Buy In The Summer And Then Sell In The Fall? Photo
"Should I stay or should I go?"
The classic 1982 Clash song (which I fondly remember being a highlight on the dancefloor at the Dance Cave, circa '99-'01) is a fitting soundtrack for anyone considering a move in the current Toronto real estate market.
While buying is nowhere near as stressful as it was in the first four months of the year, selling is a different story. We're in a transitioning market now and selling your home isn't as simple a process these days.
This change in the market has many buyers and sellers confused about how to proceed.
I've got a number of clients right now who are hesitantly contemplating a "move-up" purchase into something larger than their current space.
While they're tickled by the fact that they aren't shopping for a home in the same feeding-frenzy market we saw in January - April, the prospect of having to sell their home in this more relaxed market has them second-guessing whether or not now is the right time to make a move.
While their hesitation is certainly warranted, I don't think anyone should be totally writting-off the possibilty of a move in this current market.
Keep in mind, shopping for a home in the fall might not be the relaxed affair it is right now. Although no one can predict exactly what's going to happen in the fall, we need to consider the possibilty that market activity will pick-up again and we'll all be looking back at May/June/July/August as a four-month blip.
A few possibilties to consider when looking at how the market might be spurred towards greater activity in September:
With today's interest rate increase by the Bank of Canada (I'm writing this blog post on July 12th, the same day that the Bank of Canada has announced their first rate increase in 7 years), there are going to be buyers out there motivated to make a purchase before their current pre-approval rate-hold expires in 90-120 days.
After "taking the summer off" from their home search, buyers who've been sitting on the sidelines since the Liberals announced their 16-Point Fair Housing Plan in April will simply decide to get off the fence and take the plunge.
If the market does start to warm-up again in September we could all be looking back saying, "those who bought in the summer and then sold in the fall did very well for themselves...".
If you’re thinking of making a move and would like to know how I can help, feel free to contact me for more info.