Recent Blog Posts by Tony Dekeyser

So long, historically low mortgage rates

By Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew, Toronto Star - Thursday February 9th, 2012. Toronto-Dominion Bank and Royal Bank of Canada have raised their mortgage rates ahead of schedule, putting an early end to record-low rates. The banks offered five-year mortgages at 2.99 per cent, specials that were a boon to home buyers and revealed increasing competitiveness among Canada’s big banks. They debuted ...

Hint #5

This hint relates to the bathroom: Make sure the bathrooms are sparkling clean!!!! Remove any wall to wall carpeting. No Buyer is going to want someone elses carpet, it is very unhygienic. If you have an outdated sink, toliet and tub, paint the walls white and accent the room with accessories to match the outdated colour. Some good accessories woud be candles, towels and floor mats. The trick ...

Hint #10

Regarding Furniture Placement: Try and set up furniture in an inviting way. Furniture does not have to be placed against the walls everytime. Make little sitting rooms within a room. Put a couple of arm chairs across from the couch with a coffee table or an old trunk in between them. DO NOT OVER FURNISH A ROOM!

Hint #8

Have the ouside of your home clean and clear of garbage cans, overgrown trees and plants, bikes and any other debris from around the house. Buy some hanging baskets and plant some flowers. Buyers most of the time will make up their mind from the outside appearance. Showing a nicely kept outside will show the buyers that you care about your home and they will want to see the inside. CURB APPEAL ...

Hint #7

Regarding colourful rooms: Everybody has their own taste but when it comes to selling, the Buyers taste is whats important. Buyers want to see large rooms and by having neutral colours on the walls it increases the size of the rooms. Try adding colour throught the use of accessories.

THANK YOU NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY FOR SELECTING ME AS THE #1 BEST REALTOR® FOR 2011!

THANKS, TONY

Hint #13

In a small space consider painting everyroom and all hallways the same neutral colour. it makes the home feel larger because the space flows from room to room. Also try putting framed prints on top of each other, tricking the eye that the walls are much higher then they really are. When hanging curtains, put the valance or topper to the ceiling and hang the curtains right to the floor. this gives ...

ANNOUNCEMENT!

  CENTURY 21 ALL-PRO REALTY (1993) LTD., BROKERAGE has come on board as Habitat for Humanity Northumberland's exclusive Real Estate Partner!  The majority of the Century 21 salespeople have committed to donating $100.00 from every home they sell to Habitat for Humanity Northumberland.  Northumberland County is where we live, work and make our living.  It is important to ...

Habitat, Century 21 partner for affordable housing

Both Century 21 All-Pro Realty (1993) Ltd., Brokerage and Habitat For Humanity Northumberland are in the housing business, Ed Zylka pointed out Tuesday. Zylka was present at the Cobourg Century 21 office to shake hands with broker/owner Garry Liboiron on a new partnership that should be beneficial to both. For the next year, participating agents will donate a set amount per property sold to Habitat. ...

Hint #9

Regarding Pets You might be used to the smell of your home but nothing turns a buyer off more then the smell of cat and dog. Using air deodorizers really does not hide the smells. In some cases there end up being too strong for some buyers and a buyer will leave the home because the deordorizes are too hard to handle. Try inside: give the dogs a bath wash the pet beds rip up old and stained ...

Buying a Home? Get the Facts on HST

HST does not apply to resale homes   NEWS March 21, 2011   Revenue Minister Sophia Aggelonitis and Ontario Real Estate Association Immediate Past President, Dorothy Mason, today released a video explaining to prospective buyers the facts about the HST and the housing market.   The video highlights the fact that there is no HST on the purchase price of ...

Hint #12

Before putting your home on the market, make sure to finish all the little "to dos" that you feel need to be completed. If you have your property on the market and there are some jobs left to do, and the Buyers notice them then they are going to start reducing your asking price.

Helpful Hint When Selling #15

A quick checklist to go by: keep home clear of clutter make usre it smells nice keep kitchen and bathrooms very tidy laundryroom clear of dirty laundry keep cat litter boxes CLEAN outside of home neat and clean beds made toys away take down most personal belongings like large collections of items take down and put away anything that could be offensive to the Buyers buy some fresh flowers

FEBRUARY AND MARCH SPECIAL!

SPECIAL RECEIVE 500 BONUS AIR MILES IF YOU LIST, PURCHASE AND/OR SELL YOUR PROPERTY WITH THE TONY DEKEYSER TEAM FROM NOW UNTIL MARCH 31ST, 2011 CALL US FOR FULL DETAILS!  

Many ways to use recycled wood

Wood is one of the most common building materials we have and its strength and beauty can last many lifetimes. Old timbers have weathered years of storms and heavy traffic, and their usefulness can be prolonged in exciting new ways. In an older home that I renovated for my television series, All for One with Debbie Travis, we took advantage of some beautiful old boards found in the basement laundry ...

Hint #2

When you are selling your home, make sure the Buyer can easily invision what the room is supposed to be. A Buyer can not invision a room if you do not display it properly. Clearly define the space. If the room is supposed to be the diningroom then set it up that way. In spare rooms, make sure that there is a bed and dreeer in there. These rooms tend to become "junk rooms". Remember to make the ...

Hint #1

Now that you are selling, you are going to have to pack eventually so start now and minamize any clutter from around the house. Clean up any old toys, nicknacks and personal belongings to maximize wall space and roomsize.

How home buyers can prepare for closing day

Closing day for a home buying family represents in many ways, a new beginning. It can also be extremely stressful. Here are 10 helpful hints, to make your closing day a success story. 1. Know how much money you will need to bring in on closing. The balance owing will not only include what is stated in the purchase agreement, but will also include land transfer tax, legal fees, disbursements and ...

7 things to know about buying a resale condo

A condominium is like a small town. It has a board of directors made up of its residents much like a local council, it has rules, restrictions, bylaws and even fines for misbehavior. The condo across the street that looks the same, but it may be a completely different community. That’s why it pays to keeping a handful of things to keep in mind when it comes to finding the right unit for you. ...

OREA NEWS RELEASE - MOST ONTARIANS CONFUSED ABOUT HST AND RESALE HOMES

56% MISTAKENLY BELIEVE HST APPLIES TO PURCHASE PRICE TORONTO, ONTARIO OCTOBER 27TH, 2010- An Ipsos Reid survey commissioned by the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) and released today reveals that fully 56 percent of Ontarians mistakenly believe that the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) applies to the full purchase price of a resale home.  In fact the HST is only levied on the various ...

Hint #4

Here are a few hints regarding kitchens: Everyone knows that kitchens and bathrooms sell the home. Some quick tip to help you along, If the cupboards are dated try painting them white and adding new hardware. If you have a title countertop with a few broken tiles, cut away the grout along only the broken tiles and replace a few tiles. Buy or make some curtains. For outdated tile backsplashes ...

Hint #14

When selling your home make sure in each room that you have nothing left out and unorganized. Your excuse may be the lack of storage space, but you definitly do not want the Buyer knowing this. On top of the fridge and ktichen cabinets should be CLEAR of all food items and dishes. This space is perfect for great accessories. Store away all unused items in the kitchen to make room for the everyday ...

Hint #3

This hint relates to the foyer space: This is really your first impression of your home. Make is has inviting as you can. Less is more in this case. Do not have extra table, chairs, coatracks and shoes out to see. Make sure the woodtrim is painted, the staircase is in good shape and clean the carpets on the stairs. Have a new door mat to welcome the Buyers. And as always a mirror is a nice ...

Our Helpful Hints- When Selling

You will want to keep in mind, that when you look around at your home you now have to see it through the Buyers eyes.

Monthly Achievements

Tony Dekeyser, along with his team, was the TOP Lister, Seller and Producer for the month of August, 2010!