SHOULD YOU LIST IN DECEMBER

Most buyers/sellers do not think that December is a good time to be looking at the real estate market?  What do you think?  Have you bought and sold in the so called "off" months?  What was your experience?  Please share! 

I found an article by Brian Madigan, a Broker author and commentator on real estate matters, that I had filed away last year that speaks for itself.  Even without posting the 2010 figures, I think the article is very clear. 

Should you list in December? This is an interesting question. The statistics will demonstrate that historically, December is not a good month for real estate sales.

However, the buyers and sellers who are around in December are serious and want to do business.

Let’s have a look at the sales figures for the Greater Toronto area in December over the last few years:

2004……4,232
2005……4,255
2006……4,447
2007……4,647
2008……2,577
2009……5,541

So, all in all, the activity seemed to produce about 1,000 transactions per week.

Certainly, 2008 was an aberration. This was mere weeks after the world financial crisis before any resolution was in hand.

The percentage of sales that took place in December related to the entire year are as follows:

2004……5.07%
2005……5.06%
2006……5.35%
2007……5.58%
2008……3.37%
2009……6.21%

The bottom line, of course, is that there is still activity and there are still sales.

What about January? Is that a better month? Let’s have a look at the average sales prices. Did they increase in January, compared to the previous December?

2005……up
2006……up
2007……up
2008……down
2009……down
2010……down

The conclusion is not evident at all. In the last three years, it was possibly worth waiting, although in the three years prior to that, there were slight measurable increases in January.

To some extent, there is a missing month, somewhere in December and January. It can be based up the holiday schedule as well. It is challenging to complete transactions in the last two weeks of December or the first two weeks of January. That seems to reoccur every year.

On the other hand, there are many of motivated sellers who would like to complete their sale before the end of the year and a number of anxious buyers (usually in the commercial field) who would like to buy before year end.

Websites Match Contractors With Homeowners

Can you navigate the tricky road of finding a reliable contractor who will do a good job for a good price?October 7, 2011Vicky SandersonSPECIAL TO THE STAR

Next to hockey and being polite, renovation may well be Canadians’ favourite pastime.

In 2010, some 42 per cent of us completed either repairs or upgrades to our homes, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/). All that painting, hammering and fixing cost us about $23 billion.

With that kind of money on the table, Greg Peterson, who for several years ran a business coaching company that included contractor clients, wondered why so many players remained on the small side.

“The reno market in the GTA is estimated to be about $11 billion annually, with about 6,000 registered contractors competing for that. We think it’s more, with at least one in the underground working for cash for every legitimate player. We looked and saw that there was not a single renovator who did more than $10 million. There are a few that do $4 million to $5 million a year, but the vast majority are down in the low to middle hundreds of thousands.

“When we looked at what was keeping our contactors from breaking through, we found that in the vast majority there is no middle management. The owner does everything — marketing, selling, estimates, purchasing, hiring — and in many cases even works on the tools.”

Peterson realized his clients needed better business support. The result is the Renovantage ( http://www.renovantage.com/), which connects homeowners with contractors who keep their own business name while benefitting from the Renovantage “brand.”

“Our job is to create a brand identity both contractors and consumers can trust,” says Peterson.

Launched in January, the company currently has 15 contractors and three sub-trades in the GTA. The goal is to add two or three a month until they hit 100.

Participating contractors pay a fee to access marketing, coaching and architectural/design services, and to benefit from group buys. Potential clients will like that Renovantage-certified contractors must be properly licensed, pass credit and criminal checks, have WSIB and liability insurance, and contribute to a fund that’s held in trust and can be used in case of dispute after a job is completed.

Customers can also count on firm pricing, as contractors use a reliable “right price” estimating software package. An affiliation with the Woodbridge showroom Decorenza ( http://www.decorenza.com/) means Renovantage customers enjoy one-stop shopping for materials and finishes.

The number of sites brokering connections between consumers and contractors is growing, but Peterson thinks his offering is special. “We’re different from some other sites, in that they are not helping the contractor be a better business person. By doing that, and by backing them up, we’re ultimately serving both the contractor and the consumer.”

RenoMark ( http://www.renomark.ca/), a program of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (http://www.bildgta.ca/), also offers contractors support and development opportunities. For more information on it, and other online contractor and renovation services, visit my blog at www.thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse.

Carlo Perez, who earlier this year founded uknowa ( http://www.uknowa.com/), which allows consumers to gather quotes on reno jobs from up to eight contractors, agrees with Peterson that it’s a challenge for homeowners to find good workers.

It’s a lesson he learned up close while watching his sister suffer through a “disastrous” renovation a few years ago. At the same time, Perez was trying to design a website that would support his freelance photography business for which he was struggling to find client leads. One day, while commiserating with a contractor friend who was facing similar challenges, it all came together.

“I saw there was a great need to connect customers to contractors and help them navigate the tricky road of finding a reliable contractor who will do a good job for a good price,” he says.

Perez began by asking some 50 contacts what was most challenging about renovation. He heard repeatedly that while there are lots of resources for design and reno ideas, it all begins with basic questions: how do you find a renovator, how do you know you can trust them, and how much should you pay them? He thinks uknowa delivers on all three fronts.

At this point, contractors get on the uknowa.ca roster by invitation only. They don’t pay to get listed, but if the job closes, a percentage of the fee goes back to uknowa. Users can check contractor qualifications, licensing and WSIB status. After a job is complete, users can rate contractors and write a review.

Uknowa’s reach, initially confined to the GTA, already spans the province. By February 2012, they expect to be operating nation-wide and there are plans for a consumer education component that would include streamed video and information pieces.

“It’s a bit like that proverb about teaching a man to fish,” says Perez. “If you give consumers the right tools and information, they can make better decisions about their renovations, and who will do them.”

Riveting Talks By Remarkable People - Day 6 - What Makes Us Happy

It's perhaps the most universal human yearning: to be happy. But this simplest of goals so often eludes us. We're not terribly good, we humans, at knowing what we want.

"The Pursuit of Happiness" was 2004's conference theme, but TED speakers over many years have continued this quest. Daniel Gilbert's astonishing talk shows how we're poor predictors of what will actually make us happy. Stefan Sagmeister shares how great design contributed to his happiest moments, suggesting that the secret may be attention to detail. And Malcolm Gladwell, tongue in cheek, explores what we might learn about the pursuit of happiness through one man's quest to make the perfect pasta sauce.

But suppose we understand happiness. How, then, do we find it? Carl Honore says the key is, simply, to slow down. Pastor Rick Warren appeals for a life of spiritual purpose. And Barry Schwartz thinks a little less choice might do us all a lot of good.


Click here to hear Daniell Gilbert speak about Why Are We Happy?


Motivation for the day.  It could get you going.  Motivate yourself at the start of each day by listening to Riveting Talks By Remarkable People.

LAUGHING IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL - Day 6

A man had six children and was very proud of his achievement.
He was so proud of himself that he started calling his wife, 'Mother of Six', in spite of her objections.
One night they went to a party. He decided that it was time to go home, and wanted to find out if his wife is ready to leave as well.
He shouted at the top of his voice,"Shall we go home, Mother of Six?"
His wife, irritated by her husband's lack of discretion shouted back, "Anytime you're ready, Father of Four!"


Laughing is good for the soul.  Feed your soul.  Give it what it needs on a daily basis.  Subscribe to my blog for 100 days of Laughing is Good For The Soul.

Riveting Talks By Remarkable People - Day 5 - Alex Steffen: The shareable future of cities

How can cities help save the future? Alex Steffen shows some cool neighborhood-based green projects that expand our access to things we want and need -- while reducing the time we spend in cars.

Click here to listen to Alexander Steffen speak about the shareable future of the cities

Motivation for the day.  It could get you going.  Motivate yourself at the start of each day by listening to Riveting Talks By Remarkable People.