It seems that I get asked this question quite frequently at this time of year. Probably because people are starting to map out the things they’d like to do in the new year and they’d like to list at a time when they’ll have the best chance of getting the highest price. As I always […]
It’s no secret that many properties in North Toronto are being bought by builders or regular people like you and I who plan on tearing down the existing homes and building new ones. In fact, it’s happening so frequently that the first question I’m often asked by people who are thinking of selling is “Michael, […]
When you go to Florida, or anywhere hot for that matter, do you wear a down-filled parka? I didn’t think so. Real estate is like that, too. Let me explain. A couple of weeks ago another Realtor told me about clients of hers who were moving to Toronto from out of town. They had sold […]
It doesn’t necessarily have to be your fridge. It could be any appliance or even your furnace or air conditioner. Regardless of whether it’s your fridge or your furnace, this type of situation occurs pretty often. In fact, it occurred to clients of ours just a short while ago. Here’s what happened, followed by a […]
I’ve said before that finding the right Realtor to represent you is the key to achieving the best result and to ensuring that the process goes as smoothly as possible. I’ve also said that the most important thing to look for in a Realtor is trust. Assuming you’ve read Finding an Out of Town Agent […]
Chances are you already have a trusted Realtor and I’m a big believer in loyalty, but there may be times when you need to find ANOTHER trusted Realtor. For example, what happens if you’d like to buy or sell a cottage property? Or how would you sell the home of an out of town parent? […]
Generally speaking, alarm systems are good things. Not only do they provide you with an additional level of security, but some alarms can be programmed to alert you when dangerous situations arise, such as when there’s carbon monoxide in your home or when your basement starts to flood. You may also save on your home […]
Buying a new home doesn’t have to be as stressful as some people make it out to be. In fact, it should be fun and exciting. If you’re buying before selling, one of the things you can do to lessen a potential source of stress is to look into bridge financing before you even start […]
I don’t know about you, but it seems that everywhere I look these days in central Toronto I see a tree in a “cage”. If someone were to drive through our neighbourhoods for the first time, they’d probably wonder why we think our trees are going to run away. Now, we all know our trees […]
Parking is important in central Toronto not only because you need a place to put your car, but also because the type of parking you have can significantly affect the value of your property. Properties come in all different shapes and sizes in central Toronto so parking can vary from property to property. In this […]
Let’s say you want to buy a new home in central Toronto. It’s not the same as buying a new home in the suburbs. There aren’t vast tracts of land upon which developers build hundreds of new homes from which you can choose. No. Your options are fairly limited because there is next to no […]
I never have to look very far to find someone who wants to talk about real estate. Truth is, I don’t have to look at all if I don’t want to because people find me. At times it seems as though almost everyone has a real estate story to tell me or is interested in […]
I was reading an article by lawyer Mark Weisleder the other day called 7 Things to Know When Building a Backyard Deck and it reminded me of something that happened very early on in my real estate career. It was the early 90s and the residential real estate market in central Toronto wasn’t anything like it […]
Have you noticed that many (but not all) of the new homes on 25’ wide lots north of Lawrence in North Toronto seem to be sitting on the market and not selling lately? Have you been wondering why? Well, there could be countless reasons as to why a home hasn’t sold. And since every home […]
[This is the fourth in a series of posts designed to give you an idea of what it’s like to live in one of central Toronto’s great neighbourhoods. Note that I said “one of”. That’s because there are so many great neighbourhoods in central Toronto. Many of the things that make living in North Toronto […]
When you think of buying or selling a home, you think it’s relatively straightforward, don’t you? I used to think that, too, but it seems that things are weird and getting weirder. Here’s what I mean:
Part 1 of this series was about how our little family ended up living in North Toronto. Basically, it was pure luck. But we didn’t have any idea how lucky we really were until Cole and Alannah were born. And Part 2 talked about the play dates, playgrounds and activities they enjoyed around the neighbourhood when […]
If you bought a home in central Toronto during the past 20 years or so, you probably made a conscious decision to choose central Toronto’s urban lifestyle over the much larger home you could have bought for the same price elsewhere. Good choice because Toronto is such a great place to live. But what happens […]
Part 1 of this series was about how our little family ended up living in North Toronto. Basically, it was pure luck. But we didn’t have any idea how lucky we really were until Cole and Alannah were born. Finding out we were going to have twins was a bit of a shock. There weren’t […]
What happened to the home that was listed way below its fair market value? How many offers were there? What did it sell for? How accurate were my predictions? Was it a good strategy or the wrong thing to do? It’s all in this video.
