Thinking about selling your home? Discover the top lessons real estate pros swear by, including why the first offer is often your best bet, with expert tips from a seasoned realtor.
Today I’m chatting with an expert, Don McNeil—my first boyfriend many years ago when I was 17—who is now a successful real estate agent and owner of Vybe Realty.
It’s a thriving brokerage with 24 agents. He still lives in Abbotsford, where we both grew up, with his wife of 30 years and their grown daughter.
We recently caught up over lunch, and I thought it would be a great post to share the best advice he’s learned from 20 years in real estate!
Listen to the pros
You know how I always say “listen to the pros”? Well, when it comes to selling your home, no one embodies that better! Don has this calm, no-nonsense way of explaining things that makes you wish you’d called him before you started painting your house black “Just to be current.”
He’s sold hundreds of homes, and after years of watching buyers and sellers ride the emotional rollercoaster, he’s learned a few truths that always hold up — starting with this one:
“Often, the best offer is the first one.”
It’s tempting to wait — to think the next showing will bring that dream buyer who swoops in with an offer you can’t refuse. But when I asked him why the first offer is often the best, he didn’t hesitate.
“Once a house sits on the market for a while, people start to wonder what’s wrong with it,” he said. “Sometimes sellers lose a deal over just five thousand dollars.”
He’s seen it countless times. A seller says, “Well, my neighbours sold for a million — and I’ve got a hot tub, so mine must be worth more.”
But if you’re in a subdivision where the homes are nearly identical — what Don calls a “belly button neighbourhood” — that hot tub probably isn’t adding fifty grand to your value unless you’ve done a spectacular $200,000 renovation.
Here’s how Don breaks it down:
“If the last one sold for a million but there are forty-seven other listings in the same area, I might suggest pricing yours at $950,000. But if the sellers insist on $1,050,000 and then the first offer comes in at $900,000, they’re upset. Maybe we negotiate and get the buyer up to $950,000 — but they still won’t take it. Then the house sits for six months, and now they’re chasing the market.”
And that’s when the next neighbour lists at $935,000 — and suddenly, you’re stuck.
“If you can make that first offer work, it’s almost always the best one,” Don says. “Because once you’re chasing the market, it’s hard to catch up.”
Your real estate agent sees the big picture
Of course, he adds with a laugh, “All of this went out the window in 2021 when every BC box was selling for over a million. But now we’re back to reality — those same homes are around $800,000 again.”
The good news? If you’re buying and selling in the same market, the numbers tend to balance out.
“If your home’s value has dropped by $200,000, so has the one you’re buying,” Don points out. “In the end, it all evens out.” Real estate markets can differ from one community to the other, your local real estate professional can offer the statistics, guidance and market date for the area you live in.
And since I can’t resist sharing good advice, here are Don’s top tips for selling your home (and keeping your sanity):
Real Estate Expert Don McNeill’s 6 Proven Tips for Selling Your Home
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Deep Clean Inside and Out
A spotless home feels different. Clean everything — baseboards, windows, yard — and do a few paint touch-ups while you’re at it.Deep Clean your house and yard. While everyone’s level of clean is different, if you want to sell your house for a good price, clean it up, touch it up and make sure it has good curb appeal. Cleaning the closets, crawl space, behind the fridge, it’s important to remove the objections. You only have one chance at a good first impression.
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Declutter and Depersonalize
Declutter get rid of personal pictures and nicknacks, make it naked. He said a potential buyer might see a photo of someone they know and think, ‘That guy is a jerk, I don’t want to buy his house’ (true story). -
Get a Pre-Inspection
Fixing small issues upfront builds trust. And while you’re at it, service the furnace, A/C, and gas fireplace — buyers notice when things are maintained. This way there will be no surprises when a potential buyer does one.Don had friends who lived in a house that was only 5 years old and the ventilation was never installed properly. When the potential buyers inspector discovered the attic was full of black mold it only cost $2500 to fix, but it almost killed the deal. An inspection will give you a list of things you need to do that you might not have seen coming in advance.
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Price for Today’s Market, Not the Last Sale on the Street
The market shifts constantly. Yesterday’s record sale might not be today’s reality, so listen to your agent — not your neighbor. -
Invest in Professional Photos and a Floor Plan
Your online listing is your first showing. Your agent should be providing professional photos and a floor plan, your online listing is your first showing. There’s nothing worse than seeing an agent in the bathroom mirror with his cellphone snapping photos. It accurately represents the square footage of the home so the buyers can’t come back and say ‘well I measured it and it was x’. In addition, the agent will have people come to the home who are prequalified so if you have a floor plan, buyers can immediately see if this is going to work for them. -
Remember: The First Offer is Often the Best
Momentum matters. Early interest is a powerful signal — don’t let the perfect offer slip away while waiting for “something better.” Have you found this to be true?
The Takeaway
Selling a home isn’t just a transaction — it’s an emotional rollercoaster wrapped in fresh paint and good lighting. Don’s advice is simple but golden: prepare well, price smart, and trust the timing.
If you’re thinking about selling, talk to someone like Don who’s seen every version of this story. Because when you’ve done the hard work — cleaning, editing, and letting go — sometimes the universe (and your first buyer) shows up right on time. Contact Don here.
Choose the right paint colours before you list your home
Need a fresh coat of paint for resale? In my eDesign department, we help clients freshen up their homes to appeal to a wide range of buyers with the RIGHT COLOURS.
The right colour has a way of making the whole thing FEEL RIGHT. And that’s so important when you’re selling. You can find my packages here.
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Great post! As a licensed Realtor in Texas, I agree with everything Don has said. I have watched people over value their homes and chase the market in a downward spiral only to ultimately sell for less than what an experienced Realtor suggested was an appropriate list price. Sometimes we have to trust the expert. I recently represented my hubby and I to sell my previous home and did quite well, but the home showed extremely well and I was armed with the receipts for all of the renovations to back up my asking price and receipts for maintenance on the home.
This is great advice. I’d add to #5, professional photos, that as a buyer, I do not want to see photos that are distorted with wide angle lenses. I want to see an accurate representation of size and layout, not some magician’s trick of making rooms look larger and more spacious than they actually are. In fact, if I notice distortion in the photos (online), I pass on that listing. It’s just dishonest.
I agree with what you’re saying but I have though about this a lot and my guess is since so many homes don’t get viewed in person BECAUSE they are listed online, a wide angle view at least gets the potential buyer in the house where they might consider that house in the end even if the rooms are most definitely smaller because the wide angle view distorted them. Maria
So, Maria how do you feel about making the space naked? no accessories! I have seen real estate listing with empty rooms just a blow up bed, and heck no table lamps! Kitchen counters with nothing on them! doesn’t make me want to buy a house with no soul.
Haha that’s a good point! I think what he’s essentially saying is remove all the personal photos and knick knacks of which most people have a lot in their home. Accessories are good but most people don’t have thoughtful accessories either so in this case, naked is better than clutter everywhere. Maria
I’d love to know his thoughts on colors!
I would add one more thing – staging. I sold my sister’s home which was small and outdated. We emptied it, did a deep clean, and had it staged. It showed how the home could be and sold fast and for asking price. So staging is crucial.
Spot on advice.
Remember that buyers are only looking at a house, while we are selling our home (which has value to us).
Don,
Good points but you forgot a very important point. Have your home staged by a professional or someone who can see the home as it is. Rearrangement of furniture, light, greenery, eye movement to tell the story of the home. Make the house flow
Pro photos can only exemplify a disconnected or dark, worn, dated home. Staging a home, prior to a professional photo shoot is critical.
Stagers and designers are trained to address all of the senses color and light included. Example: Views that are distracted with dirty windows or bad flow with furniture are just a couple of issues stagers address.