May 10th, 2012
This year is passing by unbelievably fast! Another month is behind us, which is good news for those who are eager to have fresh updates about the housing market in the Greater Toronto Area. The market report for April 2012 has been published, and here are its findings!
(Housing Market in the GTA – April continued...)May 4th, 2012
Real estate investment is not an easy business. It takes a lot of time, energy, effort, and patience to succeed. Some might feel that they are doing everything they can, yet nothing seems to work. In my opinion, success very much depends on one’s personal qualities. What should one do and what qualities should one posses to be a successful real estate investor? Of course, there is no formula for success, but sometimes it is helpful to generalize.
(Six Real Estate Investor Qualities continued...)April 13th, 2012
If you were wondering how March real estate sales in the Greater Toronto Area fared, we have some fresh data for you! As Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver said, “The GTA resale market has not suffered from a lack of willing buyers this year.” Indeed, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported a noticeable year-to-year increase in sales, which was accompanied by rises in prices and new listings as well.
(Housing Market in the GTA – March continued...)April 13th, 2012
The debt-to-income ratio is currently the most discussed economic data in Canada. It is published each quarter by Statistics Canada and cited innumerably in articles warning about Canada’s rising debt. What does it really mean? And what is your debt-to-income ratio?
(Debt-to-Income Ratio: Canada’s Scarecrow continued...)March 29th, 2012
How easy is it to determine the selling price of a property? There are many factors involved, and sometimes even experienced real estate agents can be surprised by the outcome of a sale.
The Globe and Mail recently presented this quiz, using properties featured in their Done Deals section, to ask you: Can you guess the selling price of these properties?
(Guess the Selling Prices of These Toronto Homes continued...)March 22nd, 2012
According to an RBC report, citizens of Ontario still have to allocate a slightly higher than average proportion of their income to cover their homeownership costs. The affordability measures improved only between 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2011.
“This improvement reversed only part of the notable deterioration in the first half of last year so that levels remained slightly above long-term averages, particularly in the two-storey home segment,” says the report. “Nevertheless, there continues to be few signs of strain in the Ontario market due to any lack of affordability.”
(House Affordability in Canada, Ontario and Toronto: Slight Improvement continued...)March 15th, 2012
The Greater Toronto Area housing report from the shortest month of the year has been published! Once again, its results are satisfactory, as a very significant year-to-year rise in sales as well as new listings, and also prices, was recorded. Some might argue that this is because February 2012 was a day longer than February last year, but the report did not neglect this fact either. Even considering only the statistics from the first 28 days; sales, new listings and prices were still up from 2011.
(Housing Market in the GTA – February continued...)March 11th, 2012
“Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you,” Harold Bloom said. Indeed, there is nothing better than being able to have a little time to yourself to read a good book. While fiction is certainly enjoyable, often it is pleasant to read a book that offers its readers something more than the exciting and intriguing life stories of its characters — a book from which we can learn. In this article, I want to offer a little help for all those who want to know more about real estate investment. Here is the list of the top ten real estate investment books that you will not regret spending a few evenings with.
(Top Ten Real Estate Investment Books continued...)February 14th, 2012
Greater Toronto Area housing statistics for the month of January have been published. If you are wondering whether the first month of 2012 was as successful as a great part of 2011, here is the answer: last month, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,567 sales through the Toronto MLS® system — an increase of 8.8 per cent from the 4,199 homes sold in January 2011!
(Housing Market in the GTA – January continued...)January 30th, 2012
Elli’s advice column in the recently published Toronto Life Real Estate Magazine offers some great insight to those considering buying or selling a home in today’s market.
(Toronto Life Real Estate Advice Column continued...)January 11th, 2012
Another month, and in this case, another year, is over! What does this mean? Yes, it is time to summarize. Let me start with the Greater Toronto Area housing statistics, as reported by Greater Toronto Realtors. This past month has been quite successful, with 4,718 homes sold in the GTA through the Toronto MLS® system. In comparison, in December 2010, only 4,286 sales were recorded.
(Housing Market in the GTA – December continued...)January 9th, 2012
In early 2007, the Conference Board of Canada and Genworth Financial Canada released a joint study on the Toronto condominium market. The report concluded that the price of a resale condominium would increase an average of 4 per cent annually — from $239,816 in 2006 to $292,077 by 2011.
(Dynamics of the Toronto Condominium Boom continued...)
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