Shari Fulmer, Real Estate Broker
931 Oxford St. E. N5Y 3K1 London, ON, Canada

And the climb continues....

Sunday Story #15 Some weeks, I know what I'll write about on Sunday morning. This was not one of those weeks. As I looked through my photos, I came across this crooked kitchen, and it seemed to perfectly represent my week. A bit off kilter, and a little bit dizzying.... It was a long and winding road to get to Sunday. Literally. I put in many miles in and around both City and countryside, and, I have a mountain of dishes to let me know I haven't been home much. Some weeks are just like that in my world. Weeks like this always leave me wondering if I accomplished anything. So, I had to dig through my daytimer (yes, I still use paper!) to recall everything that happened, and find those little nuggets of progress. I got to spend some real quality time with some truly interesting & creative people, got to walk a 10 acre property on a beautiful fall day, met with my home inspector for the first time in a year (not many inspections happen in this market!), rented out my apartment, and got inspired for a cool new project. It was one of those weeks that seemed a whirlwind on the surface, but, was actually very nice. There really was no rushing around, just constant movement. Even though it was a crooked road, it was also pretty satisfying as I look back on it. Except for the mountain of dishes on my counter this morning, lol.

Sunday Story #14 With all this talk of our current "seller's market", I don't want you to think it's impossible to buy right now. It's definitely challenging, but, it's certainly doable. In most cases, buyers are competing for property at the offer stage, and the seller will have choices as to which offer to accept. So, you must put your best foot forward, and convince the seller you are the best buyer for them.... Preparation, flexibility, patience and persistence are all keys to success in this market. This is the general advice I give to all my buyer clients, regardless of whether they are first timers, move up/down buyers, or investors. Buying a home really is an emotional purchase in many ways, so, it's most important that you have a clear picture of your financial capabilities, and a good knowledge of market values before the shopping gets serious. Otherwise, you're at risk of becoming slightly irrational in the frenzy of a passion purchase. Having said that, there are also two values ~ market value, and the value to you, whether that's more or less. It pays to keep a level head. It's also good to have a clear picture of what you NEED to have in your home, and perhaps build in some flexibility with what you WANT in a home. With low inventory, and rising prices, the sooner you can make a purchase, the better, and, that may involve a bit of compromise. Yes, it can be time consuming, and there may be a few disappointments along the way. But, if you can be patient and persistent, we've got this!

It's such a beautiful fall day, it got me thinking about sprucing up my front entry ~ got some great ideas from this article! Nice, simple, and inexpensive. https://www.houzz.com//get-ready-for-fall-with-a-touch-of-

Sunday Story #13 The biggest real estate event in our area this week, was that the average property values topped $500,000 in August. Wow! We've made some huge jumps over the last few years! This is celebration news for those who own property. This means you've gained significant equity that can be used to move up, buy an investment property, retire in a much better position, even help the kids to buy their first home. It has certainly given all of us plenty of options and op...portunities! I know many of you are asking the questions ~ I've heard them several times this week alone! Is this a good time to buy? Is this a good time to sell? Great questions. And, from a strictly investment standpoint, yes. Absolutely. If I've learned anything over the past 30+ years in this biz, it's that you can't time the market. No one saw this fast value rise coming, and no one can predict what will happen in the future. All we know for sure is what's happening right now. And, right now is pretty great! Historically speaking, real estate has always been a solid investment. Yes, there have been a few dips and detours along the way, but, overall, values have risen. Never with as much gusto as recently, but, always upward. There's a great quote that rings true. "Don't wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait". It's a long term investment, no question there. The question you really should be asking yourself, is whether this is a good time for you personally. Does it fit in with your life goals right now? Will it move you forward? If it does, take the plunge. If it doesn't, then perhaps this isn't the time. Don't let the market intimidate you, my job is to help you navigate that. Skip the news, and do what's right for you. Right now.

Seller's markets and increasing prices are making it pretty challenging for first time home buyers, but, there are a few "helps" available, aside from the bank of Mom & Dad, of course. ;) https://www.realtor.ca//five-programs-available-to-first-t

The market is still extremely busy! The overall average sale price in London has now topped $500k, an amazing 22% rise over the past year. Inventory is still quite low which makes for a super strong seller's market in our area. Keep in mind that each area is different, these are just general numbers. If you'd like information more specific to your area, shoot me a message....

Sunday Story #12 This has been an unexpected, and truly enlightening week for me. On Monday, someone attempted to change my Facebook password. I have a dual ID system set up, so, they were not successful. But, when I told FB it wasn't me, some very bad things happened. My account was immediately disabled, then, 2 days later, completely deleted, with no recovery. It took another 24 hours before I was allowed to set up a new account, and there was some doubt about that.... My emotions certainly ran the gamut over those 3 days! There was anger, frustration, confusion, sadness, even some panic. I spent some time thinking about how dependent I've become on this platform. Many of my friends and family are here, many of my clients are here, my photos and memories of events and posts over the past 10-15 years, all gone in the blink of an eye. Then I spent some time thinking I was being ridiculous. After all, I have relationships with most of you outside of Facebook, I have my photos saved, I still have memories in my head. ;) But, where would I get my news? I would miss discovering old friends, and new clients. Would my business suffer without an FB presence? Would I have a quieter and more focused life? Would life be easier, or harder? Facebook has become such a large part of my life, that I really didn't know how I was going to manage without it, This is something I hadn't realized before! Hmmm. It starts to sound like an addiction doesn't it? I'm sure I would have found ways to compensate, but, thankfully I've been allowed to "restart" my existence here. It does have a "newness" about it, a chance to redesign a few things, simplify things a little. But, it's also a daunting process to find all my peeps, set up a new business page, find all the other businesses and groups I followed. And, of course, once this is done, perhaps find a few ways to lighten this dependence! :) This morning, I can say that it has been a very intense week, and there's a long way to go, but, I've made some great progress in rebuilding. And, most of all, I am so very thankful to all of you who are reading this post/blog. I am SO happy you're still here!!

Welcome to my new business page! My old one is lost forever, so, this one is starting from scratch, and will be fleshed out as we go. For all of you who were following my Sunday Stories, they can all be found on my website blog at www.sharifulmer.ca, and I do have plans to post a good one about my Facebook adventure this week ~ it's been an "interesting" one! Thank you all for your patience as I restart my Facebook world, and thanks for Liking this page! :)

This week on PEAK TV Shari Fulmer discusses with Kathy Amess changes in the Real Estate Market and some of the trends they are seeing in what people are look...ing for when they are purchasing a home. . . . #2020 #trends #realestatetrends #selling #realestate #peakpro #peakprofessionals #mightyfinerealtors #london #ldnont See more

This week on our Meet The Team Monday - learn something new about our Shari Fulmer!