It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re buying or selling your home. Especially in today’s hot market because decisions have to be made even more quickly than usual and because higher prices mean mistakes are more costly. I see people make mistakes every day. Literally. But thankfully not our own clients. How do I […]
When I was a teenager in Montreal there was a plastic surgeon who did a lot of nose jobs. Thing was, most of those noses ended up looking the same. You could look at someone’s nose and say “That nose was done by Dr. Dave.” There’s nothing wrong with that but I’ve never taken a […]
There are people who are in tune with their feelings. When they’re upset, they know what upset them and why it upset them. Or so I’m told. Because I’m definitely not one of them. Far from it. I’m the guy who often doesn’t even realize he’s upset. I’ll be going about my usual business and […]
There were lots of little things my mother had to do when my father passed away last year, things like cancelling credit cards, closing bank accounts, transferring internet accounts and the like. You know how it is. All the small, mundane tasks that should take about five minutes each to do. My mother stayed […]
“Michael, I just read What Market Are You In? and it was great. It has lots of helpful info and really helps me understand the big picture. I’m now able to impress my friends with my in depth knowledge, but I’m in the process of actually selling my house and buying a new one so I’d […]
If you think it’s hard to distinguish Thing 1 from Thing 2, try figuring out what’s going on in the real estate market now. Stand on one side of the street and you could be in one market. Stand on the other side of the street and you could be in another market. Some people […]
I’m usually a pretty upbeat guy, but lately I’ve been feeling a little grumpy because of some of the things I’ve been seeing in the real estate market. Maybe grumpy isn’t the right word. Perhaps disheartened and frustrated would be more accurate. I contemplated not writing this until I’m feeling better, but sometimes you just […]
If Advocate was a pizzeria, this is what it would look like, except with a little more style and panache. This pizzeria is in a small, medieval village about two hours southeast of Rome. The streets are paved with cobblestones. There are no cars in the village. Everyone knows everyone, including the gentleman who owns […]
If you’ve looked for a house in central Toronto during the past twenty years, you probably have a pretty good idea of what it means to wait for a house. For most buyers, the process goes something like this: You toy with the idea of moving for a few months or even a few years. […]
True confession: I still go to agents’ open houses. (If you know me, you’ll know this is about as juicy as it gets.) I know I could save a lot of time by looking at the photos online, but I like to keep up to date with the market and find I get a better […]
I would never claim to understand how all buyers think because there are many times I don’t even understand how my own brain works, but after twenty five years in this business I’ve gained a little insight into what buyers are likely to be thinking when they look at homes. Some people might say […]
Let’s pretend I’m you. Or you’re me. It doesn’t really matter. And let’s pretend you want to buy a house in central Toronto. Even with all the knowledge and experience I’ve accumulated during my 25 years in the business, buying a house won’t be a slam dunk. No question about it, buying a house in […]
If you’re trying to buy a home in central Toronto or if you’re just trying to figure out what’s happening in this market, you’ll want to read this. Not so much because it’ll enlighten you, but because it might provide you with some solace. You’re not alone. Let’s look at this from the perspective of […]
I remember it vividly. I had just started articling when a senior partner, one of those guys with a corner office, called me over and said: “Meltzer, I need you to close this deal for me. Here’s the file. Be at the Registry Office at 2 pm.” I was a new articling student. I knew […]
We had just finished representing our respective buyer clients in a multiple offer situation which resulted in the sellers receiving a jaw dropping, unjustifiably high price when my Realtor friend asked me “What is happening in this market, Michael?” I’m not sure she expected an answer because I don’t think anyone really knows what’s happening, […]
“It sucks to be a buyer in central Toronto these days.” While this isn’t the most elegant language, I don’t think I could’ve put it better myself. It’s too early to start throwing around words like revolution, proletariat and manifesto, but the time for those words might not be too far off. Buying a home […]
Let’s say you want to buy a new home in central Toronto. And let’s make two fairly safe assumptions: 1. You know bidding wars occur fairly regularly; and 2. You won’t want to buy every home you see. There are endless reasons as to why you may not want to buy a particular home. It […]
Have you seen Everest? The movie not the mountain. I knew what to expect because I had read the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer which recounted the same story, but the movie was still very much worth seeing. A couple days after seeing the movie I vaguely remembered Krakauer mentioning the name of […]
Here’s how my brain works (or not). I try to write one post a week for this blog and usually have no trouble coming up with topics. This week was a little different. Even though I kept coming up with topics, none of them seemed good enough. I don’t want to write about any old […]
It’s around noon on offer day for one of my listings. There’ve been a fair number of showings and a lot of questions asked by buyers and their Realtors, which is always a good indication that there’s interest, but no one has called yet to register an offer. I’m sitting at my desk writing […]
