A new study says home owners won’t see their utility bills drop until they’ve conducted four or more energy upgrades. Here are projects that will give you the greatest bang for your energy buck.
Energy is like saving calories: Small measures add up, until a Thanksgiving pecan pie — or a dazzling holiday light display — wrecks a year’s worth of small though consistent ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on January 4, 2012
The most common question I hear in real estate is "When will prices drop?" Apparently not for anytime soon as evidenced by a report from Stats Canada stating that home prices continued their climb in August.
Fuelled by a healthy demand, sound underlying economic fundamentals, as well as a continuing low interest rate environment that contributes to supporting affordability, August marked ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on October 14, 2011
I was following up on a report from Scotia Capital about the world economy and was pleased to see something that matched what we in the industry have been seeing first hand....Canada continues to have a good economy and is a great place to be invested in real estate. Below is a direct quote from the report which I have included a link to further down in my blog.
"Canada’s housing ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on September 28, 2011
Well, with 15% fewer listings this May compared to last May, and mortgage rates still at record lows the Toronto Real Estate market continues to perform well, favoring sellers over buyers. Sales were up 6% over last May. “Positive economic news and low borrowing costs led to strong sales through the first five months of the year, including the increase in May,” said Toronto Real Estate ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on June 13, 2011
Toronto Real Estate Board states “The number of listings has been below expectations so far this year. Increased competition between home buyers has led to an accelerating annual rate of price growth,” which has pushed home prices up to a 9% increase over last April, setting the average home price to $477,407. There is an expectation that this new spike in prices will encourage ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on May 7, 2011
This spring continues the pattern of being a popular time to buy and sell homes. The Toronto Real Estate Board reports9,262 transactions through the TorontoMLS® system in March 2011, representing the second best March result on record. The number of transactions was 11 per cent lower than the record result reported in March 2010.
“The strong home sales reported in March and ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on April 5, 2011
It never stops to amaze me how active the spring market can be. There seems to be a shortage of good homes for sale and as a result home buyers are actively seeking out these homes and are prepared to pay to get them. What seems to be different this year from prior years is that buyers are actually passing over lesser homes and holding out for the ones that are well staged, clean and show ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on March 21, 2011
A close look at "For-Sale-By-Owner" (FSBO) data from The National Association fo Realtor's 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
Each year a small army of home sellers throw caution to the wind and “go it alone” — without the assistance of a licensed real estate professional. Now they can get a boost by putting their home listing on the MLS website which many home owners ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on February 1, 2011
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced three new changes to financing rules. Effective March 18, 2011, it will become harder to buy a new home or consolidate debt into your mortgage. What are the changes?
The maximum amortization period has been reduced from 35 years to 30 years for mortgages that are insured by CMHC where the homeowner has less than 20% equity ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on January 18, 2011
Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,395 existing home sales for the month of December, bringing the 2010 total to 86,170 – down by one per cent compared to 2009.
“Market conditions were anything but uniform in 2010. We went from supercharged sales activity during the first four months of the year, to a marked drop-off in transactions in the summer and then in the fall saw sales climb ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on January 14, 2011