Having a sense of humour is essential for well-being and, well, I think it can be an asset in business too! In the sea of banal real estate advertising, I’ve always considered entertaining with words an effective way to distinguish your self in the market, garner a chuckle from your audience, and pique their curiosity enough to…

Boo to Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford! Mr. Ford’s election platform included the promise to repeal the City’s Land Transfer Tax, which adds a hefty charge to the closing costs of real estate here in the City of Toronto. Now the Toronto Real Estate Board is giving the public an opportunity to send a…

In the past I’ve railed on about my disdain for House Flippers who renovate properties for profit without committing to quality (or style!) during the process. Nothing makes me more aggravated than a “Professional” who doesn’t deliver a good product, or who misses the mark with design decisions that ultimately cost…

The photo above illustrates how the hot fashion colours included in my Spring Summer 2011 Forecast are appearing in the world of real estate. Click HERE to review that posting. In it you’ll read several of my insights that serve as continued dire forewarnings indicators for this coming season’s market. More recently, I’m hoping…

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 estate…

Above is a photo from the 1986 movie ‘The Money Pit’ starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. Cast as two optimistic homebuyers seduced by the charm of a vintage house being sold for cheap “under distress”, the property and their ordeal turns into a madcap nightmare complete with corny ending. For all its…

My friend James has made Charlottetown his residence each summer for over a decade, where he plays in the orchestra for the Anne Of Green Gables Musical. It’s a great gig for James, where the complexity of his artistic craft is counteracted by the simplicity of island life. Prince Edward Island embodies all the caricatures of storybook…

You may recall my self-indulgent whining back in February during the early days renovating my Movie House Loft. At the time I struggled over what original builder’s grade fittings I would keep and what items I would turf. Like everyone facing a hefty home improvement expense, some times one can get distracted trying to save…

When I travel, I tend to hone in on my favourite local culinary specialty and then consume it again, and again, and again. So during my stay in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, I pretty much ordered the Seafood Chowder whenever I saw it on the menu which, being on the…