Agent Blogs

If you are reading this, you, in all likelihood, have a Blackberry. If you don’t, what do you have? Do you love it? I have a Blackberry, a Bold to be specific, and over my history of Blackberry ownership, starting with my 7200 series, in the lovely indigo blue color, to my 8707, and then to... [ more ]

  There’s an old real estate rule of thumb that my wonderful real estate mentor told me when I was selling my own house years ago- the first offer you receive is usually the best one. I have since seen this to be the case and have run into this with many listings over the years, where... [ more ]

Women & Wealth: Buy Within Your Means Patricia Lovett-Reid, Financial Post · Saturday, Jun. 26, 2010 My daughter, Carolyn, just bought her first house. It was a bit of a stressful experience, as homebuying can be. With terms like “housing bubble” making... [ more ]

Canada's economy is expected to surge in 2010, according to a new report from RBC Economics, which predicts gross domestic product growth of 3.6 per cent as a result of strong demand and increased job creation.   RBC says Canada's real GDP grew at 6.1 per cent in the first quarter, the... [ more ]

Calculate GST/HST payable on commissions using information based in OREA release: It’s been difficult to confirm how the HST should apply to real estate commissions for transactions that straddle the July 1st 2010, transition date. OREA Government Relations recently sent out a message to... [ more ]

Calculate GST/HST payable on commissions using information based in OREA release   It’s been difficult to confirm how the HST should apply to real estate commissions for transactions that straddle the July 1st 2010, transition date.    OREA Government Relations recently sent... [ more ]

Real estate professionals believe severe deregulation in the residential brokerage system would have a negative impact on home buyers and sellers TORONTO, May 11, 2010 – REALTORS® polled in a recent cross-Canada survey indicated that the country’s real estate market is both... [ more ]

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,841 residential properties in April through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,591 in April 2009, an increase of 15.7 per cent. Of those sales, 425 were in the condominium property class, while 1,416 were in the... [ more ]

Canada’s real estate market both competitive and secure, national survey of REALTORS® finds Real estate professionals believe severe deregulation in the residential brokerage system would have a negative impact on home buyers and sellers TORONTO, May 11, 2010 – REALTORS®... [ more ]

Buying a home is a lot different than buying an airline ticket. Yet if you read the complaint by the Competition Bureau against the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), you would think it is that simple to buy or sell a home in Canada, by just using the Internet for support. Unfortunately, it... [ more ]

Markets in some cities are overheated while others show modest growth TORONTO, April 8, 2010  – After a buoyant, if geographically uneven start to the year, Canada’s housing market is poised to moderate as 2010 unfolds, according to the Royal LePage House Price Survey. The... [ more ]

Tighter regulations, higher rates coincide with busiest season With the Canadian residential real estate market in what are historically its two busiest months, April and May, events may play out a little differently this year. The rules of the mortgage game have changed. Two months ago,... [ more ]

Ottawa Housing Market Soars Into Spring Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,499 residential properties in March through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,161 in March 2009, an increase of 29.1 per cent. Of those sales, 327 were in the condominium... [ more ]

Vancouver Sun April 1, 2010 Realtors compete with each other for your business, but at the same time cooperate to help you buy or sell property. That unique concept of cooperating while competing lead to creation of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in 1950 by the Real Estate Board of Greater... [ more ]

Vancouver Sun April 1, 2010 Realtors compete with each other for your business, but at the same time cooperate to help you buy or sell property. That unique concept of cooperating while competing lead to creation of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in 1950 by the Real Estate Board of Greater... [ more ]