…and the weather is cold.

We brokers have a saying:

“If you’re out with a buyer in the snow, then you know they are for real”

Real estate is seasonal.
So take advantage of that if you’re a buyer!

Look at property when no one else is.
Buy that penthouse with outdoor space – in the winter – and buy a summer home – in December.

You’re more likely to get a deal when there’s less activity on a property!

One reason real estate brokers have a generally-less-than-stellar reputation as professionals is that because a large amount of the time, the client is unhappy.

Unhappy beyond our control -
And unhappy people like to lay blame…
Usually on “us”.

The buyer loses a property because they’re outbid -
The broker gets blamed…
The seller loses the buyer because the property is overpriced -
The broker gets blamed…
The board turns down a buyer (for some unknown reason)-
The broker gets blamed…

Is the key to being a good broker having the ability to seek out and work with generally happy people who see things as they are?

I think so!

Defining the price of a property is no easy task, especially in a market that moves swiftly!

If you ask two people for an opinion, you’re sure to get three points of view. When buyers and sellers do their “own” due diligence on pricing and the market, and it conflicts the broker’s, it leaves the agent having to defend “their” market insight and knowledge.

Understandably, buyers and sellers are always trying to figure out the market because buying a home is the biggest investment they will make in their life. It isn’t like buying a pair of shoes (not even Manolo Blahniks), but that’s exactly why they have to work with an expert.

It is the exception, not the rule, when a property sells for the asking price. The price is often higher in a seller’s market and lower in a buyer’s market. No agent has a magic wand or crystal ball (that I know of). Defining the price of a property, before the market dictates its value, is a process of extrapolating data, putting the pieces together and coming up with a strategy.