| Recent Blog Posts by Jim Datlen | ||
Real Estate Outlook: What to Expect in 2012
Over the last few weeks, I've been watching the real estate market slow down. Really - it's slowing down. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. You might not have heard about a market slow down in the media, and I agree. Often, I read articles in the media talking about the "hot" market etc, but they are reporting what has happened, and not what is happening. ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on November 5, 2011
|
More | |
From Real Estate to LifeI thought a little bit about the headline of this blog, and I kind of like "From Real Estate to Life". I think it describes how a real estate transaction can be the start or end of a particular journey.
I absolutely love real estate and I really enjoy helping people take the next step in their life - whether it's buying their first home, moving up to a larger home to accommodate ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on September 21, 2010
|
More | |
The Market is BalancedThe real estate market continues to change and we've now entered a balanced market, which means that neither sellers nor buyers have the advantage. In other words, market conditions are fair on both sides.
You might wonder if I'm a little crazy in saying this, especially when reading that the number of homes sold in July in the Greater Toronto Area dropped by 34% compared to July 2009. ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on August 6, 2010
|
More | |
The Sellers Market is FadingIt's a sunny Monday morning on the first day of summer in June 2010 as I write this blog, and it's interesting to see how the Greater Toronto Area real estate market is changing. About six to eight weeks ago, REALTORS® like myself started to see a shift in the market once again. Strangely, newspapers and other media haven't really caught on yet and so the general public still thinks ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on June 21, 2010
|
More | |
Bank of Canada Rate Change - Does It Affect You?Yesterday, the Bank of Canada announced the first rate increase to the daily rate it charges banks from 0.25% to 0.5%. Does this affect you?
That depends on whether you have a mortgage or a line of credit, and if so, what type. If you have a fixed rate mortgage, then no - it does not affect you, at least until your mortgage is up for renewal. If you have a variable rate mortgage ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on June 2, 2010
|
More | |
Selling Your Home - It's A Business DecisionOver the last few months, there have been occasional articles in the media about the Competition Bureau advising the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) that they would be taken before the Competition Tribunal to determine if the rules surrounding postings to the MLS® were anti-competitive. Talks between CREA and the Competition Bureau were proceeding smoothly, and then the Competition Bureau ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on April 1, 2010
|
More | |
Making the Right DecisionI've been working with a really nice family lately showing them a few homes for sale in the Brampton area (actually, just three!) and talking with them about the process of moving house. The reason they've been planning on selling - and downsizing - is to save a bit of money as the economy recovers, plus their kids will be teenagers within the next few years and we all know teenagers ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on January 26, 2010
|
More | |
Real Estate Market Update - west GTA (Brampton, Mississauga, Milton)Happy New Year, everyone!
It's January 6, 2010 as I write this blog, and it's very interesting to see how the market has changed over the last year, eh?
At this time a year ago, everyone had gone into hibernation, and adopted a "wait and see" attitude with regards to the economy and the housing market. One year later, and the market has changed drastically! Prices are going up ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on January 6, 2010
|
More | |
Century 21 - Real Estate Commercial (video)I was surfing www.youtube.com today, and thought it might be interesting to see if there were any Century 21 videos. Well, I found a whole lot of them - many of them hilarious! Some of them were from real estate sales representatives showing off their listings (a cool idea), others were from clients showing off the new home they bought with help from their Century 21 REALTOR, and then ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on November 15, 2009
|
More | |
Have You Taken Advantage of the Home Renovation Tax Credit?If you haven't been paying attention to the news lately, you might have missed information about the Home Renovation Tax Credit. It's part of the stimulus program that the federal government has put into place for this year, as part of the effort to help the economy and shorten the recession. Essentially, it works by reducing your income taxes up to $1,350 for the 2009 tax year.
So, ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on October 25, 2009
|
More | |
The Real Estate Market - Now Is The Time To Sell!So, I've been discovering very interesting things happening in the market - it continues to improve. Today, the Toronto Real Estate Board has released a report to the media showing that the market is still rising. So far in September, the number of transactions has increased by 23% over the first two weeks of September 2008. And prices have increased by 8% in the same time period. So ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on September 16, 2009
|
More | |
The Value of Real EstateSo, how much is your home worth? Hmmm, interesting question and the answers will change depending on whom you ask.
To determine a recommended asking and therefore likely selling price, a good Realtor will compare your home to similar homes that have recently sold. What's a similar home? A similar home to Realtors and the public is one that is approximately the same size (square ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on August 14, 2009
|
More | |
Professional Realtors - and unprofessional real estate sales peopleI received an interesting email the other day from one of my Seller clients. My client copied me on an email that he sent to a rather unprofessional real estate salesperson who had an appointment to show his home. Here's the email that my Seller client sent to this person - note that I've omitted identifying names, etc:
***
"Dear (unprofessional real estate salesperson):
I am ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on July 22, 2009
|
More | |
Brampton Real Estate - the market is normal!As I write this, it's a cooler summer afternoon with rain on the 30th of June - it feels more like a spring day than summer. And that brings to mind thoughts of the "spring" market that we've just experienced.
Well, the market turned out to be pretty decent - a little above last year's numbers (before the economic fuddle-duddle). As of last night, there have been 353 house sales ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on June 30, 2009
|
More | |
The Real Estate Market - Stabilization?So, the end of May has just passed and the market is proving to be rather interesting at the moment. I'm helping some Buyer clients look for homes, and interestingly, multiple offer situations are starting to happen once again. Admittedly, this is in the "hot" area of Leslieville just east of downtown Toronto. But even here in Brampton where I do most of my work, the market is ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on June 2, 2009
|
More | |
Local Realtors Know Your Neighbourhood Best!I had a really good experience last week with another Realtor (a Century 21 agent of course!) in another city. I met the other Realtor as my buyer client and I had some questions about the house we were considering, and she was completely forthright and honest - the way a Realtor should be!
Normally, I only work in the west GTA i.e. Toronto/Brampton/Mississauga/Milton/Caledon ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on May 26, 2009
|
More | |
The Spring MarketWell, it's the last week of April 2009, and the market is growing - just like the spring flowers in the garden! Yep, even in these trying economic times, the market IS improving!
Over the last few weeks, I've experienced more activitiy in the market. Homes are starting to sell a little bit faster, and I've even shown buyers houses and when we've begun to prepare an offer, we've found ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on April 24, 2009
|
More | |
Award Winning Real EstateWell, I just completed my first full year in Real Estate and I am really pleased - actually, I want to SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS - that I had an excellent year!
I am humbled and really happy that I was awarded the Masters Silver award from Century 21 Canada for the amount of sales that I completed in my first full year. Plus, I earned the Rookie of the Year award from my brokerage, ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on March 27, 2009
|
More | |
Real Estate - The Sky is NOT Falling!I read the newspaper every morning as I eat my breakfast cereal and drink a cup of coffee. And, I find it interesting how headlines don't always reflect the true nature of the story. But then, headlines are designed to grab your attention, right? Over the last few months, newspaper headlines have been a little scary i.e. the real estate market has "FALLEN BY 40%!!!" and "HOUSE ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on March 9, 2009
|
More | |
Proud to be a Realtor!I am so happy that I chose to become a Realtor, it is one of the best decisions I've ever made!
Yes, I'm working evenings and weekends, but so what? So do many other professions. It's really gratifying to me to help people with the next step in their lives - whether buying their first home, upgrading because their family is growing, or downsizing when the kids have grown. ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on February 12, 2009
|
More | |
Selling Your Home - 5 Tips to get the job doneIn my real estate trade, I've seen quite a number of homes that are for sale. Interestingly, the majority of them probably won't sell - especially in the current marketplace. What, you ask? Why on earth wouldn't a home sell? Well, here's my take:
1. Paint colours. You may love the royal purple paint with the gold carpet (yes, it reminds me of one of those sequinned ...
Posted by Jim Datlen
on January 19, 2009
|
More | |