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Last month, there were 5,552 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, 2,480 in the Fraser Valley and 445 listed in Chilliwack, according to real estate board MLS statistics. Total listings are down slightly from a year ago but remain relatively high.

Due to the competition, “Sellers are becoming increasingly aware of the value of presenting a home with buyers appeal, and are becoming more willing to go the extra mile as they compete for buyers,” the survey found.

The survey of 700 real estate agents found the following:

• 94% say their sellers are getting rid of clutter and making cosmetic updates, such as fresh paint and minor repairs.
• 60% of Canadian respondents agree that clients are willing to “de-personalize” the home.
• 59% of respondents say sellers are even bringing in home decorations or furniture to help make the home more appealing.

When you are marketing your home, it’s important for buyers to imagine themselves living there – and often that translates into de-cluttering and de-personalizing your home. While the market remains relatively strong, having your home presented with a minimum of clutter and distracting personal items is the best way to improve chances for a successful sale.

Sellers take note: when it comes to choosing a home, buyers are going “back to the basics”. They value new or updated kitchens, bathrooms and open floor plans as the most important features of a home.

• 33% of agents questioned say that a new or updated kitchen is the most important feature to homebuyers.
• 14% say the most important feature to home buyers is an open floor plan, while
• 12% percent say it is a new or updated bathroom.

Only 1 percent of the real estate professionals surveyed say they believe that entertainment rooms or finished basements are the most important feature.

Most Canadian home sellers believe they have priced their home at market value and less than one-third said they likely reduce the price dramatically to land a sale, the survey found.

“Canada continues to enjoy near historic low interest rates, and a good inventory of homes for sale. This supports demand, and sellers are continuing to price their homes according to our healthy market condition,” the survey concludes.

-sourced from Real Estate Weekly, Maple Ridge &  Pitt Meadows

This is a simulation of the light coming in the main living area windows on March 21st. It does not take into account atmospheric effects, reflectance off of nearby buildings, or reflectance/refraction/light scattering within the suite, which would obviously make it brighter. It just shows “hard edged” shadows.

Click and drag in the window to change the view. Press “Shift” to zoom in and “Ctrl” to zoom out