You know to call us when you’re thinking of buying, selling or leasing your home, right? We’re always at the ready for that. But we encourage our clients and everyone we know to call us any time they have any kind of question relating to their home or to real estate in general. We always […]
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 […]
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? […]
I’ve spoken about this before in Buy the Steak. Not the Sizzle. but it seems like there may be some people who don’t read my blog yet. Why do I say this? Because several sellers have recently told me that one of the main reasons they chose their Realtor was because he or she claimed […]
Should you choose a trustworthy Realtor or an aggressive Realtor? Or do you even need to choose?
One of the things I do countless times every day to make sure I’m always right up to date with the market is check to see what sold and how much it sold for. Every now and then a sale price causes me to pause because it’s so much higher than the comparable sales. When […]
Have you ever heard the expression Sell the sizzle, not the steak? It’s pretty well known in sales circles and means, more or less, that when you’re trying to sell something to someone, you should try to razzle dazzle them and not focus on the substance of what it is that you’re trying to sell […]
Have you noticed more advertising for realtor teams like The Walter White Real Estate Team? Do you know what this relatively new thing is all about? For the most part, every Realtor operates his or her own individual business. Yes, most of us work at companies with other Realtors, but that’s mostly an office sharing […]
When I was a wee young agent, I thought everyone would want to hire me because of my integrity, unique skill set and the way I always put my clients’ best interests above all else. I obviously had a healthy ego, but my understanding of human nature left room for improvement. I’ve had a GREAT career […]
Peggy: You never say thank you. Don: That’s what your paycheque is for. Michael (in a rare cameo appearance): Don, money’s not enough. People want to feel appreciated for what they do and a paycheque doesn’t do that. In my books, saying please and thank you and being honest, considerate, respectful and grateful are the […]
When Advocate Realty was formed in 1995, the idea was to create a real estate brokerage that would get it right. A place where you could be sure that your best interests would always come first and that you’d receive the best service possible. I was reminded of this recently thanks to a couple of good […]
If you needed a hip replacement, would you go to a surgeon who specializes in this type of operation or would you go to your cousin, the newly minted eye doctor? Does this sound like a silly question? Then try this one on for size: if you wanted to buy a home in central Toronto, […]
What’s this you say? Posting 2 days in a row? Has there been a monumental shift in the real estate market that the world needs to know about immediately? Nah, I just had another post-worthy idea. Hard to believe, I know. It seems that everybody faces the dilemma of whether or not to hire their […]
Every once in a while, I find myself tracing my roots back to the beginning. I don’t mean to Montreal, which is where I was born, or to Europe, which is where my grandparents came from. I’m referring to a charming, 13th century village called Scanno which is in the mountains a few hours outside of […]
In the past week I’ve met a handful of buyers who are trying to buy homes without an agent to represent them. Their reasons for doing so vary from “I know what I want so I don’t need an agent” to “If I don’t have an agent the listing agent will cut his or her […]
You never know what to expect when you put your home on the market and designate a date for offers because anything can happen. My clients put their home on the market on Wednesday and sold it on Monday, which was the offer date. You might appreciate this behind the scenes rundown of how things played out so […]
Most people set out to hire a good agent, but did you know that many agents set out to find good clients? That’s right! Some of us are as concerned about who we work with as you are. We’re not interested in selling as many homes as possible and working with just about anybody to […]
I was hoping to write this newsletter a few weeks ago, but I’ve had a bit of writer’s block. After 20 years and 4 newsletters a year, sometimes the ideas don’t flow as easily as they should. Still, this newsletter has always contained my own thoughts and views so even if it takes a bit […]
