Elementary
Realtor interviews business
Allow me to introduce myself as Jacqueline Watson, a Realtor in the Toronto/GTA area. However, my expertise extends beyond real estate. I am also a Mediator specializing in Labour Relations. My passion lies in more than just selling homes; I strive to transform lives and empower individuals to achieve financial freedom through home ownership.
In addition to my real estate endeavors, I am building a thriving community through my podcast, Elementary. This platform allows me to engage with various businesses and share their stories. My career path initially began in Toronto & GTA, coinciding with a successful tenure as a Director of Labour Relations, in healthcare working in the long term care retirement and commune services industry, which I hold dear to my heart.
Combining my passions, I feel incredibly fortunate to work as both a Realtor and a Labour Mediator. Each day, I have the privilege of doing what I love, and I am immensely grateful for this opportunity. The journey that has led me here has been remarkable, and I cherish every experience along the way.
Furthermore, I recently had the honour of joining the Pilot Place board. Witnessing the incredible impact this organization has on people's lives fills me with gratitude. I am delighted to volunteer my time and contribute in any way possible to support their noble mission.
Elementary
Right-Sizing and Revamping: Aligning Your Home with Life Stages, Decluttering Tips, and Market Trends with Jacqueline Watson
Unlock the secrets to finding a home that truly fits your lifestyle and needs as I, Jacqueline Watson, guide you through the art of right-sizing. Forget the stress of squeezing into a tiny space; it's about aligning your home with your current life stage, especially if you're an empty nester. We'll explore key factors like location, sun exposure, and yard size, while also addressing the emotional aspects of downsizing for older clients. I'll share my Chic Moves signature process, crafted to assist you on this journey, and invite you to our special Zoom event where a professional organizer will help kickstart your decluttering adventure.
Get ready to transform your home into a buyer's paradise with insider tips on decluttering and staging. Discover how living with joyful items not only enhances your personal freedom but also elevates your property's market appeal. A clean, staged home, captured in professional photos, can make all the difference in a competitive market. We'll also tackle pricing strategies and keep you updated on the latest housing market trends, including the anticipated interest rate drop by the Bank of Canada. Whether you're buying or selling, this episode equips you with the insights to navigate today's real estate landscape confidently. Subscribe to my newsletter for more tips, and don't miss our upcoming events designed to keep your home journey smooth and successful.
Want a Copy of My chic Moves Signature Process?
Do you have a topic you would like me to explore further, get in touch
Do you want to get interviewed? let's connect
Welcome to elementary. I hope you're having a fabulous Monday. I mean, what a gorgeous day. How could you not? So today I have a couple of things I want to talk about and they're going to be short topics, really short topics, and it's about. So let's talk about your downsizing, your downsizing journey, let's call it Anyhow. While I'm calling it the downsizing journey, I actually want to call it the right-sizing journey, and I'm your host, jacqueline Watson, just in case you didn't know that already. But today we want to talk about the right sizing journey, and it's not so much just downsizing and getting the smallest house on the block. It's about really kind of honing into what you'll need next.
Speaker 1:Now remember, this may be the home that, um. So this may be the home that perhaps the kids have left. You're an empty nester, and this is not just the home you're buying because you have a budget. This is not the home you're buying because you have to shove five kids into this home and make it fit. This is a home that you kind of. It's a fun home. You kind of want what you want. Because you want it, you can.
Speaker 1:You know you may still be on a budget, but it's a different sort of constraint. You want different things in your next home and you've had the opportunity to actually work through the last home homes, however many you've had, and as you progress through buying your home, you realize that the one thing you learn is the things you absolutely don't want in your next home, and those things are so important. You know understanding where your house is placed, how much backyard you get, how much front yard you get, which way the sun actually sets. You know we have the same issue. I have an exposure that I would like a different exposure, because in the afternoons it gets so hot on hot days that it's not enjoyable. So things like that that you don't think of when you're buying a home in the first place. You haven't really turned your mind towards it, you haven't really kind of thought deep into what you really want, and so you buy a home and perhaps you're not buying off a flow plan and you're using a realtor to walk you through a home and give you some tips. But maybe you bought with a flow plan and you know that doesn't tell you much these days, that's for sure Anyhow. So let's just talk about you know I have a few of my clients that are deciding to downsize and this could be second last, last home that they they may be getting into.
Speaker 1:But it doesn't matter what stage you're in, whether you're 50, 45 or you're 70. There are some things that you have to kind of work through as you get to downsizing, downsizing and, um, you know, of course, for my older clients, there's this emotional piece that is attached um to downsizing that you have to be, you know, turn your mind to. So, for example, if you have parents that are looking to downsize, um, it's extremely emotional for the for them, and you have to really pay attention to it because I think, as you know, because we're so close to the parents, we might be like a little hasty or we might be a little in what's the word? A little, you know, rush to rush them through the process. But I think they need to have their process in place for them. They need to be able to do it on their own pace, they need to be able to part with things on their own time, and so when you come into that place, whether you're dealing with your own stuff or an older parent's stuff, you know that one is actually a big piece for maybe some of our parents or older clientele that I may have and it's a huge piece because it's really kind of the biggest step before we can move past and do any work with them. So if you're wondering, I do have a guide. It's my Chic Moves signature process and this guide is amazing because it really kind of gives you the beginning to the end and it's really, if it's a parent or an older person or even yourself looking to downsize, it really kind of helps you understand how to get from one end to the other end and what sort of services we offer in the signature process. That allows you to really have downsizing done your way, and it's a process that is customized for you in mind. So if you have a stuck and you kind of need some help with that, then you know DM me and I'm happy to share it with you. So the first step of know DM me and I'm happy to share it with you.
Speaker 1:So the first step, of course, is decluttering, and that by far is the hardest step. Right, we all have things that we could get rid of or we need to get rid of or we could just use a little bit of a helping hand or a nudge to get rid of, and so I find the decluttering piece myself and for my clients, really hard. But if you are finding it hard, I want to invite you to my event tomorrow. I have I'm calling it an event because it really is an event. It's just where we're talking about decluttering and organizing decluttering, and it's a Zoom meeting. I have a professional organizer who's going to be running this meeting and it's going to be awesome. So if you want to come to that one, awesome. So if you want to come to that one, um, dm me or drop a message in the comments and I'll drop you the link. Um, that's one way, uh, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, talking about decluttering, you know there are so many pieces to decluttering, like first it's it's it's not just furniture or it's not just clothes. It's like really kind of moving with the right items. And I know for myself, you know I I always say that if I, if I'm to move to a next to another house, a fun house, I only want fun things that I absolutely want in that house, like I do not want items that are not going to bring me joy, as Marie Kondo would say. Right, so it's about really kind of living with as little as possible. But really I think as human beings we forget that we don't need all this stuff, and sometimes when you realize you don't need all that stuff, it's really quite a burden that lifts it. Then you just realize, okay, I really don't need as much, we just need some really good items that will last me forever. And then you find it easier to get rid of stuff that is really not serving your purpose, so to speak. And then once you get into decluttering, then everything else kind of is really on a different trajectory. Right, it really kind of goes into a different headspace.
Speaker 1:But why decluttering matters In today's market? The market is rapidly changing, and the one thing I can tell you is, when you walk into a home, there are a couple of things that I'm really keen on. While a cleaning is absolutely a must, like a really good deep clean, in addition to that, when you see a home that's not cluttered, that looks spacious even though when we stage a home, more than likely, that's not half the way most people live. However, that's the way a buyer wants to see themselves. They want to see where a couch would go, where a bed would go, absolutely but they also want to be able to see themselves in that space, not see themselves in your house, but see themselves in potentially their new house. Right, and I know it's very hard for my clients or any one of you when we talk about staging and about taking out some of this, all of this other stuff that you love, because if you love it, you'd continue to live there, but you put your house up for sale for a reason. So that goes a long way.
Speaker 1:When you do that piece, it really makes a big difference. Makes a big difference. And along with staging, you know, obviously, professional photos. People say that in a hot market you don't have to do any of that. I think you have to do that to get even more money. But in a not so hot market you have to be competitive. And if you've done all of that, your house is not moving and you're hearing crickets and no one's coming to see it, you're overpriced. Bottom line you're overpriced and for most people, if they're looking at what we would call, you know 21, 22, those pricings, those are gone. Never to return. I mean never say never. It is real estate. It is Canada. It's like Canada runs on real estate.
Speaker 1:But all I would say is that that's not the market we're in right now, and so then I ask you what is happening with each of you? Okay, so any of you who's on today do you think you'd be interested in my organizing and decluttering event? You know it. Just drop a yes below. And who can tell me what's happening tomorrow? All of you know what's happening tomorrow. Kimberly knows what's happening tomorrow. All of you know what's happening tomorrow. Kimberly knows what's happening tomorrow, so I don't see any messages. I don't see anyone participating.
Speaker 1:Anyways, so the Bank of Canada is announcing their interest rate drop and what does that mean for home buyers, sellers? I don't know what it means anymore and I'm just kidding. It means that more than likely, we might see, like everybody's saying half percent, so I don't have a crystal ball, who knows what they do but they are anticipating half a percent. That's what the economists are predicting. And what will that do for everyone who's looking to get into the housing market? I mean the last two cuts, we've seen a little bit of movement, but not a lot. But as we start getting into more cuts, I think you're going to see more people come in.
Speaker 1:So a lot of people say you know what would you take? So there's a couple of ways to look at the market as such, right. Of course, whatever I'm talking about has to work with your situation specifically, and I'm not telling you to buy or not to buy. What I'm telling you to do is figure out what your situation is and then decide whether you should be buying or you should be holding. So, with tomorrow's price drops, now the fixed rates are on a little bit of an upward trajectory and so that's a bit of an issue.
Speaker 1:But there's always a variable rate, and, with these rates dropping, some people are looking at variables, and I would say it's a safe option because it doesn't look like that is going to go up anytime soon. It's not going to go down to the rates we had prior to. Yes, today is Monday, right? Yes, yes, yes, so you're right. Thank you for reminding me. The Bank of Canada is announcing on Wednesday, not tomorrow, it's on Wednesday. Thank you for reminding me. The Bank of Canada is announcing on Wednesday, not tomorrow, it's on Wednesday. Thank you, kim.
Speaker 1:So what are you going to probably see? Like people who are going to get maybe a variable rate? You'll continue to get all of those declines in rates if you're a variable anyways, and what does that mean for purchasing a home. Well, depending on what your situation, if it was me, I would rather buy a home at a lower price because the rate is not a forever right. The rate can be. Rate is not a forever right. The rate can be refinanced at any point. If you get a variable, it will drop and you can always lock in at a reasonable rate at some point. So if it was me, I would rather take a home with a low price. So I guess what people are trying to figure out is is this the bottom? And they've been asking that question for a while, and the home prices have been Like last month.
Speaker 1:I did a market report last month, believe it or not. I don't really like doing market reports because I feel like it doesn't give you enough of a cross-section on your particular area. It may just give you a bigger cross-section and some general numbers. If you're interested in that, just send me a DM with your email and I'll send you the newsletter with the market report in it. Or you can also head over to my YouTube channel and catch the recording about the market report as well. So you know, we saw price prices decline maybe 1% so far, and it's not like a big difference in price, but there are people there are a lot more in the home Some people hanging out for their price, some people are priced, they're in the wrong time with their pricing and some people are a little more thoughtful on the pricing and those are the ones that are selling the people that are willing to do better. I'm also noticing that if you're not priced well in this market, people are not coming to see your house. They're not even wasting their time to come see a house because they don't know if you're being realistic. So that's what I'm finding. I don't know. Do you have any questions before we end? So if you want to get on the event tomorrow, drop me a DM and I'll send over the link for the Zoom link for tomorrow's event. If you want a copy of my newsletter, absolutely Drop me a DM or send me an email and I'll add you to my newsletter so you can get that and we'll wait for Wednesday's announcement and hopefully it'll be in your favor.
Speaker 1:If you're looking to refinance or to start the process, however, what I would suggest to you is, if you are looking to buy, then get pre-approved. There's nothing like getting pre-approved and because your rate will hold for like 120 days max and you know you'll be ready to roll. I mean, the ones who are pre-approved with their numbers intact. Those are the ones that I'm finding really easy to close and not easy to close, but there's really no hiccups as such, because they're ready to go, they know their numbers and we are kind of working within those parameters. But the ones that are like, I've seen a few clients that have told me oh yeah, this is what I'm looking for, and then they get pre-approved and it's not the number that they have been looking in like in that range. So all I would say is get pre-approved, so you're not disappointed. And if you have any questions, um, feel free to reach out.
Speaker 1:I wanted to do a short, short, um little live and come on and just kind of go over a few things and touch base on some important topics that are near and dear, and. But stay tuned In the next little while I have a series of videos coming out. I've recorded one or two and I'm going to record a few more on certain topics so that you can follow along. And, yeah, just follow along if you want and if you think of a topic or someone. That would be great for the show, and you'd like me to unpack that topic a bit further or interview a guest speaker. I'm happy to do that as well. So until next week. Seeing that you have no questions, I will let you go and I will see you tomorrow, kim Bye.
