Familiar with the French expression “Acheter, c’est voter” (buying is voting)? Or perhaps you’ve recently heard about the panier bleu (or Blue Basket) – a new initiative by the Quebec government to encourage people to buy Quebec-made goods online. For a while now, I’ve been thinking about this “buy local” movement and just how far we should take it.
Should we treat real estate brokerage services the same way we do our produce and consumer products? What is the impact on our economy when we decide to sell our home with a large real estate banner from the U.S., UK or Germany?
Some would say these large international networks give sellers access to international buyers. If that were true, how do you explain the fact that 2020 was a record (if not historic) year for real estate in Quebec, even though our borders were closed to all countries and we had no immigration this year?
By using the services of a local real estate brokerage, not only are you injecting more money into the local economy, you’re also supporting Quebec entrepreneurs and therefore the economy vitality of your own neighbourhood and city. How so? Your broker and the agency he or she works for do not have to pay fees to a foreign head office or parent company for the right to use their trademarks and international advertising.
This surge of patriotism and protectionism is indeed real: 54% of Quebecers say they buy locally on a frequent basis. A 2018 study on responsible consumption reported that proximity has been a key purchasing criterion among Quebecers since 2010. This trend has only grown across the country over the past year. The commercial tug-of-war played out between Canada and U.S. during the drafting of the new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) further amplified the desire to “buy Canadian.” So has the COVID-19 health crisis
So how far should we be taking the whole “buy local” thing? I think we need to take it even further by asking ourselves this very question each time we choose a product or service.
Make a difference: When you buy with REALTA, the François Bissonnette team, it’s a 100% locally-bought purchase.
