How much does the Fear of Missing Out come into play with real estate? What exactly is FOMO? It could be viewed as a fear of missing out on super-low interest rates. Or, not buying now and seeing the home prices increasing. It could also be getting caught up in the excitement of your circle of friends moving up, down or out of the area. Fear of missing out can also be wanting into a particular a...Read More

As I view homes that are currently listed for sale and ones recently sold, I have noticed many of the Sales Representatives have offices that are out of the area. In fact, I recently saw a new property listed for sale with the office located in Waterloo. I am in no way disparaging any other Realtors, however, I am looking at what happens when a Buyer or Seller chooses to work with a local Realtor,...Read More

Values are up. I mean, the values have skyrocketed. There is quite a bit of commentary about it being impossible to buy with the current increases or that people are being shut out of the market. What if I told you, you really can’t afford not to buy now? That this might just be a window of opportunity. Call me crazy, however, let me bend your ear and explain. The average detached hom...Read More

Last week’s column covered some helpful hints to help Buyers navigate the current Real Estate market and become homeowners. I gave some solid advice to help make the readers who are looking for a home successful. Pre-approval, work with a full-time Realtor and several other tidbits. Then I noticed an article in a Canadian national magazine that caused a bit of smoke to come out of my ears. ...Read More

It is hard to read the trends in Real Estate, however, if you follow the data you get a glimpse into the direction the market may be heading. Where are the pockets to buy in or to sell in? Here is what the month-end stats show. The average detached home in Oshawa dropped by $11,000 over the past month. The number of sales dropped by 4% and there are 51 more homes for sale than last month. Opp...Read More

Think back to early June 2020. I remember it like it was yesterday. When the first lockdown happened, Real Estate was deemed essential, however, our office was closed, shuttered, locked up and we were mostly manning the dining room and kitchen tables replacing the salt and pepper shakers with pens, laptops and cell phones. June was the month that things started to turn around, marking an increase ...Read More

I am excited, elated and thrilled the offer I made on my “dream home” was accepted. Should I be concerned about what I will find when I walk through the front door on the day of closing? I have learned a few things, selling Real Estate over the past 3 decades about how Buyers and Sellers handle closings. It can be summed up with two concepts – expectations and good-natured behav...Read More

I began my Real Estate career in 1986 just after finishing post-secondary education. I was just returning to the workforce after spending a couple of years learning how to walk again after a nasty car accident. The reason I decided to follow this direction, was that I felt I would meet people in many different jobs, determining what I wanted as a lifetime career. It may sound “Pollyanna&rdqu...Read More

Yay! We are heading back to normal in 2 weeks! Well, maybe not normal, however, if we are blessed with more freedom than we currently have, will the Real Estate frenzy ramp up or drop off a cliff? If you are a consumer of Canadian media, you might think a cliff is coming. Mainstream media loves to post headlines to grab interest, even if headlines have little to do with the content that follows....Read More

The year was 1984 and I went against the bank’s recommendation. Let me explain, I placed a conditional offer on a condo in Oshawa. The bank said I was fully qualified to purchase and live in the condo, however, I looked at my situation and thought otherwise. So, I rented. Well, that is not the entire story, I found a one-bedroom flat above a home on Cadillac Ave. and went ahead purchasing th...Read More