Since returning to selling real estate eleven years ago, I've had to reluctantly adjust to the new strategies and tactics that are common in my industry and sometimes leave me feeling very bitter. The one thing that stands out is the common practice of drastically underpricing an asking price in an attempt to generate many offers and a bidding war. I admit I've...
My team recently represented a buyer in the purchase of an estate sale in Scarborough. The person who passed away was 104 years old, and his wife who died two years prior was 102 years old. The estate's real estate agent was the great-great-grandson of the two deceased owners. However, here's the kicker, and something we don't see often...
Sometimes our best-laid plans need to be changed. In the real estate business, we always need to be on our toes, assessing and reassessing as we go to ensure we are representing our clients to their greatest advantage. Recently, one of our agents, Jenn Scaife, had a house that was listed close to value...
I recently had a listing in Cabbagetown, a beautiful Victorian row house built in 1868, that attracted six offers on our offer review date. My client, who had owned the home for the past 40 years, was delighted there was so much interest, but understandably nervous because she had never gone through this process before. All six offers were over our asking price. Unbelievably, the three top offers were identical in price. In my more than 20 years of selling real estate, and through the many multiple offer situations I've been in while representing sellers, I had never seen this happen... [CLICK THE TITLE ABOVE TO KEEP READING]
The anticipation leading up to the last month's federal budget announcement had me and many others on the edge of our seats. There were the leaks to the media that the federal government was going to bring in earth shattering initiatives to make home ownership more affordable for first time buyers. What would these measures be? [CLICK THE TITLE ABOVE TO KEEP READING]
Here's a story, written by my team member Jennifer Scaife, about a couple who recently entered the Toronto real estate market. Recently, Kassia and Cory were referred to me by a past client. Lively and energetic, they were eager to get going on their quest. We saw properties that challenged their tolerance for ‘fixer-upper’ and others whose state of ill-repair were jaw-dropping! We soldiered on, intent on finding the perfect home in the perfect neighbourhood that was within their first-timers’ budget...