Broker affiliated with The Agency — international boutique real estate network
Broker affiliated with The Agency — international boutique real estate network
The Agency
Honest market analysis and practical advice — no generic filler.
A fast-moving market rewards preparation, not improvisation. Sellers who get top dollar aren't the ones waiting for the perfect offer — they're the ones who come to market with a fair price, a property shown at its best, and a marketing strategy that goes beyond a Centris listing.
The biggest mistake remains the same as ever: overpricing a property to "test the market." The result: the listing sits, serious buyers move on, and the final price often ends up lower than it would have with a realistic valuation from day one. An honest comparative analysis, based on recent, comparable sales, is still the best starting point.
The other factor changing the game is exposure. A listing visible only on Centris reaches one pool of buyers. A listing backed by an international network, professional marketing, and presence across multiple platforms reaches a wider pool — which, in a competitive market, translates directly into negotiating leverage for the seller.
The asking price of a plex says almost nothing about its real value as an investment. What matters is the net return: actual rental income (not the theoretical maximum advertised), minus real expenses — municipal and school taxes, insurance, maintenance, expected vacancy, and debt service if the plex is financed.
A common trap: basing your math on "market rent" instead of the leases actually in place. In Quebec, existing leases and rent-setting rules often limit how quickly a new owner can raise income — a detail that completely changes the real return in the first few years of ownership.
Location matters just as much: a plex in a high rental-demand area (close to transit, universities, employment hubs) generally offers better tenant stability and long-term appreciation potential than a cheaper plex in a weaker location.
In a market where multiple offers are common, price is just one variable. A seller is also looking at conditions: financing already confirmed rather than conditional, a flexible closing date, inspection already done or shortened, and the overall number of conditions to be lifted. A lower but solid offer often beats a higher but fragile one.
For a buyer, the key is showing up in a position of strength from the start: solid pre-approval, a clear sense of your real ceiling, and a strategy decided in advance rather than improvised under pressure on offer day.
And for both sides: negotiation doesn't stop at the accepted price. Inspection, final financing, and pre-closing adjustments are all moments where a poorly managed negotiation can derail a deal that already seemed settled.
Vianney Godbout is a broker affiliated with The Agency Montreal — a boutique brokerage network present in over 10 countries