In the age of consumerism, the buyer of today is comparison shopping, believing that if he/she looks at a good cross section of the homes available on the market that they will find the perfect home, in perfect condition, with all the features they are looking for at a price they can afford.

As a potential buyer arrives at your property and sees the outside for the first time, they are judging, this is called curb appeal. As they walk into your home they are making further decisions in the blink of an eye that affect how they will view your home. Many people can not see past general decor and condition, even to the point that if they don't like your wall colors or the home is cluttered, they won't really be considering making an offer. Even odors, which you may be familiar with and not notice, such as a doggy smell, will likely 'turn-off' potential buyers. Remember they are trying to imagine themselves living there. You have to be sure there is nothing that will make that image less than perfect.

So what to do in this high stakes game? Vendors are often unwilling to make improvements in their home before marketing it. You should realize it's not what it costs you, but rather how the improvements will enhance your PEI home and increase its value as well as generally increasing your chances of a quick sale. In some cases vendors are doing major improvements to a home to increase its value and generally new kitchens and bathrooms bring the greatest rate of return. While we aren't discussing renovations here, it does pay to keep in mind that bathrooms and kitchen are very important spaces and will substantially affect you chances of an offer.

So how do you enhance the perceived value of your home? Let's look at curb appeal first, how a buyer will view your home and property when they first draw up to the curb. The grounds should look well cared for. This means ensure that the lawn is cut, hedges and shrubs are trimmed and not overgrown, and flower beds are weeded and edged. If your home is being shown in fall or winter then make sure that the driveway and paths are free of leaves and if it has snowed that they are cleared of snow. In addition to good exterior housekeeping, make any required exterior repairs such as eaves trough and downspouts, shutters, cracked drive or walkways, as well as touching up paint and making sure that the garage is clean and tidy.

When visitors first enter your home you want to create a "buying mood". In other words you want to make them think they want to live there. This can be accomplished by making sure that lights are turned on and drapes are open during the day, the home is adequatey heated or air conditioned, if you have a fireplace you may light a fire, some people even think that the lingering smell of baking helps. The point is making the home inviting. Clean and freshen the bathroom, the stove and fridge as buyers will open these appliacnes and look, vacuum carpets, wash floors, you as well as your home are on display. Then leave! Do not be present when a realtor brings clients to show your home as your presence will inhibit buyers and they will not be able to talk freely with their realtor.

Now of course homes that are in good repair are much more likely to impress potential buyers, and result in an offer. Make sure that you have repaired leaky taps and toilets, clean furnace and filters, tighten door knobs and cupboard latches, repair cracked plaster, replace burned out lights and oil squeaky doors.

In addition you might hire a home stager. Home stagers are interior decorators who will make changes to the layout and decor of your house to make it more pleasing to the maximum number of buyers. If you had a purple wall they may repaint it, if you have too many knick-knacks or family photos they may remove some etc. However even if you do not have a home stager, try to remove excess clutter. This will make the home look more spacious. Clear closets of extraneous clothes as this will also make them look bigger. If you have a surplus of furniture you may want to store some and move the remaining around in a new configuration to create a better, more modern and spacious feel in the home.

Remember, you want your home to appeal to the maximum number of people. This is no longer about what appeals to you, but what will help you sell your PEI real estate.

**(The comments contained in this article are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.). by Arvind Prakash Sharma

Why should you use a real estate agent? Many people today feel that 5%-6% commission, which even in PEI real estate terms, with lower housing costs can still easily mean $10,000, is too much to pay for what appears to them to be simple, straight forward job.

Add to this that most real estate deals begin on the internet and vendors begin to think that they should be able to handle the job themselves and there are many FSBO agencies that are telling them that they can - of course with the FSBO company's help and the matter of a fee! There are two distinct areas that should be considered when contemplating - should I engage a real estate agent? The first is marketing and the second, legal considerations.

While anyone can post a few free ads on the classified sites, is this really the answer to finding a buyer. Certainly you will get a few enquiries, but is this the approach that gets the best offer? Even from the point of view that most real estate deals start on the internet, not all internet sites are created equally in terms of traffic targeted to the purchase of real estate. Realtor.ca, which is the MLS website and boasts information and pictures on almost all homes for sale with the exclusion of FSBOs and exclusive listings, which are becoming increasingly rare, offers one-stop home shopping and it is a must that your home appear on this website. FSBO companies will also have there own websites, but there is no FSBO website that covers all the properties that are for sale by owner the way that realtor.ca covers all the properties to be found listed by realtors. For a moment stop being a seller and think like a buyer (because you probably will be one if you ever sell your home), would you rather go to one website and do a search based on your criteria and see all applicable results or would you rather look through FSBO sites in the hope of finding what you are looking for. Would you rather arrange your own viewing with each owner or have someone else arrange times that suit you. Are you beginning to see what I mean? Oh, but you say, I will surely get a better deal if I find a FSBO. Well not if the owners are trying to achieve the same thing that you are i.e. keeping the commission. Even if the vendor says they will reduce the price by 3 percent or so, how do you really know what the house is worth and that you are actually getting 3% off the true market price as you have no professional to help you evaluate the home. Realtors use comparable sales to develop a market analysis of the value of a property, but as a FSBO client you will not have access to this information as it is available through MLS only to licensed realtors.

However there are other reasons to use a licensed real estate agent when selling your home. Selling a home is more than just finding a property and a buyer. There are legal issues that make using a PEI real estate agent a prudent action. Real estate deals can go "bad" and result in claims and lawsuits. If you go it alone, you are alone to defend yourself and actions. If a real estate agent makes an error they must have by law errors and omissions insurance. Being insured, when a real estate agent makes a mistake the injured party may sue the realtor knowing that there is money to pay damages. Remember that if you are the seller you may have to defend an action brought by your buyer and pay the legal expenses of your defense even if the action really has no merit.

Professional real estate agents understand the risks posed in real estate and through education and training in risk reduction can protect of your interests. When problems arise, an experienced real estate agent knows how to identify the real problem and address that problem keeping a deal from going "off the rails". The real estate system that is in place today, your local real estate boards, the member agents, errors and omissions insurance, and MLS and realtor.ca are there to make your real estate transaction fast and safe. Real estate commissions may seems a little pricey, but in terms of getting a home sold at the best price, and without incident, means that it is money well spent and remember there is no cost if an agent does not complete a sale.

**(The comments contained in this article are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.). by Arvind Prakash Sharma