As summer quickly approaches, lawns around Winnipeg are starting to be littered with “For Sale” signs.
Homeowners have been taking the real estate business into their own hands for years, but with thousands of listings vying for attention from buyers, online classified ads like Kijiji are becoming more and more popular with sellers.
Kyle Blaquiere listed his 760-square-foot, two-bedroom Transcona home through Kijiji on Tuesday and the listing has already been viewed more than 1,100 times.
“We’ve had friends in the past who found a home successfully through Kijiji and that worked out well for them,” said Blaquiere. “So we thought we may try the same thing.”
Between the added online exposure and the possibility of cutting out the realtor commission, it’s a move more homeowners are choosing to make, but it can be risky.
“We do all the pre-screening, we do all the pre-qualifying and we make sure that the people coming in to your home are ready to buy,” said Realtor Darin Richard.
On top of making sure buyers are actually ready and qualified, there is also a safety factor in listing with a Realtor.
“When you put your home on Kijiji, you open the door to strangers that may just want to come into your home, look at your stuff, look at your house, possibly for the wrong reasons,” said Richard.
That’s why Realtors are warning homeowners that cutting out the middleman could end up costing homeowners more in the long run.
However, for those looking to make a move, it’s just one more option.
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