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Motivation Is Not a Marketing Feature
Last week I saw a listing on MLS that made me do that slow head shake you do when something just feels… off. It also sent me back to something most people don’t realize realtors agree to follow: a formal Code of Ethics set out by RECO (the Real Estate Council of Ontario). In plain…
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Thick Skin, Thin Takes, and Why Hoping for a Housing Crash Misses the Point
One thing I’ve learned from writing columns for local news outlets and contributing to blogs like this one is that a thick skin isn’t optional. If you put opinions into the wild, the wild writes back. Sometimes politely. Sometimes… less so. After a recent article, several comments landed in the familiar bucket of “I can’t…
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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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Can a Buyer Renegotiate After a Home Inspection? Yes. Should They? That’s the Real Question.
A colleague in Arizona told me something that made me set down my coffee. In her market, buyers routinely make an offer, complete the home inspection, and then return to the negotiating table as if the deal were merely a draft. Nothing catastrophic discovered—just a second swing because, well, why not. Ontario felt very different…
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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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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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Durham Rentals 2025: The Lease You Could Do
Finding a rental in 2025 should be simple. You find the place, sign the lease, and move in. Easy, right? Not exactly. We recently worked with two tenants who had everything landlords dream of: excellent credit, solid employment, glowing rental history. And yet, the hardest part wasn’t finding a place—it was running the gauntlet of…
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