We are delighted to be featured in the recent issue of Top Agent Magazine, the premier Real Estate industry publication. 

The article focused on our series of community business videos on our YouTube channel at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Read an excerpt from the article below, or click through to the full article. 

Andrew and Jill Hasman Article in Top Agent Magazine

"Andrew and Jill work under the umbrella of RE/MAX. Both of them aim to create long-term relationships with their clients and have succeeded in building their business primarily on past clients and referrals. “We have a boutique business mentality, and we’re always thinking about how to best serve our clients. It’s not about how many homes we sell or how many clients we have. We want to provide an elite level of service, which is why we’re hands-on and involved in every step of the process.” Their long record of excellent results and client satisfaction stems from years of experience and confidence in their methods. “We have seen the ups and downs of the market, and we bring a lot of knowledge to the table. Most importantly, we never put pressure on our clients to make a decision.”

What propels Andrew and Jill to give every transaction their full dedication is their desire to help people. “There are many personal factors and circumstances for why people decide to buy or sell, and some of them are not always positive. That’s why we take every situation and put together a strategic game plan that solves the client’s real estate problem, while always remaining empathetic to their situation and ensuring their complete confidentiality.”

Having lived and raised their children in Vancouver, the couple knew they had to find a way to help their local community when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down countless businesses around them. “We decided to shine a light on how the pandemic impacted our area. We spoke to various business owners and posted a series of videos to our YouTube channel in order to raise awareness and funds to support them and get them through this difficult time.” "

Our Personal Perspective

BC’s economy is now starting to open up which is great news. Nobody knows how this Covid 19 is going to play out going forward so for everyone, we are all just trying to figure out how to get on with our daily lives while staying safe and healthy.

With Real Estate being deemed an essential service by the Provincial Government, Jill and I want you to know that we are here for all our clients during this uncertain time to answer questions and help those looking to buy and sell. Yes, you can buy and sell a home during Covid 19 in a safe manor. Our industry has adapted over the past two months in the way we show, market and sell homes.

Over the past few weeks Vancouver has seen a nice steady uptick in real estate activity. While we are no- where near the 10 years sales averages of the past, we have seen a healthy bounce off the dismal April numbers. It feels like buyers and sellers are now getting more comfortable with getting out and getting on with their lives.

For those looking to sell, right now we see an ideal opportunity in many segments of the market. Record low housing inventory is great if you are looking to list your home. You have far less competition and many more buyers chasing far fewer homes listed for sale. This imbalance has resulted in many multiple offer scenarios and continued price stability in our market.

For home buyers, the past two months have seen fewer listings but also fewer buyers meaning in some cases more time to make a buying decision and the ability to negotiate. Money is dirt cheap so the cost of a mortgage is rock bottom. Why wait until all the buyers return. Buy now while money is cheap and you have the ability to negotiate.
To sum up we would say that timing the market is very difficult. It’s the right time to buy or sell when it’s right for you. We think that despite Covid 19 Vancouver’s housing market remains stable .

If you have any questions about the market in your neighborhood reach out and call or email us anytime.

Stay safe and stay healthy
Andrew & Jill Hasman

The April 2020 Market stats are out and available for download. You get the following graphs and charts for both Vancouver East and Vancouver West.

• Activity Snapshot by PropertyType
• Detached Properties Report and Graph
• Condo Report and Graph
• Townhomes Report and Graph
• Benchmark Price Graph
• Average Price Per Square Foot

If you are interested in a report like this is for other areas, please contact me to request it and I'll send it to you.

DOWNLOAD VANCOUVER EAST & WEST

Metro Vancouver’s* housing market saw steady home buyer demand to begin March and a levelling off of activity as the month went on and concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak intensified.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 2,524 in March 2020, a 46.1 per cent increase from the 1,727 sales recorded in March 2019, and a 17.4 per cent increase from the 2,150 homes sold in February 2020.

Last month’s sales were 19.9 per cent below the 10-year March sales average.

“The first two weeks of the month were the busiest days of the year for our region with heightened demand and multiple offers becoming more common,” Ashley Smith, REBGV president said, “Like other aspects of our lives, this changed as concerns over the COVID-19 situation in our province grew.”

Daily residential sales on the region’s MLS® were 138 on average in the first ten business days of the month. In the final ten business days of the month, the daily average declined to 93 sales.

“Many of the sales recorded in March were in process before the provincial government declared a state of emergency. We’ll need more time to pass to fully understand the impact that the pandemic is having on the housing market,” Smith said.

“In recent weeks, REALTORS® have been working to help and guide their clients through this uncertain period. Many people have understandably chosen to put their home buying or selling plans on hold for now. Other people have more urgent housing needs and we’re trying to work with them to address these needs in the safest and most responsible way possible.”

There were 4,436 detached, attached and apartment properties newly listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver in March 2020. This represents a 10.4 per cent decrease compared to the 4,949 homes listed in March 2019 and a 10.8 per cent increase compared to February 2020 when 4,002 homes were listed.

The total number of homes currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 9,606, a 24.8 per cent decrease compared to March 2019 (12,774) and a 4.5 per cent increase compared to February 2020 (9,195).

“Realtors were named among the province’s list of essential services last week,” Smith said. “This means that we have a responsibility to do what we can to help residents meet their housing and shelter needs while strictly following the most up-to-date public health orders and physical distancing requirements from our health officials and government agencies.”

For all property types, the sales-to-active listings ratio for March 2020 is 26.3 per cent. By property type, the ratio is 21.1 per cent for detached homes, 33 per cent for townhomes, and 28.9 per cent for apartments.

Generally, analysts say downward pressure on home prices occurs when the ratio dips below 12 per cent for a sustained period, while home prices often experience upward pressure when it surpasses 20 per cent over several months.

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $1,033,700. This represents a 2.1 per cent increase over March 2019, and a 1.3 per cent increase compared to February 2020.

Sales of detached homes in March 2020 reached 852, a 61.1 per cent increase from the 529 detached sales recorded in March 2019. The benchmark price for detached properties is $1,450,700. This represents a 0.7 per cent increase from March 2019, and a 1.2 per cent increase compared to February 2020.

Sales of apartment homes reached 1,179 in March 2020, a 35.1 per cent increase compared to the 873 sales in March 2019. The benchmark price of an apartment property is $687,000. This represents a 2.9 per cent increase from March 2019, and a 1.4 per cent increase compared to February 2020.

Attached home sales in March 2020 totalled 493, a 51.7 per cent increase compared to the 325 sales in March 2019. The benchmark price of an attached unit is $791,800. This represents a 2.5 per cent increase from March 2019, and a 0.9 per cent increase compared to February 2020.

GET THE FULL PDF PACKAGE

Here's Our Personal Perspective

How our world has changed in just a few short weeks. For most of us it means being confined to our homes only popping out for some fresh air, exercise and picking up groceries.

Jill and I want you to all know that during this crisis we will be working from home, taking calls and answering any of your inquiries. We think that for the most part, sales and new listing activity will slow down dramatically. That being said, there are always some home owners that have to sell for time sensitive reasons. For those few we want you to know that we are here to help. There are precautions that can be taken to minimize the health risk to all involved when it comes to listing and marketing a home.

If You Have to Sell

We are now implementing Virtual Open Houses, 3D Video tours of homes and procedures to ensure safety when it comes to in person viewings of a property.

During the pandemic there will be NO public open houses. All in person viewings will be handled in a controlled environment to ensure buyers enter a home 1 group at a time and use hand sanitizer prior to entering the home. Buyers will also be instructed to avoid touching any surfaces in the home. All buyers will be asked a series of questions to ensure they are not feeling unwell or have travelled in the past 14 days. Our clients & the public’s safety are our top priority during this challenging time.

For the majority of home owners and buyers, real estate may be far down on your list of priorities right now. We get it.

For most we all want to stay healthy and see this crisis behind us as soon as possible.

Jill and I want to wish everyone to stay safe and healthy and look forward to connecting with you soon.