When the time comes to list their property for sale, many Sellers interview several REALTORS® and I would certainly encourage you to do so. Whether it's looking for the lowest commission rate, the degree of service and or marketing plan the prosepctive Agent has for your property or just someone with whom you can relate, Seller's reasons to select a specific Agent are as varied as the properties we sell.
The initiatives that a REALTOR® has to promote your property today are many. Open houses for other Agents and the public, print advertising, a direct mailer to your neighbourhood, virtual tours, brochures, numerous websites such as http://www.mls.ca/ and more will certainly help to attract a willing Buyer(s). The undeniable truth however is that the most overlooked factors that ultimately affect your ability to sell boil down to just two simple issues, both of which fall under the control of NOT the REALTOR®, but YOU the Seller. What are these issues? "PRICE and MOTIVATION."
First and foremost is price. Your property must be priced consistent with what other similar properties are not listed for, but with those that have actually SOLD. Forget what the neighbours are asking, their home hasn't sold and their price has not yet been established. Their over-priced home may in fact sell yours for when you price your property too high all you will do is help sell other properties with whom you are competing. Tip: Ask every REALTOR® you are interviewing to provide a written Comparable Market Analysis outling the recommended price they have arrived at for your property and why.
The second most important factor which also has a bearing on pricing is the degree of motivation YOU have as a Seller. In order to effectively sell your property, the best REALTOR® with the most impressive of marketing plans will have little chance of success if you are not truly committed to selling. This commitment means everything from preparing and keeping your home ready for showings, to listening to and accepting suggestions from your Agent, to being flexible with the terms and conditions other than price, that may come to you from a prospective Buyer in their offer.
As a REALTOR® I embrace all of the latest in today's technologies and tools to drive my business and best serve my Seller and Buyer clients. This blog is a prime example. Nonetheless, as a Seller, failure to pay attention to the two most important of issues of "PRICE and MOTIVATION" will only result in the failure to meet your personal real estate objectives starting with the sale of your property. Despite all the high tech tools and inititiaves our there at our disposal to sell your property, as a REALTOR® the greatest attributes we can bring to the table are "INFORMATION and TRUTHFULNESS" regarding the sale of your property for without these, everything else is meaningless. The truth which all too often Sellers do not want to hear is that "PRICE and MOTIVATION" matter more than anything else when it comes to successfully selling your property.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Our "Creative Economy"
This past week I ran into a local arts patron and due to my involvement with the Chamber of Commerce we had a discussion on the growing economic impact that arts and culture is having on our area. Afterwards she emailed me some interesting information pertaining to a study that the Conference Board of Canada is undertaking on what is referred to as our "creative economy." To gauge the growing importance that creative, artisitic activity and its related products and services has on our economy please note the following:
"In Canada, this sector accounts for 3.8 percent of GDP and provides employment to nearly 600,000 workers. Arts and cultural industries are important drivers of creativity, innovation and job creation. It is predicted that the creative economy will continue to grow rapidly due to the lower costs in accessing technologies that are used to create and disseminate cultural products and experiences." Source: Conference Board of Canada
Our aging population is no doubt playing a significant role in the growth of arts and culture in Canada and closer here to home in the Georgian Triangle. In retirement, many people have both the time and financial resources to partake in artisitic endeavours and with the growing migration of such people into our area, one need only take note of the numerous businesses that have sprung up along Hurontario Street in the form of galleries and other organizations all related to arts and culture including: The Above Group- Level Gallery, Fishbowl, The Bay School of Arts and the Magic of Children in the Arts with their Magic Art Gallery above Saunders Office Pro amongst others.
Collingwood has had for years a very active cinema club and amateur arts following. Add to that organizations such as the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, Theatre Collingwood's efforts to establish a new facility in town and the forthcoming new library and it's not hard to realize the growing impact arts and culture will play in the future of our local economy. We've all heard the term "starving artists" and know how hard it is to be economically successful utilizing one's creative talents. My hat goes off to those who have the passion and committment to bring such worthwhile creative additions to our communtities. Your efforts will benefit us all not only socially, but economically as well.
"In Canada, this sector accounts for 3.8 percent of GDP and provides employment to nearly 600,000 workers. Arts and cultural industries are important drivers of creativity, innovation and job creation. It is predicted that the creative economy will continue to grow rapidly due to the lower costs in accessing technologies that are used to create and disseminate cultural products and experiences." Source: Conference Board of Canada
Our aging population is no doubt playing a significant role in the growth of arts and culture in Canada and closer here to home in the Georgian Triangle. In retirement, many people have both the time and financial resources to partake in artisitic endeavours and with the growing migration of such people into our area, one need only take note of the numerous businesses that have sprung up along Hurontario Street in the form of galleries and other organizations all related to arts and culture including: The Above Group- Level Gallery, Fishbowl, The Bay School of Arts and the Magic of Children in the Arts with their Magic Art Gallery above Saunders Office Pro amongst others.
Collingwood has had for years a very active cinema club and amateur arts following. Add to that organizations such as the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, Theatre Collingwood's efforts to establish a new facility in town and the forthcoming new library and it's not hard to realize the growing impact arts and culture will play in the future of our local economy. We've all heard the term "starving artists" and know how hard it is to be economically successful utilizing one's creative talents. My hat goes off to those who have the passion and committment to bring such worthwhile creative additions to our communtities. Your efforts will benefit us all not only socially, but economically as well.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Area Real Estate Sales up 48% in November
Sales of area real estate reported through the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board's MLS® system in November posted a 48% gain versus November of last year. Sales for the month totaled $51.2 million as compared to $34.5 million in 2006 and $35.6 million in 2005.
Year-to-date sales for the first 11 months of the year now stand at $542 million, a 17% increase over the same period last year. These results reflect some of the strongest year-to-date sales results for MLS® listed property in the Georgian Triangle since 2004. Added to this are the significant number of sales for new homes and condominiums made directly by developers which are not included in these numbers, and you have a clear indication of the ongoing demand in our local market.
Unit sales are up 11% for the year which again surpasses what we have been experiencing in the last couple of years. As an example, year-to-date unit sales in November 2006 reflected a decrease of almost 8%. There continues to be a strong sales activity for properties at the upper end of the market with unit sales of properties valued over $500,000 up 18.5% year-to-date. Sales of area properties over the $1 million mark, a somewhat rare occurence not so long ago are now happening during 2007 at an average rate of 2 per month. After a somewhat slow start earlier in the year, area condominium sales have rebounded nicely with 326 units sold year-to-date versus 313 for the first 11 months of 2006.
The early arrival of winter has facilitated one of the earliest ski season openings at Blue Mountain in recent years and this will positively impact the sale of recreational properties in the area. As such sales in December should remain strong making 2007 the best year yet for MLS® sales of Georgian Triangle real estate. My year-end newsletters will feature a complete re-cap of sales and pricing results for the year, in the meantime, please feel free to contact me to discuss you specific real estate questions and or objectives.
Year-to-date sales for the first 11 months of the year now stand at $542 million, a 17% increase over the same period last year. These results reflect some of the strongest year-to-date sales results for MLS® listed property in the Georgian Triangle since 2004. Added to this are the significant number of sales for new homes and condominiums made directly by developers which are not included in these numbers, and you have a clear indication of the ongoing demand in our local market.
Unit sales are up 11% for the year which again surpasses what we have been experiencing in the last couple of years. As an example, year-to-date unit sales in November 2006 reflected a decrease of almost 8%. There continues to be a strong sales activity for properties at the upper end of the market with unit sales of properties valued over $500,000 up 18.5% year-to-date. Sales of area properties over the $1 million mark, a somewhat rare occurence not so long ago are now happening during 2007 at an average rate of 2 per month. After a somewhat slow start earlier in the year, area condominium sales have rebounded nicely with 326 units sold year-to-date versus 313 for the first 11 months of 2006.
The early arrival of winter has facilitated one of the earliest ski season openings at Blue Mountain in recent years and this will positively impact the sale of recreational properties in the area. As such sales in December should remain strong making 2007 the best year yet for MLS® sales of Georgian Triangle real estate. My year-end newsletters will feature a complete re-cap of sales and pricing results for the year, in the meantime, please feel free to contact me to discuss you specific real estate questions and or objectives.
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