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Obligations of All Ontario 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 ReadingWhat Buyers Want to See when They Walk into a Room
When buyers view your property, they’re likely to visit each room and look around. Their imagination is turned on high. Often, within just a few moments in a space, they’ll form an impression — ideally, a positive one! So, how do you ensure each room shows well? Here’s what buyers want ...
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 ...
Continue ReadingShould You Get a Major Improvement Done before Selling?
There’s no doubt about it. The more “move in” ready your property is, the more attractive it will be to buyers. There is always an advantage when buyers can imagine living in the home without having to make any major repairs or improvements — at least for the short term. But, ...
Continue ReadingHome Maintenance Tips for the Spring Season
These jobs are best done during warm months, so make them part of your regular spring home maintenance routine. 1 of 18 Clean air conditioner condensers and evaporators A little sweat equity now will help both your wallet and your comfort level later when summer's heat sets in. Most of the job can ...
Continue ReadingOntario Human Rights Code – Housing as a Human Right
Adequate housing is essential to one’s sense of dignity, safety, inclusion and ability to contribute to the fabric of our neighbourhoods and societies[3]. As the Commission heard in this consultation, without appropriate housing it is often not possible to get and keep employment, to recover from mental illness or other ...
Continue ReadingChanges to Non-Resident Taxes in Ontario Real Estate
In addition to all the usual taxes residents have to bear owning real estate; all non-residents selling or buying Canadian real estate are required to undergo some additional tax burdens made to deter non-resident investors from speculating in the housing market and ensure governments collect their due taxes. Without proper ...
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