Vancouver Real Estate Market Cools… Inside the House

While I’m not about to equate showing houses to the physical hazards of, say, working on an oil rig or handling nuclear waste, the upcoming cold streak and the number of vacant houses without electricity are going to make for some interesting real estate showings in the Vancouver and Clark County market this next week.

One of the things I tell my home selling clients all the time is that we want the buyer to stay as long as possible during their visit. Heck, hope they pull up a chair and start redesigning the kitchen and then measure the living room to see if their sectional will fit.  All this bodes well for the seller, as the potential buyer starts to see how this house can become their home.

But, when it’s near freezing inside, well the warm and fuzzy feeling that’s hoped for fades and becomes a wanton dash for the car’s heated seats. (And, yes, that is a REAL picture I took from inside a house here in Vancouver during a showing last week…).

I understand – especially with some vacant short-sale and pre-foreclosure listings – the home may not have power. But if a seller, be it a bank with a REO property or a homeowner trying to salvage a sale before the worst-case scenario kicks in, really wants to enhance the opportunity to sell the house, spend a couple of bucks a month to at least keep the temps above the point where Jello sets.

I’m not asking for the staged smell of fresh-baked cookies, but the ability to hold an indoor conversation without the chatter of teeth and a serious concern for the onset of frostbite would be helpful.

Until then, I’ll make sure I have my new real estate agent showing toolkit – a lockbox key, my parka and a portable heater – for this weekends showings. Of course, if you’re looking for a hot deal in the Vancouver Clark County real estate market, let us know… we promise our service won’t leave you IN in the cold.