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Preparing to Sell Your Home in The Spring (What You Can Do Now!) FEBRUARY 19, 2020  | Spring is the busiest time of the year for the real estate market. As a result, it is one of the best times of the year to list a property for sale. Many people think there are only a few things they need to do to prepare their house for sale – but did you know there are plenty of things you can do now? Here is a quick three-month timeline that will help you if you are preparing to sell your home in the spring. What You Can Do Today Find the Right Real Estate Agent Real estate agents are in bountiful supply – but not all real estate agents are made equally. Finding the right real estate agent that works with your needs, your neighbourhood and your personality can take time. The sooner you start interviewing, the better. Make a Plan Once you have found your real estate partner you two can sit down together and create a plan of all the things you need to do in preparing to sel...

UP AND COMING NEIGHBOURHOODS IN TORONTO The most famous phrase in real estate is “location, location, location.” This is true of established neighbourhoods, but how do neighbourhoods become established? How can you tell which are the up and coming neighbourhoods in Toronto 2020? Here are some important things to consider as well as a quick list of neighbourhoods to look out for in the coming year. Transportation Everyone wants to live as close as possible to public transportation so they can keep their commutes short and more affordable. This is why properties that are located close to subway lines or bus routes have a high value. Up and coming neighbourhoods in Toronto 2020 will be situated where subway lines, bus routes and LRTs are planned to be built. This way they will be affordable when you purchase them now, and when the transportation lines start running you will enjoy a sizeable appreciation in the value of your property. Local Economy Some people tend to stray...

THE TORONTO REAL ESTATE BOARD'S COMPLETE NOVEMBER 2019 MARKET WATCH REPORT & VIDEO Here is the full SlideShare presentation: https://www.slideshare.net/ShawnVenasse/toronto-real-estate-boards-market-watch-november-2019 Here is the full Video Report:

BUYING A HOUSE ON A BUSY STREET Jumping into the real estate market, the first thing you will learn about the house hunting process is that there are trade offs.  There is no way to buy a home without compromising about something. It does not matter what your budget is, what location you are looking for, there will always be a trade off.  Most people do not like to live on busy streets. In fact, there is more than a 50% chance that if a house is located on a busy street, you won’t want to see it. This is especially true if you have young children and/or pets.  But is living on a busy street such a bad thing?  Right Where The Action Is   If you love the hustle and bustle of life and want to be close to the action, living on a busy street is exactly where you want to live. You won’t have to walk far to get to the night life or whatever amenities you are hoping to have in your neighbourhood. And by amenities we’re talking more businesses to work for, ...

Preparing Your Home for Winter: A Checklist Summer's warmth is now a fading memory and the inescapable and important task of winterizing your home before the first big freeze looms. Luckily, we've created a checklist of many things to consider before that first snowfall with help from Jim Fisher, a general contractor with 50 years experience in the industry.

ALL ABOUT TITLE INSURANCE Most people who have car, home and health insurance have probably made claims and wouldn't consider being without it.  However, it might be difficult to find a homeowner who has made a claim on their title insurance which could lead a person to think that it may not be necessary. Title insurance covers the largest investment most people have and if there was a loss, it could be devastating.  Title insurance indemnifies the policy holder from financial loss sustained from defects in the title to the property.  The policy holder is determined by their interest in the property. An owner's title policy protects the owner of the property from title issues that may arise other than the mortgages that are being placed on the property at the time of purchase.  The title of the property goes back in time to check that clear title (no unsatisfied liens or levies and poses no question to legal ownership) was passed from owner to owner up t...

FIVE HOME DESIGN TRENDS WE'RE MOST GRATEFUL FOR This Thanksgiving, we offer thanks for family and friends—and also good home design. After all, the right style and an organized appearance goes a long way to helping sell houses.  After years of normalizing neutral color palettes, for example, designers are embracing more colorful trends to showcase personality in homes. REALTOR® Magazine's  Styled, Staged & Sold  blog asked designers and stagers what home interior trends they're most grateful for this year. Here are their top picks. Read the rest of this inspiring post at it's original location: here ! (copyright Melissa Dittmann Tracey & National Association of Realtor's [NAR] @ 25 November 2019 in the NAR blog:STYLED, STAGED & SOLD.)

Toronto's Visitor Economy Every year, 27.5 million people visit Toronto. Those visitors fuel what's called the visitor economy - a term much broader than tourism. Toronto's visitor economy encompasses the direct visitor spending in the destination and the indirect and induced economic activity that stems as a result.

SHAWN VENASSE Sales Representative The Elli Davis Team Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd, Brokerage Selling houses & condos throughout Toronto for over twenty-five years has taught Shawn a great deal about being an extraordinary listener, advocate, and consummate professional. He puts the needs of his clients before his own. Both a skilled negotiator & savvy marketer, Shawn has sold every kind & price-point of residential real estate possible as well as working with buyers & sellers from all walks of life.  From Rosedale to Riverdale, Forest Hill to Summerhill, Lawrence Park to High Park and beyond; SHAWN VENASSE knows Toronto like the back of his hand. WHAT SHAWN'S CLIENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT WORKING WITH HIM : "Detail-driven real estate agent who cares about your needs! Shawn is a fantastic real estate agent! He worked tirelessly to provide me with options in my desired area that fit my budget. Shawn ensured all of my questions ...

SEVEN REASONS TO BUY A HOME Some people don't need a reason to buy a home, they just want it.  That can be enough justification by itself.  Other people need some solid logic before they're ready to make the commitment.  The following reasons might help you to make a decision. PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP ...among the most popular reasons given by homebuyers is that they want a place they can call their own and decorate and improve it the way they want.  It is a place to feel safe and secure and a place for their family.  They can share it with their friends and enjoy living in it. ( https://snip.ly/5ie06d ) GOOD INVESTMENT ...Homeowners have a 80 times greater net worth than renters.  By investing in a home that appreciates over time, it contributes to an increasing equity.  The high loan to value mortgages that are available combined with the low mortgage rates also contribute to the investment through leverage which has been described as "using other...

7 Ways Canadians Are Totally Different, Financially, From Americans MONTREAL ― It's not much of a secret that Canadians and Americans have been drifting apart politically for some time now. But it's a less-known ― though increasingly obvious ― fact that the financial state of Canadians is also drifting away from that of Americans.