For as long as I have been a Realtor in Barrie Ontario there has been a pattern to real estate activity year after year that for the most part remains unchanged.
Around about the middle of March, once we have had two or three days in a row of above freezing temperatures and the previous few months of accumulated snow banks appear to be shrinking, that's when it happens.
A natural phenomenon that tells geese and robbins to head north, and people to plan for a move. Home owners start purging their stuff for goodwill and garage sales and can be spotted Saturday mornings at home depot staring catatonically at shaking paint mixers and slowly running their fingers over floor tile and hardwood samples.
By early April for-sale signs begin popping up randomly in neighborhoods all over town and Realtors emerge from their dens to cast Sunday afternoon shadows over sofas all over town indicating at least six more weeks of intense home buying and selling activity.
This flurry of activity continues on usually right up until schools begin to close up for summer at which time interests shift and the population begins their weekend treks north to feed mosquitoes and black flies and drink long island ice tea while singing off key in front of open fire pits.
The spring market is the busiest of the year, typically because most with school aged children try to time there moves over the summer school break. The frenzy that ensues in spring markets typically favors the sellers needs.
Then we enter into a limbo period from June through September. The balance of power shifts from seller to buyer giving opportunity for a few reasons
- Sellers who listed during the spring and have still not sold may now be more flexible than they were early on in the listing.
- Competition from other buyers is lower during the summer months.
- A number of sellers will have offers on other homes that are conditional upon the sale of their current homes. If you look for these homes chances are you will have added strength at the negotiating table over price, terms and conditions with your offer.
Right now in the last week of June in Barrie, 152 new listings have come onto the market through the Barrie Real Estate Board in just the past 8 days. The number of sales that have firmed up over this same time period.....2
There are just under 2000 residential properties still actively listed for sale on our data base. Go to HotBarrieListings.com and set up an automated search for properties if you want to take advantage of the mid summer opportunities that are out there.
The custom search you set up will bring you up to date on current properties matching your search parameters and you will have feature sheets of any new listings that match your home purchase requirements emailed to you as soon as they are listed for sale.
The market, not just real estate but any market, thrives on everyone travelling in the same direction at the same times. Those who choose to balk the trends and go in the other direction often benefit from their independent thinking.
Have a great summer and give me a call if you are thinking maybe this is your year to make a move.
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