Want to Buy Real Estate Like It’s the 90s?
Toronto isn’t the city it used to be. I suppose I could say that for just about any city, but with Toronto, let’s not kid ourselves. The changes have been swift and visible all over […]
Danforth Village
Toronto Real Estate in 2014: Year End Review
In 2014, real estate predictors were wrong again. Like 2013, the think tanks, banks and number crunchers were mostly on the wrong path, showing us that the art of real estate prediction is a tough […]
The Fall Market Coming: What To Expect This Year
If you are anything like me, you may be wondering what happened to summer this year. Nights were cool, temperatures over 30 degrees were rare, and the humidity haters were one happy lot. Still, even […]
Can You Still Afford to Buy A House Near the Subway?
The winter of 2014 may have marked an end to an era for many first time buyers and savvy investors looking to purchase a Toronto house or investment property. Slowly but surely, neighbourhoods along the […]
First-Time Buyer Blues: Don’t Be Glum. Be Smart!
I conducted an open house this weekend for a comfy three bedroom house in Toronto that is priced under $500,000 with no parking. It was a cute place, in a part of the city that […]
Shortfall: Know this Term if You’re Buying A House This Spring
Planning on buying a house this Spring in Toronto? Then you have likely gone through your check list. Down payment? Check! Pre-approval from the bank? Check! An estimate of what land transfer tax you will […]
The Toronto Housing Market In 20 Years
Something odd started happening in Toronto a few years ago. The condo market, and the market for houses divorced, and decided to go their own ways. It was an amicable split, but I’m not sure […]
The Bidding Wars of Summer: Where You’ll Find Them
Bidding Wars. Buyers hate them. Sellers love em. They are certainly less pervasive in real estate than they were 7 years ago. In fact, some Torontonians are starting to get the impression that bidding wars have disappeared […]
Is There Such A Thing as A Balanced Market?
Everyone’s using it. It’s the new real estate catchword of 2013: Balanced Market. This term has been thrown around by agents, water cooler gossipers, pundits, think tanks, banks, cranks and columnists talking and writing about […]
How to Navigate in an Inconsistent Market.
A couple of months ago, when I was obsessed with the Olympics, I suggested that the housing market and the condo market were not in sync any longer. They are synchronized divers no more, to […]
The “Rise” of the Bungalow
The bungalow. Some love em. Some hate em, but let’s face it, there are a lot of them in Toronto. They are a staple in many neighbourhoods. Little ones, surprisingly spacious ones, dumpy ones and […]