Windsor-Essex real estate market slows down — so sellers pulling out all the stops

Windsor's sizzling real estate market is seeing a slight slowdown — and it means sellers have to up their game to draw people in. 

Prices are still high in Windsor-Essex but realtors say more listings over the last several months are leading to fewer offers on individual homes, putting buyers in a better position with more options and less competition.

"When buyers have more choice, sellers have to do a little bit more to stand out from the crowd," explained Danial Malik, a broker at ReMax Preferred.

"They have to do more in terms of professional photography, videography, staging. They want to make sure there's as many eyes as possible on their property, so it gets sold for top dollar."

The average price of a Windsor-Essex home in September was $552,186, according to data from the Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors. That's 27.4 per cent more than September of last year. 

Listings have also doubled from what we saw at the beginning of the year (1,035 listings in September compared to 475 in January).

"Things have picked up quite a bit," said Julie Kapitan, owner of Lemon Tree Living, a home staging company in Windsor-Essex.

At the start of the year, there was a "buying frenzy," and homes were selling quickly with or without staging, she said.

"But something shifted I think in May and June and the calls started to come in," Kapitan said. 

Her business has doubled since then. 

She said it helps people imagine living in the space.

Aditya Soma with the WinCity Real Estate Team says staging is "crucial" for any sale.

"There is more inventory," he said.

"That means your realtor and your stager, you know, have to do a fantastic job by pricing it right, by presenting it well to attract as many buyers as possible."