cambridge real estate: Mortgage Specialists - 07/02/09 08:17 AM
Here is a true story, a lesson in fact, in the importance of working with a mortgage specialist to get an accurate picture of your present financial situation.   It's not enough to sit down with your standard bank representative, and chat for 5 minutes about the key details of your income and expenses.
You need someone who asks all the pertinent questions, because this sort of investigative work is in your best interest.   It can help protect you from the burden of taking on a loan that would stretch you to your last penny, and leave you unprotected should … (0 comments)

cambridge real estate: Selection Assistance - 07/02/09 08:13 AM
Selection assistance? I also do that. The highest offer on table is not always the best offer, and I help you understand why. Consider an ESA inspection clause, that could cost you several thousand dollars in electrical repairs/updates, or a Sale of Buyers Property clause that could take your home off the market for several weeks. All of a sudden, the offer at a few thousand dollars below asking price is looking pretty good...
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cambridge real estate: The "Team" Trend - 06/04/09 02:42 AM
Everyone and their cousin, is working in a team these days. But if you want to be blown away by the number of people on a team trying to sell your house, listen to this: "I have a team of 380 agents!" -- do you believe me? Because that's exactly what MLS is, we all have access to the same database, the person listing your home, in all likelihood, isn't the one bringing you the buyer. There is a reason why the red SOLD sticker, reads "SOLD by MLS".
And as far as sign recognition goes, have you ever stopped at … (0 comments)

cambridge real estate: Northstar - Update! - 06/04/09 02:36 AM
There has been a $5MIL settlement reached with Northstar Aerospace. This comes from a class action lawsuit launched by residents in what's known as the Northstar Zone, approximately 400 homes in and around Bishop, Concession, Dunbar, Grand Valley and Coronation Blvd. TCE was discovered to have leeched into groundwater, and has affected air quality in homes near the Northstar plant. It's a chemical typically used as a degreaser for metals. Northstar is in the process of remediation and is actively cleaning up the area.
Here is the full release. Have a look at the map of the affected area.
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cambridge real estate: myhomeplanner.ca - 06/04/09 02:32 AM
Genworth Canada, mortgage insurance agency, has launched a web-site called myhomeplanner.ca. It's a neat little web app, that let's you specify your moving date, and it gives you a nice little calendar with icons showing your upcoming tasks. So you'd add Home Inspection, Property Insurance and Status to a list of tasks, then each of those tasks could be represented by a different icon, and visually shown to you on a calendar. It also has a countdown to your closing date.
Along with this feature, is included a bunch of calculators and other resources that make the home buying process a … (0 comments)

cambridge real estate: Housing Market Update - May 2009 - 05/04/09 02:45 AM

Housing Market Update - May 2009
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cambridge real estate: Market Knowledge - 05/04/09 02:31 AM
Did you know, that only 10% of agents attend the local MLS meeting in Cambridge Ontario, on a regular basis?   It's a great opportunity to preview up to 10 homes each week.   I even find out about homes coming up for sale before they ever hit the market.   My knowledge of the available housing inventory, and preview into where the market is heading, allows me to accurately price a home based not only on market data, but seeing your competition first hand.  Can you see how that is a huge benefit to you?
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cambridge real estate: Are you working with the wrong agent? - 05/04/09 02:28 AM
"Please help; do you have a buyer for my house?" It's a common request, but not always as desperate as the seller sounded this time. The answer in most cases, sadly is "no". I alone can only provide service to so many buyers. But that's the power of the MLS system; there are a host of other agents that may have buyers for your home. They just need to be told about it. And that job falls on the shoulders of your Realtor, and the place to do it, is the MLS meeting. I'll talk in another article about the importance … (0 comments)

cambridge real estate: Real Estate Hotspots: Kitchener - Waterloo - Cambridge - 04/22/09 08:55 AM
So what's going on in the real estate market, I mean really going on?   The most important thing to remember is that it is regional, so take with a grain of salt, all those national statistics that newspapers love to throw at us.   They are not a true representation of what's really going on in your own backyard.
As far as where you should be investing, you should be looking at areas where the population and income levels are both on the rise.  Government spending on infrastructure such as highways, light rail, subways and round-abouts are always a good … (0 comments)

cambridge real estate: Ontario Harmonized Tax - 04/22/09 08:48 AM
Did you know that plans to harmonize the Sales and Provincial taxes could negatively effect your real estate transaction?  It would apply to not only New Construction homes over $400,000 but will also affect resale home transactions.  PST would now be applied to legal fees, real estate fees, appraisal fees, moving expenses, staging services, landscaping, and more services usually associated with real estate transactions.
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