MY TORONTO

 

TOP TIPS FOR HOUSE HUNTING ONLINE Hunting for a new home online is a great place to start your search, but it should not be your end all be all. Good listing agents are excellent at highlighting the best features of the home, but keep in mind there may be more than meets the eye. To make the most of your time and efforts and gather a well-rounded picture of home listings online, keep the following three things in mind. Stay up to date. When you start your search, make sure you find a site that pulls up-to-date listings directly from the multiple listing service (MLS) where real estate agents actively post their most current homes for sale. Many online resources update less often or fail to remove listings that are off the market, making it more difficult to sort through the clutter. Pictures can be deceiving. Real estate photographers are experts at showing a home in the best possible light. Many use tools and strategies to boost appeal, such as a fisheye lens to make areas look larger...

The concern today when putting your home on the market should not be whether you'll get a contract; it's whether you are going to recognize the majority your net proceeds without any unnecessary delays. What you realize from the sale of your home has to do with maximizing the sales price while minimizing the sales expenses.   Interestingly, the buyers will be trying to minimize the price they have to pay for your home and possibly, have you pay some of their expenses. Taking a few pictures with a cell phone and putting a sign in the yard may be enough to get a buyer but successfully selling a home in today's market requires expert marketing and expert negotiations.   Marketing begins with the preparation of the property to optimize the first impressions it makes to potential buyers.   A skilled professional can make recommendations that can help the home sell for the most money and in the shortest amount of time.   Cleaning, painting, depersonalizing, removing ...

Just like buyers should be pre-approved before they begin to look at houses, Sellers should have their home pre-approved.   The reasons are similar: appeal to the "right" buyers, discover issues with the home early, improve marketability, increase negotiations position and close quicker. For the seller, there are few things that need to be done before the sign goes in the yard and definitely before prospective buyers see the home.   The first is to understand that once you decide to sell the home that it needs to appeal to the broadest base of buyers and that means depersonalizing your home. Once the home is sold, you will need to pack your things for the new home.   Think of this as starting the process early.   Get moving boxes and make decisions on what you intend to give away or discard in each room and closet.   Identify and pack those items before the home goes on the market. This will be the first wave of making your home more marketable. When your ...

More and more homeowners are employing smart home technology within their homes.  It may start with a video doorbell or lights and progress to other devices.  The smart-home device market is rapidly growing and Forbes research expects it to grow from $55 billion in 2016 to $174 billion in 2025. The popularity of these high-tech features will require a few additional steps to consider when selling a home.  The seller should determine which items will and will not stay with the sale of the home and identify them in the listing agreement. Confusion can arise when a home's marketing mentions its smart-home technology and is unclear if a piece like the hub, which is easily considered personal property but is integral to the working of the system.  Some might consider it an accessory and others a component. A smart home can contain multiple technology devices connected to the Internet that allow them to be controlled or accessed from computers, tablets or most common...

  Summerhill Properties Summerhill properties are beautiful to look at and a joy to live in. They are located within a neighbourhood of well-regarded public and private schools, all while being in close proximity  to the downtown core. Owning one of Summerhill’s properties would instantly make one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in all of Toronto your new home. Here are some facts about why I love this neighbourhood so much and why you should consider Summerhill properties when looking for your next home. Summerhill derives its name from a stunning regency cottage named Summer Hill House. While the house itself is no longer erect, you can still see the Summer Hill Coach House at the rear of 36 Summerhill Gardens: it boasts an outstanding slate roof which can be seen as far as the south end of the Rosehill Reservoir. Around the 1880s, Summerhill developed around the North Toronto Railway station which in the 1920s, became the main station of the Canadian Pacific Railw...

Real Estate Terms Cheat Sheet Buying a house can be an exciting, but  complex process . So when you embark on your journey, one of your first stops should be familiarizing yourself with the lingo. We’ve curated helpful information from our  Homebuyers’ Road Map  and  Tips for Buyers , to share with you some of the most important terminology a new buyer needs to know—from pre-purchase to post-purchase. Before you buy First things first, you need to find yourself a  REALTOR ® . A REALTOR ®  can bring you peace of mind thanks to their experience and professionalism. From helping you find a home that meets your needs and price range, to negotiating your purchase price, directing you through complex contracts, a REALTOR ®  is an important part of your home buying journey.  While it’s exciting to start visiting open houses, you must first determine how much a mortgage lender is willing to let you borrow to purchase your first home. Your  mortgage ...

In a recent article, The Wall Street Journal reported that investors have rarely been this flush with cash.   The economic uncertainty due to the pandemic and the volatility of the stock market has caused assets in money-market funds to increase to approximately $4.6 trillion, the highest level on record according to Refinitv Lipper. The question becomes should an investor be "out of the market" until things settle down or should they seek to find alternative investments to produce satisfactory results.   Even in the middle of this uncertainty, residential rental property has been a stable performer. Rents are continuing to increase along with values.   Investor mortgages are available at 80% loan-to-value at fixed interest rates for 30-year terms.   Most other investments must be purchased for cash or at best, are limited to low loan-to-value loans, at floating interest rates for relatively short time frames. The use of borrowed funds, especially at today's lo...

SOFT AND WARM FEELING AT HOME