Contact Me
330 First Street, Collingwood, ON L9Y 1B4
Email: rickcrouch@propertycollingwood.com
Direct: 705-443-1037
Office: 705-445-5520 ext 230
Website: www.propertycollingwood.com
My Profile
- Rick Crouch
- I am a licensed real estate Broker and MVA (Market Value Appraiser Residential.) Throughout the buying and selling process, I am committed to providing my clients with the utmost in value added service, performance and real estate expertise. Please visit my real website www.propertycollingwood.com to find out more. HELPING YOU IS WHAT I DO!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Selling A Non MLS® Listed Property
In the last 2 to 3 weeks I have received calls or emails from consumers seeking some guidance with respect to the sale of their homes which at the time of their contact with me were not actively listed for sale. In these instances, the sellers were asked by the REALTOR® representing the potential buyer to either sign a short-term "Listing Agreement" ie: 4 or 5 days, or to sign what is known as a "Seller Customer Service Agreement." The fundamental purpose of these agreements from the REALTORS® perspective is to ensure they get paid a commission should the house sell.
Having a seller sign a formal "Listing Agreement" for a few days in order to facilitate them showing a property to their buyer client is rather pointless. With all of the conditions typically inserted into today's offers ie: financing, attainment of insurance, completing a home inspection etc. it is highly unlikely that all of those conditions will be satisfied in such a short time frame before the listing expries unless the Listing Agreement is extended. One of the short-term listings in question had an offer accompanying it that was conditional on the buyer selling their present home in a couple of months!
The "Seller Customer Service Agreement" is the more appropriate of the two documents to use when bringing forth a buyer for a property not listed for sale and I have used this form for numerous transactions. This Agreement has dates both for the commencement of the Agreement as well as an expiry of said Agreement. Secondly it stipulates the commission to be paid by the Seller either in terms of a percentage of the sale price or just a set fee.
There is however one alternate means for a REALTOR® to sell a home that is not listed for sale and to be paid for doing so. Have the buyer pay the commission. Most REALTORS® dealing with buyers these days have or should have in place a "Buyer Representation Agreement." This Agreement establishes a formal agency relationship between the REALTOR® and the buyer(s) thus appointing the REALTOR® to act as their agent. As with the "Seller Customer Service Agreement," the "Buyer Representation Agreement" also can facilitate a commission to be paid to the REALTOR® by the buyer for successfully acquiring a property on their behalf. Although used less frequently having a buyer pay the commission removes that burden from the seller whose home is not actively listed by them for sale and this can help in the negotiation process with respect to price.
The bottom line is, it is not necessary for a seller to sign a short-term Listing Agreement in order to have a REALTOR® show their non-listed property to a potential buyer or to bring forth an offer. There are other alternatives that can facilitate an accepted "Agreement of Purchase and Sale" being achieved with the REALTOR® being paid for their efforts.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Collingwood & Town Blue Mountain Sales Surpass Last Year
Year-to-date unit sales in Collingwood are up 4.9% with 236 proprieties sold to the end of October versus 225 last year. In the Town Blue Mountains, sales for the year now total 136 properties which is a 13.3% increase over the 120 units sold in the same period last year. MLS® sales in each individual municipality for the first 10 months of this year ranked in order are as follows:
- Town Blue Mountains 13.3%
- Collingwood 4.9%
- Clearview -2.9%
- Wasaga Beach -4.8%
- Grey Highlands -10.0%
- Municipality Meaford - 19.5%
The bulk of the sales activity we see continues to be at mid to lower end of the market with 83% of the sales below $350,000. This is a percentage of total sales that has not changed in the last three years. Year-to-date 2009 sales above $500,000 total 102 units compared to 100 in 2008 representing just over 6% of the total market. Again this percentage has changed little in the last three years although it has been in the last 3 to 4 months that higher end property sales have resumed a similar pace to what we were seeing prior to the commencement of the current recession.
The big question on many consumer's minds is that of pricing. As President of the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board last year, it was my contention that we would not see any significant reduction in prices in our market. One year later that is now essentially fact. The 12 month average price in our area has in fact risen (0.8%) from $280,724 in October of 2008 to $283,009 this year. Average pricing however is an ever-changing number that is affected far greater by the mix of properties selling than by inflation or deflation. To obtain an accurate synopsis of pricing requires an in-depth look at your neighbourhood and or property type. Recent reviews I have conducted in this regard indicate that pricing is fundamentally stable with the only significant price reductions coming from those listings that were over-priced to start with.
As always, if you have any questions or comments please consult the writer and I would be happy to assist you without obligation.
Monday, November 2, 2009
October Sales up 84% Over 2008
Further to my last post, area real estate sales during October slightly exceeded my earlier forecast totalling $52.4 million versus $28.5 million in October 2008, an increase of 84%. These results are based on sales processed through the MLS® system of the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board and do not include new home sales in the area.Sunday, October 25, 2009
October Real Estate Sales Surge!
Month-to-date sales through to October 25th total $41.3 million and given the current rate of activity may well pass the $51 million mark by month-end. Back in October of 2008 we were in the early stages of a significant economic slowdown and real estate sales across the country were falling substantially in all major markets. Georgian Triangle real estate sales in October of last year totalled just $26.8 million hence we are already $14.5 million or 54% of last year's volume for the same month.
Back in March, year-to-date sales for the first quarter in our area were down 40% in terms of units and 47% in dollars. Subsequent months have seen a reversal of fortune as beginning in April we saw this trend begin to turn. Unit sales in June, July and August were up 16%, 27% and 30% respectively. As noted in my 3rd Quarter Real Estate Newsletter I predicted that by year-end, total area sales for 2009 would surpass those of 2008. Given the current rate of activity this month, year-to-date sales by the end of October may very well exceed year-to-date sales for the same period last year.
With a high level of consumer confidence, low interest rates and a substantial inventory of property for buyers to choose from, the remaining months of 2009 should see continued strength in our market as we head into 2010.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
How Many Bedrooms Does Your Home Have?
As licensed REALTORS® we are required to carry errors and omissions insurance and we are in fact responsible for not only the accuracy of our work reading Agreements of Purchase and Sale but also with the listing of properties as well. For example, the Alliance for Canadian Real Estate Education (ACRE) has specific guidelines to follow with respect to measuring the square footage of a home in order to ensure there is no misrepresentation.
One of the more contentious issues of late is with respect to the number of bedrooms a home may have. A room without a closet is not technically a bedroom. More importantly a room in a basement without a window does not constitute a bedroom. Building code requirements stipulate specific window sizes for basement bedrooms so as to allow adequate space for a person to escape through in the event of a fire etc.
The correct format relative to accurately portraying bedrooms in a real estate listing is as follows. If a home has 3 bedrooms above grade and 1 in the basement then the listing should read 3+1 bedrooms not 4 bedrooms. A house with 2 bedrooms up and 2 down would be 2+2 bedrooms etc. To this point in time, http://www.realtor.ca/ does not have the ability to differentiate bedrooms in this manner. Consequently a home with 1 bedroom on the main floor and 2 in the basement would appear online as a 1 bedroom home. Understandably this infuriates the seller. Later in November, the Canadian Real Estate Association will be implementing programming changes to http://www.realtor.ca/ that will correct this shortcoming.
In the meantime if you were thinking of selling you home, how many "legitimate" bedrooms does it have?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Royal LePage - Canada's Leading Real Estate Voice
A recent article in the Vancouver Sun entitled "Rebound in house prices doesn't point to boom" quoted Phil Sopher of Royal LePage as saying "increase in sales activity and firming of house prices are the product of a normal market correction and not the beginning of another aggressive expansionary cycle.'' Mr. Sopher further went on to say that "Once housing supply returns to normal levels, we believe the economy will support low pricing growth into 2010."
We are certainly seeing this throughout the Georgian Triangle. Sales have recovered in recent months and as I stated in a prior posting, we fully anticipate that real estate activity in our area during 2009 will surpass 2008. Pricing has by and large remained stable with price reductions coming primarily on those properties that were grossly overpriced to start with now being reduced or are being taken off the market altogether. Significant price increases should not pose a threat as there is still an ample selection of both new and resale housing inventory for buyers to choose from and their willingness to "over-pay" is virtually non-existent.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Bank of Canada May Have to Raise Interest Rates
As I have previously stated, one of the by-products stemming from a slowdown in real estate activity is the creation of a pent-up demand for housing once consumer confidence returns. The increased demand often sparks a run-up in pricing and that is already becoming evident in some markets. Clients here in the Collingwood area whose home we have recently sold and are moving back to the GTA, recently lost out on the purchase of a home for which there were 8 competing offers. Ultimately the house sold above the listed price. The Bank of Canada's stance is that surging housing prices will cool down once pent-up demand dissipates as those who were too afraid to buy homes during the peak of the recession now move forward with making their purchases.
The Central Bank's position had been to maintain low interest rates until 2011 however some other countries ie: Australia have moved to increase interest rates as a means to keep inflation in check. This is a situation which will no doubt be watched closely in the coming weeks and should consumers detect an upward movement in rates, this too will perhaps spur greater real estate activity and subsequently higher prices. More to follow....
