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The Cost of Standing Still
A recent survey found that 67% of real estate brokers believe today’s buyers are more risk-averse than they were before 2022. Despite lower mortgage rates and lower home prices than we saw at the peak of the market, many buyers remain concerned that values could decline further. The topic came up during a conversation at…
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Renovations: Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later
I write a regular column for a local online newspaper and, like most opinion pieces, it often generates comments from readers who see things differently. Some articles seem to attract more debate than others. A recent article focused on investing money in your home and whether renovations truly increase value. I looked at the different…
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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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The Homes That Gave Up: What Expired Listings Reveal About Real Estate in 2025
In real estate, there’s a quiet heartbreak called the expired listing. A homeowner stages, scrubs, paints, hides their life in the oven, and lives in an endless state of “show-home readiness.” Then—sixty, ninety, one-hundred-twenty days later—the listing expires, unsold. The dream doesn’t crash; it just quietly times out. From early August to the end of…
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Tariffs and Real Estate Sales: Playing the Long Game
It has been quite a year. The administration in the USA changed on January 20th. Immediately there was a threat of tariffs on all Canadian products that was slated to begin on February 1st. As we approached the first of February, the tariffs were paused until the beginning of March. You would have to live…
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What the Canadian Real Estate Association means with a ‘Spring Boom’ Prediction
When the Canadian Real Estate Association predicts a spring boom because of; What do they mean? Are they missing any key predictors that may cause a change in real estate over the next few months? Let’s take a look. Pent-up demand: I think we all know what this means. However, how does it apply to…
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Parents Helping Kids Buy Homes Today
With a career spanning almost 4 decades I have worked with clients as young as 18 and as old as 98. One thing I have experienced, is when a homeowner is in the 65+ range, they start to look at where they will direct their assets. These can be their personal residence, rental properties or…
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Small Changes – Big Impact
Over the past decade prices for homes have spiked. The average detached home in Durham Region was selling for $444,000 a decade ago and currently the same homes are selling for $991.000. When values increase as dramatically as they have the results are damaging to Buyers. Add to this mortgage rules that lessen the borrowing…
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The September numbers are out and are all over the place.
When I review the previous month’s selling statistics, I do my best to use the KISS principles. (Keep it simple, stupid) It is easy to go down a rabbit hole trying to find nuanced changes; however, I feel when many people do that, they are looking to prove a point rather than interpret what is…
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How to Hire… Anyone
Recently I was in need of a local company to install some eavestroughing at my home and started my search by asking a few friends who they may know that I could trust. Before we go any further, trust is a big word when hiring anyone… a plumber, electrician, contractor, financial advisor or heck even…
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