Robert Atkinson - Blog - Robert Atkinson

Recent Blog Posts by Robert Atkinson
Why Dragons Aren’t Monkeys 2012, 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		More
Tight Market Drives Double-Digit Price Growth Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 9,690 sales through the TorontoMLS system in March 2012. This result was up by almost eight per cent in comparison to the 8,986 deals reported during the same period in 2011. “The GTA resale market has not suffered from a lack of willing buyers this year. Buyers have been spurred on by the positive affordability picture brought about by low mortgage rates,” ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on April 28, 2012		More
Why it’s a good time to buy a home By Mark Weisleder, Toronto Real Estate Lawyer and columist \| Fri Jan 27 2012 I believe there has never been a better time to buy a home. I’ve been in the industry for 28 years as a lawyer and I haven’t seen so many positive signs for housing, whether you are thinking or buying or locking in a mortgage. Here’s why: Mortgage rates at historic lows: They can’t ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on February 16, 2012		More
Strong Sales/Price Growth Continue in 2012 Greater 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		More
How many energy upgrades = smaller energy bill? A new study says home owners won’t see their utility bills drop until they’ve conducted four or more energy upgrades. Here are projects that will give you the greatest bang for your energy buck. Energy is like saving calories: Small measures add up, until a Thanksgiving pecan pie — or a dazzling holiday light display — wrecks a year’s worth of small though consistent ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on January 4, 2012		More
Homes prices up 8% in October 2011? Home buyers who found it difficult to make a deal in the spring and summer due to a shortage of listings have benefitted from increased supply in the fall which has resulted in a continued upswing in prices. The average selling price through the TorontoMLS® in October was $478,137 – up eight per cent compared to October 2010. Sellers’ market conditions remain ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on November 7, 2011		More
Home prices continue their ascent The 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		More
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		More
When will prices come down? Greater Toronto Realtors reported 7,542 sales through the TorontoMLS® system in August – a 24 per cent increase over 6,083 sales in August 2010. New listings, at 12,509, were up by 20 per cent compared to August 2010. So what this means is there were 20% more homes for sale but 24% more homes being sold meaning the market is favoring sellers over buyers. "Home sales in the GTA have stood ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on September 13, 2011		More
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		More
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		More
Sellers market? Toronto Real Estate Board states “The number of listings has been below expectations so far this year. Increased competition between home buyers has led to an accelerating annual rate of price growth,” which has pushed home prices up to a 9% increase over last April, setting the average home price to $477,407. There is an expectation that this new spike in prices will encourage ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on May 7, 2011		More
Toronto & GTA Continue to be a Desirable Place to Live This spring continues the pattern of being a popular time to buy and sell homes. The Toronto Real Estate Board reports9,262 transactions through the TorontoMLS® system in March 2011, representing the second best March result on record. The number of transactions was 11 per cent lower than the record result reported in March 2010. “The strong home sales reported in March and ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on April 5, 2011		More
Spring Market It 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		More
Now you can list your home on MLS without an agent! A close look at "For-Sale-By-Owner" (FSBO) data from The National Association fo Realtor's 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Each year a small army of home sellers throw caution to the wind and “go it alone” — without the assistance of a licensed real estate professional. Now they can get a boost by putting their home listing on the MLS website which many home owners ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on February 1, 2011		More
Mortgage Rules Change, What Does It Mean? Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced three new changes to financing rules. Effective March 18, 2011, it will become harder to buy a new home or consolidate debt into your mortgage. What are the changes? The maximum amortization period has been reduced from 35 years to 30 years for mortgages that are insured by CMHC where the homeowner has less than 20% equity ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on January 18, 2011		More
Are you concerned about a 'bubble' in home prices? 2010 was the Third Best Year for Existing Home Sales Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,395 existing home sales for the month of December, bringing the 2010 total to 86,170 – down by one per cent compared to 2009. “Market conditions were anything but uniform in 2010. We went from supercharged sales activity during the first four months of the year, to a marked drop-off in transactions in the summer and then in the fall saw sales climb ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on January 14, 2011		More
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		More
Pricing Your Home - Being overpriced is a bad start If 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		More
Is the market hot, cold or what! Last year no one wanted to talk about the market as the focus was on jobs and economy. For those who were looking for a bargain 2009 was the year to sell and buy or just buy. This year, many of the folks who bought last year in the dip sold this year and made a very nice profit, very nice indeed! This year started off with a bang as many buyers flocked to the market looking for home, ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on June 10, 2010		More
How does the HST affect Real Estate? Yes, it can be confusing but it's not necessary. Here's a table that explains it quite simply. New Homes up to $400,000 - before July 1, 2010 5% GST payable / no change after July 1, 2010 - The new housing rebate will be 75 per cent of the Ontario component of the HST, up to a maximum of $24,000. The rebate will ensure that buyers of homes priced up to $400,000 will, on average, ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on May 4, 2010		More
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		More
Economists predict higher interest rates in fall According to many of Canada’s top economists, higher interest rates – and debt servicing costs – may be just around the corner. Exactly when rates will rise is unclear and depends on who you talk to. In its latest Financial System Review, The Bank of Canada judges that vulnerability of Canadian households to adverse wealth and income shocks has grown in recent years. “At ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on February 2, 2010		More
Home, Sweet ... Investment Property? Canada's real estate market is changing faster than ever before. Depending on your province, city - and sometimes even your street - real estate prices may have dropped, increased or remained stable over the past few months. Due to this variance, real estate sales representatives like to remind folks that all real esate is local and that the national trends you hear in the news can often be ... Posted by Robert Atkinson on January 26, 2010		More
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		More

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