I thought I was ready…and yet when push came to shove and a buyer showed up with a price I really liked, I couldn’t do it. I could not bring myself to sell my home.
What the heck!? After all those albatross references I made in my last blog? Yup. Couldn’t do it.
What I realized in that gut-wrenching decisional moment is that my choice to sell was in part influenced by the record-high prices that off-island properties were commanding through the spring. What I discovered is that ‘more money’ is not a good enough reason to make a life-changing decision.
As I progressed through the (unending) tasks of prepping my house, painting, cleaning, gardening, triaging and disposing of…her character started to re-emerge and grab hold of my heart once again. And the innumerable comments of ‘Nooooo! don’t sell ‘ that made their way to me through social media and email made me really consider what this home means to so many. It has been (and still is) an open-door haven both to me and to innumerable friends, family, travellers and strangers over several decades. That means something.
As one friend said, ”You not selling is the best news I’ve heard all year” and I fully agree. Thanks to all of you who weighed in on both sides, your observations helped me think more clearly.
Celebrating the easing of Covid-related restrictions with family in Old Montreal
And in the meantime…
June saw a drastic change in buyer sentiment as everything from the higher mortgage stress-test to easing of Covid curfews to warm weather, holidays and access to vaccines converged into one big ‘I’m Fed Up With Real Estate And Not Going To Take It Anymore‘ festival of breaking free from frustration and unhappiness. In several areas we are seeing 1 or 2 offers on properties instead of 12 or 15, price reductions are back, and many homes are taking longer to sell.
In my opinion, this is a great time to be making offers.
I cannot predict how long the lull will last; border reopenings will lead to more non-local buyers, pandemic business reopenings will most likely result in a rush to acquire on-island pieds-à-terre for all those who purchased full-time country homes and inflation and interest rate worries will push more people into hard assets like real estate. But right now? Jump in, the water is fine!!
For more info, help with a real estate question or just to say hi, click the contact me button or give me a call, I am always delighted to help.
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