Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Green Recipes, What Buyers Want, Home Sales Inched Up, Housing Market Optimism on the Rise, Saanich Taxes Up and More!

 

What Buyers Want to See when They Walk into a Room

When buyers view your property, they’re likely to visit each room and look around. Their imagination is turned on high. Often, within just a few moments in a space, they’ll form an impression — ideally, a positive one! 1. Space. Buyers will often mentally fit their furniture into a room when they see it. So, make sure each room is uncluttered and staged in a way that showcases its spaciousness. 2. Functionality. Buyers want to see the room for what it is. So, if it’s a bedroom, but you’ve turned it into an exercise room, it might become a distraction to buyers. Consider restoring the room to its original purpose. 3. Themselves. Buyers want to imagine the room as part of their home, not yours. They want to see themselves in it. That’s why it’s smart to depersonalize the space as much as possible. For example, replace the family picture on the wall with a landscape print. Anticipating how buyers will view each room will help you stage your property effectively.

Financial Post Canada's home sales inched up 2.3% in February, but all eyes are on spring market New figures released by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) on March 15 show that the slowdown in Canada’s housing market might be turning around with home sales increasing 2.3 per cent month over month in February. CMP Magazine Housing market optimism on the rise in every demographic, survey suggests Confidence in the prospects of Canadian real estate is now apparent across all demographics, with 49% of urban Canadians anticipating real estate performance to match and even surpass financial investments within 12 months, according to a new survey by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. Financial Post What downturn? Canadians across all generations still bullish on real estate Dropping home prices and economic uncertainty hasn’t turned Canadians off the housing market, with people across all age groups bullish on real estate, new research suggests. Real Estate Magazine – Canadian home sales rise in February despite drop in new supply Toronto Star – Canadian home prices have now fallen 19% from the market peak last February — but they appear to be flattening out Canadian Mortgage Professional – BMO: Canadian housing activity, prices could soon bottom out CBC News – Home sales fell 40% in February compared to a year ago, says CREA report National Post – WILKES: New federal rules will make Canada’s housing supply crisis worse Storeys – Canadian’s confidence in real estate outperforming financial investments: report Storeys – Canadian economists overwhelmingly predict property price declines for 2023 Business in Vancouver – Modular housing is seeing a 'massive groundswell of interest' in B.C. Victoria Times Colonist – Councillor wants to see bike-share program roll out in Victoria Victoria Times Colonist – Near-final Saanich budget includes 7.1% property-tax increase CBC B.C. – Saga of Island Rail Corridor highlights B.C.'s difficulty in creating regional transit Notable, Quotable, Quotes! “You do not find the happy life. You make it.” Camilla Eyring Kimball You probably know, intuitively, that there’s a crucial difference between information and advice. Gathering information is like finding puzzle pieces — not much good until you know how to put those pieces together. Getting advice is like finding someone who’s built that puzzle dozens of times before and having them explain where to put each piece. How does this analogy apply to real estate? Imagine finding out that local real estate listings are down. That news isn’t particularly helpful. But, if you also got personalized guidance on how that drop impacts the market value of your property, that would be more relevant and valuable. So, when you have real estate questions, you need both: Good information and great advice. Where do you get it? You call me. Not only do I have the latest data and market updates, but I can also explain what that information really means to you, given your situation, needs, and goals. I can help you put the puzzle pieces together! Best regards, Diana Winger Personal Real Estate Corporation | eXp Realty CNE, SRS, SRES, ABR Mortgage Agent | Dominion Lending Centres  ON YOUR TEAM! HomeVictoria.com  Housesforsale369.com Searchbestmortgages.com 250-588-8839