The weeks before a home goes on the market decide a lot about how it sells. Most of what pays back isn’t expensive. It’s about removing doubts from a buyer’s mind, and having your paperwork ready before they ask. Here’s how I’d prepare a West Vancouver home for sale.
Start with the paperwork
On the North Shore, buyers and their lawyers ask early about what’s been done to a house and whether it was permitted. Gather it before you list:
- building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits for past renovations, and their final inspections;
- receipts and warranties for major work: roof, windows, furnace or heat pump, drainage, the perimeter drain;
- anything about an oil tank: removal, decommissioning or a scan;
- your property tax notice, and recent utility bills;
- for a strata home, recent minutes and the documents a buyer’s lawyer will request.
If something was done without a permit, tell me early. It’s far easier to deal with before an offer than in the middle of one.
Disclosure: what you must tell a buyer
This is the part that protects you after the sale. BCFSA, the province’s real estate regulator, explains it this way:
- Sellers have a duty at common law to disclose known latent defects: problems a reasonable inspection wouldn’t reveal, that make the home dangerous, unfit to live in, or unfit for a purpose the buyer has told you about.
- Licensees like me have a broader duty under the Real Estate Services Rules, which also covers defects that would be very expensive to fix, notices from the municipality, and a lack of appropriate permits.
BCFSA’s examples include high radon levels, a basement that leaks when it rains, structural damage, building envelope failure, underground storage tanks, drinking-water problems, and electrical or gas work done without permits and inspections. If a seller doesn’t disclose a material latent defect they know about, their licensee must; and if a seller instructs their licensee not to, the licensee has to stop acting for them.
The usual way to share what you know is a Property Disclosure Statement. It’s voluntary, but BCFSA notes it’s best practice and in everyone’s interest to complete it accurately. Choosing not to disclose can make a home harder to sell and may expose you to claims later.
What actually pays back
- Repairs a buyer’s inspector would flag: dripping taps, failed window seals, a tired furnace filter, blocked gutters. Small items listed in an inspection report feel bigger than they are.
- Light and space: take out a third of the furniture and most personal items. Clean windows. Replace burnt-out and mismatched bulbs.
- Fresh, neutral paint where walls are marked or strongly coloured.
- The approach: on the North Shore, buyers judge a home from the driveway. Trim back growth, power-wash, clear the moss, freshen the planters, make the front door shine.
- Staging for vacant or dated homes, so buyers can picture living there.
- Photographs and video: professional, in good light. For view homes, timing the shoot for the view matters.
What usually doesn’t
Major renovations started just to sell rarely return their cost, and they add risk if they’re unfinished, or unpermitted, when buyers arrive. If something big is broken, fix it or price for it; don’t remodel for the market.
Taxes worth checking before you list
- Your principal residence: even when no tax is owed, the Canada Revenue Agency requires you to report the sale of your principal residence on your income tax return for the year.
- A short ownership: if you’ve owned the property for less than 730 days, BC’s home flipping tax may apply, with exemptions for certain life circumstances. Speak to your accountant before you list.
Questions people ask
Do I have to fill in a Property Disclosure Statement?
It’s voluntary, but your disclosure duties aren’t. BCFSA recommends completing it accurately and to the best of your knowledge.
Should I get a pre-listing inspection?
For older homes it often makes sense: you find issues on your own timeline, and can fix them or disclose them up front.
Thinking of selling? Request a private valuation
General information for sellers in British Columbia, current as of publication. It isn’t legal or tax advice; your lawyer and accountant can advise on your situation.