One of the most important discussions I have with my clients includes "what can you afford” but it’s much more than how much you can spend on buying a home. "Affordability" goes way beyond purchasing power. It's about what the cost of owning your home really means: mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities, maintenance, insurance etc. so that you can have a life and not be house poor. The Royal Bank of Canada's "Affordability Index" is one... [read more]

The housing market in Toronto has changed considerably over the years.  18 years ago the average price for a home in Toronto was $199,856; 48 years ago, it was $22,500; 78 years ago the average price was $8,000.  These figures show a large change from today’s average selling price of $550,700.  What these numbers illustrate more than anything is that an investment in real estate provides strong long-term returns.  Savvy investors in real estate know that real... [read more]

During the first 14 days of December, residential homes sales totalled 2,496.  This is a 1.9 per cent increase compared to the first two weeks in December 2013. Over the same period, listings of residential homes for sale were down by 1.8 per cent year over year. Paul Etherington, President of the Toronto Real Estate Board said, “Greater Toronto Area households remain upbeat about buying a home, as evidenced by the increase in sales compared to last year. However, many... [read more]

As professional and knowledgeable as I am, as a Real Estate Agent , I still don’t have the proverbial “Real Estate Agent’s” crystal ball. However, here is the most supported 2015 Real Estate Market Forecast. We’ve just seen a large oil price slump which may or may not have an impact on the real estate market, however the biggest unknown factor is whether interest rates will rise or not. Some economists predict that Ottawa will delay any... [read more]

To say 2014 was a banner year for sales of Toronto Residential Homes may be an understatement. While prices certainly increased over 2013, there are a few factors driving the market to its current high level state. Affordability does not seem to be at issue, since sales are continuing to climb and current homeowners are able to manage their monthly mortgage payments. For some types of homes, including condo and semi-detached homes, listings were down while demand remained high,... [read more]