ON THE IMPORTANCE OF BREATHING

It’s momentarily quiet on the listings front, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on. My business has always been divided pretty evenly between buyers and sellers, I just don’t post about the houses my clients buy. I talk about my own listings, but that means a good half of everything happens off-screen. Maybe that’s a mistake. I certainly know others do things differently, and I understand it’s important to let the world know you’re busy. And I am busy, yes. The last few weeks have been mad. But you’ll sometimes have to take my word for it.

New listings are coming too, though. I have a brilliant modern house wrapped around an old shell on Alwington Avenue. There’s an in-ground pool there, and the best backyard studio I’ve seen. Also a towering 1870s brick and limestone home in the Inner Harbour. A splendid semi-detached home on McBurney’s shoulder, and a mid-century bungalow just off Sydenham Road. A year-round home on Kashwakamak Lake with a night sky darker than Schopenhauer.

A couple of days from now, on Tuesday December 3, I’ll co-list 4 Booth Avenue with Erin Gallagher at Century 21. I’m looking forward to it very much. It’s a beautiful property, both austere and intoxicating. It’s located less than ten minutes from Kingston’s downtown core and two minutes from the water, but also a million miles from the ordinary. With this one, Erin (https://www.gallagher.realestate) and I will each do our own thing with the source materials - the house, the virtual tour, the photographs, the staging by Susan Poffley (Design Style Kingston).

I’m really intrigued to see the differences in our approaches. It’s an experiment that will serve the seller (and the house) well, I believe. It’s not too unusual to see a property co-listed, but that’s usually because more than one agent has a connection to the sellers. I haven’t seen anyone else do it purely because it might make for something new, something special, and also because in this instance, with this sort of real estate, it feels the right thing to do. This far into this weird business, that’s a thrill.

Trouble is, that mostly doesn’t happen because real estate is an isolating gig in many ways. There are only so many listings and there are lots of agents. The expenses are stupid. And while there are plenty of fantastic agents, it can be hard to choose between approaches. Collaboration is not usually one of them. Some will promise the sun and the stars to get a listing, knowing full well that the price will eventually have to come down. Others take the opposite approach and price low with the aim of generating multiple offers and driving up the price while minimizing carrying costs (good luck with that strategy in this temperamental market). Still others will actually try to control where agents ply their trade, attempting to drive off those who might provide competition. Commercial agents might wade into residential waters without knowing properly how to swim.

Do your research carefully, that’s what I’d suggest. If you need to buy or sell, talk to more than one of us. Ask lots of questions, and also ask your friends who they used and what they thought of them. And don’t sign a contract until you’ve given yourself a moment to breathe.