싸게 사려면 1월이 적기(Looking for a deal? Now's the time!)

2018년 12월은 GTA 부동산 거래가 가장 저조한 달이었고, 구매자에게는 기회이기도 하다. 토론토 부동산중개업체 JUSTO의 사장인 Vicki Schmidt에 의하면, 지난 해 모기지 규제와 금리상승은 부동산 시장을 가라앉혀 거래가 감소하였다. 매물로 리스팅 된 건수도 현저히 감소하였는데, 1월중에 시장에 나온 물건은 급매물이라고 볼 수 있고, 구매자에게는 좋은 조건으로 살 수 있는 기회다.

봄철이 부동산시장이 연중 가장 바쁜 시기인데, 사려는 구매자가 몰리는 때 보다 좀 일찍 움직이는 것이 구매자의 구매력을 높여 준다. 휴가철 등으로 자금력이 부족한 구매자들이 구매를 망설일 1월 중순 까지가 적기이고, 1월말이 지나면 차츰 매물이 증가하고, 경쟁도 많아진다는 의견이다.

Looking for a deal? Now's the time!

December 2018 went down as one of the slowest months for sales in the Greater Toronto Area—and that presents buyers an opportunity. “Last year’s mortgage rules and rising interest rates caused a pause in the market and caused sales to drop,” said Vicki Schmidt, broker of record and co-founder of JUSTO, a Toronto-based realty brokerage. “The number of listings dropped substantially throughout the GTA and properties coming on the market in January are doing so out of a sense of urgency. That gives buyers more leverage to get a better deal.”

Spring is the real estate market’s busiest time of year, which means, of course, it’s replete with hungry buyers. Getting in earlier, on the other hand, proffers buyers something that’s increasingly difficult to find in a real estate market like Toronto’s: bargaining power. “There’s far less competition from other buyers at this time of year with the financial hangover from the holiday season,” continued Schmidt. “Buyers are typically strapped for cash and they can’t make big purchases, so buyers who are prepared financially have an opportunity to get a good price.

Schmidt reckons that January 22 is the cut-off date for those deals—or, at least, it's bargaining power diminishes after that date.

“Closer to the end of January, there’s more inventory so the second-last week of the month before we get into February is where there’s more competition,” she said. “Tuesday is also a very popular day of the week for buyers to purchase, so for all those reasons it’s an ideal day for buyers to get into the market.”

Mortgage brokers can also attest to the relative ease with which buyers can find homes during January. Daniel Johanis, a mortgage broker with Rock Capital Investments, says that a buyer with orderly finances should have a much easier time during frigid winter months than they will once the snow melts. “There’s something to be said about people moving in minus-30 weather,” he said. “If you have your finances in order, it’s a good time, especially historically, because there is less demand.”

by Neil Sharma 20 Jan 2019  www.mortgagebrokernews.ca