Richard Silver

Selling in Toronto Category

Need Help to Declutter and Downsize?

My friend and client Ann Christie has begun a great new business to help people "Declutter and Downsize". I have known her for years and think this is a great service she is providing that all of us can use from time to time. I have no qualms at all in referring her to you. In fact, I may be calling her to help me attack my closets....doubt I will be wearing those pants with a 32 inch waist...unless they have...Continue Reading...

My 10,000 Foot View of the Market!

The past two posts about the Real Estate Market from the Canadian Real Estate Association  and The Toronto Real Estate Board  have one common theme: the number of MLS listings has increased. My 10,000 foot view is this....it has a little to do with Mortgage Rates, HST and the economy and a lot to do with that old saw "The Baby Boom ". I know because FINTRAC  (The Financial Transaction Act) has force Realtors to identify their Sellers and mine mostly seem to be...Continue Reading...

Canadian Real Estate Association Revises Resale Housing Forecast

OTTAWA – June 2, 2010 – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has lowered its forecast for home sales via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations. The revision reflects a weaker than expected start to the year in British Columbia, and recent developments that pulled forward the timing as to when sales are expected to ease in other provinces. CREA’s previous national forecast was heavily influenced by British Columbia and Ontario forecast trends, and...Continue Reading...

Toronto Area REALTORS® Report Monthly Resale Housing Figures

TORONTO, JUNE 3, 2010 ‐ Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 9,470 sales through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in May, representing a one per cent dip from May 2009. In comparison to previous years, this was the third highest May sales result on record. "The pace of transactions slowed in May following record‐setting sales in February, March and April,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Tom Lebour. “Buyers who otherwise would have been purchasing a home in May moved more quickly this...Continue Reading...

Real Estate: Understanding Representation and Agency

Representation and Agency are not very well understood by the consumer public...but also not well understood by some salespeople. When a Salesperson is representing a product, whether it be a suit of clothes or a house, they are acting under Agency and their fiduciary duty belongs to the party paying for their services unless they have a contract that says otherwise. If you walk into my Open House and ask me questions about the property, like "what will they take?", it...Continue Reading...

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® Report Mid-Month Resale Housing Figures

TORONTO, May 19, 2010 - Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,887 sales through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) during the first two weeks of May. This represented a seven per cent increase compared to the 4,561 sales recorded during the same period in 2009. New listings increased by 48 per cent annually to 10,059. “The average household looking to purchase a home continued to benefit from affordable opportunities in the first half of May,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Tom Lebour. "The number...Continue Reading...

Toronto Real Estate Market: The View From My Desk!

Daily I try to make sense of the Real Estate market. I read all the Google Alerts and RSS Feeds that appear that focus on the Housing Market. I talk to other Sales persons and the front of desk staff at the office, monitoring the showings and the activity at weekend Open Houses. The media will tell you that the "Real Estate Bubble" is about to burst. How many times have you heard that in the last 5 years? Making sense of...Continue Reading...

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® Report Monthly April Resale Housing Figures

TORONTO, May 5, 2010 - Greater Toronto REALTORS®  reported 10,898 sales through the Multiple Listing Service®  (MLS®) in April, representing a 34 per cent increase compared to April 2009. There were also 20,683 new listings in April – a 59 per cent annual increase. Both the sales and new listings results amounted to new records for the month of April under the current Toronto Real Estate Board  (TREB) boundaries. "The GTA resale market is functioning properly. Sales were high as buyers...Continue Reading...

Toronto Real Estate: The 2010 Spring Market!!

There is lots of discussion in the Media about what is happening in the Real Estate Market today! The assumption is that the number of new listings means the "Bubble has Burst", that new mortgage rules are reducing the number of Buyers in the marketplace and that the HST is forcing people to buy before the July 1st commencement date....A lot of negatives but where is the reality? (more...)Continue Reading...

Greater Toronto REALTORS® report Mid-April Resale Market Figures

TORONTO, April 16, 2010 – Greater Toronto REALTORS®  reported 4,601 sales through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®)  during the first two weeks of April. This represented a 25 per cent increase compared to the 3,681 sales recorded during the same period in 2009. New listings increased by 48 per cent annually to 9,512. “The fact that annual growth in new listings outstripped growth in sales suggests that the GTA existing home market is becoming better supplied,” said Toronto Real Estate Board  President...Continue Reading...