A day in the life of a Sandy Hill real estate agent

Claude Jobin

Some aspects of my days are predictable, others not. Let’s start with the predictable: Get up, make coffee. Catch up on emails. Prepare daily blog post; I may need more time for this if there is an architecture post, or when it’s time for the newsletter. Get a second cup of coffee. See if there are clients who need attention. Look at listings and be sure everything is on track.

As mid-morning arrives, I prepare for showings. When it comes to listing appointments, this Forrest Gump quote applies: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” It could be do-it-yourself academics who did renovations thinking they have increased the value of their home. Or it could be an estate with the family out of town and you need to pack 1,001 dusty books and have the cleaners come for three days. How about the one with a few too many red walls? Then there’s the enthusiastic young seller who will do exactly what is needed including sending the cats to a friend.

When preparing to sell a home the most important words are declutter, depersonalize, and clean. Ideally, it should look like no one lives there (we’ve sometimes needed to open the fridge to confirm). I remember once being in an apartment that was so perfect, I wanted to move in. One word of advice for sellers: The better your home is prepared, the faster it will sell and for more money.

It’s very much a seller’s market at this time. This is frustrating for buyers who don’t have deep pockets or are approaching the buying process in a traditional manner—something that isn’t working at the moment. Expectations must be adjusted in order to get the desired home. Normal multiple offer situations prescribe going up certain increments according to the number of offers. But this year, with certain properties, logic has totally flown out the window.

Personally, I usually finish the main part of the day by 8 p.m. I chat with my daughter, and then drag my computer to bed to catch up on a few extra projects. Typically about 11 p.m. I will stream an episode or two of my current favourite series. At the moment it’s the Tudors; I’ve become consumed by the 16th Century.

The next day I wake up and do it all again!

Sandy Hill real estate update
January 1-March 22, 2021

Houses:
New listings 11, Sold 8, including 5 over asking

Condos:
New listings 47, Sold 25, including 11 over asking