Buying or Selling a home from your computer
A new Website from California will debut on Sept. 25 that will allow home sellers and buyers to haggle, cement a deal and see it through completion — all online, and all without the help of a real estate agent.
RealUmbrella is a patented system that will guide sellers […]

What you should know about a real estate closing
The Agreement of Purchase and Sale (the “Agreement”) has been signed by both you and the other party and now you are contemplating your next step. The first thing that you should keep in mind, whether you are a seller or a buyer, is that there are […]

A bid to reform Toronto’s real estate practices
 From the Toronto Star:
The strong light of open disclosure can work wonders in keeping dubious characters from pursuing shady practices. That is becoming especially obvious in Ontario when it comes to real estate bidding, which could benefit from more clarity and disclosure.
While the vast majority of Ontario’s 52,000 […]

Average home price slips $6,600 in August
The average price of a resale home in Canada’s major markets fell in August for the second month in a row amid slower sales, new figures show.
The average price in 24 major markets was $325,881 last month, compared with $332,442 in July and $335,180 in June.
But even with that […]

New Mortgage Brokers and Lenders Act
The Ministry of Finance and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario have announced that the new Mortgage Brokerages Lenders and Administrators Act will go into effect on July 1, 2008. The new Act will introduce a licensing system for mortgage brokerages, brokers, agents and administrators. Agents will be required to […]

Consider closing costs when buying a home
Buying your first home is an exciting process. You determined how much home you can afford, you saved your down payment, you and your real estate prodessional found the perfect home and your offer was accepted. While the purchase price of your home is the largest cost you will […]

August sets the stage for a strong autumn market
More people in the Greater Toronto Area bought resale homes last month than in any August before, Toronto Real Estate Board President Donald Bentley announced today. The 8,059 sales reported last month exceeded the previous best performance for August “” set in 2005 “” by seven per […]

Re-Max reports upswing in ‘upper end’ market
Sales of luxury homes have registered an “unprecedented upswing” in the first half of this year, the real estate company Re-Max said today.
In their report on 16 major markets across the country, Re-Max said high-end home sales were up in all regions between January and July.
The highest percentage increase […]

1. Failing to prepare your home for “buyers’ eyes”
When was the last time you stood across the street and took a good hard look at your home? Don’t underestimate the importance of making a good first impression. It begins at the street — it’s called curb appeal. If you are competing with other homes for […]

NAR Membership is still on the rise
Numerous news outlets have reported that membership in the National Association of Realtors(R) has declined. That is false. Membership has increased by nearly 6,000 this year.
By the numbers, NAR ended 2006 with a record 1,357,732 members. At the end of July 2007, the most recent figure shows we have […]