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The advent of the Internet has taken most of the seasonality out the real estate market. For example, it is now January and I have as many clients this month looking for Nova Scotia homes as I did in August.
Good question. Is there seasonality in real estate sales?

If this was 10 years ago I would have said, “Hang on, your homehasn’t a chance to sell this winter. Wait until spring when the buyers are around.”

Not anymore. The advent of the Internet has taken most of the seasonality out the real estate market. For example, it is now January and I have as many clients this month looking for Nova Scotia homes as I did in August. In addition, they are all from outside of the Province. For example; An American gentleman flying in from England this Saturday, (just for the day), A couple from Georgia coming at the end of the month to find land to build and a local couple looking at million dollar homes for a sister-in-law retiring to Nova Scotia from Upper Canada. They are all piling in airplanes to come to Nova Scotia in the middle of winter. On Saturday I will be in a helicopter winging my way around the province guiding an American buyer, that want a birds eye view of potential homes to purchase, even with a foot of snow on the ground! Seasonality, what seasonality? What gives here?

On doityourself.com web site, in a recent article they discuss seasonality. “Some sellers take their homes off the market for a while because their agents recommend that they do so. Many agents believe that summer and winter are not the best times to sell a home. Spring is typically thought to be the best season for home sales. A recent study by the National Association of Realtors contradicts this notion by reporting that people buy homes all year long. The study found that there is some seasonality to home buying, but not as much as might be expected. Summer accounts for 30.2 percent of home buying activity. Spring takes second place with 25.9 percent. Autumn is third with 24.8 percent, and the slowest season is Winter with 19 percent. Surprisingly, the differences between Spring, Summer and Fall aren’t that big. And Winter is far from dead.”

Not everyone agrees. An US Realtor has posted this on his web site with some advise by way of a question and answer format.
Is there any seasonality to the market? Peak selling seasons vary in different areas of the country, and weather has a lot to do with it. For example, late spring and early fall are the prime listing seasons in many areas because houses tend to “show” better in those months than they do in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. And of course, people like to do their house shopping when the weather is pleasant.
But keep in mind that there are also more houses on the market during the prime seasons, so you’ll have more competition. So, while there is seasonality in the real estate market, it’s not something that should dominate your decision on when to sell.
When is the best time to list a house for sale? As soon as you decide to sell it. If you want to get the best price for your house, the key is to give yourself as much time as possible to sell it. More time means more potential buyers will probably see the house. This should result in more offers; it also gives you time to consider more options if the market is slow or initial interest is low. Both are key points. Come to the market early and don’t wait for everyone else to think the spring is the only time to sell. There is nothing wrong with being an early bird tot he market place, considering there are millions of people on-line looking for a home everyday.

My Explanation. Time! Buyers are busy people, (At least mine are) even in retirement, family obligations, volunteer commitments all commands time for my buyers. Usually the disposable time comes in the winter and that is when they pounce on Nova Scotia real estate. OK, it is not a land office business, but it is still business, and it knocks the heck out of waiting for spring to arrive to get busy again. To underline my tale, Holden Lewis in article written for bankrate.com , “Web Eases Vacation Home Buying ” Lewis says ” They don’t want to disrupt their vacations with days of house hunting. So they turn to technology. The Web and e-mail make it easier for people to shop for vacation homes long-distance.”

To further underline the phenomenon, My partner and I probably handle 20 clients at any one time (this is year round), many are very active clients, some are still considering their options and others are still trying to figure out how to get here. An example is a client I had this past summer that was dying to have a Chester summer home . He selected a home on-line and I bent over backwards supplying floor plans, new photographs (all angles) and inspection reports. The last stage for him was to physically come up, view the property, and sign the deal. Suddenly, he fell of the face of the earth. After a week of silence, I contacted him and he was embarrassed to say, even though he is retired, there wasn’t an open window to make even a quick trip to NS. So he easily surmised that, if he couldn’t find a few days for he and his wife, to get from Colorado to NS to buy a house, how was he ever going to find time to use it. He said that had to rethink their whole retirement plan. Oh well. At least I now have more pictures than I will ever need for this home and a set of new floor plans too! I am in good from for the next buyer.

Home-buyers are cruising the Internet like never before. All year long, not just the day before they buy. An article posted on realtor.org “Use of the Internet in searching for a home has risen along with the level of Internet penetration, rising from only 2 percent of buyers in 1995 to 71 percent in 2003 and 74 percent currently,“ and in another article they go on to say “nearly two-thirds of home buyers with Internet access use the Web to shop for their next home, and buyers who use the Internet are more likely to use a real estate professional to handle their transaction than traditional home buyers, according to a new survey by the National Association of Realtors®.”

A Canadian Realtor backs this above in an article on myrealpage.com about a survey they conducted in 2001. “According to the Royal LePage Home Attitude Poll released in February of 2001, more than 7 out of 10 Canadians (72.4%) will use the Internet in their next real estate transaction.” That was 2001, so imagine what the stats would be today, 90%, 95% or 99%!

In 2004 the Tradewinds Realty web site seanovascotia.com had a record month in October 2004 of over 2,000,000 hits. Yes 2 million+. Our monthly hit average is 1.7 million and we have a running daily average of between 800 – 1,000 unique visitors a day. Month in month out!

There used to be an old commercial on TV that promoted winter work efforts and it seems very appropriate to repeat it now. “Why wait for spring do it now!”

T.H.

EMAIL Tim Harris with a comment

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Every new listing we bring in during the week is placed in our “Weekly Email Update “, including any price changes and other significant changes to the property.

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I suspect that the so called “Bush-Dodgers” have run up against our Canadian immigration department and found out that, just because they want to come to Canada, it isn’t that simple.
The tidal wave of Americans across our boarders is all but washed up. I suspect that the so called “Bush-Dodgers” have run up against our Canadian immigration department and found out that, just because they want to come to Canada, it isn’t that simple. I’m not about to debate Canadian Immigration Policy but you can find it here if you are interested in our system.

There were news reports of the instant immigration phenomenon, some humorous like a redneck blog in Texas “Canada Busy Sending Back Bush-Dodgers” and as reported on ctv.ca the “Marry an American” web site.

On the more serious side. An American client asked me recently, why the process is so slow, I answered that it is about identical to their own US immigration policies. With which I had some experience. A few years back I was hankering to immigrate to the US with my partner. Not an easy task by any means. There are plenty of hoops to jump through and in the end I gave up on the idea, probably a good thing for me a the the United State of America.

I have done my research and have found a few helpful sites and information. It seems there are Canadians out there trying to help our US friends make it across, or at the least make it a little easier to decide if the move is necessary. A Canadian Web site called “The Canadian Alternative” has posted good advise for want-be-Canadians. Their home page states: “Canada – You’ll like it here: Welcome to CanadianAlternative.com. We invite you to get to know Canada. Explore the richness and diversity of our regions. And find out why Canada is the perfect alternative for conscientious, forward-thinking Americans. And another site “Working in Canada” offers up help to find work and settle in for our winters.

One interesting site that is know doubt been seeing a lot of traffic since the Nov 4 election is escapeartist.com Escape Artist is dedicated to disseminating information about leaving your present country and making the big move, be it Canada or Costa Rica. They offer specialized information such as “Escape to Canada “ which pretty much offer all the info you require to make the move. Another web site that is Province specific is “An American’s Guide to Canada: Nova Scotia“. All these sites offer good information for the escapee!

If you are looking for a tale from someone who has done it, You need look no further that Kevin Gerard’s article “American’s in Canada“ Kevin sums up his experiences in a light and humorous fashion.

A recent article published (12/26/2004) in The Day , New London Connecticut entitled There’s No Place Like Home: Some People Considered Leaving The U.S. After The Election, But In The End, Most Have Decided To Stay By DAVID COLLINS & BEN JOHNSON give a quick update on just how the “bush-dodger” action is faltering. Here is a PDF of the article, if you can’t be bothered to register for free on the “TheDay.com” web site. News Read – TheDay.com.pdf

Finally, if you are real serious about this and want to take the next step, it is best to bend the ear of a am immigration lawyer. One pair of lawyers I have recommended previously is the team of Bruce Allen & Blair Hodgman, practicing in the US and Canada. The firm is Allen & Hodgman and Blair’s email is blair@allhod.com.

Another lawyer practicing immigration law is David Lesperance. David practices in Toronto and his web site along with strategies, has this to say about Canada. “What most Canadians do not realize is that Canada has a well-established regime of tax sheltering to attract new residents that it does not offer to its indigenous population. With proper pre-immigration tax planning, wealthy individuals can move to Canada and avoid income and capital gain tax on their non-Canadian source income and capital gain producing assets. In addition, since Canada does not have an estate tax, it is often considered as a favorable domicile of choice. Furthermore, while Canada does not have an instant citizenship program it does allow those who have been permanent residents for three years to acquire a Canadian passport.” They also have some intake forms at the ready and a full web site called Globalrelocate.com along with other information about David that can be found on escape artist.

I hope this has been of some help. Please let me know one way or the other through the feedback link.

T.H.

EMAIL Tim Harris with a comment

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Prior to a major personal financial collapse in the publishing business, (which was the precursor to a real estate sales career, to get back on my feet as quickly as possible) I did an 8 year stint in Canada’s High Arctic as a construction manager (That is where the money came from to fail in publishing).

While the art of self publishing, as in “Blogging” does not require that a “Blogger” has to hold out credentials, as the entry into the blogging world is virtually barrier free, I feel it is a gesture that should be required all the same. If you are going to pontificate on topics, best you have some legs holding up that big head.

To begin, my name is Tim Harris and I am the broker for Tradewinds Realty Incorporated. My credentials to begin a Nova Scotia Real Estate Blog are varied. I have been in the real estate business in Nova Scotia for 16 years, with 14 of those years as a broker. Prior to entering the real estate business it might be simply said I was searching for something and wasn’t finding it.

Prior to a major personal financial collapse in the publishing business, (which was the precursor to a sales career, to get back on my feet as quickly as possible) I did an 8 year stint in Canada’s High Arctic as a construction manager (That is where the money came from to fail in publishing). I really just bounced from career to career, more or less the same as I did trying to get an education. I have rammed my head up against many university institutions, however most recently I entered an Executive-MBA program at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and will graduate this spring, 2005. So I can finally (thank god) put post graduate education behind me. At the ripe old age of 51 I have finally completed my studies. I think.

I co-manage (along with my general manager and my office manager) Tradewinds Realty in Chester, Nova Scotia. We have approximately 20 Realtors and 3 offices. We are broadly based throughout Nova Scotia and cover a very wide market area, which is continuing to grow. Our product range covers “Capes, Condo’s and Castles“.

Our corporate success’s are many. Remax (South Shore) was kind enough to compile the MLS stats
MarketShare2003.pdf

and in 2002 we were ranked as the #2 Brokerage on the South Shore. Since that time we have grown by 30% and our gross sales for 2004 are $55,000,000. While Remax may always show us as #2, because 25% of our sales are exclusive/non-MLS listings and are not counted in the final tally, we most likely would be #1. But I doubt Remax will get around to publishing that statisic!

In 2004 Tradewinds had the honour of listing, marketing and selling the most expensive residential property at Indian Point, Nova Scotia.

Tradewinds also purchased a downtown Chester icon, the Chester Pharmacy Building, for a corporate head office and did a major conversion, back-dating the facade to the 1940′s. We also purchased a building in Lunenburg and have future plans for renovation also.

In any event, I feel I have some qualifications to expound about Nova Scotia real estate and will get on with it ASAP.

Thank you for listening.

T.H.

EMAIL Tim Harris with a comment

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The idea to publish a blog in 2005 has been on the back burner and it only just struck me that January 1 would be an appropriate day to start.

This web log technology has been biting my rear end for some time now and the time has come to do something about it.

The idea to publish a blog in 2005 has been on the back burner and it only just struck me that January 1 would be an appropriate day to start. I have been collecting news stories for awhile now and related links that I thought would be useful in a web log about Nova Scotia Real Estate.

I hope to keep the log fresh, informative, possibly controversial and humorous. We have many issues to discuss and as a tickler I will just mention a few.
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