SOME ADDITIONAL EXPENSES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR BUDGETBuying a home can be a very emotional event... and it can be very stressful ...  and in the excitement of the process, it's all too easy to forget the additional costs involved in any transaction of buying a home.  Keep in the mind that buying a home is one of the largest financial investments you will probably make and planning and budgeting for it is essential.  Talk with your agent and find out about them, and budget for them in the home buying process.A Few Additional Costs You May Incur to Include In Your BudgetHouse Inspection This is an absolute must have, for both re-sale and newer homes.  Ask your agent to insert that condition in your offer. Home inspections usually take about 2 - 2 1/2 hours and the cost will range from $375.0... 04/11/2018

Here are some highlights from the latest Real Estate statistics for March, 2018, compared to March, 2017. Number of sales decreased 33.42% from 1,155 in 2017 to 769 in 2018Average sale prices fell from $798,670 in 2017 to $716,690 a decrease of 10.26% Average Days On Market increased substantially .... up by 137.50% from 8 days to 19 days Average Selling Price to List Price fell by 11.75% from 111% in 2017 to 98% in 2018. 04/04/2018

​Wishing you a ....  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck,brightened by a song in your heart, andwarmed by the smiles of the people you love.​Do you know anyone buying or selling real estate? I'm never too busy for your referrals  :) Visit my website:  www.mississaugarealestateonline.com  03/17/2018

Here are the latest real estate statistics for Mississauga for February, 2018. Number of sales were down 38.25% from February 2017, from 779 to 481Average Sales prices were down 9.47% from $724,432 in 2017 to $655,804 in 2018Average days on market were up by 91.67% from 12 days to 23 days...New listings were down by 6.2% from 963 to 895Active listings increased by 108.87% from 496 listings to 1,036Amount of inventory increased from 1 to 1.9 months an increase of 90%    03/11/2018

 Market WatchGTA REALTORS® Release February StatsMarch 6, 2018 -- Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Tim Syrianos announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 5,175 residential transactions through TREB's MLS® System in February 2018. This result The number of new listings entered into TREB's MLS® System totaled 10,520, a 7.3 per cent increase compared to the 9,801 new listings entered in February 2017. However, the level of new listings remained below the average for the month of February for the previous 10 years."When TREB released its Outlook for 2018, the forecast anticipated a slow start to the year compared to the historically high sales count reported in the winter and early spring of 2017. Prospective home buyers are still coming to terms with the psychologica... 03/06/2018

CREATE FREE REAL ESTATE FEATURE SHEETS I came across this site and thought I would share it with you.If you're looking for a FREE online site where you can make great looking Feature Sheets with several templates available, try this:https://www.canva.com/create/flyers/real-estate-flyers/I created a Feature Sheet (one sided) in 10 minutes, submited it via email to Staples Printing Centre.  I had 30 copies made on #80 lb. semi gloss paper all for $19.00... (CAD) Here's what it looked like.     02/22/2018

YOUR IMPORTANT ROLEI think sellers are of the opinion that once a realtor has listed thier home for sale, they can sit back and expect their home to sell without giving much thought to the fact that they have to be an active participant in the successful sale of their home. Make Your Home AccessibleHaving your home accessible to prospective Buyers as much as possible, is critical in the sale of your home.  Agents try to give as much notice as possible for requests to show your home, but there are times when last minute requests do occur.  Granting requests as much as possible is desirable ... the request you turn away may be the purchaser you've been waiting for. Dress For SuccessLooking good is important when you want to make a great impression, whether for a job interview or a social ... 02/12/2018

THE AROMA OF FRESH HOMEMADE BREAD...  As a follow up to my recent post about Pizza making, here is the video I made on how to make fresh homemade bread.  I actually go through the steps on dough making in this video, but the same steps apply to the Pizza dough. This is the base recipe for white bread, but you can easily add other ingredients such as grains, oats, flax etc., or garlic for a wonderfully fragrant garlic bread. You can see just how easy it is to make.. the actual "work" takes about 5 minues, the rest of the time is waiting for the dough to rise and baking for 30 minutes! You can make the slits on the bread any way you want.. get creative... make one stright cut, or several diagonal ones like I did in the photo. If you like fresh bread, I hope you try this.. and don't be dis... 02/10/2018

MAKING FRESH HOMEMADE MEALS IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK  We were talkng about it being Pizza Day the other day, and being Italian, I love Pizza, or any Italian food for that matter. I make homemade meals as often as I can, and people always comment.. "where do you have the time?"   It actually doesn't take that long to make fresh homemade food and I know exactly what the ingredients are and like to try and stay away from those awful preservatives found in just about anything  these days. I made a video a couple of years ago, becuase a lot of my FB friends , and personal friends, asked me post a video on how to make bread, and pizza and fresh pasta.  Haven't gotten around to the Pasta one yet, but I did make on for making homemade crusty bread.. without the bread machine! So for all of you ... 02/10/2018

TIPS ON HAVING A SUCCESSFUL OPEN HOUSE There are many opinions from agents on the worth of conducting open houses. Some believe it is a waste of time, others feel it is a worthwhile exercise. I suspect those that feel it is a waste of time aren't taking the necessary steps in preparation to have a successful one, or going in with a positive mindset.Of course, it is up to the Seller if they request that you conduct one... and I almost always recommend at least one public one, in addition to one for agents.  The main objective for having an open house is to get as much traffic through as possible in an effort to reach the desired goal, a sale.You never know who is coming through the door, it could be a neighbour prospecting for a family friend or relative looking to move into the area.  I... 02/08/2018

 Erma Bombeck awas an American humourist who achieved great poopularity for new newspaper column that described suburban homelife from the mid 1960's.  She wrote over 4,000 articles in her newspaper column and 15 books were were instant best sellers.  When this was published in her column on Mother's Day it was an instant success, being clipped from newspapers, tucked into purses, and tacked onto refrigerators everywhere. “When God Created Mothers"When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and lef... 02/07/2018

SELECTING THE RIGHT AGENT  WHY SELL WITH ME?      There’s no doubt about it. Your real estate agent has a huge impact on whether or not your home sells quickly, how much you get for your property, and your experience throughout the process. So you’d be smart to ask, “Why should I sell with you?” The best way for me to answer that is in a Personal Consultation meeting. I will meet you at your home, explain how I work with clients, and give you an initial idea of what to expect in terms of selling price and timing. This meeting will give us an opportunity to get to know each other; for me to explain my skills and experience; and for you to ask questions and see if there is a good fit. There is absolutely no obligation to proceed. In the meantime, here are a few highlights of what to expec... 02/07/2018

THE SEQUEL TO MY MOST MEMORABLE TRANSACTION - NOTHere is a link to the first one if you missed it:  http://activerain.com/droplet/59Jr After I discovered my client's house was being used as a Marijiana Grow Lab things went downhill from there.  I notified her immediately, and I entered the home to discover the devastation.  I probably should not have entered without a face mask... but I put a tissues over my face... I took some photos and send them to my clieint. She asked mt to assist her in contacting the necesssary professionals to deal with the devastation.  I expended many hours contactingthe City and then found her a rememediation company.. The elecricity had been cut off, and the home was a disaster. The tenants removed a wall from the entry closet to gain access to the garage so... 02/07/2018

Viewing HomesThe Home Shopping ProcessAs your real estate agent, my most important job is to make the home shopping process pleasant and rewarding for you.I do that in a number of ways.I regularly recommend properties for viewing that closely match your needs and wants, and are within your price range. That spares you the frustration of visiting homes that aren’t suitable.I make sure you don’t miss opportunities. When a desirable property suddenly comes on the market, you’re alerted.I help you schedule viewings that fit your schedule, so there’s little if any inconvenience for you. Before you view a property, I provide you with in-depth details on the home, so you can make an informed decision. This includes closing dates, market value, and more. Later, if you have questions, I get the ... 02/06/2018

 Here are the statistics for Mississauga for the month of January, 2108. The market seems to have returned to a "normal" market at the moment.  Looking forward to seeing what will happen in the Spring Market. Number of sales decreased by 19.55% from 509 in January, 2017 to  409 in January, 2018. Average sales price also declined by 9.85% from $700,369 to $631,372. Average Days on Market rose by 88.24% from 17 days in January, 2017 to 32 days in January, 2018. Nubmer of new listings rose by 4.13% from 678 in January, 2017 to 706 in Janury, 2018.  Number of months of inventory rose from 1 month to 1.8 month an increase of 80%  ********************************************I am the proud recipient of the Quality Service Certified Platinum award for outstanding service to my clients - a ratin... 02/06/2018

In 2012 we lost a great Author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar... He left us with many noteworthy words of wisdom. Here are just a few of my favourite Zig Ziglar quotes. You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win. The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty. If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you they will do business wtih you. Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength.  That's success When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that's when passion is born. It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. Zig Ziglar *****************************... 02/03/2018

IF ONLY... THERE WERE MORE CLIENTS LIKE THIS ONEAbout 8 years ago I listed a home in a very high end neighbourhood, close to $1,000,000.. the home was beautifully, and tastefully deocrated with warm neutral tones, a very harmonious atmosphere.  It had all the amenities you would expect in a home in this price range. The front doors alone were $10,000!!  Get the picture???  It also had great curb appeal which helped.Before I arrived on Sunday evening to list the property, the clients spent the entire weekend ensuring the house showed like a model home!!  Wow, I was very impressed… I didn’t have to do a thing, the lady of the house did a terrific job and added little touches that enhanced the already warm and inviting atmosphere.After a few days on the market I had some feedback from two ... 02/03/2018

  What is the mental image you see when you think of a log home?  One thing that comes to my mind is "Little House on the Prairie", the TV show .... until I actually went to see the log homes that are being built today.They are not the small one room crudely constructed log cabin where the early pioneers and settlers lived in the open spaces. Log homes are both beautiful in design with loads of curb appeal, and offer many benefits of modern style and elegance, along with character and charm.Have you ever considered buying a log home?  Like most home purchases, it is a very important financial decision, but along with that, it could also be a very important environmental decision. There has been a surge in interest in building “green” because they are environmentally friendly and healthi... 02/03/2018

10 VERY IMPORTANT REASONSWHY YOU SHOULD HIRE A REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALBuying or selling a home is probably THE most important financial transaction you will make during your lifetime, and having a trained, experienced  professional who has the expertise is the logical and smart choice. After all, who would you consult if you had a heart condition… a cardiologist of course, because you want best there is … an experienced professional with the knowledge and expertise in this field. What if your child had a serious illness, you would of course seek out the best pediatrician so your child would have the best possible care. It’s no different when buying or selling a home.. leave it in the capable hands of the experienced and trained professionals.Clients sometimes ask me why they need to hi... 02/02/2018

                    MISSISSAUGA REAL ESTATE - MORTGAGE INFORMATION      Guide to Finding and Getting a Mortgage Mortgage Qualifying for a Mortgage Types of Mortgages Mortgage Glossary Credit Scores Calculate Your Mortgage Possibilities Mortgage When purchasing a real estate property, unless paying cash, consumers typically finance all or a portion of the purchase price. This means borrowing money from a financial institution to buy a home, using the intended home of purchase as collateral for the loan. Mortgage payments include the principal (the amount borrowed), and the interested (the amount charged for borrowing the money). Payments can be made once a month, bi-weekly, or weekly, depending on availability from the lender. A typical mortgage is for an amount that does not go over 75... 02/01/2018