Back To School

by Darrin DeRoches September 9 - 15, 2010

Back to school means that it’s time to sell your house. The market has been steady throughout the summer, but it will start to move in the next few weeks and you want to be ready for it. Once the kids are settled into school it’s time to get moving if you want to have a new home for Christmas.  It will take at least 30 days to sell your home which brings you into October and 30 to 60 days to close on the new home, which will bring you into the first week of December.  So bing bang boom if you are considering selling it is time to get moving.     Summer is over and if you are going to buy or sell real estate you need to be ready to move fast.  Once you list your home showings will come fast and furious, so all those little fix ups have to be done immediately.  Prospective buyers will be looking to make offers fast, since they do not want to get into competition.  When you do get an offer they will be looking to move in as quickly as possible, so 30 to 60 days will be in the contract and you will have to find your new home fast.  This time of year is usually the busiest. Houses will be moving, so be ready.      When buying a new home in this fast moving market, be prepared.  Get pre approved for your mortgage, and get an agent who is on top of the market and is ready to move as fast as the market. You have to be ready for competition, and with competition, you have to be ready to compete. Do your homework, know the market and walk the neighbourhood so you know exactly what you are about to buy.  If you are totally prepared you will be able to make a fast, knowledgeable decision on your next home, and by doing this you will be able to beat your competition to the offer desk.  Being the first to make a strong offer will help your odds on securing your dream home.     An increase in listings will give you more options, but there will also be an increase in buyers looking to enter the market.  A good agent knows where the market is going and will be able to negotiate you through this time.  An ill prepared agent can cost you thousands in missed opportunities.  If they hesitate to list or do not make the offer immediately, you may lose out.  Overall you just need to be aware of the market you are entering, hire the right agent, and move fast to get your dream home! V                       [DARRIN DEROCHES] Darrin DeRoches is a local real estate and mortgage broker. He can be reached to answer questions, comments or stories about real estate experiences through this weekly column at mail@uniquerealty.ca.