- Toronto's March MLS sales = 6171; compared to 6631 for March of 2008. - Not a significant difference. - The average price is also down only about 5% from this time last year. - The 'days on the market' fell from February to March (45 days to 39 days). - Things are picking up. - The market bottomed out in December of 2008, and has been picking up ever since. - Prices are only down slightly from last year, and the interest rates are historically low. - Interest rates can only go up from here. - Is this a good time to buy?       If you'd like to discuss it further, call me any time.I can provide you with all the information you need, including getting you pre-approved for a mortgage. If you do nothing else, at least get yourself pre-approved, and get your name in the system, so that if r... 04/09/2009

  Off of Lake Shore Blvd., - boardwalk, South of High Park, Toronto   © Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved.All photos are copyrighted property of Sylvie Conde.  Do not reproduce or reprint without express written permission of Sylvie Conde.       Toronto Real Estate by Sylvie Conde, BrokerSutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage    416-966-0300358 Davenport Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1K6sconde@sutton.comwww.sylvieconde.com   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     04/08/2009

An Easter to remember - at Casa Loma. Want to feel like royalty?Why don't you do something special on a very special day, and take your family for a tour of Toronto's castle, Casa Loma, and have Easter brunch in the beautiful library? Casa Loma is serving brunch on April 12th, at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. You must book your seating ahead of time. The price includes the meal and lets you explore the castle.  This is a mini holiday the whole family will enjoy. The price is $43.35 for adults (which includes gratuities) and $21.60 for children 4-12. Explore the castle.Enjoy a grand meal.Have fun with the whole family. To make reservations, call 416-923-1171.   Casa Loma is located at Davenport & Spadina.You can walk up Spadina from the Dupont Subway Station, to Davenport, and walk up the st... 04/08/2009

I know, I know ... it's Spring, but you'd never know it, with our current temperatures, and snow still on the ground, but .... by April 18th, I'm sure it will be warmer, and the snow will be gone, and you can get your hands dirty by joining a gardening workshop at Casa Loma.       There is a tour on April 18th, starting at 10:30 a.m., and a SpringSational hands-on workshop. You can assemble a container of spring bulbs to take home. The cost is $45.00 and it includes the materials to take home, as well as coffee and cookies.   You must register ahead by calling 416-923-1171, Ext: 205Casa Loma is located at Spadina and Davenport Road (1 Austin Terrace). You can walk north from the Dupont Subway Station to Spadina, and up the steps to Casa Loma.   Don't miss it.  It will be lots of fun, an... 04/08/2009

                 Cedarvale Park and Cedarvale Ravine   © Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved.All photos are copyrighted property of Sylvie Conde.  Do not reproduce or reprint without express written permission of Sylvie Conde.       Toronto Real Estate by Sylvie Conde, BrokerSutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage    416-966-0300358 Davenport Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1K6sconde@sutton.comwww.sylvieconde.com   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   04/08/2009

Why Should you Invest in Home Staging?A study by the National Association of Realtors in 2007 showed that 84% of today's busy home buyers use the internet as a major tool in their home search. Buyers view online photos & virtual tours of properties in their desired location & price range to come up with a short list to actually view. If the buyer is not enticed, by the pictures or during a drive by, chances are they will not view the house & if they don't view your house, they're not going to buy it.You can't change its location or size but you can enhance its presentation. As soon as the sign goes up, your agents job starts; the appraisal is done, photos are taken, feature sheets are prepared, & marketing beings, to show off your house on the real estate agents tour, open houses, viewi... 04/07/2009

March Resale Housing Results Bring Positive NewsTORONTO, April 6, 2009 - In March 2009, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 6,171 sales - down seven per cent from March 2008, representing the smallest year-over-year decline in the last five months. The average price for March transactions was $362,052 - down less than five per cent from the same month last year."The Greater Toronto housing market has stood up very well given the challenging economic times the world has experienced in recent months," commented TREB President Maureen O'Neill."In fact, over the past two months, the situation in the housing market has improved."The seasonally-adjusted annual rate of sales increased to 65,600 in March - up 36 per centfrom the ten-year low reached in January."Sales in March increased at a rate... 04/07/2009

A recession is a great time to update your kitchen. This is a time when people are choosing to stay in their home.They are choosing to make more meals at home, instead of going to the restaurant.They are choosing to spend more time at home with family and friends.They are choosing to have friends over more often, and choosing to go to friends' homes; instead of going for a night out on the town, which can be costly. If you're going to be entertaining more at home, you probably want to freshen up kitchen - the heart of the home - the place where everyone usually hangs out. This doesn't have to cost a lot of money.  Sometimes you just need to paint. Can't afford to buy new cabinets?  Paint them.If you have wood cabinets, they will need to be sanded and primed, before you apply your choice... 04/07/2009

TORONTO, April 6, 2009 - In March 2009, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 6,171 sales – down seven per cent from March 2008, representing the smallest year-over-year decline in the last five months. The average price for March transactions was $362,052 – down less than five per cent from the same month last year. “The Greater Toronto housing market has stood up very well given the challenging economic times the world has experienced in recent months,” commented TREB President Maureen O’Neill. “In fact, over the past two months, the situation in the housing market has improved.” The seasonally-adjusted annual rate of sales increased to 65,600 in March – up 36 per cent from the ten-year low reached in January. “Sales in March increased at a rate over and above what would be expected from... 04/06/2009

This rise of single-women homeowners is part of a greater social and economic shift that is reshaping Canadian life. Women are tired of waiting for Mr. Right to come along and start their homeownership dream. For the first time in history, women have access to the same resources men have always had. Women today make more money, assume leadership roles in business, are financially independent, and control their own financial decisions far more than in decades past. Women can acquire homes on their own rather than searching for a mate to provide them. It's symbolic of success - of getting out there and doing it on their own. Single women snapped up one of every five homes sold, more than twice as many as single men bought. Women are motivated to purchase homes by a desire for financial se... 04/06/2009

The Toronto real Estate Board reports "March Resale Housing Results Bring Positive News" - down seven per cent from March 2008, representing the smallest year-over-year decline in the last five months. The average price for March transactions was $362,052 - down less than five "The Greater Toronto housing market has stood up very well given the challenging economic times the world has experienced in recent months," commented TREB President Maureen O'Neill. "In fact, over the past two months, the situation in the housing market has improved." The seasonally-adjusted annual rate of sales increased to 65,600 in March - up 36 per cent from the ten-year low reached in January. "Sales in March increased at a rate over and above what would be expected from the normal spring-time bump," said J... 04/06/2009

Cedarvale Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada © Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved.All photos are copyrighted property of Sylvie Conde.  Do not reproduce or reprint without express written permission of Sylvie Conde.       Toronto Real Estate by Sylvie Conde, BrokerSutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage    416-966-0300358 Davenport Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1K6sconde@sutton.comwww.sylvieconde.com  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   04/05/2009

Insurance companies are making it harder and harder for first time buyers - who have never been insured before, or who have a history of too many claims, or late payments - to get home insurance. Companies care about the condition of the house, the mechanicals, the age and type of electrical, plumbing, heating and structure.  They also care about whether the home is owner occupied, tenanted, or left vacant for long periods of time. However, these days, insurance companies are more concerned about who is applying for the coverage.  How many claims did you report in the past?  How many times did you have a policy cancelled?  How many times did you put claims through the insurance? How many times were you late with your payments?  How many times did you let the insurance expire?   Or, were... 04/04/2009

This traditional Moore Park home on a wide 40′ foot lot offers abundant space for a growing family. The attractive side centre-hall design with generously proportioned formal living and dining rooms, allows for easy entertaining. The spacious eat-in kitchen opens to a delightful private garden with many flowering shrubs. The current owners enjoy the easy access to downtown, highly regarded schools and the much enjoyed stores, boutiques and restaurants on Mount Pleasant and Bayview. Featuring four bedrooms, two and half baths and a perfect teen retreat in the lower level, this very attractive home is perfect for a growing family.  The large third floor attic affords great possibilities for an ideal new master suite. Extras included in this sale: Slate foyer, Dacor dual range, Bosch dishw... 04/03/2009

The 'Keep Cool' Program is coming back.     Customers who have an old air conditioner at home, and want to trade it in for a more energy efficient model, can go to any of the participating Home Depot Stores, drop it off, and receive a $25 gift card. The old a/c units will be recycled for free. This year, there will also be a collection for old dehumidifiers - for which you will get a $10 gift card. This program will run on June 6 and 7; June 13 and 14; and June 20 and 21.   This program is helping to reduce demand for electricity during the peak periods and is encouraging the public to recycle the old, inefficient units.  These older units can suck up up to 70% more energy than the newer, more efficient models. If you need additional information, you can find it at your local Home Depot... 04/02/2009

Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation has put together a consumer outreach program, to help clients (borrowers) understand how important it is to work with the lenders to find a solution, if/when facing difficulty paying their mortgage. Are you having trouble paying your mortgage every month?If so, you should talk to your lender right away.You can discuss with your bank exactly what your finances look like now; go over all your monthly bills; show them the whole picture.  Go over all your options.  Discuss any and all possibilities. Maybe they can offer you a payment deferral plan.  Some banks will let you put off payments for a couple of months, and let you double up payments later; some of them will let you defer payments now and accelerate your payments later. Maybe you can extent yo... 03/31/2009

If you have been considering jumping into the housing market for the first time, this is the ideal time to do so. 7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy: 1. Interest rates have recently been cut to the lowest rate ever. 2. Housing prices are dropping. Who knows when they will bottom out but if you are getting married or starting a family, now is as good as it been in a long time. 3. It’s a buyer’s market out there. There are lots of homes out there to choose from and bidding wars are occurring less so you have more time to decide what to do. 4. Land Transfer Tax Refund. You can get a refund on the land transfer tax in Ontario for new or resale homes if you’re a first time home buyer. 5. The Homebuyers Plan has increased to $25,000 for this year’s budget. You can use $25,000 from your ... 03/30/2009

The Provincial government announced they are planning on harmonizing the GST with the PST. If this happens, PST will be charged on legal fees, appraisals, home inspection fees, commissions, and all other fees related to buying and selling a home. This is going to hurt our housing market (even more). We are asking our clients and the public to express their opinion about the new tax. You can send your MPP an email, just by clicking here, and following the link to the sample letter.Fill in the blanks, and you will be provided with the MPP information on the spot. Please help us fight the tax. Thank you for your help.         Toronto Real Estate by Sylvie Conde, BrokerSutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage   416-966-0300sconde@sutton.comwww.sylvieconde.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... 03/30/2009

Why do real estate values fall? Mostly because of : - Too much supply - Very high interest rates - High unemployment   The only thing we're facing in our market, is high unemployment. The bank rate is the lowest it's been in over 30 years (Bank of Canada rate is at 0.5%).Inflation is around 1% and unemployment is at around 7.2%. Compare this to what we were going through in the mid 90s... - Bank of Canada rates were around 13%.- Inflation was about 7%.- Unemployment rates rose to over 10%. So, just how bad are things today, compared to the 90's?Not bad at all. If you have a steady job, and some savings, don't wait any longer.You could be kicking yourself in a few months. Interest rates have nowhere to go but up.The market has already picked up.February sales were up over 50% from Januar... 03/29/2009

First Home Buyers Grant Sparks housing Boom.THE housing industry is booming thanks to the First Home Owners Boost - and builders are having a hard time keeping up. The State Housing Minister, Jennifer Rankine, today joined other ministers in Adelaide to announce the latest statistics.By the end of last month, 3351 South Australians had taken up the First Home Owners Boost, which in October was raised to $14,000 for existing dwellings and $21,000 for new homes."It's a great problem to have," Ms Rankine said. "There's so much building under way that we're worrying if we have enough builders."Federal Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek said that the jobs created by the boom were crucial to riding out the world financial crisis. "We're talking almost a million jobs," Ms Plibersek said."We're k... 03/28/2009