Positioning creates momentum. Hope creates price reductions.

Every month, a group of experienced REALTORS® from across our RE/MAX offices gets together for an exclusive mastermind discussion.

It's an opportunity to share what we're actually seeing in today's market—what buyers are responding to, where sellers are succeeding, the challenges we're facing, and the strategies that continue producing results.

These aren't public market reports or recycled headlines. They're conversations between professionals who spend every day meeting with buyers, sellers, showing properties, negotiating contracts, and adapting to an ever-changing Vancouver real estate market.

This month's discussion kept coming back to one topic.

Pricing.

Not how to ask for the highest price.

How to position a property so it has the best chance of achieving the highest price.

Those are two very different things.

Today's Buyers Think Differently

Over the past few years, Vancouver has experienced dramatically different market conditions.

Historically low interest rates, limited inventory, investor activity and strong international demand created an environment where many homes sold quickly, sometimes regardless of pricing strategy.

Today's market feels different.

Most buyers are people already living and investing in Canada.

They're informed.

They're patient.

They're comparing properties carefully.

They're studying recent sales.

They're working with experienced REALTORS® to determine where the best value and opportunity exist.

That means sellers have to approach today's market differently as well.

Positioning Creates Momentum

One observation from our discussion really stayed with me.

When pricing is correct, we often get lucky.

When pricing is wrong, we're almost guaranteed to be discussing a price reduction later.

That isn't pessimism.

It's simply understanding buyer behaviour.

The first few weeks after a home comes to market are often the most important.

Every serious buyer is watching.

Every REALTOR® is paying attention.

That early momentum is valuable.

When a property enters the market with thoughtful pricing, excellent presentation and professional marketing, buyers respond.

When it enters the market chasing yesterday's expectations instead of today's reality, that momentum begins disappearing almost immediately.

Create the Market

One phrase I wrote in my notebook during our meeting was simple:

Create the market. Don't chase it.

To me, that's what successful pricing is really about.

Pricing isn't simply choosing a number.

It's positioning.

A well-positioned property becomes one of the most compelling opportunities available.

It encourages buyers to book showings.

It creates conversation.

It builds confidence.

In many cases, it creates competition.

That's how multiple offers still happen today.

Not because buyers are behaving irrationally.

Because several buyers independently reach the same conclusion at the same time:

"This is one of the best opportunities currently available."

That competition allows the market to do what every seller ultimately hopes for—determine the highest price buyers are genuinely willing to pay.

That's very different from watching a listing sit on the market while gradually reducing the price and hoping buyers eventually come back.

Buyers Purchase Opportunity

One thing today's market continues to reinforce is this:

Buyers don't purchase asking prices.

They purchase opportunities.

Every new listing is being compared against dozens of others.

Condition.

Location.

Floor plan.

Presentation.

Neighbourhood.

Future potential.

Price.

Every buyer is asking themselves the same question:

"Is this one of the best opportunities available today?"

That's the question every seller should be thinking about before deciding on a list price.

Final Thoughts

One thing I appreciated most about our mastermind discussion wasn't the statistics.

It was the mindset.

Despite changing market conditions, the room remained remarkably positive.

Nobody was waiting for the market to improve.

Everyone was focused on improving their approach.

Markets change.

Buyer behaviour changes.

Strategies evolve.

The professionals who continue succeeding are usually the ones willing to adapt rather than hope.

In today's Vancouver market, pricing isn't about leaving money on the table.

It's about positioning your home so well that buyers compete for the opportunity instead of waiting for the opportunity to compete for them.

Since you already made it this far, chances are real estate is somewhere on your mind. If you're thinking about selling and would like an honest conversation about how to position your home in today's market, can I help?

Early in my real estate career, a senior REALTOR® shared a piece of advice that has stayed with me forever. 

"You make money when you buy real estate, not when you sell."

At the time, I understood the words, but I wasn't sure I fully understood the meaning.

Today, after helping buyers and sellers through multiple market cycles, changing interest rates, bidding wars, corrections, uncertainty, and everything in between, I think I finally do.

Most people assume profit happens when a property is sold.

In reality, the foundation for that future profit is usually established the day the property is purchased.

The Difference Between Price and Value

One of the biggest mistakes buyers make is focusing exclusively on price.

Price is what you pay.

Value is what you receive.

The two are not always the same.

In every market cycle, there are properties that everyone wants.

The fully renovated home.

The perfect street.

The perfect view.

The perfect floor plan.

The property that photographs beautifully and attracts dozens of showings the first week.

There is nothing wrong with buying a great property. In fact, many of these homes are excellent purchases.

The challenge is that everyone else can see the same thing.

When buyers compete aggressively for perfection, much of that value is often reflected in the price.

The real opportunities tend to be less obvious.

Opportunity Rarely Looks Perfect

Over the years, some of the strongest purchases I have seen shared a common characteristic.

They weren't perfect.

They were:

• slightly dated

• overlooked

• poorly marketed

• in need of updating

• sitting longer than expected

• lacking emotional appeal

But they had something more important underneath.

They had potential.

Potential in the location.

Potential in the floor plan.

Potential in the land.

Potential in the neighbourhood.

Potential that the broader market had not fully recognized yet.

The buyers who performed best over time were often the ones who could see beyond what a property was and recognize what it could become.

Buying the Worst House on the Best Street

There is an old real estate saying that has survived for generations:

"Buy the worst house on the best street."

Like most clichés, it exists because there is truth behind it.

Great neighbourhoods tend to remain desirable.

Strong locations tend to attract investment.

Good streets tend to pull values upward over time.

The house itself can often be improved.

The location cannot.

Many buyers spend years searching for perfection when they would be better served searching for opportunity.

Those are two very different things.

The Tale of Two Markets

Today's Vancouver market continues to remind me of this lesson.

On one side, there are properties that attract enormous attention.

The best homes.

The best duplexes.

The best family properties.

The best view homes.

The cream of the crop.

These homes continue to generate strong interest because buyers recognize quality.

On the other side are properties that require vision.

The homes that need work.

The homes with deferred updates.

The homes where buyers have to imagine what could be rather than simply accepting what already exists.

That is often where opportunity lives.

Not always.

But often.

Long-Term Thinking Wins

The most successful real estate decisions are rarely made by people trying to predict what will happen over the next six months.

They are usually made by people thinking about the next ten years.

They ask different questions.

Instead of asking:

"Will this be worth more next year?"

They ask:

"Will people still want to live here ten years from now?"

"Can I improve this property?"

"Does this neighbourhood have long-term appeal?"

"Am I buying quality at a reasonable price?"

Those questions tend to produce better decisions.

The Real Lesson

The advice I received all those years ago was never really about making money.

It was about discipline.

It was about patience.

It was about understanding value.

It was about recognizing that great real estate decisions are often made before everyone else agrees with them.

Sometimes opportunity feels uncomfortable.

Sometimes it looks imperfect.

Sometimes it requires imagination.

But when I look back at many of the strongest purchases I have seen over the years, they almost always had one thing in common:

The buyer understood the opportunity before the market fully did.

And that is why, more often than not, you make money when you buy real estate, not when you sell it.

Since you already made it this far, chances are real estate is somewhere on your mind. If you're considering a move, an investment, or simply want a second opinion on an opportunity you're looking at, can I help?