Happy Lunar New Year! 2025 is the Year of the Snake and if you don’t know anything about the Chinese Zodiac, here’s a quick tutorial! The Chinese Zodiac is based on the Chinese calendar. Many Asian cultures follow a similar Zodiac with some minor variations, although it did originate in China. An animal and its known attributes are assigned to each year of a repeating 12 year cycle. Many believe that all of our personalities stem from the attributes of the animal assigned to the year when we were born. Further to this, each year is also assigned an element – fire, wood, water, metal and earth. This year is the Year of the Wood Snake.
Where the Year of the Dragon (which ended on Jan 28) was to be a year of creating ideas, the Year of the Snake is said to be a time to complete those ideas. Well at least according to Paul Ng, a famous geomancer who is sought after yearly for his Lunar New Year predictions. A year to get things done. A Wood Snake (also called a green snake) is to symbolize what snakes do naturally – shed their old skin for a new one. Could this mean new surroundings, A.K.A. a new home for you?
With many of you having to put your moving plans on hold because of soaring interest rates, the Year of the Snake might be when you’ll finally be able to put your plans into action. Here is a quick tutorial of what you need to consider to be successful this year:
1. ASSEMBLE YOUR DREAM TEAM – an experienced agent who can help you navigate the challenges of buying in a competitive market, a mortgage broker who can give you the confidence to make quick decisions, a home inspector who can give you the bottom line, and a lawyer who will guide you through the closing
2. MORTGAGE PRE-APPROVAL – with rates changing, you’ll need to update your pre-approval to figure out what your budget is, based on your downpayment
3. DOWNPAYMENT – assets may need to be liquidated and accessible
4. FIRST TIME BUYER? – understand the first time buyer incentives available to you (and how to take advantage of them)
5. PROPERTY TO SELL? – what prep (repairs and decluttering) can be done now to get ready for a quick sale when you manage to snag that dream property
6. RELOCATION? – are you looking to buy in another region, province or country? We can set you up with one of our partners who can use their local expertise to assist you with your move
7. DOWNLOAD THE APPS – get access to the new listings, open houses, recently solds, and other data that will help notify you of properties that match your search criteria
8. PROPERTY TOURS – success hinges on your ability to actively see properties and quickly after they have been listed for sale; not only are you checking for suitability, but often you’re also looking at potential changes you’d like to make as well as areas of concern
9. TRY AN OFFER – whether in a competitive freehold market or a soft condo market, if you can’t stop thinking about that one property, try an offer. Stick to your budget and don’t get too emotionally attached just yet. Sometimes it takes a few tries for success, or for those condo buyers, sometimes the price is not exactly what the sellers were hoping for, but they accept anyway.
10. FOCUS ON THE GOAL – when you’re motivated to move, we find buyers start to stray from their original wish lists. They expand to other neighbourhoods that do not fit, make concessions on what was previously a “must-have” and overlook red flags just to lock in something. While this may be okay if done for the right reasons, cutting corners to make a purchase quickly will likely have unpleasant consequences.
This last point is particularly highlighted in the fact that we have just entered into The Year of the Wood Snake - a time for wisdom, patience, and careful decision-making.
For those who are interested, there are actually auspicious Feng Shui lucky days for moving! It is said to promote harmony and balance, and to ensure life in the new home starts with positivity. Did you have any rituals or traditions in blessing your home when you first moved in? We would love to hear them! And of course, for anyone who is indeed looking to make a move this year, be sure to book a chat with us through our Calendly link so we can get you started!
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