Real eState

Real estate agents urged to do virtual walk-throughs, open houses – BarrieToday

Published

4 years ago

April 25, 2020

Real estate has been considered an essential service, but it is not business as usual.

Realtors have a duty to follow the direction of health officials to minimize direct physical interaction by only listing properties if it is absolutely necessary for the seller to move and show properties if buyers are in a situation where they need to purchase in order to put a roof over their family’s heads.

This is definitely not a time where people should be testing out the market or scrambling to sell before we go into a recession.

It was announced earlier this month that physical public open houses are absolutely prohibited and sales people are encouraged to follow the direction of the health officials by declining to facilitate or participate in physical public open houses, even if the seller’s request. Sales people are also recommened to limit showings to only those buyers who need to find a place to live, not to those who are testing out the market.

Many agents are embracing digital technology to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission, but also be able to provide service to their sellers and buyers if absolutely necessary.

It has been encouraged that agents do virtual walk-throughs and virtual open houses to limit the number of people going through properties and to use any pre-existing virtual tours to assist buyers with narrowing down their searches.

Most listing agents are only allowing showings to be booked if the buyers have seen all photos, videos and done a drive by the property prior to any showing requests. Brokerages are sending out forms to be signed by all buyers and their agent before confirming appointments, screening all individuals on current state of health and so forth.

Lastly, to minimize risk in your home if you do need to sell, it is recommended to leave hand sanitizer and gloves at the front door and wipe all door knobs, light switches and surfaces when you get home.

Ashley Lamb is a columnist for BarrieToday who reports monthly on the local condo market.

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Real eState

National housing market in ‘holding pattern’ as buyers patient for lower rates: CREA

Published

19 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

OTTAWA – The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down.

The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year.

On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July.

CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.”

The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.

The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

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Real eState

Two Quebec real estate brokers suspended for using fake bids to drive up prices

Published

6 days ago

September 11, 2024

Anne Joseph

MONTREAL – Two Quebec real estate brokers are facing fines and years-long suspensions for submitting bogus offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christine Girouard has been suspended for 14 years and her business partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, has been suspended for nine years after Quebec’s authority of real estate brokerage found they used fake bids to get buyers to raise their offers.

Girouard is a well-known broker who previously starred on a Quebec reality show that follows top real estate agents in the province.

She is facing a fine of $50,000, while Dauphinais-Fortin has been fined $10,000.

The two brokers were suspended in May 2023 after La Presse published an article about their practices.

One buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than his initial offer in 2022 after Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin concocted a second bid on the house he wanted to buy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

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Montreal home sales, prices rise in August: real estate board

Published

2 weeks ago

September 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

MONTREAL – The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers says Montreal-area home sales rose 9.3 per cent in August compared with the same month last year, with levels slightly higher than the historical average for this time of year.

The association says home sales in the region totalled 2,991 for the month, up from 2,737 in August 2023.

The median price for all housing types was up year-over-year, led by a six per cent increase for the price of a plex at $763,000 last month.

The median price for a single-family home rose 5.2 per cent to $590,000 and the median price for a condominium rose 4.4 per cent to $407,100.

QPAREB market analysis director Charles Brant says the strength of the Montreal resale market contrasts with declines in many other Canadian cities struggling with higher levels of household debt, lower savings and diminishing purchasing power.

Active listings for August jumped 18 per cent compared with a year earlier to 17,200, while new listings rose 1.7 per cent to 4,840.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.

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