Category Archive for : ‘Blog’

As someone who is privileged to assist many of Canada’s best real estate agents, I’m often asked for my advice on how best to break into the industry. As an aspiring real estate entrepreneur, the sector opens up a world of opportunity to both seasoned and first-time property investors. A successful real estate career can allow the ability to make an impressive income (depending on the time you put in to growing it) and the liberty of working on your own personal terms.
There are many advantages to trying to build

Starting in September 2019, first-time home buyers in Canada will become eligible for an incentive to help them fund this important purchase. Prospective buyers looking for their first home will be able to secure an interest-free loan from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). As a result, realtors may have more first-time clients than ever before. Help them navigate this new credit following the tips below.

Recent reports from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that home sales dropped from January 2019 to February 2019, with the sales-to-new-listings ratio (SNLR)– a figure that can be used to determine overall demand—declining to 46.2 percent in February 2019, down 14.91 percent from January of this year. Even with this cooling, any SNLR figure between 40 percent and 60 percent is considered a balanced market—so it’s not time to overreact.

The national markets that saw the biggest slowdown in sales were in the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto

As a realtor, you stay busy. There are a lot of different situations that you have to navigate. You’re generating leads, marketing, holding open houses and tours, meeting with your clients and working on their behalf, staying on top of developments in your city and area, and you’re learning every day about real estate regulations and trends. The last thing you want to worry about is your commission. You want your commissions to come to you on time, with no problems and no hang-ups.

Toronto is my nearest big city. As a result, the city, and its real estate market, has a heavy influence in my business and, speaking more broadly, the city’s real estate market in many ways has an influence on the national real estate market.
One of the biggest pieces of news to come out of Toronto was the announcement that it was on Amazon’s “short list” to become the new location of one of the company’s headquarters. The search for the second Amazon headquarters, also known as Amazon HQ2, narrowed down

Launching a real estate career is an exciting proposition. There’s a lot of opportunity out there for people who are self-starters and who enjoy helping others find the right property at the right time. But, what happens when you decide to break into real estate only for the market to settle into a mixed period? The good news is that there are ways to be successful, even in a mixed real estate market, if you’re willing to stretch yourself a little.
Developing good habits in a mixed or down market can

If you’re among the half-million or so Canadian snowbirds who own property in Florida that may have been flooded or been otherwise damaged thanks to the recent rains and winds brought down by Tropical Storm Irma, call your insurer now (if you haven’t already).
But, don’t expect to get any help in recouping the damages from any U.S. government agencies. The U.S. government’s relief programs, typically from the Federal Emergency Management System (FEMA), are only provided to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees and asylum seekers.
When you get your insurer on the

Finances can be tight when you’re starting out as an independent realtor. You may have dreams of being able to move on quickly from deal to deal, closing on one property and being able to swiftly and easily move on to another.
But the reality is, it can take several months to complete a sale. And real estate agents don’t get their commissions until after the deal is closed and the Brokerage has collected on commissions. That can make things even more difficult for an independent realtor who doesn’t have a

As we become a more environmentally conscious society, conservation, preservation and stewardship are proving to be increasingly important issues. From coffee beans to the material used to build our homes, more of us are demanding that the companies, businesses and people we do business with are as green-focused as we are.
This is also true for the real estate sector, where homebuyers are now looking for green, energy efficient homes with reduced carbon footprints. In order to understand and facilitate the new green needs of homebuyers, realtors are also having to

For independent realtors there is no better resource than the internet. The immediacy, the reach and its low cost make it the ideal tool to reach new clients and sell homes. In fact, as much as 92 percent of homebuyers start their home buying search using the internet.
Whether homebuyers are searching neighbourhoods, real estate starts, actual homes or even agents, the internet is the first stop on their way to home ownership. Knowing that the internet plays a key role in helping people choose a home to purchase, it is