Montreal West Island, QC

Here in Quebec, Canada, we've apparently just experienced the highest retention rate of real estate brokers/agents since 1994, the year when the provincial association* for real estate professionals was created.

The cut-off date for renewal of our licenses was September 15, 2010. Notices were sent out to almost 20,000 real estate brokers** in the province of Quebec, advising us (and then reminding and reminding us) that the deadline was coming.

According to the October 6, 2010, edition of Proactive: The Newsletter for Quebec Real Estate Professionals, about 87.5% - or 17,448 - of us renewed our licenses. That's pretty high, no?

Quebec experienced a relatively stable real estate market (emphasis on the word "relatively") despite the global economic situation which had a more profound impact in other major Canadian cities like Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, and in so many areas of the U.S. We did feel some pain here in Quebec, particularly in the higher-end market, but nothing like what was, and still is being experienced in so much of the U.S.

My guess, then, is that the retention rate for real estate professionals here in Quebec is likely much higher than that experienced elsewhere. What do you think?

* This association is now known as the OACIQ: the Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec.

** We brokers were formerly called agents.

These 3 common home staging myths are based on my experience staging and selling Montreal West Island homes. Please note that I am NOT an international expert on home staging and real estate, nor do I play one on TV...at least not yet LOL.

That being said, in the years that I have been staging and selling Montreal West Island homes, I have come across many homeowners who believed they knew how to stage their home. Many did have a good handle on how to prepare their home for sale.

Others...well, not so much. Some had spent considerable time and energy falling victim to 3 common home staging myths:

Myth #1: When in doubt, paint the walls white.

While this may sound like a good idea, in reality, there are hundreds of different whites to choose from. Pick the wrong one, and your home ends up looking antiseptic. Yes, I know, a clean home is good. But an antiseptic one turns people off.

Unless you have loads of big, beautiful works of art for a gallery-type feel, or someone who can choose a white just for your space, it's safer to go with a light beige. I know - light beige, how boring. But it is warm and neutral and rarely elicits a negative response.

And by the way, a gallon of light beige paint costs exactly the same as a gallon of white paint, so no excuses!

In this home, the blue in the master bedroom was a bit too strong.

We suggested the homeowner paint - not white, but a nice soothing light grey. She also had this white duvet cover in storage.

Myth #2: Go crazy with the decluttering.

OK this one is tricky. I've been called in many times after homeowners had spent hours and hours decluttering their home because that's what they had learned during their HGTV marathon. In many cases, this is great. In other cases, not so much.

The thing is, you CAN go too far with decluttering, leaving your home devoid of any personality, charm or character whatsoever. Buyers are looking for homes that feel warm and welcoming. They are turned off by homes that look "cold."

Some clutter...

Decluttered, but still some personality and life.

Myth 3: Banish all family photos.

Nope, I disagree. Surprised?

Family photos add a piece of you. They add life, character and warmth. They show that a real family, real people, lived here...happily. They show a lifestyle, and buyers are drawn to things that evoke a lifestyle that looks happy and content.

Buyers are also naturally curious -- they like to get a feel for the persons living there. Leave them a few cues and they're happy.

But not ALL family photos need to be displayed, and they shouldn't be all over the place. I tend to cluster family photos, for example on a wall, a dresser, a console table or an end table. Clustering makes an impact, but only for a moment, so that buyers are not continually distracted by you and your family every step of the way as they visit your home.

Family photos scattered about...

No more dots of family photos, but still some around.

Common to all 3 of these myths is the premise that a home for sale should be devoid of the family that made that house their home. I disagree wholeheartedly. You and your family SHOULD be there, symbolically, but in tasteful measures.

It's like adding seasonings to your food: add none and the food is bland, too much spoils the dish, but a little goes a long way.

With home staging, we like to leave just enough spice in a home to give it flavour, without overwhelming a buyer's tastebuds.

I had an "aha" moment recently. I had been whining to myself (nobody else will listen...) about some of my real estate transactions that seemed to be coming off the rails. Buyers who didn't know what they wanted...or changed their mind midstream. Properties that had issues. Construction topics that needed extensive - and immediate! - researching. Clients who were unreachable. Home searches that had me feeling like an archaeologist searching for treasure beneath centuries of rock. And showings that required an algorithm to time correctly.

You know, the usual stuff. But it was getting to me.

And then this thought jumped into my head and stormed its way over everything else that was muddying the waters of my usually focused mind:

"If real estate was easy, I'd be out of a job!"

If finding the right home or selling one's property was really and truly easy...well now, why the heck would anybody need me to guide them through it?

And with this one fairly key realization (!), all those cluttered thoughts and emotions, the little whines, magically got filed away. Some also got shredded. Others went to the incinerator. None landed in the recycling bin :)

I am not a Venus Flytrap. This is my promise to you, Montreal West Island home buyers and sellers.

I know you feel compelled to wipe out your caller ID when you call me. I know you weigh the pros and cons of giving me your address with the gravity of considering whether to have another child. I know you don't want to give me your last name. And some of you don't even want to give me your real first name :)

I know this because you called me this weekend asking about my listings and about other homes for sale in Montreal West Island.

You feel it necessary to approach me in a way that will make it impossible for me to grab you in my clutches, never to let go of you again. You want to avoid an unending, and unrequested, barrage of e-mails from me, phone calls, calendars, magnets, letters of ANNOUNCEMENT!!!, UPDATES YOU MUST READ NOW!!!, and all of the other endless ways some of us in this crazy business of real estate (and other businesses too) trap you and never let you go.

But you should know this: I am not a Venus Flytrap, and I never will be. I promise.

I will not harass you.

I will not devour you.

I will not add you to an endless, automated, meaningless, e-mail drip campaign. I will not call you with feigned excitement in my voice announcing, "The market has NEVER been better!! You've GOTTA jump in right now!! RIGHT NOW!!!"

If you have questions for me about Montreal West Island homes for sale or the real estate market in general, you can be comfortable firing away. My contact with you will be meaningful and respectful of you, your time and your privacy.

I may be from Venus, but I'm not a Venus Flytrap. I promise.

The new Real Estate Brokerage Act came into effect here in Quebec on May 1, 2010. I've written about this previously, but in July, I attended my mandatory training on the new laws and learned a few more tidbits.

1. What's the name of that dude who showed up at our Christmas party the year we had a Michael Jackson moonwalk contest?

This will come as a shock and as a dreadful burden to many real estate agency executive officers but....hold onto your seats now...you will now be required to keep a list (ghack!) of brokers working for your real estate agency, complete with their full names!

Shocking and time-consuming, I know. Better get another assistant, 'cause it's time to blow the dust off those files and try to remember who works for you.

2. Put your shoulder pads and big hair away...or it's off with your head!

If a real estate broker (formerly called an agent) is going to use a picture of themselves in their advertising, the picture must not be more than 5 years old.

We have a little over a year to implement this last one. Better book my hair appointment now if I want to continue selling Montreal West Island real estate : )

I guess sometimes there's a need to legislate common sense. Better than legislating absurdity!

Originally published at www.readysetsold.ca/blog