It seems like everyone these days is at the limit of their frustration.  Patience is thin, tempers are short – people everywhere are fed up with, well, almost everything.

In our day-to-day activities as Hamilton realtors, we make it our goal to minimize stress for our clients.  When we miss the mark, we try our best to use feedback to refine and improve our methods of doing things.

Whether you are a buyer or a seller in Hamilton & the surrounding areas right now, chances are that you feel like you’re in a pressure cooker.

Buyers feel stripped of power.  First-time buyers, especially, worry that they will never get an offer accepted.  If they do, the stress of having to put in a firm offer, at the top of their budget, without so much as a home inspection makes them wonder if this is really the right thing to do.

Sellers are overwhelmed with the work they have to do to prepare their homes.  They’re afraid of strangers going through their space during a pandemic. They wonder if they’re getting the best price and taking full advantage of their equity – especially if they also have to buy!

Adding to all of that, we know that some of our industry practices can seem confusing.  So today, we want to peel back the curtain to explain some of the things we do.

We Have to Follow the Rules

It might surprise you to know that Realtors (and of course Hamilton REALTORS®) are tightly legislated.  Everything from what we call ourselves (REALTOR®? Real Estate Agent? Salesperson? Broker?)  to how we market properties is regulated by the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA)

Rules are good, for the most part.  In fact, there are some things we would like to see regulated a little more!  However, following the laws that apply to us can sometimes mean doing things that don’t seem to make a lot of sense to consumers.

Here are a few common things that people ask us about, and the misconceptions we would like to clear up:

Why the Exclusive Listings?

From time to time, a seller may ask for a more private approach to selling their home. In limited situations, an exclusive listing can help accommodate that request.

These situations are uncommon, but they do come up. Examples might include a seller who values privacy, someone who feels uncomfortable with frequent showings, or a household dealing with sensitive personal circumstances where discretion matters. In those cases, the goal isn’t to create buzz or limit exposure, but to respect the client’s situation while still moving a transaction forward responsibly.

It’s important to note that the rules around exclusive listings have changed.

Under current CREA guidelines, exclusive listings are now tightly restricted. They can only be used for a very short period of time, typically up to three days, and they must be marketed quietly using approved, limited methods only. Public-facing promotion, broad advertising, and traditional signage are no longer permitted in the way they once were. These changes are designed to protect fairness and transparency in the marketplace.

Because of these restrictions, exclusives are no longer a substitute for MLS® exposure, nor are they intended to be used as a long-term strategy. In most cases, if a seller wants meaningful market exposure, the property will need to be listed publicly after that brief exclusive window.

More than a few potential buyers wonder whether we list our properties as “Coming Soon” or “Exclusive” as a way to avoid sharing commission with other agents.

A common misconception is that exclusive listings are used to avoid cooperating with other REALTORS® or to limit commission sharing. That isn’t how we approach them. When an exclusive is in place, we still communicate appropriately within the professional community and welcome the opportunity to work with other agents whose buyers may be a fit, provided everything is handled within the current rules.

In practice, exclusive listings are now best understood as a short, transitional step, used sparingly and only when a seller’s circumstances truly call for it. For the vast majority of sellers, a full MLS® listing remains the most effective and transparent way to bring a property to market.

Our fiduciary duty to clients – sellers, in this case – requires that we look out for their best interests.  We like to express it this way:

When we represent a client, we market their home as we would our own.

First things first. We can’t market a home unless we have a signed agreement from the owner. That written permission matters. Without rules like this, there would be nothing stopping someone from taking a photo of any house on any street and claiming it was for sale just to generate calls.

That’s obviously not how real estate should work. Advertising a property requires clear authorization from the homeowner, and that requirement shapes everything that comes next.

Which brings us to the next point.

We must consider factors that will affect a sale when creating a marketing strategy.

Another factor that used to come into play (during the height of the market) much more prominently was timing.

In our market, a significant number of buyers have come from outside the immediate area for the past 15 years or so. Coordinating schedules, travel, and showings often takes more than a few hours. In the past, a short “coming soon” window sometimes helped ensure those buyers had a fair chance to participate.

That approach is far less common now. With tighter rules around exclusives and marketing, the emphasis has shifted to being fully prepared before a listing goes live, so buyers have clear information and equal access once it’s publicly available.

It takes a little time to get a listing ready for MLS®.

Even after a seller has finished cleaning, decluttering, and staging, there’s still an important preparation phase to get through. Professional photographers and other media need to be scheduled, and they need time to shoot, edit, and deliver the final materials. To get the best results, we book photos immediately after a deep cleaning, when the home is at its best. Ideally, we allow a couple of days for everything to be captured, edited, and formatted.

(And if any of our photographers are reading this: we know that timeline isn’t always realistic. When things are tight, they regularly burn the midnight oil for us, and we’re grateful for it. We truly couldn’t do this well without them.)

Locally, properties can’t be listed publicly on MLS® without photos. The board enforces this, including fines for listings that go live without proper media. That means we have to wait until everything is ready before a public launch.  In the three days before the public launch of the full listing, the seller may choose to have an exclusive listing in place.

During that short window, a property may or may not be visible to buyers, depending on what’s permitted and appropriate under current rules. In some cases, buyers may be able to register interest or request updates so they’re ready to act once the listing goes live. In others, the home remains very quiet until it’s publicly available.

In practice, this preparation phase isn’t a way to sidestep the market. It’s often a necessary step to ensure that when a property is listed publicly, it’s done properly, professionally, and with a level playing field for buyers.

Why Do Some Sellers Hold Offers?

Holding offers isn’t something that’s used for every listing anymore, and it’s not a default strategy. In many cases, offers are reviewed as they come in. When sellers do choose to hold offers or ask for a longer irrevocable period, it’s usually tied to very specific circumstances.

Some situations require extra time by necessity rather than strategy. Properties sold under a power of attorney, estate sales with multiple decision-makers, or power of sale listings involving lenders often need additional time to consult, review, or obtain approvals before responding. The same can be true for sellers whose work schedules or personal circumstances make immediate decision-making impractical. In these cases, a longer irrevocable period or a set offer review date can help ensure decisions are made carefully and properly.

In other cases, sellers may choose to hold offers because they believe their property will generate strong interest. This approach became common during very tight seller markets, and some homeowners still expect similar results. Whether that strategy makes sense depends heavily on current market conditions, the property itself, and buyer demand at that moment.

From a buyer’s perspective, it can still feel frustrating, especially when an offer date doesn’t align with genuine competition. That’s why context matters. A well-chosen strategy should be based on the realities of the market and the seller’s situation, not simply on what worked in the past.

A recent example illustrates how situational this can be.

We listed a starter home in Hamilton at a price our sellers would have been comfortable accepting. Early interest was strong, and an offer came in quickly at $45,000 over asking. At that point, the sellers chose to let the week play out and see how the broader market responded.

In the end, the home sold for $98,000 over asking. Waiting turned out to be the right decision for that property, in that market, at that moment. It also mattered to these sellers because they were purchasing again and faced similar competition on their next home.

That outcome doesn’t mean every listing should follow the same playbook. It simply shows how market response, timing, and individual circumstances all factor into whether holding offers makes sense.

Why Would a Home Be Listed at a Price the Seller May Not Accept?

There was a long stretch where we actively discouraged this approach. It felt misleading, especially for buyers trying to stay within a clear budget. Seeing a home listed at a price that ultimately wasn’t attainable created confusion and frustration, particularly for first-time buyers.

Market conditions, however, don’t stand still. During periods of unusually strong demand, list price stopped functioning as a true reflection of value and became more of a positioning tool. In those moments, pricing slightly below where a home was expected to land helped ensure it was seen by the right group of buyers and fully exposed to the market.

That strategy grew out of a very specific set of circumstances and became widespread during the most competitive years. As a result, many buyers adapted by shopping below their maximum budget, knowing that final prices often landed higher than the list price.  It was, to use a technical term, ABSOLUTELY BONKERS.

Today, this approach is far more situational. It can make sense for certain properties, in certain price ranges, and in certain market conditions. In other cases, it can backfire, leaving a home undersold or overlooked. The key difference now is that list price strategy needs to be grounded in current data, not habits formed during a hotter market.

List price should invite the right buyers into the conversation, not set unrealistic expectations. When it’s used thoughtfully, it can help clarify value. When it’s used reflexively, it can create confusion on both sides of the transaction.

If you’re buying or selling and feeling unsure about how to approach the current market, that’s completely normal. Conditions change, and not everything you read online reflects what’s actually happening on the ground.

If you want to talk things through with experienced Hamilton REALTORS®, we’re happy to do that. Sometimes a straightforward conversation is all it takes to bring things back into focus. You can call or reach out anytime.

Updated December 2025