MANITOBA'S BLIND BIDDING WARS

My Letter to the Editor. Winnipeg Free Press - June 9, 2026 

Re: "Blind bidding deserves a second look" (Letters June 8)

Reading the letter from Rocky Baronins prompts me to offer my thoughts regarding the blind bidding process which has become the norm for residential real estate sales in Winnipeg.

I believe this is a great detriment to affordable housing in the city. This marketing ploy forces potential buyers to blindly offer beyond the list price if they are to have any hope of home ownership. Potential buyers soon learn that all offers must be free of conditions and cannot be subject to obtaining financing or a home inspection. The result is that many young, first-time buyers pay thousands of dollars over the list price for a home which often requires thousands of dollars of repairs, most of which would have been identified during a simple home inspection.

I suggest that the provincial government take a step toward housing affordability and add a layer of real protection for consumers by amending regulations in three ways, as follows:

First, regulate the listing process so that offers must be presented to the vendor as they are received, not held back for a future offer date.

Second, after offer acceptance, buyers should have 10 days in which to obtain a home inspection and be allowed to withdraw their offers if the inspection reveals defects which the vendor is unable or unwilling to repair, or negotiate an appropriate price adjustment.

And finally, if a home returns to market owing to home inspection issues, this should be revealed on the ongoing listing, which would encourage vendors to deal with defects in an appropriate manner.

A long-standing practice in the real estate industry is that if a realtor delivers a full-price, unconditional offer, the realtor is entitled to the agreed commission even if the vendor does not accept the offer.

Not accepting full-price offers has become commonplace in Manitoba simply because the vendor is disappointed that the anticipated bidding war failed to produce multiple offers over the list price. I believe that regulations should be in place stating that a full-price, unconditional offer must be accepted and the property is considered sold.

Stuart Gauld