Check out this great article by Brian Madigan from Proptywire on condo ownership in the GTA.
http://torontosrealtor.blogspot.com/2011/02/great-article-reviewing-gta-condo.html
What was once a privilege just for the wealthy; Home Staging has become more readily affordable and popular with the average Canadian seller. It’s no wonder! We are a generation in love with the before and after effects of home makeovers. Flick through your television channels and there’s a good chance you’ll find two or three shows dedicated to home improvements, renovations, restorations and DIYs. These shows demonstrate to us that a little investment goes a long way, especially when it comes to presenting a home for sale. Realtors® all over Canada are getting on the ‘Staging Wagon’ to increase their sales success and their selling prices.
But don’t just get any old stager, its important to be sure of your stager’s ability. “I had one [stager] who just came to the property to water the plants and change the display lemons in the fruit bowel,” says Lily Villa, Real Estate Broker at Harvey Kalles Real Estate Brokerage, and avid user of a Home Staging service. “These days any person can call themselves a stager.” Lily uses Home Staging for all her listings to give her business the competitive edge. “I believe all homes should be prepared for sale properly.
Getting a professional stager in before putting the home on the market is a very important step,” says Lily. “From my experience, staged homes sell quite fast and for high prices.” Home Staging is often the most beneficial to those homes deemed “unsellable.” It’s happened to all Realtors® at least once in their career; you walk into a new client’s house and you instantly know that its presentation will put off potential buyers. Toys scattered throughout the living room, the bathroom’s ceiling is covered in mould, the burnt orange shag-pile inspired broadloom has seen better days, the eighties soft pink leather couch sags in the wrong places and the lamp shades are the colour of dust.
But the client takes you on a tour with pride, opening each room with a smile on their face, stating stories of yesteryear and pointing out perceived value-adding aspects of their home. You smile and nod on the outside but on the inside you are gasping. Those cringe-worthy properties are out there, but they’re not as daunting as they once were. Home Staging can be your solution to the most dilapidated property. Home Staging is both an art and a science. Home Stagers artistically create ambiance, aesthetics and space through designs, continuity and colour schemes. A staged room appears larger than a cluttered room or even an empty room. Home Stagers use rules of scale, layout and positioning to achieve a broader appeal of the property to a wider slice of potential buyers. Home Stagers can also repair, clean and scrub to transform your listing from “unsellable” to “show home”.
Home Stagers should be aware of cultural trends in locations and reflect this by staging for the expected buyer demographic. It’s a difficult situation to be in. You can’t offend your client, but as a Realtor® you need to achieve the highest selling figure possible for both your income and the client’s satisfaction. So how do you convince your seller that their house is a dump when they believe it’s their castle? You can’t be brutally honest and shred your client’s perception of the home they’ve worked so hard towards. You must be tactfully flattering and approach the situation with sensitivity. The average Canadian understands the real estate market more than ever before and has an uncanny desire to get the highest possible price for their property. So there’s your professional hook – the highest possible sale price for their beloved home.
“I got my client 14% more than the asking price by using a Home Staging Service. Considering the unit did not have a good view and was quite old, Home Staging was a very good investment,” says Lily Villa, who agrees that it can be hard to get your seller to submit additional money to the sale. “I normally pay for the initial Home Staging consultation. Once the stager and I have a staging plan I normally get the client to pay for the staging upfront and reimburse whatever part we agree upon after the property closes. My sellers are happy to stage once they see its benefits.” So take Lily’s advice when you sit your seller down to go through the motions of creating your listing.
Discuss price and use this point to bring up the suggestion of utilising a Home Stager’s expertise. State the potential of the property, focus on positive aspects such as the decade it was built, the popular layout or the excellent location. Mention that their personal style is strong throughout the property’s features and that in your experience it has been difficult to get a good price for a property when the buyer can’t see themselves in it. Once they understand this you must convince them that the property needs to be de-personalised in order to achieve the highest possible price and that this can be quickly and easily achieved with the service of a Home Stager.
The seller will find the suggestion of outlaying more money over the top, after all they are paying you a commission to sell the property and it is your job to sell it. But it isn’t a seller’s market; it’s a buyer’s market. Insist that the additional service cost of a Home Stager is an investment and that they should expect to see a return on their investment with their selling price. If you get your seller over the line you will have transformed a nightmare listing into a cash cow. Article Courtesy Of Prpertywire.ca Written by Carla Wood, MBA, MSRE
The Toronto Real estate Board is reporting that USA home starts have dropped after the tax credit ended at the end of April.
Canadian Statistics point towards continued recovery in the economy with manufacturing figures leading the way.
http://ping.fm/LxgA2
Click here to learn more about the B.R.A.
http://www.brafirst.ca/
G20 in Toronto. Protest or Anarchy. You decide....
http://ping.fm/htiTA
The Toronto Real Estate Board reports weekly sales of 2,022 for the week with an average sale price of $432,689 for the GTA.
See full article here:- http://ping.fm/GkEdV
So Says Tom Lebour, president of the Toronto real estae Board. read his column from the Totonto Star below.
"It has been said that real estate is a local business and in a metropolis as large as the Greater Toronto Area, where there are numerous neighbourhoods and municipalities that have their own distinct real estate markets, this certainly is the case.
To help you navigate through all of your choices the GTA has more than 29,000 realtors, all of whom have unique assets as diverse as the region itself. In downtown Toronto’s C01 district, for example, a realtor may specialize in condominium apartments or commercial properties.
Real estate professionals who work in this area can advise you on the specific amenities available in downtown condominiums, maintenance fees and parking spaces. By contrast, a realtor who practices in the far north part of the GTA, in towns like Alliston, can advise you on the specifics associated with rural properties such as septic systems and well water. A huge amount of property spans the area between Toronto and Alliston and accordingly, the realtors throughout the 905 districts may offer advice on everything from buying a condominium in Thornhill to a horse farm in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
From enclaves in wooded settings to homes overlooking golf courses, your realtor can guide you through the north 905’s many options. One example of all that is great in the GTA is the City of Mississauga, with its diversity of cultures, employment options and housing types. In Mississauga, you’ll find realtors who have experience in everything from condominium living near Square One to executive waterfront properties to lovely starter homes.
Many beautiful areas are also located throughout the east districts, like Pickering’s Frenchman’s Bay, homes in Whitby that are within minutes of ski slopes, and a community built around a marina in Newcastle. Countless options are available in the wonderful communities and rural properties east of Toronto and you can rely on a realtor to advise you on the many specifics, from zoning allowances to school ratings to varying municipal property tax rates.
In all the regions that comprise the picturesque 905, where rolling hills are dotted with small lakes, newly constructed homes are abundant and your realtor can advise you on your numerous options in this regard as well.
Regardless of the housing type that appeals to you, you can depend on your Greater Toronto realtor to help you consider your many options in our great city and to identify a home that is ideally suited to your lifestyle".
Tom Lebour is president of the Toronto Real Estate Board. The views expressed here are those of the president. For more information, go to http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/
Check Out Some Great Listings In Your Area On RobMills.ca
April was a record month for home sales in the GTA the Toronto Real Estate Board said in a monthly report released today.
Buyers attracted by historically low interest rates have propelled a rebound of the housing market in recent months, with the number of housing sales much higher than expected. The average price reached $437,600, up 13% from the average of $385,641 in April 2009.
The board reported the sale of 10,898 residential properties in April — a 34% increase compared to April 2009. On the supply side, April saw a 59% annual increase in new listings with 20, 683 homes listed.
An analyst with the Toronto Real Estate Board said homeowners are beginning to take notice of the hot prices and are rushing to take advantage while demand is high. Jason Mercer, a senior market analyst with the Toronto Real Estate Board, said the record numbers will not be sustained in the second half of 2010:
“Home sales will remain strong in the second half of 2010, but will slip from the current record pace as borrowing costs rise.”
Read more:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/05/05/2538/#ixzz0o0pqt7NqCheck Out Some Great Listings In Your Area On RobMills.ca
April was a record month for home sales in the GTA the Toronto Real Estate Board said in a monthly report released today.
Buyers attracted by historically low interest rates have propelled a rebound of the housing market in recent months, with the number of housing sales much higher than expected. The average price reached $437,600, up 13% from the average of $385,641 in April 2009.
The board reported the sale of 10,898 residential properties in April — a 34% increase compared to April 2009. On the supply side, April saw a 59% annual increase in new listings with 20, 683 homes listed.
An analyst with the Toronto Real Estate Board said homeowners are beginning to take notice of the hot prices and are rushing to take advantage while demand is high. Jason Mercer, a senior market analyst with the Toronto Real Estate Board, said the record numbers will not be sustained in the second half of 2010:
“Home sales will remain strong in the second half of 2010, but will slip from the current record pace as borrowing costs rise.”
Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/05/05/2538/#ixzz0o0pqt7Nq
Separating your must-have features from the ones you can live without
Before you buy you should know how your real estate agent can help you purchase the right home for you, at the right price.
Separating your must-have features from the ones you can live without
Just as you wouldn’t set out to buy the Thanksgiving Day groceries without a list, you shouldn’t start looking at houses before you know for sure what you want and need in a home.
Focus your home search early on by writing out the features your new house absolutely must have, and those features that, while nice to have, are not necessarily deal breakers.
You can start by asking yourself the following questions:
Cost
Knowing your budget will help you decide which of your desired home features should stay on your shortlist. Here are the two factors to consider:
· How much can I afford to spend on my new house?
· How much renovating and remodelling am I willing to do?
Neighbourhood
Some home buyers are willing to compromise on location, and for others location is everything. To determine how important it is to you, answer these questions:
· Where do I want to live? (community/general area)
· Is the quality and proximity of schools a factor?
· How far am I willing to commute to work?
· Is being close to public transportation important?
· Which amenities should be close by? (grocery store, medical clinic, mechanic)
The basics
These are the features every prospective home buyer must consider. Determine which ones you’re dead-set on, and which ones could go either way:
· Do I want a brand new house, or an older one?
· What style of house do I prefer? (ranch, colonial, split-level, multi-level, town home, condo, multi-family, bungalow, other)
· How big a home do I want? How many square feet?
· What sort of lot would I like? (small yard, large yard, fenced, garage, patio/deck, other buildings)
· How many bedrooms do I need? How many would I like to have?
· How many bathrooms do I need? How many would I like to have?
Special features
Although special features are less important than the basics, most home owners have at least a few they’re not willing to compromise on. Find out which are must-haves for you:
· What features are important in your new house? (air conditioning, carpeting, ceramic tile floors, hardwood floors, eat-in kitchen, separate dining room, formal living room, family room, den, library, basement, separate laundry room, fireplace, workshop)
· Do I have special medical issues that require accommodation, such as wheelchair access ramps?
· Do I have pets to consider? (fence, big yard, mud room)
»Click Here To Check Out Some Usefull Home Buying Videos
Rob Mills
Sales Representative
Please visit my website at: Robmills.ca for information on the services and savings I can provide.
Spring is in full swing, and many Canadians are preparing to wash their walls, vacuum their carpets, scour their shower stalls and re-organize their living spaces. For many homeowners, spring cleaning is a ritual that happens once a year, and it's the perfect opportunity to get their affairs in order and feel good about the space where they live.
By having a game plan and investing in the right tools, spring cleaning can be a step towards a better living space in the long run. For a spring cleaning project with a lasting impact, consider the following three steps:
Cut down on clutter
The first step in a successful spring cleaning project involves taking stock of virtually everything in your home - your furniture, decorations and papers - and determining what you need to keep and what you can discard. Be sure to allocate the right amount of time to do a proper inventory, and don't forget to have extra boxes, recycling bins and garbage bags on hand to quickly discard unwanted items.
Go through drawers, garage and storerooms - everywhere clutter accumulates. Ask yourself what you really need to keep and what can be given away, recycled or thrown out. Better yet, why not organize a yard sale to sell the items no longer needed?
Everything in its place
Once you've determined what items will be kept, set up a storage and filing system that will be easy to stick to. Organize items into categories before storing them in boxes, containers and file folders, and label them using a colour-coded system that assigns a different colour to each category (green for financial records, blue for winter clothing, red for camping and sports equipment, etc.) A good electronic labeller will be extremely useful during this process. The P-touchlabeller from Brother, for example, is an affordable tool that can be found in office supply stores or online at brother.ca. When the popular P-touch brand was launched in 1988, Brother patented an exclusive line-up of laminated tapes that are available in a variety of colours and styles to make identification as easy as possible. "Our handheld P-touch labellers are compact and functional for on-the-go needs, which make them ideal for home organization," says Marc Ruel, Home Office Expert at Brother Canada.
Identify important items
In addition to labelling boxes and files, don't forget to label other objects that are likely to be moved, displaced or shared. This includes computer and other electronic equipment (cords, consoles and other hardware), children's items (backpacks, lunch boxes and sports equipment), clothing and more. Labelled items are less likely to be lost or displaced, which makes for a cleaner and better-organized living space all year long.
.JPG)
House V Condo
Making the decision to buy a home is just the first of many choices first time home buyers face. Assessing your lifestyle is the next step and that leads to one big question in particular: house or condo.
“There are benefits and pitfalls to both houses and condos – especially for first time home buyers' budgets,” says Chris Wisniewski, Associate Vice President, Real Estate Secured Lending, TD Canada Trust.
Wisniewski recommends buyers weigh the pros and cons of houses and condos before making their choice. Some pros and cons include:
HousesPros:
• You don't have to pay fees for amenities and services you don't use.
• You can renovate more freely to personalize your home.
Cons:
• You have to maintain your home and property.
• Your expenses are not always predictable.
• Affordability often equals to a longer commute
Condos
Pros:
• Your building may feature some additional security features that you may appreciate such as a doorman or cameras and convenient amenities like a gym, a party room or a pool.
• Your monthly expenses are relatively predictable and usually cover your maintenance – from shovelling the driveway to mowing the lawn.
• Usually located in an urban environment meaning less of a commute.
Cons:
• In addition to your condo fees, you may face additional payments for expenses your condo corporation deems necessary such as roof repairs.
• You're often living in much closer proximity to neighbours which can equate to more noise.
Courtesy of
http://www.newscanada.com/Don't forget, if your looking for a house or condo check out my website
Robmills.ca for all the latest listings in your area.