Brent Jones, Real Estate Sales Representative – RE/MAX Niagara Realty Ltd., Brokerage – Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
2020 was a difficult year, to say the least, and it’s no big secret that a lot of us are rooting for it to come to an end.
Nonetheless, a lot of amazing things happened this year while serving my clients and, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take a moment to share them with you.
Market conditions are in a constant state of flux.
Regardless of what market conditions look like at the time you are reading this, if you want your Greater Fort Erie home sold quickly and for top dollar, remember the three Ps:
Less than three weeks ago, I easily crossed the border to pick up my wife from the Buffalo airport. She was returning from a conference in Orlando.
At the time, there were no provisions in place (that I’m aware of) for self-isolation following international travel.
Less than two weeks ago, restaurants were open for business, and I had sushi in Grimsby with a friend of mine.
And, just this past week, I was optimistic for the impending spring real estate market.
Sure, the spring rush would be delayed due to the pandemic, but I was positive it was just around the corner. In fact, those of you on my mailing list got an email from me that contained the following excerpt:
The spring market I’ve been talking about for weeks is being pushed back because of coronavirus.
Regardless, buyers still need a place to live, so what we have on our hands at the moment is an extreme sellers’ market.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if you are thinking of selling your home this year, now (believe it or not) is the time to do it.
Since then, a lot has happened.
Last week, I found out that, among more than 1,000 eligible realtors in Niagara Region, I was nominated in three different categories for the 6th Annual NAR Awards Gala, which will be taking place in Thorold on April 4, 2020.
When I promote a new listing on Facebook, I often receive comments from local users like…
Housing prices in Fort Erie have gone crazy. I’ve lived and worked here all my life but I won’t be able to afford to retire here.
Or…
How are young families ever supposed to be able to buy their first house?
Or…
I’m barely getting by as it is. I’ll never be able to buy a home of my own.
You get the idea.
While concerns about affordable housing are perfectly valid — and I will touch on this later — I thought I’d take a moment to dive into what the average household (or family) can realistically afford in this area.
I’ll be the first to admit that, with more than 1,600 active realtors in Niagara Region, you could throw a rock in just about any direction and hit one of us.
So, if you’re thinking of selling your home, why should you choose me, Brent Jones, to list it?
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to answer that very question for you:
Today, Holly Johnston and I (and our awesome team of volunteers) raised $208.25 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Niagara by hosting a charity car wash in the RE/MAX Niagara parking lot.
Earlier this week, I met with a potential seller client to discuss listing his home for sale.
We had a conversation about commission and it went a little something like this:
Seller: What’s your fee?
Me: Six percent, if I thought your home would be difficult to sell. But, since I’m pretty confident I can sell your home relatively fast, I’ll only take five percent.
Seller: Five? (taps his fingers on the kitchen table, thinking) So, if you sell my house for $400,000, you get $20,000?
Me: I don’t get to keep all of it, but you’ve got the right idea.
Seller: That seems a bit…steep. Can you do any better, Brent?
Any better? Part of me wanted to reply with, “Better? Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what selling your home involves?”
But, of course, I was polite. I simply grabbed a pen and paper and began to break down for him exactly what a typical real estate transaction (in my market) looks like.Continue Reading
This is our dog, Stirling.
I know it’s probably not immediately obvious, but Stirling is a giant suck. He’ll be turning six on June 30, 2019, and you can find more photos and videos of him on Instagram.
After several months of intermittent limping (lameness), Stirling experienced a complete rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in his hind right leg on May 3, 2019.
