For a number of reasons, when it comes to owning real estate, your first purchase should always be a primary residence. There are several first time homebuyer initiatives extended by the government to help homeowners take that sensible first step, including tax-free withdrawal from RRSPs. First-time homebuyers can also take…

  When walking down most residential streets in the old City of Toronto, have you noticed the variation in the condition of the houses? Some are original and somewhat dilapidated; others are upgraded with a distinct cultural stamp; still others are meticulously restored or renovated with a decidedly modern flair.…

  A question we’re frequently hearing from our buyers this Spring is: “Where are the decent listings?” To complicate matters, when our buyers do find a potential property, they realize that in order to secure the property in question, they often must become participants in a frenzied bidding war. Recently…

  In an era where dozens of home design and decorating magazines are published each month advising you on the latest trends and styles, ‘house fluffing’ is a common program theme on the ever popular Home and Garden Television (HGTV) station; House Flippers are popping up on nearly every urban…

  Imagine the near future; you land at the airport from your vacation abroad. Within minutes of arrival, you speed through the terminal using your hand print and matching bio-metric identity scan passports to bypass the immigration line-ups. Your partner picks you up, and zooms on to the highway, choosing…

  As one of Toronto’s top-producing realtors, it’s amazing I began my real estate career in 1989 just as the Toronto housing bubble burst. Lucky me, eh? But boy did I learn a lot during the early years of my career. The magnitude of that housing market collapse was so substantial,…

  This may surprise you, but the fashion forward aren’t the only people who monitor the trends and styles that designers send down the runway.  Economists and realtors like myself also look to cool hunters in the fashion world to forecast consumer consciousness and behaviour. Of course, fashion and real…

Much like in nature, there are seasons to Real Estate. While there are four distinct seasons in our Canadian climate, the real estate market has but three, each with its own unique characteristics that contribute to the cyclic nature of buying and selling real estate. Think of summer, with its…

  Whether you’re just keeping tabs or you’re an active participant in Toronto’s real estate market you’ve probably heard the terms ‘bidding war’ and ‘bully offer’. Here’s a brief summary that explains the motivations and circumstances which, in any market condition, create these situations. A ‘bidding war’ is when more…

  Just like Spring flowers bursting into bloom, count on our Toronto real estate market to burst with fresh vigor as early as January with a consistent volume of sales and solid prices. Depending on the price point, location and type of dwelling, we may also see prices blossom in…