Blog

Why Meet With An Agent Before Starting Your Home Search?

One of the things that most agents do when you first contact them is to ask you a few questions over the telephone such as what are you looking for, how many bedrooms and bathrooms and what neighbourhoods were you thinking of?   Then they will just throw you in their car, take you around and tour you through a bunch of homes.  More often than not many of those homes don’t fit your needs.   The problem with that is it wastes your time.  You spend your weekends or evenings going out and looking at homes that don’t even come close to what you really want to be moving into.   The Buyer Consultation is all about saving you time and getting clarity! &...Read More

Critical... Order The Condominium Status Certificate Immediately

The condo Status Certificate give the buyer a snapshot of how well your condo corporation is being run.    It tells us how much money is in the reserve fund, if there are any special assessments contemplated or pending and it includes copies of the building financial statements, budget and the rules and regulations governing the owners and tenants living there.   EVERY condo buyer will want to get a copy of a current Status Certificate (less than 30-60 days old) and have their lawyer review it to make sure they’re making a wise purchase.   Normally a buyer’s offer will be 'Conditional upon a satisfactory review of the Status Certificate’.  Often...Read More

GTA market recovers with highest November appreciation rate

In November sales were up 13.7% compared to last year with 7,090 houses and condominiums changing hands in all the districts.   Condo townhouse and high-rise suite sales were stable with a 34.5% share of the market and 2,449 units being sold, a moderate 3.6% increase from 2018.   The November average sale price for all GTA homes came in at $843,637, up 7.1% from one year ago.   The active listing inventory is one of the strongest indicators of how slow or fast the market has been moving.  The inventory average for the month of November compared to historical numbers was lower by just over 27% compared to last year at this time.   This inventory imbalance is causing p...Read More

Gifts and Gadgets for Every Room in the House

  Are you searching for new and innovative gift ideas this holiday season? If so, check out our list of the hottest home technology offerings. We’ve selected a few of our favorites for every room in the house.   These smart systems and devices add comfort, convenience, and a “cool factor” that will delight your friends and family.  So think about who you know that loves the latest gadgets … or add a few of these to your own wish list!   ENTRYWAY Ensure the safety of your loved ones with these smart security upgrades.   Smart Lighting Ring, a company best known for its video doorbells, has added smart lights to its series of integrated device...Read More

Six Astounding Advertising & Showing Mistakes Bad Landlords Make

Now let’s talk about how easy it is to screw up the process of taking applications and screening tenants. This is one of the most important parts of being a landlord — being able to properly select tenants will determine a huge amount of your success and happiness as a landlord.   So let’s get onto the screw-ups!   1. Application Mistake: Not Asking ALL the Questions   It’s easy to download a form from the Internet and print it out and give it to a prospect — but how many of those forms were put together by a lawyer (or worse yet, an editor) instead of by an experienced property manager or Realtor?   Naturally, you need all of those legal asp...Read More

‘Tis the Season: 5 Reasons Why Winter is a Great Time to Buy or Sell a Home

It’s a common misconception that you shouldn’t try to buy or sell a home during the fall and winter months.  This is generally considered the “offseason” in real estate. Many sellers mistakenly believe that the cold weather will keep buyers away and that no one is looking over the holidays. Unfortunately, many real estate professionals perpetuate this myth by advising their clients to “wait until the spring” to list their home.  The truth is, homes are bought and sold year round. And while the market is typically quieter during the fall and winter, savvy buyers and sellers know how to use this slow down to their advantage. In fact, depending on...Read More

Is Your Agent Really Working For You?

You wouldn’t -- for a lot of good reasons -- go into a contested divorce proceeding without an attorney, or worse, take the advice of your spouse’s attorney.   Why, then, would you buy a home -- an adversarial process regardless of how friendly everyone involved in the transaction seems -- without someone on your side?   Oh, you think home buyers have always had representation? Well, think again.   As a buyer, you are not represented unless you’ve told the real estate agent who is showing you homes that you want that agent to represent you as your “buyer agent.” If you haven’t, “your agent” could be representing the seller.  ...Read More

October average sale price highest this year

In October sales were up 13.8% compared to last year with 8,491 houses and condominiums changing hands in all the districts.   Condo townhouse and high-rise suite sales were stable with a 33.8% share of the market and 2,867 units being sold, an 8.1% increase from 2018.   The October average sale price for all GTA homes came in at $852,142 up 5.5% from one year ago.   The active listing inventory is one of the strongest indicators of how slow or fast the market has been moving.  The inventory average for the month of October compared to historical numbers was lower by almost 19% compared to last year at this time.   This is actually a good sign since we’re not b...Read More

5 Steps to Finding Your Next Home

Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned homeowner, shopping for a new home can feel daunting. In fact, 56% of buyers said that “finding the right property” was the most difficult step in the home buying process. Buying a home is a significant commitment of both time and money. And a home purchase has the power to improve both your current quality of life and your future financial security, so the stakes are high. Follow these five steps to assess your priorities, streamline your search, and choose your next home with confidence. STEP 1: Set Your Goals and Priorities The first step to finding your ideal home is determining WHY you want to move. Do you need more s...Read More

15 Steps To Mastering The Home Buying Process

The home buying process can take as little as a few weeks or stretch out to several months or longer.  When buying brand new construction, it can even take up to three or four years to go thru all the steps.   I’ll give you a brief description of each step when buying a resale house or condominium so you can get a feel for how it all comes together.   Step 1 Of critical importance, once you’ve seriously started your home search, is to get a Full Mortgage Pre-Approval so you know exactly how large a mortgage you qualify for. In today’s busy Toronto market where multiple offers happen quite often, you may need to go in without a financing condition so...Read More