Real Estate

by Darrin DeRoches March 3 - 9, 2011

It is the time to sell. Sell now! The cold snap is just about over and in a couple of weeks the warm weather will be here.  Things have been pretty slow the past few weeks and once the weather breaks the flood gates will open. So get your property listed now before the flood!     Most people have already decided whether they are going to buy or sell this year and quality properties are few and far between – at this time.  So technically, it is a sellers’ market for the next couple of weeks.  March break is happening and once they are all done, the sun will start shining and everyone will start focusing on the future.  There are still buyers looking for properties – right now – and most of the inventory is sort of left over from the end of the year.  So if you have a quality property to show, it will get snapped up.  So why not wait until the weather changes and the grass gets green, wash the windows, sweep up and then list – right? Wrong!     Once the weather changes everyone else will be prettying up their properties and flood the market with a lot of comparables.  You will be one of many, but if you list today, you will be the one and only. On the other hand if you are a buyer you can also find a deal. Like I said earlier, there are properties that have been sitting on the market all winter long and they have become ‘stale’.  There is nothing wrong with the properties, except they have been sitting on the market for some time.  These properties are ripe for “negotiation’ this is where I get excited. I search out a perfect property that others have overlooked and negotiate the shit out of it. It could need updating, it could be overpriced, and it may be empty since they moved on! Opportunity is knocking! Answer the door.     Weather, timing, marketing, elbow grease, hard work are all factors that will make or break your search for your dream home. So you can sit around and wait for the flowers to bloom or you can get in the market – now – and be moving by the time the tulips are blooming. Your choice!     As a side note, we have just launched our new website at www.uniquerealty.ca and if you can check it out and give us some feedback or better yet send us a link to yours – much appreciated! Unique. 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.