Sue Heddle Homes continues to transcend the limits for home sales and has expanded her knowledge and skill set to deliver even more options for clients by utilizing virtual staging. What is virtual staging? Virtual staging is done digitally using 3D virtual staging software. Using this technology, we’re able to create, customize, and re-size furniture to fit seamlessly into an existing room for outstanding results that captivate potential buyers.

Home staging is one of the most effective ways to present your home in the best possible light. As a top Oakville realtor, Sue Heddle Homes has been providing free home staging to all listing clients for over a decade. As the world continues to pivot to accommodate our new reality, choosing a realtor like Sue Heddle, who is well versed in digital real estate marketing, will truly give you the best opportunity to showcase your home properly and attract serious buyers.

3 Reasons Virtual Staging Puts Sue Heddle Homes Ahead Of The Rest

We’ve talked before about how important it is to make the best use of digital tools in today’s real estate market. With COVID-19 moving people to reduce their person to person contact, virtual staging done by Sue Heddle Homes is just another way we support our clients and put their needs first.

The image above demonstrates the excellent results virtual staging can deliver. Curious to know more? Here are three ways this technology can make selling your home easier.

1. Home staging absolutely makes it easier to sell your home and helps you get the price you want. However, due to COVID-19, if you want or need to limit the people coming in and out of your home, that doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of a beautifully staged home. With virtual staging, Sue Heddle Homes can ensure that your listing photos maximize your home’s marketability to attract buyers right away without compromising your desire for less contact and privacy.

2. Depending on the situation, you may have moved out before your home is listed for sale. Instead of having to leave furniture behind, virtual staging can help showcase how your home can look without moving furniture back in or paying an extra costs to have furniture purchased or rented for your empty home. Virtual staging can function as an excellent way to help people visualize furniture layout without needing to have physical pieces brought in.

3. If you don’t have enough furniture to properly stage your space or you know your own furniture will not do the best job at selling your home, this is another scenario perfect for virtual staging. You can use virtual staging to help showcase your home’s spaces when you list without needing a home stager and without requiring extra people to come in and out of your home. This is also an excellent option for leasing listings as you can even remove the current tenant’s belongings from photographs.

Get The Most Out Of Your Real Estate Listing With Sue Heddle Homes

In today’s real estate market, not only do you need an Oakville realtor with proven experience and savvy negotiating skills, but you need a realtor who knows how to use technology to help their clients get the best results possible.

Sue Heddle Homes has been using digital tools like DocuSign, 3D virtual tours and now virtual staging to stay ahead of the curve. Her consistent demonstration of being able to adapt and thrive using technology means her clients have access to the best resources possible when it comes to the sale of their home. For more information on buying and selling an Oakville home with us, visit our website or call (416) 906-7998.

Oakville realtor Sue Heddle has been using high quality 3D virtual tours as part of our listings for the last six years.

Not only does this increase the marketability of any listing, it also supports buying and selling properties for out of town clients, and makes it much easier for prospective buyers to really get a feel for any property they’re interested in, from the comfort of their own home.

At Sue Heddle Homes, we’ve always considered 3D Virtual tours a top level service that was important to provide to our clients, but in the current climate, we’d argue it’s now critical. COVID-19 has changed the way real estate transactions are being conducted and your property’s online presence is now more significant than ever before.

Don’t Be Fooled - Not All Virtual Tours Are Equal

Just like not all listing photos are equal or how poor home staging will not get you the same results as professional home staging, a low quality virtual tour just can’t compare to a true 3D virtual home tour. In fact, it’s been reported that 95% of buyers are more likely to call about a home with a proper 3D virtual tour. Don’t you want your listing to pique the interest of prospective buyers?

Here’s what a real 3D tour is not:

• Zooming in or out of still listing photos.
• A walk through video that doesn’t capture the floor plan or the true layout of the home.
• A video tour of a home that only shows main rooms and doesn’t allow you to zoom in further to see additional details.

Here’s what a 3D virtual tour will include, when you list your home with Sue Heddle Homes:

• An immersive experience that's simply not possible with photos or 360 tours.
• Schematic floor plans in 3D.
• Interactive walkthrough capabilities.

View one of our interactive 3D tours now.

Want Your Real Estate Listing To Include A Virtual Tour That Delivers Results?

As mentioned, things are different and Oakville realtors and the entire real estate market has had to adapt. Sue Heddle Homes has always been ahead of the curve and our team is very comfortable using technology and online tools to sell your home or to help you buy the next home to suit your needs. To find out more about how we can help you buy or sell during COVID-19, please call us at (416) 906-7998. Feel free to contact us to learn how to get a free home evaluation, ask questions about the market or to set up a time to discuss your needs – we’d love to hear from you!

With years of experience helping people buy and sell suburban homes, Oakville realtor Sue Heddle also has knowledge and expertise when it comes to purchasing or selling a rural home or property. For many people, the thought of living away from a city with more space to enjoy can be quite appealing. However, if you’re thinking of buying a home in a rural area, there are plenty of things you need to consider first.

Rural real estate transactions include many factors you may not typically think about. Things like quality of roads or access to your property, productivity of the soil, utility access such as water and electricity as well as more modern considerations such as the reliability of high speed internet.

8 Questions To Ask When You’re Considering A Rural Real Estate Purchase

Regardless of where you are looking to buy, location matters. In rural purchases, you may not be looking for a walkability factor, but proximity to the nearest town, where dwellings are located on the property and what type of road the house is located on all factor in to the appeal of a rural location.

Specifically, here are 10 questions to ask when you’re thinking about purchasing a rural property.

1. Is the water safe to drink? Rural properties can draw water from private wells, which may be contaminated with minerals or even chemicals. Insist on a water test before making an offer.

2. Is there an adequate septic system? Houses constructed in rural areas are equipped with a leach field designed to collect sewage and water waste. The size of the system depends on the size of the house. However, if there has been any extensions or large renovations, be sure to get confirmation that the leach field was extended as well.  

3. Is the house located on a private road? If so, you may need to factor in thousands of dollars in expenses each year to handle your share of plowing, maintenance and paving.

4. How often do you lose power and for how long? Rural areas are often the last to be restored if a power line goes down. If being without power for days could be a reality, be sure to factor in the cost of a back-up generator into your overall costs of buying a new home.

5. What will accessibility be like in the winter? With our cold and snowy Canadian winters, make sure that surrounding roads will be safe to drive on and plowed regularly.

6. Where are the boundary lines? If the properties you’re looking at will have several acres or more, it can be tough to tell where your property starts and ends. Ask when a proper survey has last been completed and if you aren’t satisfied with what’s available, have a property surveyed completed before you buy to avoid future disputes.

7. What are restrictions and zoning ordinances? Before you buy, find out what you are and aren’t allowed to do and whether the property is deemed A1, A2 or greenspace.

8. Will there be any items included with the sale? If so, a detailed list needs to be a part of the real estate contract. Items may include things like gates, portable sheds, fence posts, or miscellaneous equipment.

Finding A Realtor Experienced In Rural Real Estate Transactions

With so many nuances and unique information that can be involved in a rural real estate transaction, you need an experienced realtor on your side to help you get the results you want. Sue Heddle Homes can take all your needs into consideration and help you navigate a successful purchase or sale. To find out more about our award winning client services, contact us. We’d be happy to speak with you to discuss your next move.

The world has certainly changed a lot in the last few months. And while staying healthy is a top priority, there are many people that still need to either buy or sell a home. The current real estate market is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

But while other Oakville realtors are struggling to catch up when it comes to using the technology now required to support clients, Sue Heddle Homes continues to be ahead of the curve.

Sue Heddle Homes has been doing 3D virtual tours for the past six years on all listings. It has always been a free option to sellers and part of our award winning marketing strategy. In addition, we’re very proficient at using online tools such as Docusign to make it easy for all of our local and international clients to buy and sell. Our expertise in this area means that we can still confidently work with you to safely conduct real estate transactions from your own home.

In these unprecedented times, we want to assure you that we remain accessible and continue to provide our clients with full support delivered at the high level of professionalism and customer service we are known for. We can still safely provide an environment that allows you to buy and sell, if you choose.

Get The Real Estate Service You Deserve From Sue Heddle Homes

We know that people are feeling anxious and uncertain during this pandemic. We will do everything we can to ease your stress by putting our expertise to work to make a real estate transaction possible while practicing necessary social distancing. Our years of experience and forward thinking approach means that our transition to functioning as needed during the pandemic has been seamless.

Please do not hesitate to reach out or call us at 416-906-7998 if you have any questions or require support - we're here to help you! Whether you’re a first time buyer or are looking to downsize, we’d be happy to connect with you.

It’s important to note that while the sales pace may slow slightly for the next month or so, once we come out on the other side we're going to have a very, very busy market! Rest assured that we are working hard now to serve all of our clients and will be absolutely prepared for a busy late spring and summer.

As an Oakville realtor, we’ve shared our thoughts on why home staging is so important, how it works and how clients can benefit by being able to sell their home quickly and for a higher price. Most people have heard of home staging and understand that it helps present their home in the best light possible by removing clutter, placing furniture in a way that maximizes the space and helps the space look as inviting as possible for prospective buyers.

With that in mind, people who are interested in listing their home are often delighted to hear a realtor mention that they will support them with home staging. However, as with any type of service, be sure to ask the right questions so that you clearly understand what will be provided and avoid confusion.

Different Types Of Home Staging

At Sue Heddle Homes, we offer all of our listing clients free home staging. What does that mean exactly? It means that we have a warehouse full of luxurious furniture, pillows, bedding, beautiful art work and on trend accessories so that our clients to get the most out of home staging with little to no effort on their part. Our personal home staging team will style your home to showcase its best features. All of this is provided to our clients at no extra charge.

However, not all home staging offered by Oakville realtors is the same. In order to understand what will be provided when it comes to home staging, be clear on what is being offered to you and what additional expenses may be required in order to avoid misunderstandings.

If the Oakville realtor you are considering working with offers home staging, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be getting full service treatment. In some cases, here’s what it may mean:

• They provide you with the services of an Interior Designer for an hour who creates a list of suggestions and a potential shopping list on what you’ll need to stage your home. Making the purchases and executing their suggestions is up to you.
• They make suggestions on home staging companies or Interior Designers that may be able to help you at an added cost.
• They move only your existing furniture and décor items around doing what they can with what is already in the home. While this may come at no extra cost, you aren’t getting the refresh to your home that may be required to facilitate the sale you want.

Get Full Home Staging When You List With Sue Heddle Homes

Selling your home can be stressful and overwhelming. The last thing you need is more tasks to do such as shopping for artwork or décor accents that you hope will appeal to prospective buyers. When you list with Sue Heddle Homes, when we say we’ll take care of home staging for you, we really mean it! Using our own home staging materials, we’ll ensure your home looks it’s best at no added cost to you. If you want top results, make sure you list with a top Oakville realtor, like Sue Heddle, that knows how to get your home sold. Contact us to learn more about our award-winning sellers program and get it working for you.

Whether you’re thinking of selling your Oakville home this winter or not, most people are looking for ways to keep their home warm without paying sky high heating bills. In addition to saving money, when the weather is cold and damp outside, it’s much nicer to stay comfortable and cozy at home while we all wait for spring to arrive!

The age of your home can certainly play a factor in how easy it is to keep it consistently and evenly warm, but regardless of your type of Oakville home, the tips below can prove to be valuable for just about anyone. If you are thinking of selling your home, ensuring that the heating system is updated and working well is a smart way to help you achieve a top selling price.

7 Ways To Maximize The Heat In Your Home

Sometimes it just takes a bit of planning and effort to help you make the most of your space. While not all of these tips may apply to your home, we’re sure you’ll be able to make use of at least a few! And if the home you’re currently in is not meeting your needs, be sure to reach out to Sue Heddle Homes. We’d be happy to meet with you to discuss buying or selling a home in Oakville, Burlington, Milton or Mississauga.

1. Install a programmable thermostat to help keep your bill low and your efficiency high. This way, you can automatically have the heat lowered when no one is typically in the house and overnight. It may seem counterintuitive to lower the temperature at night, but keep in mind that research shows cooler temps promote better sleep.

2. Let sunlight in during the day. Once the sun is up, you might as well capture as much free heat as you can. Even on the coldest winter days, the sun is still warm, especially in the afternoon. Open up your curtains and let the light shine in, especially in rooms where you know the sun streams in for a good part of the day.

3. If you have ceiling fans in your home, check to see if they have winter setting. A winter setting can push the heat back down into your rooms. This can work especially well in rooms with high or sloped ceilings.

4. Make sure your vents aren’t blocked. If they are, move things around, at least for the winter. This will make sure every room is getting maximum heat potential.

5. Get cooking or baking. Using your oven will definitely help keep your house warmer, especially in the rooms closest to the kitchen.

6. Invest in some rugs. Did you know that uninsulated wood floors can account for up to 10% of a home’s heat loss? Add a rug or temporary carpet to your floor in the winter to notice a big difference in coziness.

7. Keep yourself warm. It’s pretty simple to throw on a sweater, pull on wool socks or add extra blankets to your beds at night. While you don’t want to resort to wearing a coat around the house, keeping the people who live in your house warm while allowing the thermostat to run a bit low is also a great way to manage heat in the winter.

Is It Time To Move Into A Home That Better Suits Your Needs?

Whether it’s the layout of your home or the functionality that’s no longer working for you, now’s the time to buy or sell a home in 2020 with Sue Heddle Homes. With more than a decade of experience as a trusted Oakville realtor, Sue Heddle knows what it takes to make outstanding real estate deals happen. When you list with Sue Heddle Homes, not only will you get free home staging, but your listing will be also be created using high quality photos and showcased using digital marketing tools. Ready to make a change this year? Call (416) 906-7998 and let’s talk!

We get it. January is not considered a favourite month among very many. In Oakville, it’s typically cold and snowy and people are caught up in making new year resolutions! However, if you’re thinking that 2020 may be the right time to find an experienced Oakville realtor and sell your home, you’re no doubt anxious to get started.

You may be thinking that January can’t possibly be a good time to get your home on the market. In fact, if you poll your friends and family, they’ll most likely suggest that the spring may be a better time. Don’t worry though, there really is no reason to wait!

You Can Have Success Listing Your Home In January

If you want to sell your home in the early part of 2020, take comfort in the fact that there are actually a lot of great reasons to start the process as soon as the calendar flips to a new year.

1. Historically, there are usually fewer homes on the market in the Oakville, Burlington and Milton areas in January. This means you’ll have less competition which can result in getting a good offer that much faster.

2. People who are house hunting in January are serious buyers. At this time of year, you’ll get less people attending open houses out of curiosity or people who are only looking with the hopes of buying a home in your area in the next few years.

3. Take advantage of business cycles. Did you know that January tends to be the busiest month for corporate transfers? This means that there could be plenty of employees being transferred to your area who are looking for a quick sale and are ready to make a firm offer.

How To Improve Your Chance For A Winter Sale

Here are a few tips that can help make your January sale as successful as possible. If you’re looking for an Oakville realtor with proven success, contact Sue Heddle Homes. We offer all of our clients free home staging - an excellent way to increase your selling price and reduce the number of days on the market.

• In addition to current photos, if you have professional summer photographs of the outside of your home, it’s a good idea to include these in the listing.
• Always ensure your driveway and walkways clear of snow and ice.
• Keep your home comfortably warm, and if you have one make use of the fireplace to create an inviting winter environment.
• Create a take-away sheet for prospective buyers that highlights winter activities in your area such as skating rinks, tobogganing hills or the best place to get a hot chocolate!

Sell Your Home This January With Sue Heddle Homes

As you can see, there really is no reason to wait to sell your home in 2020! Let’s get your home ready to list in January and take advantage of the opportunities the first month of the year can bring. Sue Heddle Homes offers more than a decade of experience and knows what it takes to facilitate a successful sale. We’d be happy to provide a free home evaluation and meet with you to discuss the best next steps. Ready to move forward? Call us at (416) 906-7998!

The real estate market in Oakville and surrounding areas was much different in 2019 than it was in 2018. However, the changing market didn’t stop Sue Heddle Homes, a trusted Oakville realtor, from continuing to support our new and returning clients! From Toronto to Grimsby and many locations in between, we worked hard to ensure our clients had a successful experience and look forward to celebrating even more accomplishments in 2020.

As we get ready to start a new year, we will continue to offer our clients free home staging as well as ensuring every listing we create only ever uses professional photos. You can count on Sue Heddle Homes to do everything we can to support your success. We are so grateful for all of our clients and their referrals and can’t wait to see what 2020 brings!

Top Real Estate Blogs Of 2019 From Sue Heddle Homes

Our blog is just one of the ways that we aim to add value to our clients and to anyone else contemplating buying or selling a home. As such, we’ve rounded up our top real estate blogs from the last 12 months. We’re so pleased that we’ve been able to create content that resonated with those looking for real estate news and information around Oakville, Mississauga, Milton and Burlington.

1. Best Neutral Paint Colours For Updating Your Home

2. How Does Home Staging Work?

3. Why You Need An Experienced Realtor On Your Side

4. How To Find An Oakville Real Estate Agent

5. 5 Essential Questions To Ask At An Open House

Need A Top Oakville Realtor In 2020?

Sue Heddle Homes is ready to assist you with all of your real estate needs in 2020. With indications of tight markets in Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Mississauga, now is the time to get started and be ready to list your home in the new year. With more than a decade of experience as an Oakville realtor, we’re committed to making your real estate transactions as smooth as possible. If you have any questions or would like a free home evaluation, please contact us or call us at (416) 906-7998.

While our society continues to become increasingly visual, when it comes to selling your home the images used have always been important. The pictures included as part of your Oakville real estate listing are the main element used to advertise and market your home. So, what do you want your pictures to say?

When listing your property for sale, you want all images used to speak volumes and to grab the attention of every prospective buyer who may be looking for a new home.

3 Reasons Why You Need Professional Images To Sell Your Home

When you list with Sue Heddle Homes, not only will you get free home staging, but you’ll also get listing photos taken by a professional photographer. Your listing should be the best it can be, right from the start. Sue Heddle Homes will make sure the photos of your home make each room shine.

Here's why you want to make sure you work with an experienced Oakville realtor that understands why photos are a top priority.

1. Professional photographs show that you really care about your property. When prospective buyers see that, they will be more likely to want to see your home as they’ll have faith they’ll be buying a home in good condition.
2. Searching online is the most popular way for buyers to find prospective homes to view. As such, you want what they see to stand out and to encourage them or their realtor to reach out and find out more. Additionally, professional online images have the potential to reach not only local buyers, but buyers from elsewhere who may be looking in your area. Your online images may be the only thing they have to help them determine if your home may be the right one for them.
3. Pictures help people feel as though they get to be inside your home, without truly being in the home. Many people use pictures to know if it’s a good fit before wasting time by going out to the property. Poor pictures give too many people a reason to skip your listing and move on to the next. While great pictures don’t guarantee the home sale you want, they certainly are one of the best ways to get buyers in the door.

Let Sue Heddle Homes Showcase Your Oakville Home

Selling your home can feel like a lot of work! When you list with Sue Heddle Homes, not only will we stage your house for a faster sale at a higher price, but we’ll also ensure your listing is created using only high quality, professional images. With more than a decade of experience selling Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Mississauga homes, you can count on Sue Heddle to showcase your property in the best possible way. For a free home evaluation or to find out more about selling your home, please contact us!

Congratulations to all the outstanding women listed as Top 25 Elite Women in Real Estate. It is an honour to be  recognized alongside them in the most recent issue of Real Estate Professionals magazine. This accolade not only recognizes my successes in the real estate field, but also my commitment to giving back to the community through my Hockey Cares initiative.

In addition to being recognized by the real estate industry, our busy summer in both the Oakville real estate market and with clients living just outside of the GTA resulted in also being recognized as the top agent for Century 21 Miller Real Estate Ltd in August 2018. A sincere thank you to all of our clients for trusting Sue Heddle Homes with their real estate needs. It really is our pleasure to work with you!