The Best Time to Sell

"What's the best time to list my home?" - One of the most popular questions I get asked day to day.

There are several factors that go into figuring out the best way to market a property. The time of year is important with market spikes in the spring and fall, but if that is the only factor that drives a seller to list, many opportunities may be missed.
True, spring is a hot time on the market with a great deal of homes being listed in a short period of time. Lots of buyers are also looking meaning that your home will likely get shown often (as long as it is priced properly).
Let's stop for a moment and think about the advantages of listing before the big rush...
I have been chatting with many of the REALTORS® in the area lately, and the overwhelming consensus is that this has been the busiest January in a very long time. Buyers are aware of the interest rates being very low and are out looking for their next home. These buyers are not the "tire kickers" that we sometimes see in the spring.

These are serious consumers trudging through snowbanks and braving fierce winds to view your home.

They are out there to find a property to purchase now, not just curious about the neighborhood or spicing up the "Sunday Drive". While you may not have the quantity of showings that you might in the spring, the quality is there. Less showings resulting in more offers - WIN/WIN!

One of the stressful times during the buying/selling process is the time between the initial offer being presented and a binding agreement being fully agreed upon and signed by all parties. Time is always of the essence, but there is a heightened sense of urgency in the spring. This causes extra stress on everyone and can make the negotiations seem frantic for some. Consider this process in the winter, I have found that everyone involved feels a little less pressure during this time, and less pressure means more rewarding transactions. It is also easier to book appointments like home inspections and estimates for upgrades as the suppliers of these services are not as busy and have more time slots available.

Finally here at Exit Realty Town & Country we are about to launch an incentive program for clients wishing to list this spring. If you are interested in listing, give me a call I can let you know all about this really attractive give away!
Call me today and get a jump start on the spring rush, let's talk about a less stressful and more rewarding sale of your home!

Megan White
902-680-2736

Unicorns Love Dancing

 

 

 

Positive attitude can be hard to come by these days. Is it that we get the mid-winter blues this time of year? Perhaps It's a lack of vitamin D making us grumpy (although, I have noticed some people are negative no matter how much or little the sun shines around them). I can tell you one thing, I am getting fed up of the world around me bringing me down over and over. It's time to cancel out this negative energy!
I am not saying to bury our heads in the sand and pretend there are not things happening that deserve our attention, what I am saying is that sometimes it's up to us to be the bearer of our own good news!
But HOW you ask, with all the negative images and stories out there? How will I get around to giving myself a tiny pep talk each and every day? Here's my solution... make more passwords!
Change your settings on your computer, tablet and cell phone so that every time you activate one of these vastly time consuming devices you have to enter a password.
Tell me more Megan! This is something I can do!
Here's how it works. You password lock everything you own and use the same password for all your devices, change it every week so that multiple times per day/hour you are typing in this mantra. That's the key, the password is a mantra!
Something great to look forward to (VACATION IN FEBRUARY)
A silly one for a laugh (UNICORNS LOVE DANCING)
A positive affirmation (I AM TOTALLY HILARIOUS)
Maybe you need to solve an issue (WHERE ARE MY SLIPPERS)
A dream for the future (THIS YEAR I STOP RENTING)

The point is that repetitive positive thoughts, however small brighten your day and it's easy work them into your routine. Positive changes stem from positive thoughts.
Positive people produce positive results.
Positive outcomes rely on positive ground work.
Now looking into the future for this upcoming year, what kind of positive changes would you like to see? How are you going to get the ball rolling right now? Many peoples thoughts stay towards real estate... Becoming a homeowner, or perhaps generating more revenue with income properties, maybe you are dreaming of a bigger place with all the upgrades!
In any case, if your life could be made better through the purchase and/or sale of property, you should call me! Because really... what kind of a person do you want to work with on some of the most exciting decisions you could ever make about your life?!

Quality of Life

 

 

 

With the price of oil dropping drastically, the sustainability of work in the boom/bust industrial places like Fort McMurray and across Alberta is coming into question. Quality of life and opportunity are topics of great discussion... Here is my take on the matter.
A huge portion of the youth here on the East Coast get the feeling of adventure at some point in their lives, they want to step out and see what the world has to offer away from our sheltered, safe Annapolis Valley. I took a summer job in Denver CO when I was young that turned into a decade long adventure all over North America and even to England! Unfortunately many of these youth are staying away, lured in by promise of higher paying jobs and a faster paced lifestyle. For me it was opportunity, the ability to train with the best coaches in the world and compete at prestigious venues amongst Olympians and World Champions. In the end what brought me back was the quality of life here.
Funny, some may say we are in a permanent recession and the Maritimes are a "have not" area. I disagree, as it all depends on what is ultimately important to you. If you are looking for blaring nightlife, neon lights and a go, go, go extreme pace... this area is not suited. I will offer an appeal though, to the ever growing popularity of sustainable lifestyles and stopping the "glorification  of busy". These are people who want to know the farmer who raised their food, connect with their neighbors and the people in their community, the people who agree that quality of life is not directly correlated with income and net worth.
If this kind of life is what you are looking for, then I would argue that Nova Scotia is precisely where you should be. I have found that there is a sense of camaraderie, friendliness and caring that is hard to match, and impossible to quantify. We are polite and giving to excess (I often joke that an Annapolis Valley traffic jam is 4 cars at an intersection all waving each other through first.) 
Perhaps we need to re evaluate what it means to be successful, what is truly important to our well being and happiness. I suppose it's a totally individual thing, but societal pressures may lead us to ideas that are not necessarily sustainable for ourselves as individuals and for our fragile ecosystem.
Ask yourself next time you are thinking of moving..
What does quality of life mean to ME?
How can I be truly happy, and where can I make that my reality?
What kind of people do I want to be surrounded by?
If your answers point towards a more relaxed, people oriented place maybe you should consider a move to the Annapolis Valley.

If you do decide that living here is worth a leap of faith and perhaps some creative ideas about entrepreneurship, call me. Let's talk about the opportunities available here and start looking at what your dollar is worth in the local housing market. I made the move back and I could not be happier or more satisfied!
Let's discuss the possibilities!

You Might be a REALTOR® if...

These are funny because they are TRUE! Ask my husband, friends, family and anyone who knows a REALTOR® personally!

Let's get started, and may I just say that I am guilty of many of these characteristics... tsk tsk tsk!

You Might be a REALTOR® if...

1) When you head down to the pub for happy hour you call it a  "networking lunch" and bring business cards.
(let's be real, my pockets are always stuffed with cards)

2) Your professional headshot is plastered all over your business cards, car, website, YouTube channel, Christmas cards, luggage tags, facebook profile, local grocery store, hardware store, 7-11, community hall, mall entrance and anywhere anyone shops.

3) When buying a printer you ask the salesperson if this will stand up to bouncing around in your "mobile office" i.e. the trunk of your car.

4) Your sales team includes your spouse, children, siblings, parents and the family pets.
(this one does not apply to my dog... he's a total jerk to strangers)

5) You are more lost without your phone than a teenage girl on a Saturday. You will return to retrieve it even if you are only going to Timmys for a coffee.
(the overwhelming, sinking feeling when you are out of cell range is very similar)

6) Your holiday cards are actually a giant ad campaign.
(happy holidays, have you seen my professional headshot?)

7) Your daily workspace includes your desk at the office, the passengers seat in your car, your dining room table, the top drawer of your bedside table... any flat surface will do!
(I am guilty of having scraps of paper EVERYWHERE, and if it doesn't get entered into my phone schedule, it doesn't happen.)

So here's the question, why is this particular profession so broadly sweeping with advertising?
I'll tell you why. Because everyone needs a place to live. And we all know that buying property is an excellent long term investment. It baffles me to no end that people spend a huge portion of their monthly income on rent, when that could be going towards equity in a home.
Here's where I come in. I am able to help you make the shift from paying someone else's mortgage to investing in yourself.
As a REALTOR® I am acutely aware of everything it takes to purchase property. There are piles of documents, with hard to understand legal jargon. There are inspections, mortgages, insurance clauses and tests to be done all within a strict timeline. This is my profession and a huge part of my life, helping all sorts of people invest in their future is truly amazing and I absolutely love it.

The final "You Might be a REALTOR® If..."

8) The most exciting and rewarding part of my job is to hand over a tiny key and welcome someone home.

Fun ways to keep warm at home this winter!

Let's face it, Canada is cold in the winter. Nobody relishes in the fact that some days, you could actually die if you get locked out of your home for too long. I have amassed a list of fun ways to ward off hypothermia and keep warm in your homes during the dark months.

1) First off dress appropriately!! What is wrong with you I wear shorts all year round guy?  It's WINTER. Wear pants, several pairs if you need to. You're making me shiver just looking at your bare legs fool.

2) Become a pyromaniac. Whether it be wood, gasoline, bridges, photos of ex boyfriends, bras... I don't care! Fire = heat so dig yourself a pit in the living room and light em up!*

3) Exercise. HAHAHAHhhahahahhahahaha.... no I'm kidding, that's crazy talk! More like perfect your interpretive dance or join a hardcore miming troupe.

4) Hibernate. Seriously, why can't we figure out how to do this? I would be totally fine with having a nap after my turkey dinner in December and waking up for the May long weekend.

5) Take up a cold weather hobby that you enjoy. May I suggest building couch forts and hiding under the blankets for a few months, perhaps buy a tanning bed and sleep in it like a hyperbaric chamber/frying pan. Take a page from Ron Burgundy snuggle up to his friend Scotchy Scotch Scotch (get in my belly!)

6) Shear your cat and knit long underwear, you may need to borrow a few felines from the crazy cat lady next door in order to complete the entire garment... actually I haven't a sweet clue how many cats you would need to shear to make a sweater, but please do post in the comments below if you know or find out!

7) Become a shut in. Let's face it, winter makes us grumpy so let's all stop pretending that we are ok with it and just shut 'er down for a couple months. Lock the door, layer up and make a hot toddy because the idea of staying home in front of a roaring fire (pit) is far more pleasing than sploshing through the salty, slushy, frigid darkness that is our dreadful Canadian winter.

 WHO'S WITH ME?!

I'll admit I spent too many winters as a snowbird in Florida, therefore I am no longer able to cope with the cold reality of the season here. Consider this... when we go out looking at properties in the high season, you can rest assured that I will always be the one scoping out a homes characteristics for things such as woodstoves, solar panels, fireplace inserts and heat pumps. The struggle is real here and I never overlook these critical details. Even when it's not on your mind, I'll never let you get stuck out in the cold.

*Please only LOL at this one rather than actually doing it.

 

Location, Location, Location

So what's up with the terrible real estate clichés?
You know the ones I mean. The ones that make you groan and skip to the next listing. The ones that, instead of really making you want the house, make you really want to give someone a slap.

I'll admit that in writing a listing description, even the best can sometimes get a bit off track and overly flowery. As a reminder to myself and my colleagues, let's try to avoid these doozies.

1) "Handymans Dream" - This one is my favorite. Really, dream? More like a handymans nightmare!! After seeing these places, buyers might wake up in a cold sweat and need a hug.

2) "Priced to Sell" - Who writes that? The the department of redundancy department? If it's not priced to sell than why the heck would I ever show it? Best of luck with your property that is priced to stay on the market for 2 years.

3) "and much, much more" - Alrighty then, did you run out of characters allowed with your rampant redundancy? Get to the point, the description is precisely where the "much, much more" stuff goes.

4) "To Die For" - Oh My! To heck with vagueness! I have yet to find a property that anyone was willing to ACTUALLY risk their life for. That is absurd.

5) "Defies Description" - Wowzers! For real? You actually don't have the vocabulary to describe the property? Perhaps you could just state how many outlets are in each room and which windows face the road. That would provide more information than a description that isn't descriptive.

6) "All Reasonable Offers Considered" - Indeed, but what if I sent you a completely unreasonable offer? You won't consider it? Ahhh, yes, thank you for pointing out how this process will play out for THIS particular property.

In this age of tech savvy buyers, we must be diligent about what is put out to the advertising world. Buyers are factual, well informed and able to critically compare properties.
With a significant number of properties on the market right now, you need a REALTOR® that is marketing your property in the absolutely best possible light.
Quick comparisons make for quick decisions and someone who makes your property fade into the rest of the pack isn't doing their job.

DID YOU KNOW? - Kentville

I did this vlog a while back with the pumpkin people of Kentville. If you are thinking of buying or selling around Kentville, there is a ton of information here!
This is posted on my YouTube channel, so have a look around there too, I have video tours of some of my listed properties.