Blog

The provincial government has deemed real estate agents an essential service. However many of us, including the entire Desmond Brown Team, DO NOT consider real estate agents to be an essential service. We’re not first responders, medical professionals, food suppliers, or those who preserve the safety of our communities. We sell houses...

Our economy has been hit hard by this pandemic, leading to thousands being laid off. As a result, many of our lending institutions have offered up to six months of mortgage deferral payments to Canadians who may be facing financial hardship during these troubling times...

In my 22 years selling real estate, I had never seen anything like this! The termite damage in this Scarborough house was beyond repair. In fact, the damage was so bad that the City of Toronto ordered the home to be demolished. Here's the background on the situation:

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...

A lot has changed since I started selling real estate in 1985. Back then, interest rates were around 13% for a five-year term, and my first sale ever was a condominium in Scarborough for $50,000. In those days, real estate agents and potential sellers and buyers also geared up for the busiest markets which were usually in the Spring and Fall. However over the past few years in Toronto, we've seen steady sales all year long...

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...

We've recently represented two sellers who, after decades in their homes, were downsizing and moving to smaller places. For people to finally make this decision, it sometimes takes years, and many people at this stage in their lives often have the same concerns...

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]