After reading Matthew McConaughey’s brilliantly entertaining memoir “Green Lights” I find myself quietly saying to myself “Green Light” when I get a call from a client that says, “I want to sell”. A Green Light because as a full time Realtor® selling real estate is the only way I get paid.

I was taught early on by my Broker and mentor Vince Cavaliere that a Green Light is not always the case. He always taught me to ask, “Why are you selling?”. He taught me that understanding the WHY often meant DON’T SELL. This is obviously counter productive to someone that gets paid to sell but that is the truth.

So, should you sell? Here are some common reasons that clients and new customers call me…

House is too much work – I typically get this call from seniors. Upkeep and yard work tend to be the main reasons. The questions I ask is… “if you could solve these challenges would you stay?” If the answer is yes, I recommend looking into hiring the help. Oftentimes it is comparable to the cost of moving and paying strata fees in a condo or townhouse.

The market is hot – we are certainly in a hot market at the moment and prices have been rising significantly. If you are thinking of cashing out, my question is… “if you were to sell, will the net cash you receive outperform your real estate if reinvested elsewhere?” There might be a better option like refinancing and having the best of both worlds.

I have an investment property and I have had bad experiences – I personally have had good success but many landlords have experienced exceptional challenges. Before you decide to sell can you fix the challenges? Is finding new tenants an option? I always encourage clients to tough it out because investment properties are tough to replace and once you get out you may never be able to get back in. I am always happy to share my experience, tips and techniques for finding good tenants and being a hands-off landlord.  

There are many reasons to make the decision to sell your property but one of my funniest experiences I have had was when I was meeting with a single lady who lived with her 2 adult sons.

As we walked through her 3 bedroom home, I continued to ask questions. She seemed to love her home. It was manageable, in a nice neighbourhood close to work, there were no financial pressures. I was confused. What I was trying to understand was “how were you planning to improve what you already have?” I have to admit that the basement was a bit disorderly, centered around video gaming and it smelled a little like the backstage of a reggae concert, so it was no surprise that she admitted to me that her young adult sons smoked their fair share of marijuana. That was not the problem. She whispered ‘I want to move to a 1 bedroom apartment so there is no chance they will move with me. I think that is the only way I can get them to move out!’ I barely kept my laughter inside as we filled out listing paperwork “Green Light”. I reserved my laughter until I got back to my car and as I drove away I had a strange craving to make a quick trip to 7-11 and buy a bag of Doritos.

Many reasons to sell a property. Some are funnier than others.