Location, location, location is simply no longer enough.
You need to start thinking about Timing when trying to get the most out of your investment.
Of course location and size of the home will always be at the top of anyone’s list when assigning value to a property, that’s likely never going to change. But another important factor these days is price. ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on February 6, 2012
March sales back to normal after HST-fueled 2010
Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,232 residential properties in March through the Board's Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,495 in March 2010, a decrease of 17.6 per cent. The five-year average for home sales in March is 1,256. Of those sales, 296 were in the condominium property class, while 936 were in the residential ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on April 5, 2011
What's the best part about my job? The freedom, the people, the homes, they all add to the enjoyment of being a REALTOR in Ottawa. But even more than that is the feeling that I'm making a difference. Cue the orchestra. :-) Sure they might have got great service from someone else, I believe there are a lot of really good agents out there, and I’m certainly not saying I'm the only one. But being ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on March 17, 2011
My brother recently asked about what I thought was the best smart phone on the market. Sure there are tons of web-sites dedicated to this stuff, and he has probably read them all, but like most anything you purchase, it’s often best to ask someone who’s had some firsthand experience with the bloody things.
And it’s with that in mind that we decided to host a live session ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on March 17, 2011
Are you thinking of buying or selling a home this year?
What’s the process, and when should you get started? It starts with contacting a REALTOR® to learn about your local market, but the timing can vary depending on when you want to move. If you have a house to sell, I advise clients to consider approximately 90 days to properly market the property, and then add 60 days to ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on January 8, 2011
How’s the housing market? It couldn’t be any better if you ask me, and let me explain why:
While the Residential Unit sales on the Ottawa Real Estate Board are down, our Condominium Unit numbers are up from last year at this time. And let me remind you, that we had a record breaking year in 2009 which makes the numbers even more impressive. Residential prices have increased approximately ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on December 29, 2010
Did you know that a home is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it? This notion of a "good deal" is only in the minds of the buyer and or seller. A home properly exposed to the market by a motivated seller for a sufficient amount of time will eventually sell for the price the market is willing to bare. This is called Market Value, and will not always be the Listed Price. ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on December 13, 2010
Waiting till spring? Here are 3 reasons why you should get your home on the market, right now! If it’s something you’ve been considering but are getting mixed messages from the industry and agents, here are my top reasons, why hesitating could end up costing you!
1) Interest Rates. The banks are practically giving money away. 2) ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on November 11, 2010
Buy first or sell first?
The answer is almost always SELL, for the simple fact that in our current market conditions, you cannot be guaranteed a quick sale. So you might as well get the process started as soon as possible. The pros of buying first are that you will almost certainly know your possession date and can time the sale of your existing home to match it.
Either way, you’ll ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on July 6, 2010
Did you know that while CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) is predicting that home prices next year will be down approximately 2.2%, they will have increased by 1.5% from over 2009. To put it into perspective, your $350,000 home may decrease in price by about $2,500. This is hardly anything to get into panic about, and please remember, that it's the local stats that matter. ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on June 3, 2010