Dear Montrealers, with January 2013 behind us and February just beginning, The Spring Market is here, nice and early which is a nice change from previous years. Not only have I experienced an unexpected increase in phone calls this early in the year, but I have also had good success with my open houses.

We are in a changing market, make no mistake about it, 2013 is off to a good start. A lot of properties on the market for buyers to choose from and if history repeats itself as it usually does, there will be many more in the next couple of months.

The expression is “The early bird gets the worm”, well I always tell my buyers that being the first person to make up their mind on a property has it’s benefits. Once I have established what my client is looking for I search the market a minimum of twice per day to see if any new listings match his/her criteria. This often allows me to contact my buyers with the newest listings, get same day appointments, and in many cases being the first one to spot a “Good Deal”.

Catherine from Cote des Neiges asked me last month what my fees were to help her find a home. I explained to her that there are no fees when I represent a buyer and that I get paid from the selling broker. I do speak for myself and no other real estate broker, but typically I do not ask a potential buyer to sign a contract with me guaranteeing a set compensation for finding them a home. I believe in the loyalty of a handshake and one’s word. I would be more than happy to hear what you are looking for and offering my expertise to help you find a home, I always welcome new buyers.

Throughout our great city we have noticed a strong first month in 2013. Most communities have more sales in January than the past two years witch have been successful years in real estate. No significant increase in average selling price has been registered. The newspaper’s cover story is about Peter Trent so I think it’s normal for me to cover Westmount this month in my in depth analysis. I will also be looking at the market in Montreal West.

Westmount

In Westmount we have sold 5 properties in January when 2011 and 2012 average 3 sales per year. It is important to know that we have about 30% more properties for sale than previous years as well as 17 houses for rent at the moment. We are at 12% under last year’s average selling price, but it is still very early in the year to be comparing this because few properties have been sold.

Montreal West

Since I have become a real estate broker, Montreal West has been one of my favorite communities to do business in. Beautiful homes in a primarily residential area with great resale value year after year. In January twice as many properties sold than 2012 and four times as many than 2011. Again in Montreal West we have a high number of properties on the market compared to previous years. We also have a decrease in average selling price in Montreal West, but once again, it is too early to have a good idea.

In short 2013 has begun with a bang, hopefully we will continue to do well, as we get further into the year. Please consider me if you are planning on selling or buying a home this year. I am easily reachable by phone and reply to my e-mails as they come in. Thank you for reading.