By Owner Web sites, recently announced its new HomesByOwner.com-branded e-publisher in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

“HomesByOwner.com empowers local FSBO publishers like me to own a ‘For Sale By Owner’ business and provides us with the technology and large-scale marketing muscle to help us be successful,” partners of Niagara Advisors Network said. “HomesByOwner.com is the oldest FSBO site there is, making it a real resource for that market. We look forward to a long, successful relationship with HomesByOwner.com.”

The company will have exclusive rights to the St Catharines - Niagara Area on the HomesByOwner.com national Web site, which includes US and Canadian cities. Information on homes  will also be available on the site to provide maximum exposure for sellers.

"To us, it just made sense to have local companies servicing sellers’ needs, offering customers national exposure with local experts, and territory exclusivity is a part of that,” said company partner Wayne Strobel. “The concept of granting exclusive rights to local companies has long been the foundation of HomesByOwner.com. All our affiliates – branded and not branded – receive the same exclusive rights.”

HomesByOwner.com is not a franchise; the site is provided at a low monthly fee to licensees, or affiliates, which typically include publishers, mortgage brokers, reduced-rate real estate brokers and entrepreneurs. The site is present in more than 685 metropolitan areas across the United States, and it has almost 200 sites locally owned and managed. The company expanded to Canada in February 2007.

HomesByOwner.com has been the Web site of choice of For Sale By Owner professionals since 1995. It is the oldest and most established FSBO Web site in existence, according to company partners. More than half of the nation's FSBO magazine publishers choose HomesByOwner.com to display their properties.

For more information on HomesByOwner, please visit http://www.homesbyowner.com.

The proposal is effective for Agreements of Purchase and Sale entered into after December 13, 2007, and 

• Refund claims will be accepted by the Ministry of Revenue.
• Refunds will be issued once the proposal becomes law.
• Refunds must be applied for within 18 months of transfer and registration of the home.
• All refund claims are subject to audit.
• Certain documentation must be submitted.

An eligible First Time Buyer is an individual who:

1. Is at least 18 years of age,
2. Has never owned a home anywhere in the world, and
3. Whose spouse has not owned an eligible home anywhere in the world while he or she was a spouse of the individual.

An eligible resale home can be:

• a detach house, a semi-detached house, a  townhouse, a condominium unit,
• a residential unit that is a duplex, triplex or fourplex,
• a mobile home that complies with the Canadian Standards Association Standards and suitable for year-round, permanent residential occupation,
• a partial ownership interest of real property acquired to inhabit a housing unit that’s part of the real property;
• a manufactured home, defined in Land Transfer Tax Act,
• a stock share or shares of a co-operative corporation if acquired to inhabit a housing unit,
• any other residential property that may be prescribed.  

Occupation Requirements

The Buyer must occupy the home as his or her principal residence within 9 months after the date of property transfer