The area north of Lawrence and south of Loblaws on either side of Yonge is commonly referred to as North Toronto. The west side of Yonge is usually called the John Wanless area after the neighbourhood public school. The area on the east side of Yonge is known as either the Wanless Park area after […]
These days, I’m more likely to hear “We’re never moving” or “We’re looking for our forever house” instead of “This is our 3-5 year house and then we’ll move up to our dream house.” It’s the answer I get when I ask my clients “How long do you plan to stay in this house?”. I […]
One of the things I like most about my job is that it’s SO interesting. You really never know what’s going to happen next. Sometimes things happen that are even beyond my imagination. For example, check out this video to find out what happened to my clients recently ….
If you’ve been following along diligently the past few weeks, you know what stale listings are and how to avoid them and you’ve seen firsthand what happens in the life of a listing. Now it’s time to find out when you should bite the bullet and reduce your list price because that’s your best move. Price […]
We just finished discussing stale listings – what they are, why you don’t want your listing to go stale and what you can do to avoid that from happening. Now let’s look at a simulated real life example to see what happened when Jim and Jen’s home was on the market because this’ll give you an […]
Real estate is a language unto itself, full of terms and expressions that have special meanings. A stale listing is usually thought of as a listing that’s been on the market for a while and hasn’t sold. How long does it take for a listing to be considered stale?Depends on the circumstances. It might take […]
You’ve had your home listed for a while. You really want to sell. You receive an offer and enter into an agreement to sell your home for $1,000,000 conditional on a home inspection. After the inspection, the buyer says he wants a price reduction of $3,000 to fix some minor things. He’s entitled to do […]
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 […]
One of the questions I get asked most frequently at the beginning of every year is this: “Should we list in the Winter or wait for the Spring?” Well, if this question has been on your mind, you might want to check out this short video that contains my answer, along with some tips about […]
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 […]
I went to show my clients a house the other day. The listing had expired a few days earlier, but the listing agent said it was okay to show the house because it would be coming back on the market shortly. When we got to the house, I noticed that the lockbox had another company’s […]
There’s no question that pricing is the most important factor when it comes time to list your home for sale. The list price you choose affects your sale price and how long it takes for your home to sell. It’s no wonder so many people ask me “What’s your pricing strategy?”. The fact is, I […]
It doesn’t matter if you’re buying or selling, it’s absolutely crucial to estimate fair market value. But have you tried to figure out prices lately? It’s no easy feat. I know because I try to do it every day. It used to be that I could look at a home, factor in its list price […]
In a hot market like the one we’ve had here in central Toronto for the past several years, a lot of buyers have hard times finding homes to buy. Because demand is stronger than supply, there just aren’t enough homes to go around. This has resulted in some buyers (often with the help of their […]
Ask me anything. Anything at all. And I promise you an honest, straightforward answer. I’m here to help and I’m happy to do so. Don’t be shy because there’s no such thing as a stupid question. If you haven’t been selling real estate every day for the past 20+ years like I have, no one expects you […]
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that there are countless different reasons as to why people decide to hire a specific Realtor (see 1,000,000 Reasons Why People Haven’t Hired Me). But even though we’re all very different, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we all share in common. For example, almost everyone asks “How […]
One of the questions often asked when the subject of real estate commissions comes up is whether Realtors are worth what they’re paid. Does it make sense for some Realtors to earn more than school teachers, for example? Probably not. But it’s the market that determines how much people are paid. The same market that determines that a […]
You’re looking for a new home. You already have an agent, but you haven’t signed a contract with him yet. You walk into an open house and the listing agent tells you that if you buy it through her, she’ll give you a break on the commission. What would you do: a) buy the house […]
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 […]
