Start with a selling range you can explain.
Choose recent sold homes that match your property type, location, size and condition. Then review the active listings a buyer could choose instead. A citywide average is useful background, but it cannot explain the difference between your renovated home and an original-condition property on a busier road.
Write down the improvements, maintenance and features that distinguish your home. Ask Don which differences buyers are paying for and which are already expected in your price range. The free home evaluation turns that information into a practical starting range.
Work out what you could keep.
Put the expected sale price at the top of a worksheet. Subtract commission and GST, the mortgage payout, any lender charges, legal costs, preparation and moving. The amount left is the starting point for the next purchase or the money you plan to retain.
For a $700,000 sale, Don’s 2% combined commission is $14,000 before GST. The 7%/3% example is $25,000, a difference of $11,000 before GST at the same sale price. Use the Calgary commission calculator and selling-cost guide with your own expected price.
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada identifies mortgage charges, legal costs, commission and moving expenses as costs to consider. Request the lender’s payout estimate before you commit to a moving budget.Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: selling a home
Prepare the home in the order buyers will see it.
Start with the entrance, light, layout, cleanliness and obvious maintenance. Make it easy to understand how the rooms work before choosing decorative upgrades. Gather records for the roof, heating, windows and other major work so the listing can describe the condition accurately.
Use the Calgary home preparation checklist to prioritize the work. Discuss larger spending with Don first: a renovation should solve a real weakness in the comparison, fit your timing and make sense for the likely buyer.
Match the timeline to your next move.
Work backwards from your preferred possession date. Allow time for preparation, photography, showings, negotiation, buyer conditions and the legal closing. If you are purchasing too, write down deposit requirements and the dates when sale proceeds will be available.
The selling timeline guide separates those stages. The buying and selling together guide explains the questions to work through with your lender and lawyer before relying on two closings happening in the right order.
Use market reports to ask a more specific question.
Check the date and property type before using a headline about Calgary prices. An apartment market and a detached-home market can behave differently in the same month. A community with many sales may also contain several price ranges and ownership types.
The community seller guides use a defined June–August 2026 RealtyOS sales sample and break it down by property subtype. Start with the relevant group, then ask which individual homes are the closest matches to yours.
Put an experienced Calgary Realtor beside you.
Don has sold more than 650 Calgary-area homes using this business model and has worked in Calgary real estate since 2013. His experience helps you put the price, preparation and negotiation decisions together.
Don’s fee is 2% combined commission: 1% for the listing brokerage and 1% for the buyer’s brokerage, plus GST. That includes pricing advice, professional photography, MLS® exposure, showing coordination and negotiation through the sale.
Send your address, recent improvements and ideal timing. Don will review the value, the selling costs and the work needed to bring the home to market. You can ask questions before deciding whether to list.
Sources and further reading
Research checked September 26, 2026. Market figures below use the periods identified in the article.