Real Estate Blog

When buying a home, there are several hidden costs that are often overlooked. Since this will likely be the biggest transaction of your life, it is important to know exactly how much money you need to make the purchase.

Here’s a list of additional costs associated with buying a home that you may not know:

Moving Costs

The cost of moving can vary depending on if you hire movers, do it yourself, rent a truck, buy boxes, etc. Hiring a moving company will cost more, but will make the transition a lot smoother. You can have them pack and move everything or just move your belongings. Be sure to get estimates from a variety of moving companies to help lower costs.

Home Inspection

A home inspection is used to uncover any issues…

The fall real estate market is almost always a hot season. With kids back in school and the holidays a few weeks away, now is a great time to sell a home. If you want to sell your home during the fall season, it’s important to understand what buyers are looking for and how to position yourself for the greatest possible success.

Tidy up the yard

When selling your home in the fall, you’ll want to make sure the yard is clean. This is the time of the year where various plants die off and trees drop their leaves. Some plants will go into hibernation, while others will fully expire. Either way, this will leave a bit of a mess on your property that needs to be cleaned up if you want to attract buyers.

Rake dead leaves, cut away summer…

After coming to a near halt in the spring due to COVID19, Toronto home sales have surged this summer hitting another record high last month.

According to TRREB, the average selling price of a home in the GTA rose 20% year-over-year in August to $951,404, up $7,738 from July’s average. The average selling price for a home in the city was $1,012,506, up a whopping 24% from the year before.

Average home sales weren’t the only thing to experience a boost in August. The number of transactions also soared to a record 10,775 sales, marking a 40.3% year-over-year increase in the GTA.

RELATED: Is Now A Good Time To Buy A Home?

This was the result of pent up demand after the pandemic stalled the market in spring. Homebuyers and sellers are playing…

First impressions count! The first thing people see often sets the tone and stands out in their memory. This is why the look of your home, from the front yard to the front door, is so important. Whether you are looking to sell your property, or just impress family, guests and neighbours as they go by, here are 4 ways to increase the curb appeal of your home. 

Update The Front Door

A really nice front door can make a big difference for your curb appeal, since it is often the first thing people see upon entering your home. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive either, just welcoming and easily visible from the curb.

RELATED: Should I Stage My Home?

A fresh coat of paint can give your home a whole new look. Make sure the door is…

Situated close to some of Toronto’s finest green spaces and natural bodies of water, Swansea is one of the city’s most unique residential neighbourhoods. It is the only Toronto neighbourhood to have its own community run Town Hall, and also the only one to have a lake, river and pond as its natural boundaries. With all the charm of a small town and close to some of the city’s best schools, this family-oriented community is an excellent place to raise a family.

Homes in Swansea

Swansea features a fantastic mix of semi-detached and single family homes. Most homes were built between 1905 and 1935 and have undergone remodelling, giving them a contemporary feel while still retaining many of the heritage details that make them unique.

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Located between Runnymede and Jane just north of Bloor, Bloor West Village is an excellent destination for living, shopping, dining and much more. With its strong family-oriented community and close proximity to excellent schools, Bloor West Village is particularly popular among families looking to stay close to the city, but in an area with a distinct community feel. And the fact that it’s located within walking distance to Toronto’s High Park only makes it that much better.

Homes in Bloor West Village

Homes in this area are all fairly similar in size and style, having been built in a relatively short period of time between 1912 and 1923. Here you will find mainly semis and detached homes, with modern improvements and upgrades.

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Now that Toronto is in Stage 3 reopening, the economy is picking back up as businesses recover from the effects of COVID19. This is especially true for the housing market, which came to a near standstill in April, only to experience a major increase in activity over the last 2 months. It would appear that pent up demand from the spring market has pushed its way into summer, and stats are up across the board.

RELATED: Is Now A Good Time To Buy A Home?

Last month was particularly active for Toronto real estate, with sales activity up for all home types. Normally sales would dip in July relative to June as children are on summer break and families take vacation. This year, however, 11,081 homes were sold in July, a 29.5% increase compared to the…

Home staging is the professional service of preparing a home for sale in such a way that it appeals to potential buyers. Personal taste and preference differ from person to person, so hiring a professional home stager who knows how to attract a wide range of homebuyers could tip the scales in your favour.

Do Staged Homes Receive A Higher Price?

The final price of your home depends on a number of factors including market conditions, buyer demand, listing price, negotiations, how well the home is maintained and more. While a lot of these factors are outside of your control, one thing you can control is buyer impression.

RELATED: Home Repairs To Make Before Selling

Buyers need to see themselves in your home and picture what it would…

The announcement of Stage 3 reopening in Ontario means that many of our favourite restaurants will once again be available for indoor enjoyment to the public. Unfortunately, Toronto's reopening will have to wait until at least July 24, due to a higher number of COVID cases than the rest of Ontario.

But don't worry! If you're craving some delicious food from one of Toronto’s many restaurants, here are 6 of the top patios you can visit right now.

Eataly

Eataly is a fusion of two words, eat and Italy. So it should come as no surprise that it serves up incredible Italian inspired dishes including traditional Torino-style pizza, summer-inspired aperitivo bites, salads packed with seasonal colours & flavours, and an impressive selection of…

After a brief drop due to COVID-19, the Toronto housing market has been much like the weather- HOT! It seems not even a global pandemic can hold back home sales. According to the latest TREB data, a total of 8,701 sales were recorded in June- a whopping 89% increase from the previous month.

This represents only a 1.4% decline in sales from June 2019, meaning that despite experiencing the worst economic setback since the Great Depression, people are still buying and selling homes at rates comparable to what was seen before the pandemic. In fact, in some segments of the Toronto market, including detached homes and townhouses, year-over-year growth was recorded.

So how has the Toronto housing market been able to remain so resilient throughout this…