June 2010 Newsletter In this Issue:  How is the Toronto Real Estate Market Doing?  How is the US Residential Market Doing.  What do Sellers Get for the Commission they pay to Sell their Property?  When you obtain a mortgage do you buy Life insurance at the same time? Kaceey Team are Business and Real Estate Sales Representatives with over 30 years of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions ($1m+), Residential & Commercial Listings, Multiplexes and Long-term Care Facilities, with an area focus on the GTA. You may access past issues at www.kaceeyteam.ca. If you would like to be removed please reply and type “unsubscribe” in the subject line. How is the Toronto Real Estate Market Doing? Things have changed over the past month. Listings have increased significantly with the bloom of spring. This is great for buyers as they now have more choice. However, prices have not moderated very much. The great houses are still commanding bidding wars, the good ones are getting what they are asking and the not so good ones are being negotiated down or not receiving any offers at all. Buyers are not in the driver’s seat yet but those who have their financing in place will find their search much easier and less stressful. The increase in interest rates should not have more than a physiological effect on buyers as the mortgage rates will still be lower than any time in the last 40 years. How the US Residential Market is Doing. * U.S. home values fell 3.8 percent year-over-year, and declined 1 percent quarter-over-quarter, marking the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines. Home values declined year-over-year in 106 of the 135 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) tracked by Zillow. * Home values in several large California markets have stabilized significantly, and show tentative signs of reaching a bottom. * Negative equity remains high with 23.3 percent of all single family homes with mortgages underwater, up from 21.4 percent in fourth quarter. * Foreclosures reached a new peak in March, with more than one out of every thousand homes (0.11 percent) being foreclosed. Great time to consider buying a home or condo there now, the deals are incredible. What do Sellers Get for the Commission they pay to Sell their Property? It is a difficult question for most agents to answer and we can only speak for what we do to earn our stipend for the effort, time and money we put into selling or arranging a purchase of a home (explained later). There are a few basics though. First and foremost is that the Commission is split equally between the Buyer Agent’s Brokerage and the Seller Agent’s Brokerage. Each brokerage takes an amount for the services it provides to the agents and the rest goes to the each agent. When you see 2.5% commission to the Co-operating Brokerage that is the buyer Brokerage’s commission if and only when the home changes hands. The next point is that there is no commission to anyone if the house doesn’t sell no matter how much effort, time and money goes into the listing. Not many professions work on an “only if” basis. Not all Agents offer the same services but here is what we offer and it has proven to be successful in moving homes quickly and for the best price possible: 1. We know from experience that staging works. It provides the first impression when a potential buyer walks into a home and creates the invitation to “look at me seriously”. We pay for the Home Stager to look at the house and make recommendations on how to make it more appealing. 2. Floor plans give a potential purchaser a perspective on the home and how things will fit for them. We provide a professional floor plan as part of our listing service. 3. A picture is worth a thousand words and we ensure that all our photos are done professionally and colour corrected and cropped for maximum appeal. 4. We also absorb the cost for the photos to be converted to a virtual tour so prospective purchasers can have a better visual of the inside and outside of the house. 5. Local agents have the opportunity to visit the home so they can bring the benefits to the attention of their interested buyers before the general public gets a chance to visit. 6. Your listing along with photos and a virtual tour are uploaded to MLS where over 50,000 agents can see the benefits of the home and it will be available on Realtor.ca where the public can find it. We also ensure it is uploaded on kaceeyteam.ca, our Team website, where it will be prominent; on Homeward.info, our corporate site; on Facebook, on MergerNetwork; on ActiveRain and approximately 25 Homeward agent’s sites. 7. And, we do an open house every weekend until the house is sold. 8. Of course, we saved the best for last… The most important benefit of all is over 30 years of Real Estate and business experience Kaceey Team brings to each and every transaction. Our comprehensive and extensive knowledge and practical experience in Real Estate contract and property law as well as years of negotiating skills are all combined to ensure you get the highest price possible for probably one of your largest monetary transactions. Contact any of the Team and we will make a comprehensive presentation of all our services. KenC@kaceeyteam.ca, ErinS@kaceeyteam.ca, GaryW@kaceeyteam.ca JosieM@kaceeyteam.ca When you obtain a mortgage do you buy Life insurance at the same time? You may want to consider the alternative to buying life insurance from your mortgage provider. There are a few reasons why it is better and less expensive to purchase term insurance. 1. Usually the rate is two or three times higher than term insurance. Unless you have health issues, you should get a quote from your mortgage provider and a life insurance company. You will be surprised at the difference. 2. Your term policy is portable. Regardless of who your mortgage is with you do not have to reapply or change your term policy. 3. You have level coverage for the term of the policy. With mortgage based insurance the amount reduces as your mortgage reduces. With term coverage, your amount stays the same and doesn’t go down. This is especially useful if you are making accelerated payments. If you are in the market for mortgage insurance feel free to contact either JoAnne McCrindle at 416-414-8423 or Kevin Forbes at 416-894-0422 for rates on term insurance Visit us at any of these Social Media sites: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=info&id=692880483#!/group.php?gid=121904397827919 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=13905914&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro Active Rain: http://activerain.com/kencampbell56 Merger Network: http://www.mergernetwork.com/sellerHome/ Leslieville, Danforth, Riverdale, Beaches, Woodbine Corridor, Greenwood-Coxwell, Ken Campbell, Real Estate Sales Representative Residential, Commercial, Investment Real Estate Homeward, Brokerage 1858 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON M4L 1H1 416-466-2090 F: 416-693-4284, Direct phone: 416-553-6376, kencampbell56@gmail.com, http://www.kaceeyteam.ca

One of my house guests loves Shakespeare, so I started searching for some things we could go see, and I found something for just the right price.

This is a free event, taking place at Todmorden Mills, on Pottery Road.

 

The Driftwood Theatre Groups presents Toronto's First Annual Shakesperience Festival, just an easy stroll from the Danforth.

This Shakespeare-related event will offer lots of activities including presentations, short workshops for kids, an opening night performance, etc.

For schedules, events, and reservations, call 905-576-2396.

Todmorden Mills is located at 67 Pottery Road.

 

You can enjoy a tasty Greek dinner afterwards, on the Danforth.

 

You can take the subway to the Broadview Station and either walk north to Mortimer or take the bus.

Once you get to Mortimer, cross the street, and walk West on Pottery Road - and make sure you wear shoes with some grip, as Pottery Road is very, very steep.

 

 

 

Toronto Real Estate and Life Blog - Sylvie Conde, Broker
Sutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage    416-966-0300
sconde@sutton.com
www.sylvieconde.com
www.torontorealestatelife.com

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Featured Toronto Condos: 797 Don Mills Road

Welcome to 797 Don Mills Road. A Toronto Condo building Located right at Eglinton Ave East and Don Mills Road.

797 Don Mills Road Condos

This Condo building features units ranging from 1 bedroom plus den to 2 bedroom plus den that can converted to a 3rd bedroom. They range from just over 700 square feet to just under 1200 square feet. The units feature vaulted ceilings and some have balconies. There is underground parking which is owned by the individual unit owners.

What do Maintenance Fees Cover?

Maintenance fees include heat, central air conditioning, parking (when spots belong to unit owners), and gym. Property taxes, cable and hydro are not included.

Building Amenities

797 Don Mills Road features a 24 hour gym and recreation room. There is a security guard on Duty 24 hours inside the ground floor entrance.

Local Amenities

The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is minutes away. You can get downtown in 10 minutes. The TTC is right outside the building. Buses go north and south along Don Mills road and East and West along Eglinton Ave. This building is located across the street from the Ontario Science Centre. Across the street to north is the Great Canadian Super Store. 5 minutes east is Eglinton Square mall at the corner of Victoria Park and Eglinton. The mall is anchored by The Bay and a Dominion.

If you are interested in buying or selling a Condo in the building please call or fill in the form below for up to date listings and sold information.

 

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And baby makes three…

 

You’ve received the happy news - you’re expecting.  And that’s when you realize you need bigger, better digs for junior.  You need a second bedroom, to lose that dangerous balcony, and a backyard to play in.

 

Here are some tips to help you select not only the home that makes you happy, but a home that will be functional through the various stages of pregnancy, infancy, toddlerhood and beyond.

 

Carefully research your ‘hoods. 

 

With a very young child, you’ll want to make sure that there are plenty of destinations that you can walk to, and a walking-friendly park nearby.  Is there a neighbourhood park that is safe and clean nearby?  If there isn’t, take a pass.

 

Look for neighbourhoods with Ontario Early Years Centres nearby.  Finding a place to go each day will help set a routine that helps you keep busy and engaged in the world around you.

 

Consider the street.

 

Is it fast-moving or busy? It may not be a problem for a babe in arms, but when you’ve got a busy toddler, an extremely busy street means you’ll have to be extra vigilant. 

 

Consider the outdoors.

 

Ideally, you will want a parking space, a home slightly back from the road, and an outdoor space for you and baby to enjoy.  Think about all the equipment children come with – strollers, wagons, car seats, kites, umbrellas, etc.  Where would all this stuff go? If the home doesn’t have a porch or vestibule, and a yard space, take a pass on it.

 

 

Feeling at Home.

 

Now that you’ve decided that you can live in the neighbourhood, manage the street, and that the homes’ exterior meets your needs, it’s time to consider what’s inside.

 

Babies need:

• A home that has updated windows and insulation to prevent drafts. 
• Easily cleaned floors
• Stairs that can be gated safely (railings with stringers close together)
• A kitchen space that can be gated, but that will allow you to supervise other parts of the home
• A main floor bathroom for potty training
• Main floor laundry
• A warm, comforting sleeping environment that windows can be easily opened and shut
• A bathroom that has cabinets which can be locked (you can buy locks at any baby store)
• A Master bedroom that is close to the baby’s room

 

Finally, ask your friends who have children. What do they wish they had, what could they have done differently?  Capitalize on all their experiences to make your life a little easier.  It’s tough to make the adjustment from two to three.

 

After all is said and done, consider that you might decide to have more children.  If you buy a two-bedroom home, you may very well wind up moving with a toddler. 

 

And that’s well… a topic for another story!

 

SIDE BAR

DON’TS

• Buy a fixer-upper. You’ll be too busy to consider any reno’s for a long time!
• Buy all new furniture or invest in new carpeting.
• Buy more than you can afford – consider that at the very least you’ll be missing part of your income for at least a year, possibly more.

I read a piece in the paper yesterday about luxury homes.  They are selling quite well here in Toronto.  The builder/developer who was being interviewed mentioned something that I've heard before but only now did it register.

How best to measure the desirability of a property?  This fellow described a home in terms of how many "wow" factors it had.  The house in question had "a movie theatre"!  Wow.  A "library panelled in walnut"!  Wow.  A "lavish backyard with fountains and reflecting pools"!  Wow.  There's three "wows" right there.

It made me think of a humble bungalow I had listed last year.  It wasn't particularly better than any other bungalow but it had two "wow" factors.  There was a drop-down staircase leading to a very large unfinished attic.  That feature received many "wows" during the open house.  It also had a new detached garage that was finished and heated and that too received a few "wows".  Consequently, the house sold for oodles of money.

The most important "wow" factor of course should be location.  A humble home on a great street will win every time but failing that, try to create some "wow" features before selling a home.  It's money in the bank.

Toronto Real Estate Market Update for period ending November 2007

Units Sold East York E-03

Novembers number of units sold was 140 and the number of units sold for the past 12 months is 1573.

The information above can be broken down into individual neighbourhoods and streets. If you are considering selling your Toronto home please e-mail or call for a free market evaluation.

Steven Campbell, Sales Representative
Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty., Brokerage

www.stevencampbell.ca
www.eastyorktorontorealestate.com

*Independently Owned and Operatated.
**Not Intendend to Solicit Anyone Currently Under Agency Agreement.

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Toronto Real Estate Market Update for period ending November 2007

Sold Over Asking Ratio East York E-03

Novembers sold over asking ratio was 45.71% of the homes sold were over the asking price and the average over asking ratio for the past 12 months is 36.05%.

The information above can be broken down into individual neighbourhoods and streets. If you are considering selling your Toronto home please e-mail or call for a free market evaluation.

Steven Campbell, Sales Representative
Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty., Brokerage

www.stevencampbell.ca
www.eastyorktorontorealestate.com

*Independently Owned and Operatated.
**Not Intendend to Solicit Anyone Currently Under Agency Agreement.

Subscribe to Toronto Real Estate | Condos | Listings by Email