Hi Neil:
Recently our dishwasher broke. I tried to get it fixed but apparently it is so old that they don't make parts for it anymore. So instead I have been doing the dishes by hand, since my husband and I probably won't be here much longer. Anyways I was thinking of buying a new one, but if I do it will be just a basic, inexpensive one since my husband and I will have to buy appliances for our new house as well and we can't afford to buy top of the line appliances. Our stove is also really old too, and I was thinking of replacing it too even though it works just fine. So here is my question: do you think it would make a difference in the sale of a house like ours? Some people are picky and like top of the line appliances and so I don't want to buy new ones if people are just going to replace them anyways with ones to their liking. It would be a waste of money. What is your opinion on this?
Thanks CW
Subject: RE: Answer to your "Question for you"
Hi CW,
I would go ahead and buy a basic model on sale for the best price possible; Home Depot, Sears, whatever. It should not make a difference in the final sale price of your home. If you buy a stove you may be able to get a really good value on a 1 or 2 year old used stove that looks very modern but without the cost of new. Most people looking in the price range of your town home will appreciate decent quality working appliances and not worry too much about getting top of the line.
Hope this helps. Neil
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
December 2010 Newsletter
This is a link to my December Newsletter. There is a "subscribe" option at the bottom of the newsletter and on the home page of my website.
Neil
http://mim.io/a50e7
Neil
http://mim.io/a50e7
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
A Realtors job is never done!
A few months ago a client introduced me to a friend that was planning to find a second home in the Collingwood area. The friend and his wife are both professionals from Toronto with a young daughter.
It was my pleasure to work collabratively with them to find the right place; we did our home work, viewed properties, compared attributes versus cost
and soon they decided to make an offer on the property that best suited them. After some back and forth negotiation all parties agreed to terms and we had an agreement.
The deal closed on time with no glitches and my new clients began to enjoy their weekend home.
Fast forward a month; I get a phone call on a Sunday morning from my new client; he was equal parts concerned and embarrassed. They were up for the weekend and had locked them selves out of their new weekend home. They fully expected a long cold wait, followed by an expensive house call from a lock smith to get them back inside. But first the question for me "can I help them?" Well luckily I was available and the listing realtor's lock box with the key inside was still at the home. So a few minutes later I was retrieving the keys and opening the door for my appreciative and embarrassed clients. No need to be embarrassed, it was my pleasure.
Although I pride myself in services that involve expert real estate advise, knowledge of construction, superior negotiation skills, current market knowledge and always working in the best interests of my clients, in this instance I enjoyed adding to the list of service.... emergency house openings!
A good Realtor is your advisor for the long term. Like your lawyer, hair dresser, dentist, mechanic and other expert service providers, my role is to be your personal Real Estate Wiz to call on when you need me.
Neil
It was my pleasure to work collabratively with them to find the right place; we did our home work, viewed properties, compared attributes versus cost
and soon they decided to make an offer on the property that best suited them. After some back and forth negotiation all parties agreed to terms and we had an agreement.
The deal closed on time with no glitches and my new clients began to enjoy their weekend home.
Fast forward a month; I get a phone call on a Sunday morning from my new client; he was equal parts concerned and embarrassed. They were up for the weekend and had locked them selves out of their new weekend home. They fully expected a long cold wait, followed by an expensive house call from a lock smith to get them back inside. But first the question for me "can I help them?" Well luckily I was available and the listing realtor's lock box with the key inside was still at the home. So a few minutes later I was retrieving the keys and opening the door for my appreciative and embarrassed clients. No need to be embarrassed, it was my pleasure.
Although I pride myself in services that involve expert real estate advise, knowledge of construction, superior negotiation skills, current market knowledge and always working in the best interests of my clients, in this instance I enjoyed adding to the list of service.... emergency house openings!
A good Realtor is your advisor for the long term. Like your lawyer, hair dresser, dentist, mechanic and other expert service providers, my role is to be your personal Real Estate Wiz to call on when you need me.
Neil
Friday, July 9, 2010
Area Real Estate Sales Trending to More Balanced Market Conditions
Here's an interesting press release from the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board, more comments to follow.
Overall, area real estate sales reported through the MLS® system of the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board continued to show strength in the second quarter of 2010 versus the same quarter last year despite the tightening up of mortgage qualification criteria and slight increases to the historically low mortgage rates. This, coupled with the arrival of Ontario’s Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) effective July 1st, may account for slower growth in sales during the remainder of the year. “According to the Conference Board of Canada’s index of consumer confidence, consumer sentiment lost some ground after having increased in the first quarter, and is now roughly back on par with levels reported at the end of last year. The decrease in confidence reflects weaker outlooks for household budgets and employment, and less enthusiasm about making major purchases.” Statistics for the month of June 2010, reflect a slight softening in number of listings and number of sales versus June 2009: 503 properties were listed on the local MLS® system in June 2010, vs. 551 in June 2009, a decrease of 8.7%; 197 properties sold in June 2010, versus 206 in June 2009, a decrease of 4.3%. Sales volume, however, was $61,790,689 in June 2010, vs. $50,660,918 in June 2009: an increase of over 21% stemming from increased sales in every price category above $500,000. Quarterly, unit sales activity rose 12.2%, with 599 properties selling in Q2 2010 versus 534 in Q2 2009; the resulting sales volume of $175,156,104 (Q2 2010) netted a 29.5% increase over the $135,306,947 figure for Q2 2009. As reflected in the chart above, all price categories in Q2 2010 showed a marked increase over Q2 2009, with the exception of the under $250,000 range, which actually exhibited a slight decrease (3.0%) in number of sales, with the most significant increase of 138.1% being in the $500,000 to $999,999 range where 50 houses sold in Q2 2010 versus 21 sales in Q2 2009. Number of sales in the $250,000 - $499,999 range increased 21.9%, and the over $1 Million range increased a significant 116.7% (Q2 2010 vs. Q2 2009). New MLS® listings totalled 1814 in Q2 2010, representing an increase of 4.8% over the 1731 properties listed in Q2 2009. For the first six months of 2010, 985 properties have changed hands year-to-date (YTD), surpassing the 769 properties sold same period last year, an increase of 28.1%. MLS® Sales volume of $281,255,054 (June 2010 YTD) represents a solid 47.6% increase over $190,541,815 (June 2009 YTD). As noted in the chart above, all price categories have seen an increase in number of sales June 2010 vs. June 2009: under $250,000 520 vs. 494, or 5.3% increase; $250,000 to $499,999 375 vs. 234, or 60.3% increase; $500,000 to $999,999 75 vs. 34 or 120.6% increase and in the over $1 Million category, 15 sales vs. 7 sales, or an increase of 114.3%. The current Georgian Triangle MLS® sales-to-listing ratio shows a return to more balanced market conditions. With the introduction of the H.S.T., the possibility of slightly higher mortgage rates and tighter qualification rules for mortgage financing, sales activity is expected to remain stable in the months yet may decrease slightly from the somewhat hectic pace experienced in the last quarter of 2009 and first quarter of 2010.
For more in depth analysis email neil@realestatewiz.ca or call me 705.445.5520 ext. 253
Information provided by the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board, copyright 2009. E&OE.
Overall, area real estate sales reported through the MLS® system of the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board continued to show strength in the second quarter of 2010 versus the same quarter last year despite the tightening up of mortgage qualification criteria and slight increases to the historically low mortgage rates. This, coupled with the arrival of Ontario’s Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) effective July 1st, may account for slower growth in sales during the remainder of the year. “According to the Conference Board of Canada’s index of consumer confidence, consumer sentiment lost some ground after having increased in the first quarter, and is now roughly back on par with levels reported at the end of last year. The decrease in confidence reflects weaker outlooks for household budgets and employment, and less enthusiasm about making major purchases.” Statistics for the month of June 2010, reflect a slight softening in number of listings and number of sales versus June 2009: 503 properties were listed on the local MLS® system in June 2010, vs. 551 in June 2009, a decrease of 8.7%; 197 properties sold in June 2010, versus 206 in June 2009, a decrease of 4.3%. Sales volume, however, was $61,790,689 in June 2010, vs. $50,660,918 in June 2009: an increase of over 21% stemming from increased sales in every price category above $500,000. Quarterly, unit sales activity rose 12.2%, with 599 properties selling in Q2 2010 versus 534 in Q2 2009; the resulting sales volume of $175,156,104 (Q2 2010) netted a 29.5% increase over the $135,306,947 figure for Q2 2009. As reflected in the chart above, all price categories in Q2 2010 showed a marked increase over Q2 2009, with the exception of the under $250,000 range, which actually exhibited a slight decrease (3.0%) in number of sales, with the most significant increase of 138.1% being in the $500,000 to $999,999 range where 50 houses sold in Q2 2010 versus 21 sales in Q2 2009. Number of sales in the $250,000 - $499,999 range increased 21.9%, and the over $1 Million range increased a significant 116.7% (Q2 2010 vs. Q2 2009). New MLS® listings totalled 1814 in Q2 2010, representing an increase of 4.8% over the 1731 properties listed in Q2 2009. For the first six months of 2010, 985 properties have changed hands year-to-date (YTD), surpassing the 769 properties sold same period last year, an increase of 28.1%. MLS® Sales volume of $281,255,054 (June 2010 YTD) represents a solid 47.6% increase over $190,541,815 (June 2009 YTD). As noted in the chart above, all price categories have seen an increase in number of sales June 2010 vs. June 2009: under $250,000 520 vs. 494, or 5.3% increase; $250,000 to $499,999 375 vs. 234, or 60.3% increase; $500,000 to $999,999 75 vs. 34 or 120.6% increase and in the over $1 Million category, 15 sales vs. 7 sales, or an increase of 114.3%. The current Georgian Triangle MLS® sales-to-listing ratio shows a return to more balanced market conditions. With the introduction of the H.S.T., the possibility of slightly higher mortgage rates and tighter qualification rules for mortgage financing, sales activity is expected to remain stable in the months yet may decrease slightly from the somewhat hectic pace experienced in the last quarter of 2009 and first quarter of 2010.
For more in depth analysis email neil@realestatewiz.ca or call me 705.445.5520 ext. 253
Information provided by the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board, copyright 2009. E&OE.
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