Percentages

Statistics are interesting. They don’t tell the whole story but often they will help illuminate trends or dispute other statistics or dispel myths and commonly held beliefs. I always look at statistics (and percentages) with trends in mind.

So with that in mind, time to drop a statistics bomb on you.

95% of conditional agreements firm up

Q: What percentage of conditional deals fall through?

A: I don’t think anyone has ever tallied how many conditional offers don’t make it through the conditional phase but my experience is that once a conditional offer has been accepted, the chance of the sale happening is over 95%. Results may vary with realtors, other cities…

77% of us have good neighbours

Q: What are the attributes of a good neighbour?

A: The best neighbours are trustworthy, quiet, friendly, and respectful. The worst neighbours are disrespectful, loud, untrustworthy, nosy, messy, and just generally unfriendly. A recent survey revealed that 77% of us have good neighbours.

30-40% prefer urban over suburban

Q: Is it true that people prefer living in the suburbs or do they live there only because thats where the houses are?

A: There was a song in the 1970s that went, “if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with”. This question a bit like that – chicken and egg. A recent study of Boston and Atlanta revealed that roughly 30-40% of those surveyed said they preferred denser, more pedestrian-friendly urban neighbourhoods, where as about the same preferred auto-oriented neighbourhoods.

29% price reduction for smoking

Q: Will smoking reduce the sale price of my home?

A: Yes. Smoking and other bad smells (pets, damp basements) really reduce the value of homes. According to this article, smoking can reduce the resale value of a home by as much as 29%.