The townhouse seller's guide

1. Start with your own street

Buyers and their agents will compare your home with the last few sales of similar townhouses on your street or in your complex. Know those numbers before you pick a price: the sold price, the model and width, whether it was an end unit, and whether it had a garage and a finished basement. Our free townhouse evaluation pulls them together for you.

2. Get your paperwork ready early

If you own a condo townhouse, almost every offer will be conditional on the buyer's lawyer reviewing the status certificate. Ordering it before you list means you can hand it over the same day, and it gives you time to deal with anything unexpected in it, such as an upcoming fee increase or special assessment. If your home is freehold, gather the ages of the roof, furnace and windows, any survey you have, and the details of rented equipment such as a hot water tank. If you pay a POTL fee for a private road, have the amount and what it covers ready too.

3. Prepare the home

Townhouses sell on photos. Declutter, repair the small things, repaint if the walls are tired, and book a professional photographer. Tidy the front entrance, clear out the garage and cut the grass in the backyard, because buyers look hard at all three.

4. Price it to the market

End unit or interior, the garage and driveway, a finished or walk-out basement, the lot, and any monthly fee and what it covers all move the number. A home priced in line with recent sales on the street gets showings in the first week, which is when the strongest offers arrive.

5. Plan the showings

If you live in the home, keep it show-ready and be flexible on times. If it is tenanted, the tenant must be given at least 24 hours' written notice before each showing, so plan your schedule around that and keep them on side.

6. Compare offers on more than price

Look at the deposit, the closing date, and the conditions. A slightly lower offer with a short home inspection or status certificate condition and firm financing can be the better one.

7. Close

Your lawyer handles the transfer, pays out your mortgage and settles adjustments for property taxes and any maintenance or POTL fees. You hand over the keys and the garage door remotes on closing day.