Recent content by bo_dale

For the floor-area adjustment, avoid multiplying every missing square foot by the comparable’s average price per square foot. That average includes land, location and the existing structure. Additional space also has diminishing usefulness if the basic layout already works—or little value if it...

One more practical step: send all three the same written questions and compare the replies side by side. If an item is described as included, ask them to define its limit in writing. That should separate a genuinely lean service from a proposal that only looks cheaper before photography, offer...

I’d push back on giving recent results too much weight. They matter, but a few attractive outcomes may say less than how the file will actually be handled. For a new-build flat, I would ask each agent to walk through one hypothetical offer from receipt to completion, including competing...

The +7.3% figure needs a defined comparison period before it is useful. Is that month over month, year over year, or the difference between original and current asking prices? I would also avoid treating C$1,013,000 as a Montreal-wide threshold unless the underlying sample shows how many...

Exactly. I’d keep three columns: market value adjustments, immediate property work, and buyer-specific costs. Otherwise the same issue can get deducted twice. For example, dated finishes might already explain why the home compares poorly with the sold property; subtracting a complete renovation...

I’d push back on making floor area the main adjustment. With detached homes, 2,050 sq ft can be arranged very efficiently or badly, and basement space may be reported inconsistently. I’d compare above-ground layout, bedroom usability, lot, parking and outdoor space before multiplying a size...

The figure that changed my view was not the C$1,755,000 purchase price but the C$44,550 that would remain once my deposit and estimated closing costs were paid. That no longer feels like a large reserve when it has to support a first-time buyer through the move and the early months of ownership...