Prices remaining stable in the fall market Philip Clement September 16, 2013 5055 Dear Montrealers, SOLD is a reoccurring word I use in my career during this fall market. I have been fortunate enough to have some very satisfied buyers and sellers in August. Now I find myself running short on properties to promote on island, I would like to point out that I focus my energy in Westmount, NDG, Montreal West, and Downtown. All four have been fruitful for my clients this year, whether it was to find or to sell a home; my mandate has been fulfilled, I delivered on all my promises. A realistic approach to the new market mixed with a strategic marketing plan is the key for sales this year. I received an e-mail towards the middle of August from Stephanie in NDG. Stephanie was wondering what she should do to her property in order to stage it for a quick sale but she also wanted top dollar for her home. After visiting her property, my suggestions where to fix a few visual defects, clean the windows, de-clutter the entire house, and repaint a couple rooms that were too dark. When preparing a home for a sale, it is important to make it as appealing as possible, at very little cost. Most of the time, you will not get your money back for a short-term major renovation. I also have a trusted inspector I sometimes use for pre-sale inspections of a house, avoiding major surprises. Generally speaking on the island of Montreal we have seen similar sales in August 2013 as previous years. The average selling price has not increased however. For years now we have all been hearing about an upcoming crash in the market or a significant decline in home value. This has been speculation and has not materialized yet. Whether we are upgrading because we need more space or downsizing because we have too much, we will always need a roof over our heads. Between now and the Holiday Season we will conclude about 25% of sales in the year. Plenty of time for those wanted to sell their home in 2013. Fall Open Houses will attract more people. In some cases we could have a very short delay between a Promise to Purchase and Occupancy of a property, and in other cases we could receive offers with Occupancy in early 2014. This month I will be looking at NDG for the in depth analysis. Notre Dame de Grace In NDG we have had some nice sales since the beginning of the year. Contrary to what many may believe, the construction of the new GLEN campus has not increased the value of properties or increased the number of properties sold in the area. We have seen a slight reduction in the number of sales compared to last year (95 in 2013 vs 116 in 2012), down by 18% in fact. The average selling price compared to last year however is the same, a difference of 0.7%. I look forward to meeting more of you, feel free to contact me for an evaluation and to bring your property to market. Best Regards, Philip Clement. 514-708-4056 [email protected]