January/February Good Time to Sell, Really

You'll notice that the For Sale signs have started going up and the Real Estate Agents are sending more flyers.

January is the beginning of the Spring Season, believe it or not :-)

If you're aiming to move in April or May, then you sell and buy now. The market is picking up, but it's not yet super-busy. That will start in March (June and July closings). So you have people's attention now, your Realtor's and the buyers who don't have too many choices yet.

So, this is a pretty good time to sell your house.

With all the snow and harsh weather, you might think that it will be hard to make your house look its best, but the darkness and cold mean that it won't be too hard to make your house look like a warm and cosy home. Spruce up your lighting, turn up the thermostat, bake some cookies and invite buyers in. Just make sure the driveway and walkways are clear.

There's lots of advice online for selling a house in the winter, like this one, Home Selling in Winter. And I, Your Friendly Realtor, can make some suggestions too.

Together, we can sell your home for a great price and get you into something better for the Spring.

Wish you had a pool? I can help!

It's another beautiful hot summer day.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a pool in your backyard? 

I can help you find a home with a pool, or recommend an excellent pool company.

Give me a call.

Soccerfest in Newmarket

I wonder how many families are involved in the Newmarket Soccer Club. On Soccerfest Saturday, it seems like everybody in Newmarket is out on every soccer field and every neighbourhood is full of mini-vans parked along the sides of the roads. In fact, up to 20,000 people are involved according to the Newmarket Soccer website.

Soccerfest weekend lands at the end of June, before school is out. It’s a two-day house league tournament and everyone gets team and individual photos taken. There are food tents and sponsors and advertisers set up tents too at George Richardson Park. But fields all over Newmarket are used for the games. It’s amazing how they get it all organized. It’s amazing how parents get all their kids to the right place at the right time, especially in families where more than one child is playing.

I know why the mini-van is the stereotypical vehicle for ‘soccer moms’ (and dads!). We have to carry lots of stuff around: our camp chairs, water bottles, umbrellas (sometimes a shelter for the whole team), sweaters, blankets, towels, sunscreen, bug spray, hats, snacks, younger siblings, toys and books to occupy the younger siblings, pets, grandparents, etc.

You never know what kind of weather you’re going to have to deal with: hot, cold, sunny, rainy, sometimes a bit of everything. So, you have to be prepared for anything.

This year, we had a game at 8:30 on Saturday morning. It was cold and rained the whole time. For the 11am game, it rained some more but not the whole time. There must have been a power surge between those games when we all went home between games and all the parents threw all the soccer uniforms (including shin pads and cleats) into the clothes dryers! Sunday was hot and sunny.

Soccerfest is a great community event.  I get to know a lot of great people, great families in Newmarket, being “Coach Harry” and we have lots of fun at the side of the field. Soccer, the Beautiful Game, is the very best sport in the world!