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]

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]

The cold is biting, the snow may be swirling and it’s the most wonderful time of the year ... to sell your home? A question I get every year is “should we even consider selling in the winter?"  If you think that Buyers are only occupied with presents and celebrating holidays, it’s actually not true. Before you nix the idea of listing your home in the winter, here are my top Real Estate Benefits of Winter Selling: The amount of listings decrease,... [read more]

One of my concerns, as your Real Estate Agent, is to take care of you and your home at all times – not just when you want to sell or buy. So keeping that in mind, here’s some important information to ward off the evil ice damming that winter is so generously known for. Everywhere we look there’s ice – on our driveways, sidewalks, and hanging down from our gutters. This is dangerous.   When snow and ice collect together “ice dams” form. And... [read more]