Six in Ten (61%) Homeowners Would Consider Selling Their Home Themselves if it was Easy and More Affordable than Using a Real Estate Agent

Toronto, ON - Six in ten (61%) Canadian homeowners say they'd consider selling their home themselves if it was easy and more affordable than using a real-estate agent, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Kijiji. Those in Atlantic Canada (80%) are by far the most likely to say they'd consider selling their home themselves, followed by those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (72%), Ontario (60%), British Columbia (59%), Alberta (59%), and Quebec (55%). Just four in ten (39%) homeowners, overall, say they wouldn't consider selling a home themselves.

Thinking about what might prevent them from selling a home themselves, a majority (56%) say a lack of knowledge on how to sell a property would be a barrier, while one in three (31%) say the amount of time it takes to sell a property themselves would be a deterrent. Others say the costs associated with selling a property would prevent them from doing so themselves, while two in ten (19%) say none of the above would be barriers. Just 7% say they don't know why they wouldn't - they just wouldn't do it.

One half (48%) of homeowners say they've been through the selling process before, while another 13% have rented out a home that they owned. Those who sold a home have disproportionately relied on a real-estate agent (87%), while two in ten (22%) have sold a home themselves (22%). Just 3% have used a do-it-yourself service to sell their home, while 2% used online tools to help them sell their home.

Selling a home can be a very time-intensive and busy time, especially when it comes time to make the house perfect and ready for sale. Thinking about what they did to get their home ready for sale, six in ten (62%) say they did some minimal maintenance to get the house ready for sale, while one in three (33%) staged the home themselves. Others purged many of their items (28%), conducted extensive renovations (13%), hired a stager to prep the property (2%), or took some other action (2%). Two in ten (17%) homeowners who have been through the process of selling a home didn't do any of these things.

The last time they sold their home, two in ten (18%) do not believe they got fair market value for their home. However, the vast majority (79%) did, while 3% are unsure. Among those who don't think they got fair market value for their home, a majority (56%) believes the market wasn't hot enough, while three in ten (31%) think their agent didn't do the best they could to get the best price. Others (9%), believe their house fell short of market value because they had the home listed at the wrong price (either too high or too low), that their house was too cluttered (5%), that they didn't invest enough in staging (3%), or that the market was too hot (3%). Three in ten (27%) believe there was some other factor at play.

While two thirds (67%) of homeowners say they're `comfortable' (21% very/45% somewhat) selling a property, one third (33%) admit that they're not (8% not comfortable/25% not very comfortable). With one in ten (9%) homeowners saying they're planning on selling their home or another piece of property in the next year, and one in three (35%) homeowners having moved in the past five years.

Reflecting on various tasks and duties associated with selling a home, almost all (97%) homeowners believe that de-cluttering and purging a home are `important' (69% very/27% somewhat), while nine in ten (86%) believe the staging of a home is `important' (39% very/48% somewhat). Almost all (96%) believe that curb appeal is important (61% very/35% somewhat), while nine in ten (88%) believe it is important to conduct renovations (34% very/54% somewhat) prior to selling a home. Nine in ten (87%) believe that having a professional inspection is important (48% very/39% somewhat).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between October 5 to 7, 2011, on behalf of Kijiji. For this survey, a sample of 1,027 adult homeowners from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of homeowners in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Associate Vice President
Ipsos Reid
416.572.4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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