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Landmark U.S. Settlement Could Impact Canadian Housing Market
National Association of Realtors agreed to change broker commission rules, pay out $418M US in settlement. The result maybe that Seller's will no longer have to pay for Buyer's agents commissions, Buyer's will have to bear those costs going forward. A substantial settlement recently announced by a U.S. group representing more ...
Continue ReadingMoisture on Windows
You’re standing by your window admiring the view. Then you notice it. Moisture has built up around the edges of the glass. Should you worry?It all depends on the reason for the build up. Assuming you have traditional double-pane glass in your windows, there are a few things to look for ...
Continue ReadingHow to Choose One Business Over Another
What makes one business better than another when you are buying a business? Some of the considerations are obvious. Others are not. As you explore the business landscape, keep in view these 12 markers for choosing a business. 1. Location Is the location of the business convenient? Is it close to your home? Is ...
Continue ReadingObligations of All Registrants (REALTORS®)
Real estate is a highly regulated business in Ontario. These regulations protect consumers, establish standards and provide for a method of delivering consistent, predictable and professional services. It also provides a means to discipline those that do not uphold those standards. Real estate professionals standards include regulatory (TRESA), fiduciary (legal) ...
Continue ReadingShould You Worry About Market Fluctuations?
You turn on the television and watch a news story about housing prices going down. Then you read an article about the housing market on the upswing again. It’s a little like being on a roller-coaster ride! Unfortunately, the ride isn’t much fun if you’re thinking of buying or selling a home. ...
Continue ReadingRent Relief Requests and Other Residential Real Estate Tenant/Landlord Issues
With Canada’s labor market still experiencing the lingering impacts from Covid-19; many tenants are trying their best to get by with less income, rising inflation and higher rents. At the same time the real estate market is hot and investors with rental properties want to sell to maximize the return ...
Continue ReadingBuying or Selling in Another Province
While certain industries are regulated federally, property laws are a provincial responsibility. Many of the provinces have similarities in their property laws, but even those are not exactly the same. What happens when a buyer or seller resides in one province and the home being bought or sold is in ...
Continue Reading10 Common Costs of Owning a Home
1-Property tax. May of the services you will enjoy in your new neighbourhood, from parks and recreation facilities to road maintenance and schools, are funded by property taxes. Rates vary widely from region to region and home to home. Annual taxes can top several thousand dollars in urban centres, so many ...
Continue ReadingBeware of Phishing Emails
What is Phishing? Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a weapon. The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need — a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company — and to click a link ...
Continue ReadingPre-Emptive or “Bully” Offers
My salesperson showed us two property listings and, in both instances, we wanted to submit an offer. But the properties were sold before the posted offer date. How can this happen? In a seller’s real estate market, you can expect to find that more than one buyer is interested in a ...
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