| Recent Blog Posts by Robert Atkinson | ||
Why Dragons Aren’t Monkeys2012, The Year of the Dragon in Chinese astrology, has been compared to 1992, The Year of the Monkey, and the year when the Toronto condominium market, having famously and disastrously crashed under the combined weight of unrealistic and unreasonable speculative expectation and increasing interest rates, was declared dead by many pundits. The two, like Dragons and Monkeys, could not be more unlike. ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on May 7, 2012
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Strong Sales/Price Growth Continue in 2012Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,567 sales through the TorontoMLS® system in January 2012. This number was 8.8 per cent higher than the 4,199 sales reported in January 2011. Sales growth was strongest for low-rise home types in the regions surrounding the City of Toronto. “A favourable affordability picture bolstered by very low posted fixed mortgage rates has kept home buyers confident ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on February 14, 2012
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Home prices continue their ascentThe most common question I hear in real estate is "When will prices drop?" Apparently not for anytime soon as evidenced by a report from Stats Canada stating that home prices continued their climb in August.
Fuelled by a healthy demand, sound underlying economic fundamentals, as well as a continuing low interest rate environment that contributes to supporting affordability, August marked ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on October 14, 2011
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Canada continues to shine as a place to call home.....
I was following up on a report from Scotia Capital about the world economy and was pleased to see something that matched what we in the industry have been seeing first hand....Canada continues to have a good economy and is a great place to be invested in real estate. Below is a direct quote from the report which I have included a link to further down in my blog.
"Canada’s housing ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on September 28, 2011
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Home prices set to plummet!Lately I"ve been asked by friends, family and even people I meet on the street who find out I"m in real estate, "I hear prices are going to drop by 25%. Prices are so high, it's about time."
My general response is the same. Yes, prices might drop by 25%, or they might go up even more! When we look at the information that is causing the prices to go up it really doesn't seem possible ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on August 10, 2011
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Sellers Market Confirmed!Well, with 15% fewer listings this May compared to last May, and mortgage rates still at record lows the Toronto Real Estate market continues to perform well, favoring sellers over buyers. Sales were up 6% over last May. “Positive economic news and low borrowing costs led to strong sales through the first five months of the year, including the increase in May,” said Toronto Real Estate ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on June 13, 2011
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Spring MarketIt never stops to amaze me how active the spring market can be. There seems to be a shortage of good homes for sale and as a result home buyers are actively seeking out these homes and are prepared to pay to get them. What seems to be different this year from prior years is that buyers are actually passing over lesser homes and holding out for the ones that are well staged, clean and show ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on March 21, 2011
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How was November for Real Estate?Sales were strong in November with 6,510 existing home sales, down 13% from 7,446 sales in November last year. New listings were also down 13%. In a nutshell, people are still buying and selling homes, prices are steady with prices generally increasing however slightly. The GTA continues to be a popular place to live!
On a month-over-month basis, the seasonally adjusted annual rate ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on December 16, 2010
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Pricing Your Home - Being overpriced is a bad startIf you're selling your house, one of the first steps you'll take is setting an asking price, a task that requires the ability to find the perfect balance between attracting solid offers and ultimately receiving top dollar.
If you're working with a Realtor, you'll probably hear talk of fair market value, which typically means the highest value an educated buyer will pay. Fair market value is usually ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on October 24, 2010
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Boom? Bust? Where's the market going?Economists are predicting the current activity in housing to slow down. This means home prices will stabilize as the demand begings to balance with the availability.
See this attached story from the Toronto Sun.
Last year’s comeback for Canada’s housing market will carry through early 2010 but subdued activity is on the horizon as higher prices and interest rates make property ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on March 26, 2010
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Are prices expected to climb or decline?Everyone is interested in real estate, even if they're not buying or selling. Lately one of the most common questions I get is "Is the market still slow?" I find this really interesting as the market is really quite strong right now!
Most homes are selling within a week and often with multiple offers. There are a number of factors at play as to why this is happening and it's best ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on January 2, 2010
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GTA Housing Market Rebound Continues in SeptemberOctober 5, 2009 -- In September 2009, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 8,196 sales, up 28 per cent from September 2008. The average price for September transactions was $406,877 – up by 10 per cent compared to the same month last year. “We have experienced an increasing rate of existing home price growth in the GTA as sales have continued outpace 2008 results,” said TREB President ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on October 8, 2009
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How's the market?The market is being reported as a 'balanced' market where there is a good ratio between the number of buyers and sellers. Prices are coming down and homes are taking longer to sell but, they are selling and a well priced home will sell quickly. On average, homes in N11 are selling in about 45 days and while prices are declining there are definitely NOT sliding (tanking, plummeting, nose-diving ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on January 15, 2009
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I want to wait until the spring to sell my home....Seems every where we turn there is news from the US of failed banks and economic uncertainty. Many people are 'wanting' to move to a home that is better suited to them but that if they wait until the spring they will be able to get a better price for their home. Now, I'm not a psychic or able to see the future but I do have good common sense and the market indicators are pretty clear.... ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on October 3, 2008
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Should I "Stage" my home?What is staging? According to Wikipedia, home staging is the act of preparing a private residence prior to going up for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to sell a home quickly, and for the most money possible by attracting the highest amount of potential buyers. Staging focuses on improving a property to make it appeal to the largest number of buyers by transforming ...
Posted by Robert Atkinson
on April 11, 2008
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