Mississauga, ON (May 3, 2010) — Dedication, skill, and professionalism earned RE/MAX realtors the designation of Most Trusted Residential REALTOR in Canada by Reader’s Digest magazine. Reader’s Digest will unveil its Most Trusted Brands list in its May 2010 issue. The magazine commissioned independent third party Harris/Decima to conduct 1,500 online surveys among a random sample of its panel members from October 2 – 15, 2009.

The results of the survey are proof positive that our sales associates are the best in the business, says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. We’ve built a solid reputation based on consistent results. RE/MAX associates sell one in every three homes in Canada and carry more professional designations than any other realtor in Canada. We’re specialists in all niches from residential, recreational, and commercial properties to luxury homes. Our focus has always been service excellence, which includes a serious emphasis on professional development and education. The status quo may work for some, but after almost 40 years in the business, we’re not content to rest on our laurels.

Reader’s Digest looked at 28 different product categories — ranging from cereal to residential real estate – and allowed consumers to select the brands that they trusted the most. RE/MAX joins leading brands such as RBC Royal Bank, TD Canada Trust, Air Canada, and Blackberry.

Our commitment to the communities in which we live and work also runs deep, says Polzler. I think that’s something that has always set RE/MAX apart. We’ve been involved in charitable giving long before the terms corporate philanthropy and cause marketing were common. RE/MAX realtors participate in countless vital programs and causes each year that help the most vulnerable members of our society and strengthen the foundation of neigbhourhoods from coast to coast. Their enthusiasm, spirit and dedication to others never fails to inspire.

Charitable giving is woven into the fabric of the RE/MAX organization. The company and its sales force has demonstrated a strong desire to give back, exceptionally active in both corporate and local charities. Close to $40 million has been raised in support of Children’s Miracle Network since 1992 – which funds research and development, outreach programs and upgrades to equipment and facilities at children’s hospitals and foundations across the country. The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is also a cause close to the hearts of RE/MAX associates—one that RE/MAX continues to support through its popular Sold on a Cure Program and the annual Yard Sale for the Cure.

RE/MAX is Canada’s leading real estate organization with over 17,500 sales associates situated throughout its more than 680 independently-owned and operated offices across the country. The RE/MAX franchise network, now in its 37th year, is a global real estate system operating in 80 countries. Over 6,450 independently-owned offices engage over 92,000 member sales associates who lead the industry in professional designations, experience, and production, while providing real estate services in residential, commercial, referral, and asset management. For more information, visit: www.remax.ca.

A well established and tightly run ship with 24 hour security guard, inground pool and bbq stations. Tennis anyone? Perhaps handball or squash might be more your fancy. The recently renovated Rec Centre is well equipped with everything from trendmills to televisions. They’ve thought of everything here. For all those with green thumbs, there’s a terrific rooftop garden! Newly renovated library offers a nice change of scenery to curl up and relax with a good book or meet and greet with friends and neighbours. There’s a party room complete with kitchen facilities and even guest suites for out of town visitors.

My goodness, they’ve thought of everything.

Join the Grande Regency Hotline Fan Page and make yourself at home.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grande-Regency-Hotline/272628221632?created#/group.php?v=wall&gid=451145320001

In Ontario, changing seasons and the weather can affect buyer demand.
Fewer buyers may be out looking at homes during the cold and snowy winter months, but as a seller you will be competing with fewer homes on the market and the motivation of the buyers is generally higher. Spring tends to be an attractive time for real estate sales as gardens start to look nice again and therefore more homes come on the market thus increasing the competition for a Seller. Getting a jump on the crowd is generally a good idea. 

The flood gates are starting to open in Burlington, Ontario. This past several months has been a time of uncertainty and alot of people have been fence sitting, watching and waiting. The most common reasons why people decide to sell their homes include changes to their financial status, an employment transfer, a growing or “redefining” of family or retirement. Today’s low interest rates combined with all of the government grants and rebates have also made it attractive for many homeowners to “move up” to a larger home.
The condominium market has become extremely popular particularly in the Downtown Burlington Lakefront District. 

A shortage of homes generally means price rise. This cycle is commonly known as a “Sellers’ Market.” Alternately, a surplus of homes can result in a slowdown in home sales or even a reduction in prices and is often referred to as a “Buyers’ Market”. One of the most important services a REALTOR provides is market analysis.

Which market is best?
Obviously, you will want to sell your home quickly and for the highest possible price, as “seamlessly” as possible.
In a sellers’ market, you often see many buyers competing for the same house resulting in top prices…sometimes even over the original asking price. However, if you are planning to purchase another home after the sale, chances are you will be competing in the same sellers’ market faced with higher prices.

In a buyers’ market you may find you have to wait longer to sell your home for a fair price. The upside to selling your home in a buyers’ market is you will have more selection and pricing options when you go looking for your new property.

Although the current market cycle should influence your decision to sell, remember there are trade-offs to selling in either a buyers’ or sellers’ market. Some people are concerned that if they trade up to a larger home in a buyers’ market they will lose some of their home’s equity in the sale. But, while you may sell your home at a “discount”, it’s likely you will purchase your larger home at an even greater discount. The advantage is you then own a larger asset with even greater potential for appreciation. The key factor is buying and selling in the “same market”.

Almost half of Canadians (48%) aged 18-34 years old bought a first house that was at least 21 years old, according to the TD Canada Trust Generational Homeownership Survey. On the other hand, those 55+ chose newer homes with only one-quarter (27%) of that group purchasing a property 21 years or older for their first home.

The TD Canada Trust Generational Homeownership Survey was conducted to understand the differences in behaviours and attitudes of Canadians across the generations when purchasing their first home. “The TD Canada Trust Generational Homeownership Survey showed that one of the most significant differences in behaviour for first-time home buyers across the generations is the age of the home they purchased,” says Chris Wisniewski, Group Product Manager, Real Estate Secured Lending, TD Canada Trust. “This behaviour suggests today’s first time home buyers are looking for cost-effective options, which in urban centres are often older homes.”

Possibly looking for a more affordable option, younger Canadians were the most willing to take on a fixer-upper (35%) as their first home compared to 24% of those now 55+ who did the same when they were first time homebuyers.

“While older homes often sell for a more attractive price, first-time buyers need to keep in mind that the purchase price and mortgage payments are not the only costs associated with owning a home,” says Wisniewski. “An older home may need more work which means putting some money aside for repairs and renovations. Getting a home inspection and asking an expert such as a real estate agent will help you estimate some of these additional costs before you buy.”

The location of their first home was a key factor for all Canadians, but younger first-time buyers were most likely to admit that location was a top priority for them (78% vs. 70% of 35-54, and 64% of 55+). And younger Canadians are most likely to have selected a city or town (64% vs. 50% of 55+) for their first home purchase as opposed to suburbs (28% vs. 35% of 55+) or rural location (8% vs. 14% of 55+).

Indicative of their preference for city living and the wide availability of condos in urban markets, when asked what type of home they purchased, younger Canadians, 18-34, were more likely than other groups to purchase a condo as their first home (18% vs. 9% of Canadians), but the majority did buy a house (65%).

While there are more condominium options than ever before in Canada, first-time buyers today are still looking for traditional houses no matter the age or location of the property. Seventy-five per cent of first time buyers across the generations purchased a house.

Courtesy of
Ramy Ibrahim, Manager
Mobile Mortgage Specialist,
Paragon Award Winner- Top 30 In Canada
Mobile Mortgage Specialist Sales
TD Canada Trust
Pager: 1-866-767-5446
Mobile: 416-997-EASY(3279)
Office: 905-426-2387
Fax: 416-757-4777

http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/msf/ramyibrahim/index.html

ABOUT THE TD CANADA TRUST GENERATIONAL HOMEOWNERSHIP SURVEY

The 2009 TD Canada Trust Generational Homeownership Survey was conducted through interviews with 900 adult Canadians across the country, to understand the behaviours and attitudes of Canadians across the generations when purchasing their first home between the ages of 18 and 34. The survey was conducted by Angus Reid Strategies between August 6 and 11, 2009. The sample size includes 300 men and women for each age group of 18-34; 35-54 and 55+.

© 2009 RE/MAX International, Inc. RE/MAX Affiliates may share this article, provided they do not charge for it and this notice is included. All other rights reserved.

Of course, it’s an “easy comparison” as analysts says. In other words, it’s not hard to show a marked improvement over the dismal showing we saw in the first two weeks of October last year.

Year-to-date, sales have risen 6 per cent compared with the same period in 2008 and the average price has edged up 2 per cent.

Jason Mercer, senior manager of market analysis for TREB, warns that prices will likely continue to climb in the final quarter of the year, because listings are so thin.

Listings dropped 27 per cent in the GTA in September compared with the same month last year. In the first two weeks of October, the decline is 27 per cent year-over-year.

“They’ve kind of hovered in the same area since January,” says Mercer. “Listings haven’t turned around yet.”

Next year, he figures, homeowners will be buoyed by the reports of higher prices and become more inclined to put their properties on the market.

Many big cities in Canada have seen a surge in sales at the top end of the real estate market – but Hamilton, Ont. isn’t one of them.

Hamilton and nearby Burlington have been slower to recover from the full impact of the recession, says Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada, which commissioned a study on the upper echelons of the market from Ontario to Newfoundland & Labrador.

Sales of high-end houses – those priced at $750,000 and above – in Hamilton-Burlington have dropped 32 per cent so far in 2009 compared with the same period in 2008.

ReMax says overall residential sales in Hamilton-Burlington are battling back, with a decline of just 2.6 per cent so far this year compared with the same period last year.

And some buyers are starting to become daring enough to take advantage of the opportunities in the sluggish luxury market there.

According to Re/Max, the area’s young professionals and entrepreneurs are the ones looking at the most exclusive houses.

Hamilton has suffered from the loss of manufacturing jobs during the recession, but doctors and researchers are attracted to the medical community from posts around the world.

The area’s most expensive home to find a new owner this year is a $3.2-million waterfront property in Burlington.

Overall, Re/Max says luxury home sales in Ottawa and Kingston markets have remained on pace with last year, while St. John’s, Halifax, Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga and Oakville have all seen increased momentum at the high end.

Thirty municipalities which range in size from Merrickville-Wolford, (pop. 2,867), to the City of Toronto, (pop. 2.6 million), have already instituted tax relief programs under the Act. Some municipalities also have, or are considering grant programs, where up to 50 per cent of the cost of approved repairs or refurbishing of heritage properties may be allowed. At a time when real estate taxes and the cost of property maintenance and repairs seem to be in an ever increasing upward spiral, it’s refreshing, if not downright unusual, to find some municipalities actually offering tax relief and grants to a growing segment of the real estate market.

Access funds and savings
The following is a brief outline of three programs that municipalities can offer to assist in the ownership, maintenance and rehabilitation of heritage properties. Knowledge of these programs can be a tremendous marketing tool in the hands of brokers and agents when listing or selling heritage properties.

Heritage property tax relief measure: Changes were made to the Municipal Act to allow municipalities to provide tax refunds or reductions to owners of eligible heritage properties. For example, municipalities can allow from 10 to 40 per cent in tax relief on eligible properties based on the municipality’s own program criteria. The province shares in the cost of the program by funding the education portion of the property tax relief.

Direct cash grants for rehabilitation and restoration projects: Under this provision of the Act municipalities may make non-refundable grants to owners for the purpose of protecting the heritage features of a property. The grants cover either the whole, or part of, the contract cost of alterations or repairs to a designated property on terms and conditions that the council prescribes.

In some municipalities grants are available for both residential and commercial properties. In others the two are specifically segregated and exclude either one or the other. Grants are for varying amounts, but generally there is a limit on each individual grant, based on joint financing of the project. For example, it may be on the basis of every dollar the owner contracts, the municipality will match it up to a certain maximum limit. In others, it may be on the basis of a grant of one dollar for every two provided by the owner. Generally an annual budget for funding the grant program is set by the council. Disbursement may be based on a first-come, first-served basis, or the merits of each proposal, or both.

Municipal tax back grants: Municipalities can also use their grant making powers to provide grants or loans to owners of designated properties for a limited period of time, to offset a municipal property tax increase which resulted from the alteration, repair or renovation of a property.

A Ministry of Culture information sheet shows that Cobourg, Kitchener, London and Perth, already use tax back grants to provide “Conditional Heritage Grants” to qualifying property owners. The amount of the grant is calculated to match the increase in property taxes that would result from these improvements to the heritage property.

Note that programs vary from one municipality to another and may exist in one, while not in another. If more authoritative information is required, reference should be made to the relevant legislation or to the municipal office in which the property is located. In all cases however, to be eligible for the programs the property must be designated under Part IV (individual property designations) or Part V (heritage conservation districts) of the Ontario Heritage Act.

These programs, where available, are tailor-made for the present market and can assist the broker or agent in listing and selling heritage properties. They compliment a growing interest in recycling older buildings. Tax savings are always of interest, and financial assistance in any form that will help preserve our most significant heritage properties is a win-win situation for all concerned.

Robert B. Hulley is a former real estate broker and a retired accredited appraiser. He is presently a member of the Executive Committee of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.