I am not a Venus Flytrap: my promise to Montreal West Island home buyers and sellers.

I am not a Venus Flytrap.  This is my promise to you, Montreal West Island home buyers and sellers.

I look nothing like a Venus Flytrap.

I know you feel compelled to wipe out your caller ID when you call me.  I know you weigh the pros and cons of giving me your address with the gravity of considering whether to have another child.  I know you don’t want to give me your last name.  And some of you don’t even want to give me your real first name :)  

I know this because you called me this weekend asking about my listings and about other homes for sale in Montreal West Island.

You feel it necessary to approach me in a way that will make it impossible for me to grab you in my clutches, never to let go of you again. You want to avoid an unending, and unrequested, barrage of e-mails from me, phone calls, calendars, magnets, letters of ANNOUNCEMENT!!!, UPDATES YOU MUST READ NOW!!!, and all of the other endless ways some of us in this crazy business of real estate (and other businesses too) trap you and never let you go.

But you should know this: I am not a Venus Flytrap, and I never will be.  I promise.

I will not harass you.

I will not devour you.

I will not add you to an endless, automated, meaningless, e-mail drip campaign.  I will not call you with feigned excitement in my voice announcing, “The market has NEVER been better!!  You’ve GOTTA jump in right now!!  RIGHT NOW!!!”

If you have questions for me about Montreal West Island homes for sale or the real estate market in general, you can be comfortable firing away. My contact with you will be meaningful and respectful of you, your time and your privacy.

I may be from Venus, but I’m not a Venus Flytrap.  I promise.

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Tanya Nouwens, September 7th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Musings, Real Estate

Legislating Common Sense: More Tidbits from the New Quebec Real Estate Brokerage Act

The new Real Estate Brokerage Act came into effect here in Quebec on May 1, 2010.  I’ve written about this previously, but in July, I attended my mandatory training on the new laws and learned a few more tidbits.

1. What’s the name of that dude who showed up at our Christmas party the year we had a Michael Jackson moonwalk contest?

This will come as a shock and as a dreadful burden to many real estate agency executive officers but….hold onto your seats now…you will now be required to keep a list (ghack!) of brokers working for your real estate agency, complete with their full names! 

Shocking and time-consuming, I know.  Better get another assistant, ‘cause it’s time to blow the dust off those files and try to remember who works for you.

2. Put your shoulder pads and big hair away…or it’s off with your head!

If a real estate broker (formerly called an agent) is going to use a picture of themselves in their advertising, the picture must not be more than 5 years old. 

Ha! 

We have a little over a year to implement this last one.  Better book my hair appointment now if I want to continue selling Montreal West Island real estate : )

I guess sometimes there’s a need to legislate common sense.  Better than legislating absurdity!

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Tanya Nouwens, September 3rd 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate

My Facebook Faux-Pas Extraordinaire

Want to hear about my Facebook Faux-Pas Extraordinaire?  Trust me, it’ll make you feel better about yourself. 

Man gripping steering wheelFirst, a confession: I am a Facebook neophyte.  I still don’t quite understand what all of the links do, how they differ from one another, what messages go nuclear and what stays local, etc. 

Unfortunately, though, my Facebook Faux-Pas Extraordinaire has nothing to do with my Facebook ignorance!  I WISH I could blame it on that.  Rather, it has everything to do with my proclivity to make assumptions and then…yes, you guessed it…subsequently make a complete ass of myself.

Without giving away details that will result in the people in question being identified – and thus resulting in me making an ass of myself two days in a row – here goes.

A blurb came up on my Facebook page where a friend (I’ll call her “Jewel”) posted a picture of herself with some friends at a reunion of sorts.  Standing next to her was her husband, a very, very good friend of mine (whom I’ll call “Joshua”).  I’ve known him since we were kids.

Jewel posted a caption to the effect of, “Still looking good after all these years.”  And she was right; they did look good after all these years — except for Joshua who I thought HAD aged.  In fact, he had gone from having mostly brown hair to mostly gray hair….in just a few months.  Well, I couldn’t let that go.  Remember now, we’re very good friends and I’ve known him since we were kids.  So I made a comment to the effect of:

“You’re right, Jewel. You guys do look amazing…except for that gray-haired old fart standing next to you!”

Happy with my witty output for the moment, I click on “home” again and up comes the same picture from a different angle.  This time, the shot is head on.  There’s Jewel.  And…oh Lord…THAT’S NOT JOSHUA STANDING NEXT TO HER!!!!

I have just called a perfect stranger a gray-haired old fart!  I squirm and start hyper-ventilating.

I race back to the original picture, delete my comment as fast as I can — was it fast enough? — and then…I wait for it.  And it comes.  While laughing her butt off at work, Jewel writes to say that she’s sure her non-Joshua friend will appreciate being called a gray-haired old fart by a perfect stranger.   

I squirm some more.

Until I read that he’s not a Facebook user.

I’m still an ass.  But at least I’m laughing now.

But there’s a big lesson here for me.  It’s not the first time I’ve made an assumption and looked like an idiot.  I’ve been with new clients before, going through their home, and assumed there was an intact couple living there.  Upon seeing the guest bedroom with the bed unmade, I have said stupid things like, “Oh, do you have guests?” In fact, the couple had been sleeping in separate bedrooms for some time. They were headed for divorce. I’ve done this twice.

The next time I feel the need to make conversation or to be witty, both personally and professionally, I’m going to think twice…or maybe three times…and I’ll remember my Facebook Faux-Pas Extraordinaire.  Fool me once, I’m an idiot.  Fool me twice, well…you…I…how does that go again?

10 Comments

Tanya Nouwens, August 19th 2010 | Tags: , ,
Posted in Musings, Real Estate

Unique 4-Bedroom Home for Sale in Beaconsfield Quebec MLS#8393118

I just listed a very unique 4-bedroom home for sale in Beaconsfield Quebec. (MLS # 8393118) 

It’s a country setting in the suburbs, with an almost 18,000 square foot lot surrounded by mature trees and a creek in the back.  The house itself has a fieldstone exterior, and wood siding on the upper level.  Got lots of cars?  This home has a 3-car garage, 3-car carport and 6-car driveway.

Some of the best features about this house are its uniqueness, the attention paid to the infrastructure (the stuff that counts but that nobody likes to have to invest in), and its location.

Inside, you quickly see that this is not your average, cookie-cutter home.  The central staircase is open and splits off into two wings, with the master suite (and ensuite bath) having a wing all their own.  On the other wing, you have a full bath and three more bedrooms, one of which has a stone wall.

Open central staircase in 4-bedroom Beaconsfield Quebec home for saleThe central fireplace is gorgeous.  It opens on two sides – one side to the family room and the other to the dinette - and is two stories high.  It is also clad in fieldstone.

Also on this main level you find:

* a large living room with skylights, bow window and a marble floor;

* a large dining room with coffered ceiling, two bow windows and a wood floor;

Two-story fieldstone fireplace in 4-bedroom Beaconsfield Quebec home for sale

* powder room and separate laundry room:

* home office;

* family room with fireplace;

* the kitchen, with marble countertops and a top-of-the-line stovetop (Thermador); and

* the dinette area, with fireplace, large windows and two-story ceiling.

Going into the basement, you find a huge, professionally finished living space that measures approximately 50 feet by 37 feet, well lit, with a powder room.  The storage space is also big (about 50 feet by 13 feet). 

Living room with skylights and marble floor in 4-bedroom home for sale Beaconsfield QuebecA significant investment has been made in the infrastructure of this home:

* two heat pumps;

* two hot water heaters (owned, not rented);

* newer roof;

* alarm system; and

* irrigation system.

 

Master bedroom of 4-bedroom home for sale Beaconsfield QuebecAnd the location is wonderful:

* no neighbour on one side;

* close to children’s park, without being too close;

* neighbours in back obscured by mature trees;

* easy access to highway 20 — anyone commuting to work in the city?

* walking distance to Beaconsfield Recreation Centre and Beaconsfield Library;

* close to Beaconsfield High School;

* close to commuter train — anyone have kids commuting to schools in the city?

* close to the Lakeshore.

Tree-filled setting of 4 bedroom house for sale in Beaconsfield QuebecThe municipal assessment for this unique 4-bedroom home for sale in Beaconsfield Quebec is approximately $922,000.

It’s just been put on the market for $995,000.  MLS# 8393118

Want to see it? I’d love to show it to you.  Give me a call at 514-919-8468.  Or feel free to email me at tanya@readysetsold.ca

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Tanya Nouwens, August 9th 2010 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Listings, Real Estate

Sometimes, you need to sell your house to find your home.

I met with a wonderful client today to discuss selling her home and what my analysis showed its market value to be.  She lives here in Kirkland, Quebec.  She called me after getting one of my nifty postcards, saying it was unlike any other she had seen from a real estate agent (mission accomplished!). 

As we spoke, it became clear that she had outgrown her home.  The things that had appealed to her when she bought it — big home, quiet neighbourhood, away from the action, young families around — now imprisoned her, in a way.  Her days of raising little ones were over.  Her grown daughter had a life of her own.  She herself had developed interests and hobbies that weren’t there when she bought her home some 20 years ago.  She wanted more action around her, cafés and people and shopping and the water.  She wants Pointe Claire Village, that much is clear.

But she and her husband had lovingly — and expensively — updated parts of their home over the years.  And she was hoping to get that money back when it came time to sell.

It got me to thinking that, sometimes, you need to throw what seems like common sense, as well as the opinions of others, and what you may have been led to believe is the “right” thing to do RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW and do what’s good for you. 

Six years ago, my husband was painting the garage of our home when my girlfriend called and said, “Hey, I know you’re not looking at all, but my next door neighbour’s house is going on the market.  Why don’t you just come and see it?”  Me to my hubby: “Sweetheart, we’re not going to buy it, obviously, but let’s just go have a look to make her happy.”

So we did.

And we’ve lived there ever since.

We weren’t planning to move.  But the allure of the quality of life this place could offer…which our then-home could not…was so appealing: quiet cul-de-sac within a cul-de-sac, no traffic, loads of kids the same age as ours playing outside, friendly neighbours who actually chatted with each other outside, zoning for a great school, close to parks and the bicycle path, easy access to the highway – just to name a few.

Lady skipper on boatSo we took the plunge.

Despite the increased cost — which we could afford, in the end.

Despite the hassle — I’m NEVER moving again.

Despite the contravention of common wisdom that says you should stay in a house for many, many years – which we chose to rebel against, and took major flak for.

Despite the resistance we encountered from people who said, “Why wouldn’t you be happy where you are?” — Because we knew we could be happier where we were not!

Sometimes, you’ve gotta make the decision that’s right for you, the one that will warm your heart, that will bring out the best in you (or maybe just bring out other parts of you that have not yet blossomed), that will help you lead the kind of life that soothes your soul, wraps around your shoulders like a comfortable blanket on the beach in front of a bonfire at night, and says to you, “You’re home.” 

What feels like home changes over the course of our lives, as our lives change.  And sometimes, you need to sell your house to find your home. 

2 Comments

Tanya Nouwens, July 16th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate

Boring but Important: Why I Read and Explain Contracts to My Clients

This past week, I had a meeting with a potential client about listing his property.  He is in no particular hurry to sell, but he knows that I have a buyer for his unique property.  A very serious buyer.

We met to sign the exclusive brokerage contract.  We fill in all of the details, as previously negotiated and agreed to.  In the section of the contract on Other Conditions and Declarations, I include the clause that is now supposed to be standard in Quebec real estate:

This is not an offer or promise to sell that could bind the seller to the buyer, but an invitation to submit such offers or promises.

This clause now appears on all MLS listings in Quebec, and we’ve been advised to put it into our brokerage contracts too.  It is based on a recent case whereby the court decided that, even when an offer comes in that meets all of the criteria set out by the seller, the seller is not bound to sell the property to the buyer.

My client is happy.  He likes the disclaimer and the new jurisprudence.  It gives him an out…sort of.  But this does not affect my commission, I tell him.  Should I come through with an offer that meets your price and conditions as set out in the brokerage contract, I am entitled to my commission because the courts have determined that in such cases, the broker has fulfilled her contractual obligations and, as such, is entitled to her compensation as laid out in our contract. 

Iceberg, above and below water

Avoiding disaster means tediously reading the maps.

Oh.  Wait a minute.  He needs some time to think. 

So he’s thinking…and I’m waiting patiently.

No matter what happens, though, I am so glad that I’m a stickler — and take the time to read and explain every clause of every contract to my clients, as boring and tedious as this is each time. 

And I’m glad that I’m still fresh enough out of real estate school to remember what the contracts actually mean.

And that I’m a fraidy-cat — or aware enough of the risks and liabilities involved in selling real estate that I actually read the communiqués put out ad nauseum by our governing association.

Sometimes being a green, stickler-ish fraidy cat is good, no?  It can be tedious in the short-term, but it sure saves aggravation and liability in the long-term.

NOTE:  I am not a lawyer, and this post is not meant to constitute legal advice.  Should you require legal advice relating to real estate, please contact a real estate attorney, or feel free to contact me and I’ll put you in touch with one.

2 Comments

Tanya Nouwens, July 12th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate

I Got a Promotion…and Other Changes to Real Estate Law in Quebec

I got a promotion but I swear I’m not bragging because it has everything to do with changes to real estate law in Quebec and nothing to do with anything I did to deserve the promotion.  But I got it just the same, as did all real estate agents in Quebec.

What happened?  On May 1, 2010, the new Real Estate Brokerage Act came into effect in Quebec.  As part of this, I got a promotion from real estate AGENT to real estate BROKER, as did all real estate agents in Quebec.  Other changes will be implemented over the next 18 months.

Legal gavelHere are some of them:

  • It used to be that real estate agents worked for real estate brokers.  Now, real estate brokers work for real estate agencies.  Agents turned into brokers overnight, and brokers turned into agencies.

 

  • We now must disclose to our clients, in writing, the commission we intend to share with a buyer’s broker (called a collaborating broker).  The disclosure states that an unreasonable sharing commission or remuneration could reduce a collaborating broker’s interest in proposing this property to their buyers.  

 

  • The conflict of interest rules are more stringent.  A real estate broker can no longer represent a seller if the broker intends to purchase that seller’s property.  And a real estate broker can no longer represent the buyer in the sale of the broker’s own property.

 

  • When a real estate broker decides to change agencies, the client who is already in a contract with that broker now has three choices: 1.  to follow the broker to the new agency; 2. to stay with the current agency, without the broker in question; or 3. to terminate the contract.  Previously, the client could not request to follow the broker to the new agency without first terminating their contract.  (The principle was that the client’s contract was with the agency, not the broker.  The broker merely represented the agency.)

 

  • We are now required to check the identity and legal capacity of the parties to a real estate transaction.  Previously, this was simply good practice.  Now it is a requirement.

 

  • We are now required to recommend to someone proposing to buy a property that they have it inspected by a building inspector or other professional.  Again, previously this was simply good practice.

 

  • The rules have been relaxed regarding the minimum amount of information that must go on advertising or any other representation by a broker or agency.  (Hooray!)

 

  • chalkboard with word "exam" written on itThe exam to obtain a real estate brokerage license or mortgage broker license has changed significantly.  Previously the exam was a multiple-choice format with a minimum passing grade for the exam as a whole.  Now, it is competency based, with minimum-pass requirements for each subject area, and apparently it is much more difficult.

 

  • The forms we use will continue to be used for the next 18 months, at which point new forms will come into effect.

 

  • Higher fees for real estate brokers!!  With all of these changes come increased annual dues, of course, and a requirement that license holders like me pay our professional liability insurance ourselves.  (My broker agency used to pay for it.)

Nota bene: I am NOT a lawyer, and the above information is not intended as legal advice.  This is my interpretation of the changes that have come, or are coming, into effect based on the information provided to date by our governing organization, the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ).

I will be formally trained in the new Real Estate Brokerage Act on July 13.  If I learn more about the changes then, I’ll of course share them here.

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Tanya Nouwens, June 29th 2010 | Posted in Real Estate, Uncategorized

I’m Listening…

I love it when I hear a non-salesy, common-sensical approach to gaining business.  ‘Cause I’m not salesy at all.  Never have been, never will be.  I tried to be salesy once, working in a clothing store to help put myself through university.  I ended up stalking the client who said she didn’t want my help throughout the store, pretending to be fixing the clothes on the racks near her.  She knew what I was doing…and ran away.  Then I ran away too.

I’m now a Montreal real estate broker and Montreal home stager, but I’m still not salesy.  And I have no intention of ever being that way.  To me, buying and selling a home is just too much of a life-altering event to be “sold” to.

In my quest to continually learn how to be a better Montreal real estate broker, though, I went to ActiveRain University yesterday and listened to Jared James, a real estate coach, talk about listing presentations.  In real estate school, we were told that listing presentations generally happen this way:

1.  Consumer calls you and says they’re thinking about selling their home. You ask them questions about their property and make an appointment to come by and give your listing presentation, including your assessment of the value of the property.

2.  In the meantime, you do research on comparables that have sold in the area, and active listings on the market right now, and prepare your comparative market analysis (CMA).

3. You show up at their home at the scheduled time, wow them with your listing presentation (how you will sell their house and what sets you apart from all the rest), and then go through the CMA with them, concluding with your estimate of the market value of their home.

This has never made sense to me.  How can you do an adequate CMA when you haven’t even seen the inside of the home?

Dog with big ears extendedYou don’t have to.  And you shouldn’t.  And it’s not just because you won’t have all of the information you need to do a really good CMA.

When you show up to do a listing presentation, the homeowner inevitably takes you through the house, describing the updates that were done, the planned updates they didn’t get a chance to do, the gorgeous Corian they installed in the kitchen, the basement wall with the hockey puck scars, the gorgeous wood floors they installed themselves, the garden planted with love 5 years ago, how nice it is to have coffee in the morning on the deck, etc.

And if you let them do this, and then sit down at the table with them with your CMA already completed, you’re telling them that all of the things they have just told you do not make one iota of difference to you.  That what they say doesn’t matter because all you have to do is pull numbers off of a computer.

This is one of the reasons why, as a Montreal real estate broker and Montreal home stager, I’ve never sat down with a fully completed CMA on the first visit with a homeowner. 

And it’s nice to hear that the way I’m doing it makes sense, even if it’s not the way I was taught in school.  Thank you, Jared James.

6 Comments

Tanya Nouwens, June 8th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate

The Difference Between Montreal Home Staging and Interior Decorating

What is the difference between Montreal home staging and interior decorating?

As a Montreal home stager and Montreal real estate broker, where home staging is still a relatively new concept, I’m often asked, “What’s the difference between home staging and interior decorating?”

There are many, not the least of which is the fact that interior decorating caters to the tastes and preferences of one home owner/family, while home staging caters to the tastes of a whole pool of potential buyers for a home.

But it goes beyond that too. Here’s a picture of a room that we were presented with at one of our Montreal home staging projects. 

Before shot of the home office 

Now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a good clean-up of the room would work wonders.  And as an interior decorator, I could quickly come up with some window coverings, a nice desk lamp and other touches to pull the room together into a pretty nice office.

But as a professional Montreal home stager, my job is to think about the target market for this home.  According to the Montreal real estate agent (this wasn’t my listing), the most likely buyer for this home, in this neighbourhood and in this price range, would be a young family. 

Aha!  Young family = about two children.  The office was taking up one of the three bedrooms in the home.  Clearly, to attract as many potential buyers as possible, this room had to be converted from an office to a bedroom to clearly show that there were three bedrooms in the home. You never want to make a potential buyer “work” to picture a home working for them or to picture themselves living there.  

So, this is what we did.

After shot of how a home office turns into a bedroom 

The home sold within a week of the staging, with offers coming in at the first open house.

And THAT is the difference between interior decorating and Montreal home staging.

Happy staging everyone.

1 Comment

Tanya Nouwens, June 3rd 2010 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Home Staging, Real Estate

1986 Called: They Want Their Shoulder Pads Back

There’s a home in my Montreal West Island neighbourhood that’s been for sale for a long time, and I think I know why.  It’s the same problem that kept another home in the area from selling for more than a year.  And the problem relates to the unfortunate decision that some homeowners make to not update their home as time goes by. 

Or maybe it’s not even a conscious decision to not update their home.  It’s probably more of a mindset that they like their home the way it is, so it never really occurs to them to change any of the finishes or renovate the kitchen or bathrooms.

This alone is not unusual.  We’ve all seen lots of homes that haven’t been updated.  As a Montreal West Island real estate agent, I see this all the time.

The problem comes when the home is REALLY BIG.

Then, the task of updating also becomes REALLY BIG — an enormous, all-consuming task that can turn many potential buyers off.

In a smaller home, a buyer can usually fathom having to update a bathroom at some point.  But in a home with three complete baths that haven’t seen anything more recent than 1986?  That poses a HUGE psychological block.

If you’re the owner of one of these larger homes, do yourself a favour and commit to gradually updating over time, from time to time.  Then, when it comes time to sell, even if the whole house has not been updated, the job of doing that won’t seem so daunting to a prospective buyer.

And if you’re one of those people who hasn’t kept up with the times in your home’s flooring, kitchen, bathrooms, windows, etc., then please price your property accordingly. 

And when you feel like saying to your Montreal real estate agent, “But our home is so much BIGGER than the other homes on the street,” please understand why that may not carry as much weight as you would like it to. 

1 Comment

Tanya Nouwens, May 25th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate
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