Durham Region Real Estate Blog

You just want to buy a house. You don’t want to marry anyone or have a baby, so why does it seem so difficult? Endlessly searching online has yielded no results and you tried to contact some random REALTOR®, but you’re not getting anywhere. And don’t get you started on mortgages, who can keep up with all the new information coming out?  Maybe you should just get used to the idea of renting.

Are you kidding me? Home ownership is a fantastic thing! They don’t have the saying “pride of ownership” for nothing. It’s so nice to drive up your own driveway, park where you won’t get a ticket, walk up to the front door, put in the key and step into the most comfortable place you’ve ever been. You love this place, filled with all the things you hold dear. So why is it so hard to find this dream home?

I know that I’m a REALTOR® so you’re going to think this is biased, but you really do need to get someone on your side. Someone to search through the endless lists of crappy homes, weeding out the ones that you think are terrible and highlighting the houses that have real potential for you. Someone to take what you need and want and turn it into the perfect house. You may have heard that there is a Buyer Representation Agreement that you can sign with a REALTOR® of your choice. Your own personal shopper who will look out for your interests as if they were their own. Don’t believe me though, have a look at the Code of Ethics a REALTOR® is bound by and see that they really do have to protect you with a standard higher than the laws out there.

When you have your own representation, you can feel free to openly discuss houses or finances. Your agent will be looking out for you and the best part is that, under most circumstances, having someone in your corner doesn’t cost you a thing! Most REALTORS® whether representing a seller or a buyer are paid out of the proceeds from the sale by the seller. There are a few circumstances where this isn’t the case, and then you may or may not have to pay your buyer’s agent directly, but you’ll know about those circumstances ahead of time and can make the decision that is right for you.

So why is buying a house so hard? Is it that you are going it alone, in a world that you are unfamiliar? Call a REALTOR® (call me, I’d like that!) and see how you can get the help you need to find a great home. You deserve it and once you’ve made the decision, I bet you’ll thank me!

A brand new home. Not just new to you, but one that is built just for you. How exciting and nerve racking all at once! You step into the sales office of the new home site and begin the journey that will hopefully lead to a fantastic home in the neighbourhood that fits you perfectly. But how do you decide with so many choices offered?

I can help. I’ve been selling new homes for over 10 years now so I have extensive knowledge on how a new home builder thinks and how their offers work. Did you know that many of the sales representatives work for the builder and as such, they represent his interests in the new home sale? There are often sales reps who are unable to represent your interests due to contractual obligations. How do you know that you are being protected? I don’t think many buyers think of enlisting the aid of a REALTOR® when they look at new home purchases, but maybe it is a step you should consider.

Here’s the best part – it won’t cost you a dime. Most new home builder’s pay a referral fee to a Buyer’s REALTOR® so you don’t have to worry about inconveniencing your salesperson. They’ll get paid for the job they do. Your agent can look over the contract for you (though it is wise to also have a lawyer read the contract – the contract is written by a lawyer paid for by the builder, so it is definitely written in the builder’s best interest), and help you negotiate the best possible deal based on recent sales and market value. Your agent can also research the surrounding vacant lands to see what the municipalities have planned for that land. Sure it’s a lovely green space now, but did you know that there are plans to install a nuclear power plant or garbage incinerator there in the near future? Do you think the builder’s sales person will tell you the plans? They’ll be quick to mention plans of parks and walking trails, but not so quick to mention schools, gas stations and night clubs!

When you look at the model homes, do you see the upgrades the builder has installed? Are you sure you will get the same windows and doors, trim, flooring and kitchen cabinets? Builders were the first to use stagers. Sure they called them decorators and interior designers, but it’s the same thing. Staging to make the house show as a dream house (and not the reality, builder basic house you are buying). I worked for a builder years ago who had a great designer/interior decorator. She was so well known in the area that when a new model home opened, people flocked to it just to see what she did! And several houses were sold to people who “just popped by to see what Sharon did here”.

So if you are living or thinking of buying a home in the Durham Region and you’d like a new home, give me a call. We can get together to chat about the ups and downs of buying a new home. You don’t have to enlist my help, just pick my brain over a cup of coffee or glass of wine. If you think I can help you, we’ll go look at some great new homes. Happy house hunting!

Well, bring on 2011! O.k. really, time never stops; you knew the New Year was coming. Are you one of the people who looked forward to a great party, knowing you are putting the old year behind you and wiping the slate clean for the new year? Or do you think it’s just one more day, not much different than the day before? Do you have big changes planned for your future? It amazes me that so many people look forward to the New Year to help them get out of the dulldrums and troubles of the prior year, and why not, it’s only one day, but it can be so much more. A new day, month and year all at once. Maybe we should all wipe the slate clean and start anew. Wouldn’t it be great if the government said, “If you haven’t paid all your taxes due by the end of 2010, you no longer have to pay them.” Now that would make for some great new years! But alas, since we live in a real world, that’s not going to happen so we are stuck with just another day.

Or is it? Maybe we should take the opportunity to look at this anew. Reflect on the year that has passed, note the major stories in our lives, decided what we should keep and what we should change, and then take a big step forward to put the changes into practise. Out with the old and in with the new! Already eating well and exercising? Great, keep that up! Not doing those things, well find someone who is and ask if you can join them, don’t sign up with someone else who isn’t doing those things. I bet you tried that last year and look where it got you! Want to stop smoking? Take some small steps to that goal. Break it down throughout the year, into months and weeks and days. Make it a year long project that is attainable and then stick to it. Find someone who quit last year and get their support. You can do it! Can make major changes in your life, one small step at a time. It’s corny, I know, but if you take one small step, say 1/2 a cigarette less a day, you’d stop smoking a pack a day in only 50 days! You can do it!

There is a great charity run in Toronto, ON on May 1, 2011. It is the Sporting Life 10km run for Camp Oochigeas, a 10km run down Yonge street that should attract 15,000 runners this year! Be one of those thousands and accomplish a great goal. Start today and run for 1 minute, take a 2 minute walking break and then repeat 5 times and do this 3 times this week. Next week increase to a 90 second run with a 2 minute break and repeat 5 times. Continue to add 30 seconds to your runs each week and at some point, if you can, decrease your breaks in between to 1 minute. In 17 weeks, just in time for the run, you will be running almost 10km. Maybe you’re only doing 8 or 9 km but on race day you should be ready to do the whole 10km run. (Of course, I’m no professional and you should listen to your body and check with your doctor before you start any major program, but wouldn’t it be fun to say you did it?) And if you are going to compete in the run, let me know. I plan to be there, and I’d like to shoot for a finish in just under 60 minutes. 59.59 would have me estatic! Maybe we can meet up and run together.

So, whatever 2011 brings you, take a big breath, put your head up and step out knowing that the old is behind you. You don’ t have to be stuck in the same old rut, small changes will make big differences when you look back and view them as a whole!