real estate: Mandatory Home Energy Audit Coming to Ontario With New Green Energy Act
- 02/24/09 12:58 PM
The Ontario government, in hopes of converting the province from an auto-industry driven economy to a green-energy driven economy with its groundbreaking Green Energy Act ( http://www.greenenergyact.ca/ ), may soon rival California as North America's "greenest" area. "With this initiative, Ontario is on track to become a leader in the global shift to clean energy and in preventing dangerous climate change," said Mark Lutes, climate change and energy policy analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation. However, an interesting tidbit tucked neatly into the legislation aims to make energy audits a mandatory step before someone can sell their home. And this has … (6 comments)
real estate: Mclean's Article Stirs the Pot of Canadian Housing Market Values
- 02/24/09 10:44 AM
A rather sensationalistic article just came out in Maclean's (a leading Canadian weekly magazine) stating that the Canadian housing market has the potential to fall off the cliff like our U.S. neighbours. Judging by the number of errors in the article being reported by Teranet and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) who say they weren't even contacted for the article, I wonder about the motivation behind the story. This is their headline: "The shocking truth about the value of your home." In 1997, while traveling through the U.S. on a three-month journey with my family, I was shocked by the daily … (4 comments)
real estate: Contact Management Quandary
- 12/07/08 09:27 AM
My nightmare of contact management is finally coming to an end. After using AgentOffice for the past 12 years (and outgrowing it about six years ago!) I felt it was finally time to investigate what's out there so I headed south in November to the 2008 NAR convention in Orlando to see firsthand. When Top Producer went internet a few years back I was envious yet reluctant to jump ship, knowing that AgentOffice would soon counter with their own version of an internet-based contact management system. Good thing I didn't hold my breath! Talk about a company dropping the ball … (60 comments)
real estate: Careful When Asking For Testimonials From Funny Clients
- 11/21/08 12:19 AM
I've been asking (begging?) clients for testimonials lately to post on my website. Here's quite possibly my favourite testimonial ever, received this morning from some treasured clients: "Here goes Bruce: Working with Bruce in the buying and selling of several homes had many advantages for my wife and I. Firstly, his dyslexia is often amusing and puts potential buyers at ease almost immediately. This can be tempered somewhat by his Tourettes, but if you give him a shot of scotch prior to meeting with the buyers he seems to control it better. Just one shot though, there was this once, oh, nevermind. One … (2 comments)
real estate: Jeff Foxworthy on Canadians:
- 11/20/08 11:43 AM
We Canadians are indeed a breed apart. One of my co-workers just sent me this timeless Jeff Foxworthy list describing us Canucks perfectly. Read on: If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Canada. If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Canada. If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Canada. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Canada. If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Detroit for … (0 comments)
real estate: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For An Agent’s References
- 11/20/08 09:01 AM
Most of us seek out references on a daily basis. What's that new movie with the talking gorilla like? Is that a decent car? What kind of hockey coach is he? Heck, I'll ask 30 people about a new restaurant before spending $8.95 on the Lumberjack breakfast special (I can be fussy about my pancakes!). So isn't it amazing that most people never even consider asking for references from the person they are about to hand their house keys to? Selling your home is a massive decision. It can go smoothly and take you to your happy place or it can … (5 comments)
real estate: Stop the Insanity! Buy Yourself Holiday Time by Paying Attention
- 11/20/08 05:48 AM
All my life I've heard people say that time really begins to fly when you have children. Now that we have our two wonderful daughters, I finally see what they mean! Or maybe it's just getting older that does it. You want time to speed up so that the holiday break will come-so you can hurry up and relax. Then when the holidays arrive you want time to sloooow down so you can really feel ready, rested and refreshed for the New Year. Well, I'm learning that the secret to slowing time down is to stay where all life's riches reside: … (6 comments)
The Ontario government, in hopes of converting the province from an auto-industry driven economy to a green-energy driven economy with its groundbreaking Green Energy Act ( http://www.greenenergyact.ca/ ), may soon rival California as North America's "greenest" area.
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