Getting ready to sell your home in Greater Sudbury? Seven simple steps can put more money in your pocket.

In Episode 4, the three of us walk through what sellers can do before listing, and the one thing to almost never do.

The 7 steps, with quick answers

Minor repairs and touch-ups: a broken window, missing trim, a leaky faucet or peeling paint make buyers wonder what else is wrong.
Declutter, depersonalise and pre-pack: pack away family photos and collections so buyers can picture their own life there.
Deep clean and neutral paint: go light and neutral, and match the tone to how much natural light the room gets.
Lighting: use bright, clean LED bulbs, replace every burnt-out bulb and dust the lampshades.
Home staging: arrange the furniture so each room shows how it’s meant to be used.
Pre-listing inspection: a report you share upfront builds trust, and buyers tend to feel more confident making a stronger offer.
Choosing the right realtor: look for realistic pricing, a strong marketing plan and someone you can talk to openly.

The one to skip: a major renovation just to sell. Spending $30,000 to $40,000 on a kitchen and floors rarely brings that money back.

We also talk about what buyers notice in the South End, the Valley and across Greater Sudbury, and a Manitoulin Island home that sold in days with multiple offers. For more on renovating before you sell, listen to Episode 3.

Should you renovate before selling your Sudbury home? In Greater Sudbury and on Manitoulin Island, the answer often comes down to net profit, not sale price.

In Episode 3, the three of us walk through how to get your home ready to sell, what buyers notice first, and when a renovation is worth it.

Quick answers from this episode

A renovation you’ll enjoy for a couple of years is different from one you do only to sell, and the second rarely pays you back in full.
Buyers ask first about the furnace, shingles, windows, plumbing and any history of water in the basement.
A deep clean, decluttering and depersonalising go a long way for little cost.
Pricing in the middle of the fair market range brings the most buyers through the door.
In our experience, a February listing can see 3 to 5 competing offers, and a June listing 10 to 15.
Manitoulin Island waterfront often sells best in spring, when out-of-town buyers can see the shoreline.

We also talk about neighbourhoods across the South End, Garson, Chelmsford, the Valley, Capreol and New Sudbury.

Everyone assumes spring is the best time to sell. Andrea’s answer is the opposite — wait for spring and you’re one of fourteen similar homes in the same neighbourhood, instead of the only one.

In our first episode, Todd Hilton, Andrea Hilton and Anthony Field introduce the Hilton Home Team and get into why local context beats national headlines. Sudbury has a fairly independent economy — mining, healthcare, post-secondary — and a real estate market to match, which means what you hear about the GTA often has nothing to do with what’s happening here.

We cover:

• Why listing ahead of the spring market can mean less competition and a better outcome
• How the Manitoulin Island market runs on a completely different cycle than Sudbury
• Who’s actually buying on Manitoulin, and why Southern Ontario buyers are looking north
• Why pre-approval comes before house hunting, not after
• What right-sizing means, and why it applies whether you’re going smaller or larger
• How each of us ended up in Sudbury, and what brought us to real estate

Recorded January 2026.

Buying or selling in Greater Sudbury or on Manitoulin Island? Connect with us at askhilton.ca

Hilton Home Team — Sutton-Benchmark Realty Inc., Brokerage (Independently Owned and Operated)
Todd Hilton 249-801-1816 · Andrea Hilton 249-805-0607 · Anthony Field 249-805-0817