Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Friday, December 5, 2008

Selling in a 'Tough Market'

For those of us below the half century mark in age, this has to feel like uncharted territory our world is heading us into.

Forgetting the circus called Ottawa, right now the Big3 automakers are in front of a hearing in the US and at the same time the unemployment numbers were rolled out today for November.....over half a million unemployed in one month alone....Yikes!
We fared no better in Canada, 71,000 jobs lost in November.....

Truly, the times are a'changin.....however, our lives go on. We have hopes and dreams. We have families to feed and dreams to fulfill. Hopefully we continue to be employed and we are lucky enough to enjoy all this country offers and take on whatever challenges our futures throw at us with heads up and in a fighting mood.

It sure felt like the Real Estate market in the US was the canary in the coal mine....troubling sales numbers started to show themselves last year and there were more than a few pundits voicing their concerns long ago.
Since January of this year there has been a marketed decline in listing/sale prices here in BC.

Out of all this turmoil, our lives continue on. Our jobs change. Our lives change. In hard times and in good times.

And yes ( what did you expect, I am a Realtor and this is a Real Estate Blog....) Real Estate will continue to be bought and sold even in times such as these.

What this means is, sales don't come easy. Your Realtor will need to be ready to take on these challenges and so will you. Ask your Realtor what you need to do to really prepare your home for sale. The buyers who are out there right now (especially those buyers out there during this holiday season) are in most cases, "real buyers". ie. those who are serious and in need of a new home or are investors looking for a long term investment.

You need to prepare your investment for maximum sales potential with expert pricing, good staging, good presentation and professional negotiation and consulting with your Realtor.

I have buyers and sellers reports....which are free for the taking....on my web site. There is some great tips in there .....Click on thehousehunter logo to your left or drop me a note.