Client Testimonial for Ralph Evans.

Ralph ensures that all prospective tenants provide proof of income and employment, provide background information and a credit check.

How can Ralph help you?

Recorded on May 8, 2012

Follow Ralph Evans at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EtobicokeRealEstate
Web: www.Etobicoke-Homes.com
Web: www.RealEstateHelpDesk.ca 
Twitter: @AgentRalphEvans

If you are buying a property along with selling a property, you’ll need to think about sequencing these transactions.

Some people are able to time the sale of the two properties to both close on the same day.  That way the proceeds from the sale of your current property can be directly rolled into the purchase of your new property. 

In today’s real estate market, such perfect timing is not always possible.  If the sale of your currrent property closes first, you will simply recieve cash from the sale, which you’ll need to hold onto until the purchase transaction closes.  If you are planning to transfer your current mortgage to the next property, financial institutions are typically open to allowing up to 3-months before you complete your purchase, but be sure to check the rules on your specific situation.

If the purchase transaction closes before your sale transaction, you are going to need to borrow additional funds for the time between the two closing dates.  Your mortgage broker or lender, can set this temporary financing up for you.  It is an interest only loan.  What this means is that all you’ll be paying  is the daily interest cost, you are not trying to pay down the principal the way you would in a regular mortgage.

If you are looking for a more detailed examination of your situation, please let Ralph know.

What a great neighbourhood of townhomes these are, at 385 The East Mall.  Orginally built by Tridel, these homes continue to be coveted by their owners.  Homes that do go up for sale here, don’t last long and will often receive multiple offers if presented properly.

This Etobicoke townhouse community is situated at the corner of  The East Mall and Burnhamthorpe, in central Etobicoke.  Tucked in just south of the Eatonville Toronto Public Library, and directly across the street from a 24-hour Loblaw store.  An extended walk would take you to the Kipling subway station, while the East Mall bus will get you there rapidly!  The Burnhamthorpe bus will take you to Islington subway as an alternative.  Access to highway 427 is nearby, which gets you to the Airport or downtown.

There are a variety of floor plans in the different units, all with fairly generous room sizes suitable to accomodate full-sized furniture.  A mixture of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom homes, most with single car garages. 

If this is somewhere you currently live and are thinking of moving, or if this is a place you’d like to live, please let me know.  I’m here to help!

The Toronto Real Estate Board published this report on the Toronto real estate market for the month of February 2012…

Key Numbers: 
Average Price $502,508
Sales 7,032
Price Change +8.4% from prior month and 10.6% from 1-year ago

TORONTO, March 5, 2012 – Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 7,032 sales in February 2012 – up 16 per cent compared to February 2011. New listings were also up over the same period, but by a lesser 11 per cent to 12,684. It is important to note that 2012 is a leap year, with one more day in February. Over the first 28 days of February, sales and new listings were up by ten per cent and six per cent respectively.

“With slightly more than two months of inventory in the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) market area, on average, it is not surprising that competition between buyers has exerted very strong upward pressure on the average selling price. Price growth will continue to be very strong until the market becomes better supplied,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver.

“It is important to note that both buyers and sellers are aware of current market conditions. This is evidenced by the fact that homes sold, on average, for 99 per cent of the asking price in February,” continued Silver.

The average selling price in the TREB market area was $502,508 in February – up 11 per cent compared to February 2011. The Composite MLS® Home Price Index for TREB, which provides a less volatile measure of price growth compared to the average price, was up by 7.3 per cent compared February 2011.

“If tight market conditions continue to result in higher than expected price growth as we move into the spring, expectations for 2012 as a whole will have to be revised upwards,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis. “While price growth remains strong, the average selling price remains affordable from a mortgage lending perspective for a household earning the average income in the GTA.”

In order to sell your home at a price you’ll be happy to accept, you have to impress potential buyers enough to want to be the future owner of your home.

Here are seven things you can do to improve the appearance of your home, without spending a lot of time or money.

1. Cleaning and Tiding Up
   I’m sure you’ve heard this one before. Hopefully you can see that it is the most obvious one, but you would not believe the number of homes I have taken buyers through with un-made beds, clothes on the floor, dirty dishes in the kitchen, wet towels in the bathroom and heaps of stuff lying around. Not once has this been the home they have chosen as the one they want to buy.
2. Light Switches
   Replace basic on-off light switches and plugs with “Decora” switches and plugs with simple white plastic covers. This instantly conveys a sense of modern up-to-date wiring in your home. If you turn the power off while you do this, it should be a home handyman task to complete. More complex two-way wiring may require you to bring in an electrician.
3. Mailbox
   Replace the tired old mailbox on the front of your home with a shiny new one. It adds curb appeal to your home, just as the buyer is about to step into your home.
4. House Numbers
   Particularly if you are in an older home, the font and styling of your house numbers may be decades out of date. Visit a building centre and check out the contemporary designs that can bring the front of your home into the modern era.
5. House Plants
   The plants inside your home are part of the décor too! If you have house plants that are looking a little tired and unattractive, it may be time to toss them out. If you have a deep attachment to them, then find a friend or family member who is willing to look after them at their place for the time your home is on the market.
6. Shower Curtain
   You probably just jump into the shower without much thought to the curtain. Chances are it looks a little tired. Buyers notice the soap scum and mold. Replacing it instantly injects some new colour and vibrancy to this often neglected space. Maybe you could add a couple of new towels and a matching new soap dish too! You can take these items with you to your new home, so no worries on the cost.
7. Lighting
   Make sure that every bulb in every light fixture needs to be working. Burned out or missing light bulbs scream “lack of maintenance” to possible buyers. I’ve never had a buyer complain that “this home is too bright”.

Can you suggest a few more ideas?  Add your comments below or send me you suggestions to ralph@realestatehelpdesk.ca

As of April 2012, many of the residents of the South Beach Condo development have now taken occupancy of their suites from the builder.  This will continue over the next few months as the rest of the floors are completed.  What this means is that people who purchased from the builder some 3 to 4 years ago are now able to take possession of their suites and move in!

The massive lobby is a real showpiece, complete with the lampshade horse sculpture!  The retail spaces along Park Lawn are not yet occupied.

Final construction of some of the common elements and fixing any in-suite deficiencies people notice during their PDI (pre delivery inspection visit) is continuing. The second tower remains under construction for now, with balcony railings and suite finishes being actively worked on.

While the actual transfer of ownership does not take place until the registration of the whole condo, investors will start to offer suites for renting or leasing.

If you are in the market to rent a brand new condo, and don’t mind the last bit of construction, an Etobicoke South Beach Condo rental might be the place for you!   I have access to an ever changing list of one and two bedroom suites available for lease or rent.  Just send me a note to ralph@realestatehelpdesk.ca and ask me to send you the list, or fill out the form below.

I also have some South Beach condo suites for sale!  Because the building is not yet registered these are being sold as assignments.  Expect to see even more selection of suites for sale once ownership transfers to the buyers.

This Etobicoke condo is a welcome addition to the Humber Bay community.  Located on the western part of Toronto, just south of the QEW and across from the Food Terminal, this building has some outstanding art-deco architecture that will add interest to the area.

88 Park Lawn / 88 Parklawn / South Beach Condo / Toronto / Etobicoke / Humber Bay

What a space can look like when staged professionally

I was asked recently whether or not it is necessary to stage a home in order to sell it.  Okay, here is the good news – no it is not necessary.  You don’t have to do it.  There is no requirement for staging.

But, that said, you still might want to stage it anyway!  Making your home look its best will ensure your home sells and sells for a price that is higher than what it would otherwise sell for.  What are we talking about when we say staging? 

It really is the process of converting your home from the place you currently live in into a desirable place that is attractive for someone else to want to buy. 

It starts with throughly cleaning your home from top to bottom, especially the kitchen and bathrooms, until they sparkle.  It involves putting away many of the things we would normally have on display in our home: The family pictures; religious symbols; weapons; fridge magnets; magazines; and the accumulated piles of stuff we seem to accumulate.

Could this be done better, so the passage from one room to the next is not blocked?

The next level involves reducing the number of furniture pieces in the home and rearranging them to give the sense of  space and to create ”flow”.  Do you have natural pathways blocked by furniture?  Do you have the best assets of a home as the focal points?  Often I see furniture pieces in the wrong rooms.  Each room should only have the pieces that make sense to be there.  Bedrooms are for bedroom furniture.  Living rooms are for living room furniture.   The purpose of each room should be evident.  These people are buying the space after all, not your furniture!

The next level involves adding the right accents and accessories that create mood and feeling to really attract and interest home buyers.

While some of this you can do on your own, it often makes sense to bring in a professional stager who is capable of taking the staging process well beyond what you ever imagined was possible.  The eyes of an outsider can be tremendously beneficial to suggest approaches we cannot visualize ourselves.  While they will mostly work with the things you already hav in your home, they can also bring in the additional pices to make the space even better.  Staging doesn’t have  to be expensive, and when done right will actually earn your more money than not having bothered.

So, before you just sell your home looking exactly like how you live in it every day, consider the value of staging your home.  And don’t forget the landscaping – that’s outdoor staging!

Canada Mortgage and Housing has just released their first quarter report on the Canadian housing market.  They are looking for a shift to a stable balanced market in 2012, from the strong seller’s market of the past year.  They anticipate modest price apreciation, in line with the inflation rate.  Toronto rental market remaining tight, despite some 18,000 condo completions coming into the market this year.

Follow this link to get the complete
CMHC Housing Market Outlook Report

Looking for homes to buy in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa or Courtice …

Whitby 3 Bedroom Detached home

 Here is an example of a home on Longueuil Place in Whitby.

While this home is no longer for sale, Ralph would be happy to share with you the many opportunities to purchase excellent homes at reasonable prices in Durham region.

Home buyers look to the communities immediately to the east of Toronto to seek out the most economical housing opportunities close to the city.

A similar home will become increasing more affordable as you move through each community.  Pickering being closest to Toronto tends to be the most expensive, with Ajax next followed by Whitby and then Oshawa and Courtice.   Properties are vastly more affordable than what can be purchased in the City of Toronto, as well as being newer.

Many newer home choices are available in Durham, with everything from brand-new to 20-year old homes on offer.  This region saw tremendous population growth from the 1980′s.  Some traditional older neighbourhoods can be found, but most homes are situated in modern subdivision clusters.  Along with the population boom of the past decade or two, comes more modern infrastructure of schools, community centres and shopping opportunities.

The communities of Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Courtice are well served by the Lakeshore GO Train service into downtown Toronto.  It runs all day long, with more frequent rush-hour service.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Pivnick this morning for a chat.  She’s the owner of Topcat Relocation Transition Solutions.  Much of what she does revolves around assisting seniors to understand their possible housing choices, and to get them through the whole process of downsizing and moving.  She helps people to edit their belongings and find the right places to sell or donate the things that aren’t being taken with them.  She can step in to help, when family members don’t have the time, expertise or patience to assist.
 
As a real estate agent, I know the real work of moving is just beginning when I help someone to sell their current home and find their future home.  Figuring out how much furniture there will be space for, deciding which possessions to take, dealing with the myriad of personal possessions we accumulate in our lifetime.  Karen can customize the right services to fit the needs of each of her clients.  

She may also suggest ways to rearrange your existing home to make it better fit you needs and help with a makeover to improve the function of your existing space.

Her business is a perfect fit for people in the process of making a move!  Beyond just helping seniors, Topcat Relocation Transition Solutions has helped boomers and empty-nesters with downsizing transitions.  She described herself as a project manager for moving, planning and overseeing the whole process for you:

• Packing your special treasures
• Unpacking and setup of your new home
• Home staging prior to sale
• Reorganize your existing home

You can reach Karen through her website at http://www.topcatrts.com/ or at 416 534-3078