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 […]
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 […]
You’d think that after 25+ years in this business I’d know it all, but the longer I’m in this business the more I learn. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that experience really is invaluable in this business. And what’s the point of all this knowledge and experience if I can’t use […]
The phone rings. I answer it. The person on the other end says “Hi Michael. My name’s Alison. My husband and I are selling our home and already have a Realtor we like and trust, but we have a few questions about some things we discussed and we’d like to get your take on them […]
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 you live in central Toronto, chances are you’ve received at least one letter about selling your home in the last little while from a Realtor you don’t know. You may even have received numerous such letters from different Realtors! All of these Realtors are just doing their jobs, in most cases trying to find […]
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 […]
I don’t know if it’s because of the TV reality shows they’ve been watching or because they’re tired of being at a disadvantage in this long lasting sellers’ market, but lately I’ve noticed a few more buyers making demands of sellers around closing time. It’s only happening in a small number of transactions, but this […]
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 […]
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: choosing the right list price (also referred to as your pricing strategy) when you sell your home is probably the single most important factor in determining how much your home will sell for and how quickly it will sell. This information isn’t only important for sellers. As […]
Many years ago, I remember listing a home on Douglas Avenue in North Toronto. It was so long ago that it was a buyers’ market. To select the right list price, which we all know is the most important component to a successful sale, we selected a list price that was in line with the […]
When the market is very hot, as it was earlier this year, there’s a fairly good chance you can sell your home for top dollar. Not every home will sell for top dollar even in a hot market, but the odds are heavily in your favour. This was proven again and again earlier this year. […]
Selling your home twice is a very interesting concept, isn’t it? Especially when prices are as high as they are. Imagine being able to get twice as much money as you thought you’d get. And if you COULD sell your home twice, there might also be studies comparing sale prices of the same properties at […]
The residential real estate market in central Toronto typically slows down during the holiday season. Not because buyers decide to take a break from looking for new homes (although some do), but because sellers take a break. Who wants the stress of putting their home on the market when it’s full of decorations and guests? […]
You may read this question and say to yourself, “Isn’t that obvious? It’s because greedy sellers and their unscrupulous Realtors want to mislead innocent buyers into thinking they can actually buy the home for the low list price so they’ll make offers and bid the price way up.” Well, I’m here to tell you it’s […]
Sometimes my best thoughts come in the middle of the night. It started with a sunny day in mid-June. I had booked a few days off and was listening to a Rich Roll podcast in my car on the way to the Laurentians. I was enjoying the peaceful solo drive and looking forward to meeting […]
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 […]
