If you’re going to be out-of-town but need to sell you home, you might be concerned about listing your property while you’re away. After all, you won’t be around to show your property, schedule viewings, consider offers, etc.

While it’s ideal that you be close to home when you’re selling, there’s no reason why you can’t list your property, even if you’re going to be out-of-town.

When it comes to communications and document sharing, technology is a wonderful thing! While you’re away, you can utilize phone, email, file sharing apps (such as Dropbox), e-signing apps (such as DocuSign) and, online meeting apps (such as Zoom).

For viewing appointments, a secure lock box (with your key inside) can be installed so buyers can be shown your property.

Even services such as staging, painting, repair work, and cleaning can be done while you’re away.

Sure, the selling process can become a little more challenging if you’re going to be out-of-town, but certainly not impossible. In fact, homes are sold all the time under these circumstances.

So, if you’re thinking of selling but worried about being away, give me a call. I’ll show you how to make it work.

If you’re thinking about selling in the spring, don’t wait until the new year to start planning. In fact, you’ll save yourself a lot of work and get ahead of the game if you start planning now.

What’s that old saying? The early bird gets the worm! In this case, by starting the process this month, you’ll be in excellent shape when you’re ready to list in the spring.

Here are just a few examples of what you can do in December to get the process started:

• Walk your property and note any maintenance issues that need attention.

• Decide which items to stow or sell to declutter your home.

• Determine what improvements you’ll need to make in order for your home to look great to buyers (i.e. painting.)

• Find out approximately how much your property will likely sell for in the spring market.

• Clarify the kind of new home you’d like to move into, including ideal neighbourhoods.

• Look into your financing options, so you’ll know the price range you’ll be shopping within.

• Connect with any professionals you may need, such as contractors, a mover, and a real estate lawyer.

• Take advantage of any December shopping deals for products you may need, such as home improvement project materials, packing supplies, etc.

As you can see, the more prepared you are this month, the more stress-free and successful the home selling process will be for you in the spring.

And one more tip: contact me to get the conversation started about selling your home in the new year. It’s coming fast!

November 2, 2020

A total of 990 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this October, 59.9 per cent more than the 619 properties sold in October 2019 and 0.1 per cent more than the previous month of September 2020. Sales of condominiums were up 70.8 per cent from October 2019 with 304 units sold. Sales of single family homes were up 53.1 per cent from October 2019 with 487 sold.

"Once again, another month concluded with numbers that surprised many of us," said Victoria Real Estate Board President Sandi-Jo Ayers. "Sales for October broke the record for the month and inventory continues to be snapped up quickly. Due to this high demand, low supply environment, we are seeing many multiple offer situations. Condos and single family homes both continue to be popular choices for buyers."

There were 2,122 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of October 2020, 19.7 per cent fewer properties than the total available at the end of October 2019 and an 11.2 per cent decrease from the 2,389 active listings for sale at the end of September 2020.

"We have mentioned previously the pent-up demand - how sales that were depressed over the spring because of the pandemic occurred later during the summer. These delayed sales resulted in higher than average numbers for our summer and early fall market," adds Ayers. "We may also be seeing some brought-forward demand - where people are making their future moves now. In part this may be to take advantage of lower mortgage interest rates. It may also be because of our current public health situation. Some people may be anticipating a slow down in general activity over the winter months due to the course of the pandemic and so are accelerating their plans. This may mean continued heightened sales activity through the fall and early winter, which is contrary to our normal market trend. In a normal year, we would see a tapering off of activity leading to the winter season, but thus far we have seen sustained sales and demand through October. Check in with a local REALTOR® to ascertain the to-the-minute market environment if you are considering buying or selling a property."

The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in October 2019 was $859,900. The benchmark value for the same home in October 2020 increased by 2.3 per cent to $879,600, virtually the same value as listed in September. MLS® HPI benchmark value for a condominium in the Victoria Core in October 2019 was $512,500, while the benchmark for the same condominium in October 2020 remained close to last year’s value at $512,300, 0.3 per cent more than the September value of $510,600.