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How to — Get one thing done

Sell a home, and know what you keep

Get an estimate, work out net proceeds after every deduction, understand the timeline, and prepare in the order that pays.

1 min readUpdated

In order

  1. Get a starting estimate

    An automated estimate is a range, not a price. It is the right place to start and the wrong place to stop.

    Home value estimate

  2. Work out what you actually keep

    Sale price is not proceeds. Commission, HST on that commission, legal fees and the mortgage discharge come off, and on an investment property so may capital gains tax.

    Net proceeds

  3. Set expectations on timing

    The timeline tool breaks it into prepare, list and show, offers, and close, with typical days on market for your city and condition.

    Selling timeline

  4. Prepare in the order that pays

    Cleaning, decluttering and photography return more per dollar than a renovation, almost always. The seller workspace keeps a prep list with cost ranges so you can decide what is worth doing.

    Seller workspace

  5. Choose who represents you

    Commission is negotiable and what it buys varies. Ask what marketing is included, who runs the showings, and how offers will be presented to you.

    Find an agent

Run the numbers

The tools this page refers to, so you can act on it rather than only read it.

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