Past Newsletter - March, 2006

Don't miss my Toronto Waterfront Condos - Lifestyle and Cost of Ownership (see below). This unique, online guide includes lots of pictures of units sold over the last year. It ranks the thirteen major waterfront condos by cost and summarizes all their features and amenities. Let me know if you like it and how I can improve on it.

If you know anyone shopping for a condo (especially in Downtown Toronto) I have it covered - call me at (416) 283-5832.

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Do you know anyone looking for a new home? Why not let them know about my unique Homes'nSchools Advisory Services - Home resale values near good schools can be 15-25% better - shouldn't you know where they are? I will be pleased to thank you with two Re/MAX VIP tickets to the National Home Show for each referral that qualifies (see details). If the referrals leads to a buy or sell, both you and your referral will receive a $200 gift certificate. The one to them will be in your name - a great house warming gift.

Your referral is simply an introduction so your friends can review my services for themselves.

See the link below for more information about how I combine Home Selection with my unique School Ranking/Selection Service.

See the article near the end of this newsletter for more details about qualifications.

Here are 14 important facts to consider before you try to sell a home privately.

FSBO is short for For Sale By Owner.

Note: The median home price for sellers who use an agent is 16 per cent higher than a home sold directly by an owner; $230,000 vs. $198,200 ($US); there were no significant differences between the types of homes sold, says NAR (National Association of Realtors - USA) based on a survey released Jan/06.

Keep these guidelines in mind when you are shopping for your dream home.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like and what it would cost to live in a luxury condo in downtown Toronto - perhaps along the waterfront?

My website (see link below) now features the best available information to help people find the kind of condo lifestyle they would like in a price range they can afford.

My Toronto Condo Guide features condo apartments along the Waterfront,i.e.;Queens Quay. Soon, I will be completing another condo review - The Business/Entertainment Area.

Do you know where the best schools are located in the GTA? Not likely, because this information is almost impossible to obtain. School boards provide standard test information (EQAO) but they do not compare schools based on these results. And they do not group them into convenient neighbourhoods like my reports do.

My Select Schools service is very unique and very valuable for parents seeking a place to live near the best combination of schools - good elementary school combined with a good secondary school - this is the rare and hard to locate "sweet spot" . I know where they are located and share this with my clients.

Sweet Spots occur in about 1 out of 8 neighbourhoods - some areas have many, some only one and many have none at all.

Replace your water-guzzling toilet with a new water efficient model. Get money back, save on your water bill and reduce water use. The City offers Toronto residents a $60 or $75 cash incentive to replace a water-guzzling toilet (per toilet) with a City-selected water-efficient model. Residents must live in detached houses, semis, duplexes (buildings with up to six units), individual condos and townhouses.

February 17, 2006 - By mid-month the GTA market is up 13 per cent over last year's mid-month figure (for units sold).

And Spring, traditionally the peak time for real estate, is only a few weeks away.

This is a one-page summary of the key findings. A big shift with investors is from a Buy-Renovate-Sell to a Buy-Rent-Hold (5-10 years) strategy.

Generation-x (early 20's) have opted-in to their parents values and are increasing their participation in the real estate investment market.

Invenstment trends by major Canadian city including for Ontario: Toronto, Ottawa and Barrie.