When I started my career in Real Estate in the mid-1980s the thought occurred to me that I would build my business faster if I relocated to Toronto. I chose to stay in the Durham region. Since then, I have seen the values in Toronto outpace the eastern suburbs year after year. I wondered if I made the right decision. From 2005 to 2010 central Toronto increased by 36% in value whereas Oshawa increa...Read More

This past week I spent some money. I visited the Oshawa Farmers market, picked up lunch from a local restaurant and loaded up a cart at Costco. Why is this important to a Real Estate column? The point is that I have, for the past 36 years made my living helping people buy and sell homes locally and when paid for my work, I invest my income back into local businesses and our local community. In thi...Read More

What is a Legal Basement Unit Called? Straight from an episode of Jeopardy, this is a question that seems to be a mystery for many — Buyers and Sellers alike. As a real estate Broker, I see homes being listed or sold with the definitions, duplex, in-law apartment, accessory apartments and second living areas. I admit it can get confusing. I thought it would be a good time to review what th...Read More

Last week we had something happen that still has me shaking my head. We placed a home on the market for sale that was needing some TLC. Actually, the home was in need of a considerable amount of tender loving care. It had knob and tube wiring and needed new baths, kitchen, flooring, wall repairs and someone to remove the duct tape from the kitchen wall. We priced the home $70,000 lower than a com...Read More

We recently had a listing that we guided our client to price his home based on a sale that took place 3 weeks ago. The comparable property was fully renoed. Our house needed tens of thousands in upgrades.  • Knob and tube wiring needed removal • The house needed new flooring • The walls needed refinishing • Trim, Kitchen and Bathrooms all needed to be redone W...Read More

I have driven by a home on my way to work over the past month or so with an “exclusive listing” sign mounted on the top of the sign. I thought about it often as it has not sold, causing me to ponder, as my son would say “what the heck?” Before we dig into the question of why a Seller would choose to list a home exclusively, let's look at the history of exclusive listin...Read More

    September has finally arrived. Are you glad to see the summer almost over, or, are you happy to be one month closer to 2021? My business for 2020 has been nothing short of bizarre. We began the year in a super busy uprising market. The values were increasing dramatically from early January, and then mid-March, when the economy mostly shut down, the values started dropping. I will ...Read More

      I met with 2 separate Buyers over the past week and both showed different levels of knowledge and an understanding of how buying a home might happen. The first Buyer called about a home we have for sale and said they wanted to find a home, prior to getting pre-approved, feeling that they knew what they could afford. The 2nd Buyer called on the same property and shared that ...Read More

  I had an interesting meeting this past weekend. While so many people were on patios enjoying the 30 deg heat I was sitting with a client starting the process of selling their home. I ended up listing the home for sale in the mid $300,000’s. This home, in Oshawa, was detached with 2 bathrooms, and a single garage. As I was doing the research on pricing, I found something fas...Read More

  We have watched the prices of detached and semi-detached homes skyrocket in Oshawa in 2020. Are there any affordable homes left? Amazing question… let’s dig in and look at what is available in prices lower than the detached average of $665,000 or $515,000 for a semi-detached home. Condos – there are several common types available in Oshawa. Apartment-style condos and ...Read More