Nobody said it would be easy. But it’s all a matter of perspective. By it I mean finding a good and reliable mortgage broker. In many instances the decision can be an extremely simple one. You have a relative or a very close friend that you trust implicitly to give you the best quality service and really look out for your best interests. Even these scenarios come with a certain level of risk. As long as you ask the right questions and stay engaged in the process you should be

Was sitting with close friends the other night and we got to talking about needs in a home purchase. Now I have always believed there is a vast difference between a need and a want. Most times buyers confuse those two so called priorities. A need is something you absolutely MUST have. Number of bedrooms. Good sized living area large or small lot depending on your needs. Access to schools and transportation. Hospitals if you are older or in need of health care. That list could

It’s That time of year again and in honour of the scary season how about a look at some scary stories in the Real Estate world? More than a few of those for sure. First one up. Years ago I had clients looking in Prince Edward County. They weren’t sure what exactly they were looking for so we showed as many as possible. We came across one place that looked like the owners were big collectors. Sure enough every room seemed to have lots of stuff in them. The lady I was showing t

I know the title sounds like a bit of a joke to many, but there ARE Realtors out there who care and carry themselves and their business with honesty and integrity. Really. But too often we hear about the “bad apples” and there are more than a few of those. Recently a brokerage was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Their trust account was audited and the was a $10 million dollar shortfall. The case is still under investigation but may have also cost one of the higher

The title of this week’s piece comes from a classic baseball book written in 1970 by then Seattle Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton. It is a CLASSIC. If you have never read it, do yourself a favour and set aside some time to do so. What he was saying was loosely based on a line from a Peanuts comic strip that said “Tell your statistics to shut up”. At any rate it was credited to his manager at the time Joe Schultz. Now there was a character. What this is all leading to is that you ca

I was perusing the listings the other day and came across something I have seen all too often in the last 20 years. An agent not doing their job properly and clients dictating what they feel the market should be doing. That, folks, is a recipe for disaster no matter how you cut it. A good agent (or at least a semi-competent one) will do their homework prior to going to listing appointment. Armed with pages of data that is RECENT the agent can pretty much give their client a g

It’s That time of year again and in honour of the scary season how about a look at some scary stories in the Real Estate world? More than a few of those for sure. First one up. Years ago I had clients looking in Prince Edward County. They weren’t sure what exactly they were looking for so we showed as many as possible. We came across one place that looked like the owners were big collectors. Sure enough every room seemed to have lots of stuff in them. The lady I was showing t

Events over the past few weeks have led me to some navel gazing and asking just what IS the role of a Realtor. Actually I also get asked that question often. Some people still believe they can do a better job of selling their home themselves. And to those that do, I say you go for it. A few years before the pandemic hit there was a general feeling that getting into Real Estate would be a cakewalk. Limited hours. Huge payday. Really not much to do to grab that dough. That was

A question I get asked from time to time and ask my self more times than I care to remember. How DO you build loyalty? Back in the day, it was an accepted fact that people had their doctor, banker, lawyer, realtor and on and on. People had a true allegiance to the others they did business with. It was a true symbiotic arrangement and both parties usually benefited from that agreement for a long time. Not any more, it would seem. It’s been said that 15% of all buyers will just

I received a message from an old friend through Realtor.ca the other day. Morley Davidson mentioned that his granddaughter had been part of a team that filed a report on a study they conducted at San Diego State University on the long-term effects of smoking in the house and the after effects that remain as a result. He was kind enough to send me a copy and after reading it I couldn’t help but remember some of the trials and tribulations I had along the way with clients that

All we seem to be reading about in the real estate market are three things. Lack of sales. All the new listings. And need for more new builds. Affordable new builds. All very relevant. But as always, ever missing the mark. Communities like Port Perry, Uxbridge, Lindsay and Brooklin have been building new subdivisions for years now. And selling some, but not all of what has been built. Builders seem to keep forcing their valuations on would-be consumers. And they’re not biting

Lately, I have been seeing more and more of AI (Artificial Intelligence) articles being posted. Note I didn’t say written as these...

When someone decides to sell their home and chooses a Realtor to list after some good research, there are a number of things to do prior...

When I started in the wonderful world of Real Estate, there were two things I had to focus on. Since I was new to the business and had no...

We just passed the 58 th anniversary of my mother living in the same house that she bought in 1967. Great way to celebrate Canada’s...

HOME OWNERSHIP STRAIN I don’t know about you, but I am looking at the numbers and thinking it just gets harder with every passing year to...

Many years ago when I was in the TV business, we had a well worn phrase. “We’ll fix it in post”. Meaning, if a shot was screwed up and a...

This may sound corny but, remember the good old days when there were maybe 2 or 3 Real Estate brokerages in town? And they were usually...

That’s a good question. And one I get asked a lot these days. People are curious and always wanting to know how their largest personal...

If you pick up a paper or listen to the real estate news anywhere these days there is constant talk about the softening condo market. Too...