| Recent Blog Posts by Szabolcs Pall | ||
Did you hire the right agent?Why hiring the right agent will directly affect the amount of money you pocket?
It simply comes down to motivation. Is the person you are thinking of hiring driven by their desire to help you reach
your goals, or are they trying to reach theirs? Choosing the right REALTOR®, matters! It matters in their philosophy,
their work ethic, their support system and network of peers, and especially ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on May 2, 2012
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How do YOU see your clients?What's the best part about my job? The freedom, the people, the homes, they all add to the enjoyment of being a REALTOR in Ottawa. But even more than that is the feeling that I'm making a difference. Cue the orchestra. :-) Sure they might have got great service from someone else, I believe there are a lot of really good agents out there, and I’m certainly not saying I'm the only one. But being ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on March 17, 2011
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Home Ownership - Learn before you leap!My brother recently asked about what I thought was the best smart phone on the market. Sure there are tons of web-sites dedicated to this stuff, and he has probably read them all, but like most anything you purchase, it’s often best to ask someone who’s had some firsthand experience with the bloody things.
And it’s with that in mind that we decided to host a live session ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on March 17, 2011
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How's the market?
How’s the housing market? It couldn’t be any better if you ask me, and let me explain why:
While the Residential Unit sales on the Ottawa Real Estate Board are down, our Condominium Unit numbers are up from last year at this time. And let me remind you, that we had a record breaking year in 2009 which makes the numbers even more impressive. Residential prices have increased approximately ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on December 29, 2010
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Will house prices go down?
Did you know that while CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) is predicting that home prices next year will be down approximately 2.2%, they will have increased by 1.5% from over 2009. To put it into perspective, your $350,000 home may decrease in price by about $2,500. This is hardly anything to get into panic about, and please remember, that it's the local stats that matter. ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on June 3, 2010
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How to buy a home with 0% downDid you know that you can still get financing for up to 100% of your home? There is no getting around the 5% down payment required by CMHC, but some lenders will give you the 5% down payment if you are willing to take on a higher interest rate.
Don't forget though, that for non-owner occupied or investment properties, you now need a 20% down payment as part of the new mortgage rule ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on March 2, 2010
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Why change the mortgage rules?
Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How do you characterize our current real estate market? Lots of buyers, not enough homes. Homes are selling at over and above the asking price as demand pushes excited home buyers, nervous at the thought of losing out on a home, to bid full asking price sometimes without conditions. While active listings are down from last year, we are already ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on March 2, 2010
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How NOT to save moneyThis is a fantastic story that I must share with you, and I couldn't believe it when I heard it from my taxi driver on Sept 16th. I was sharing with him my experience of selling my own home. And it reminded me of a mentor of mine, who said every realtor should have to sell his/her own home every 5 years just to experience the process and have empathy for our own clients. He was only ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on October 1, 2009
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The "Team" TrendEveryone and their cousin, is working in a team these days. But if you want to be blown away by the number of people on a team trying to sell your house, listen to this: "I have a team of 380 agents!" -- do you believe me? Because that's exactly what MLS is, we all have access to the same database, the person listing your home, in all likelihood, isn't the one bringing you the buyer. ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on June 2, 2009
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Are you working with the wrong agent?"Please help; do you have a buyer for my house?" It's a common request, but not always as desperate as the seller sounded this time. The answer in most cases, sadly is "no". I alone can only provide service to so many buyers. But that's the power of the MLS system; there are a host of other agents that may have buyers for your home. They just need to be told about it. And ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on May 1, 2009
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Market KnowledgeDid you know, that only 10% of agents attend the local MLS meeting on a regular basis? It's a great opportunity to preview up to 10 homes each week. I even find out about homes coming up for sale before they ever hit the market. My knowledge of the available housing inventory, and preview into where the market is heading, allows me to accurately price a home based not only on market ...
Posted by Szabolcs Pall
on May 1, 2009
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