Ever wondered why the house next door sold for $30,000 more than yours, even though they look almost identical? In this video, we break down the real reasons homes sell for more money and the common mistakes that quietly cost sellers tens of thousands of dollars.
The truth is, it's rarely luck — it's preparation, pricing, timing, and presentation.
Why "Apples to Apples" Comparisons Often Aren't Accurate
When sellers ask "Why did my neighbour next door get $30,000 more for their house?", it can be a legitimate question if both houses are very similar. But often, you could be comparing apples and oranges. It could be a bungalow to a two-storey, or the house next door might be the same model but they've got an extra 500 to 800 square feet. That's why they got more money.
But if you're talking about actual apples-to-apples comparisons, there are specific things you need to break down to understand the difference.
Think of it like two cars sitting side by side at a dealership, with one priced higher than the other. Does one have new tyres? A new engine? Lower kilometres? Similarly with houses, you need to look at the details.
Upgrades That Truly Impact Value
When you're sitting in your house wondering why your neighbour got more money, ask yourself these questions:
Major Upgrades:
- Have you replaced your windows?
- Is the kitchen updated?
- Is the basement finished? Is it a walkout?
- Has your roof been redone?
Your house could be more basic or not have as many upgrades, whether you're talking about a new home or an older home. These upgrades make a significant difference in what buyers are willing to pay.
Easy Fixes That Can Add $10K-$30K to Your Sale Price
Even if both houses are completely equal in terms of upgrades, there are some things you can do to boost your sale price:
Small Improvements That Make a Big Difference:
- Fresh paint throughout
- New light fixtures
- Clean up the landscaping
- Declutter and deep clean
Each thing individually is not going to get you a huge amount of money, but the cleaner and neater your home is when you go to list it, the higher it's going to present in terms of value. You might be able to squeeze out that extra $10,000, $20,000, maybe even $30,000 if you're really lucky.
The Power of Staging
Some of the other things that happen is maybe your neighbour had a stager come in. Staging a house goes a long way because what you may perceive as "show ready" and what a professional stager sees are two different things.
A stager is more experienced and will have a tendency to give you better suggestions to help your house be more saleable and improve its appearance.
You might have your opinions on how a room looks great, but a stager is quite literally a professional at that sort of thing. Having them come in to situate rooms properly can make a massive difference.
We can understand how some people might take it as a slight, like "Was my decorating not good enough?" But it's not about that. It's just about optimising your house for sales.
Phone Photos vs. Professional Photography
Alongside staging is always photography. Photos from phones have gotten much better, and cameras on phones are fantastic. You can get away with more nowadays than you could in the past.
However, it's very obvious when you look at photos that were professionally done versus photos that were done just on a phone. It's night and day.
Professional photography is going to make your place look the best it could possibly look in the photos because, again, they're professionals and it's their job. While photos might make a place look slightly different than in person (sometimes bigger, sometimes different), professional photography ensures your home is presented in the best possible light to attract buyers.
Timing and Market Conditions Matter More Than You Think
Another reason why someone may have got more money is timing. When there are fewer properties on the market during that period of time, sellers can command higher prices. Whereas if you list when there are more properties available, you're competing with more inventory.
Timing does have a significant effect on sale price, and it's often something sellers don't consider when comparing their sale to a neighbour's.
Pricing Strategy That Can Get You More Money
Your neighbour may have got $30,000 more, but here's an interesting question: Did their house sell relatively soon after it was listed? Was it priced very well or close to market value? If so, they probably had tonnes of activity.
If you're priced higher trying to get that number, it might not happen because you could be overpriced for the market.
Getting the Price Right the First Time
One thing that helps with pricing is getting it right the first time. If you price things well right off the bat and don't have to lower the price, you're more likely to get more money than if you had asked for more money in the first place.
In fact, you'll probably often get more than what you would end up with when you're asking for too much anyway, because you're going to end up chasing the market down. You'll end up lower than what you would be at if you'd priced correctly from the start.
Here's why: If you're priced well, there's going to be people interested in the property. As soon as you have two offers on a property, things are looking great as a seller because you're probably going to be getting more than what you asked for.
This is understated and not quite understood enough. It's not necessarily just about "I want this amount of money, so that's what I'm going to ask for." If you ask for what the property is determined to be worth based on evidence in the market, there is a better chance to get closer to your number than if you just ask for it and it's unrealistic.
The closer you are to market value with your list price, the better off you'll be.
Creating a Winning Pre-Listing Plan
In summary, basically what you need to do is have a plan, no matter how far out that is. Start your plan and get a market evaluation on your property with a proper step-by-step plan of what needs to be done, what repairs need to be done, and what work needs to be done around the house in order to maximise the exposure you're going to get.
Your Pre-Listing Checklist:
- Get a professional market evaluation
- Create a step-by-step plan for repairs and improvements
- Bring in a stager
- Hire a professional photographer
- Work with a local real estate agent who knows the Barrie and Simcoe County market
When you come on the market, you should be fully prepared from staging to photos to price and everything. When you hit the market, the market will declare or deem what your house is worth.
You can either stress out and worry about all of that stuff, or you could call us and we'll take care of it for you.
Real Example: Sold in 48 Hours
We recently listed a property for what it was worth, and it sold immediately. It was purchased by the first person that saw the property the next day. By the time the offer came together, it was two days.
The property came on the market and sold immediately. There was tonnes of activity on it right away because it was priced well and the sellers followed the steps. We went through everything from staging to photos, taking two to three weeks from start to finish from when we started talking to these clients to when we went live.
All that two to three weeks of prep then made the turnaround from the go-live date to sold firm just 48 hours.
Now, that is an exception. But when we set people up for success like that, even if it takes longer — 30 or 45 days — at least you're best prepared for success.
There's no guarantee that it's going to happen that fast, but you are better off making sure you do everything in your power to make it happen as quickly as possible.
Don't Wait Until You're Listed
If you don't do those things beforehand, all of a sudden you've got showings coming in and the feedback they're giving is "Oh, well, this might need to be changed or this might need to be changed." And if it's stuff that you can do, you're going to end up having to do them anyway.
Those are probably things we would have talked about prior to listing anyway in preparing to get the house to the market.
At the end of the day, make sure that you have your plan and prepare to do things first. Way better than just saying "Okay, I'll get it after we're listed. We'll do it as we go. Let's just see what other people say and if they notice it."
Get it right the first time.
Thinking about selling your home in Barrie or Simcoe County? Watch our full video to learn exactly why some homes sell for $30,000 more than their neighbours and how to make sure yours is one of them.
