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Do Open Houses Actually Sell Homes?
I recently came across an old meme that has circulated in real estate circles for decades. The meme quoted a statistic claiming that only 2% of homes sell as a result of open houses. Today that number has crept up slightly. The National Association of Realtors now reports roughly 4%, but the statistic now includes…
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Buying Conditional on Selling: Smart Strategy or Market Mismatch?
I toured a property recently with a Buyer who had real interest. They submitted an offer. There were a few rounds of negotiation. In the end, no agreement. Later that weekend I spoke with the listing agent. They mentioned another offer had come in — conditional on the Buyer selling their own home. That stopped…
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“It’s a Buyer’s Market”
If that were entirely true, last week would have looked very different. Instead, two of my Seller’s homes sold — and both told the same story. There’s a lot of noise right now. Buyers are told they hold all the power. Sellers, over the past few months have been told to brace for low offers.…
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Grocery Bags, $100 Bills, and Why Real Estate Isn’t the Wild West Anymore
There was a time in real estate when things felt… looser. One seller once told me how he bought his home years ago. Negotiations had stalled. The seller wanted more money. So he arrived with grocery bags filled with cash. Around $200,000 in paper bills. Transaction complete. Another time, I watched a buyer count out…
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Strategy is the new Staging – It is Selling Homes.
Let’s just say it plainly.The market has slowed. And when markets slow, skill starts to matter again. Not panic. Not headlines. Skill. Inventory is still relatively low, but it’s rising. Buyers are re-emerging, and we are seeing selective bidding activity. In the past week alone, 44% of homes in Oshawa sold at full price or…
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When your Realtor lives an hour away
A question came up recently that’s worth addressing:Does it make sense to list your Bowmanville home with an agent whose office is in Woodbridge—an hour and fifteen minutes from your property? I started thinking about this after reading a Woodbridge agent’s “areas served.” Their list spanned from Ajax to Aurora to Brampton to Caledon to…
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Pricing homes – Guesswork or Fact Based.
Over the weekend, we received a 1-star Google review. Out of 152 reviews—all 5-star except this lone outlier—it stood out like what it was – an unhappy comment from a stranger. We’ve never met the reviewer, never spoken to him, and he doesn’t live anywhere near the neighbourhood he claims we “undervalued.” So before anyone…
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Small Upgrades, Big Returns: How Simple Fixes Can Help Your Home Sell
Every now and then, a home sale reminds me just how much the “little things” matter. Recently, we worked with a family who sold quickly — not to the first buyer who toured, but to the second, who paidthe full asking price. Before listing, I had walked through the property with the sellers and shared…
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When Trust Breaks Down: The Silent Risk in Real Estate
Trust is the invisible currency of professional life. When you hire a lawyer, an insurance broker, a financial advisor, or a real estate agent, you’re not just buying a service — you’re buying confidence. Confidence that your interests will come first, that your money will be safe, and that the rules of the game will…
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Pay down the mortgage or Play the stock market? That’s the $200,000 question
Every so often, a client calls with a question that makes me think, “Now that’s a nice problem to have.” Recently, someone reached out after receiving a $200,000 inheritance. Their question: “I’ve got a $400,000 mortgage on my home. Should I invest this in the stock market or pay down my mortgage?” Let’s break it…
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