We finally got the kids back to school! Woohoo! I was able to clean up and organize my office and the pets and I got to enjoy the quiet….truth be told we missed having the kids around though. Doug went back to school as well and is enjoying getting back in the classroom to teach in person.
Although the market was slow due to having pretty much zero inventory in January I was chatting with a lot of new and prospective clients. It was the month of conversations and information instead of showings!
I was glad for the opportunity to especially chat with some new home buyers and give them some information about the Dufferin Home Ownership Program which essentially provides down payment assistance to those that qualify. A few first time home buyers that I talked to didn’t know about this program and after some research and talking with a lender there is some hope for them to own a home sooner then they thought!
Grand Valley Ontario Real Estate News
Not only did we get hit with some winter storms at the beginning of February we also got a flood of new listings. Not to get too excited as they either got snapped up within a couple of days or have offer presentation dates (holding off offers) but I was so glad to see some new inventory come on the market.
In the month of January we had little to no inventory and I mean that literally. There was a few weeks that there wasn’t a home (detached, attached, snow fort….😀 ) available in the urban area of Grand Valley.
I still predict the sellers market to remain strong and I am thinking we are heading into an even hotter spring market than we saw last year due to the super low inventory to start off 2022 compared to last year when we at least had a few listings available in Grand Valley.
My best advice in this market is to be prepared, as a Seller and Buyer. For Sellers make sure you are doing the things now that will help you put your home on the market right away when you want to list. For
Sellers: Things like doing any repairs and keeping up to date on home maintenance. Declutter and pack up any personal items that you can store away. Clean and organize the house and that includes cupboards, drawers etc..
Buyers: Get your financing in order yesterday!! Make sure you and your lender are on the same page as to what your numbers are in different scenarios. Also don’t delay on getting all the paperwork to your lender so they can get you your pre-approval. Once you have your pre-approval avoid any big purchases or changes to employment etc.. If something changes make sure to update your lender right away.
In other news….
Cinder the robot vaccum/mop has been a life saver and I lover her! Gideon (our dog) had his grooming appointment at Paws on Main this week and Cinder and I are so glad…..not only does he smell great, they must have gotten out a whole dogs worth of hair!!
Hope you and yours are staying healthy and sane!
Amy Steele
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