Loft living is at its finest in Toronto, and the Toronto real estate market is booming. There are literally dozens upon dozens of loft developments under construction in Toronto, and competition is tough. For many people interested in purchasing living space in a new loft development, the search begins early and it is grueling. One thing that makes finding a loft so difficult is that 50 percent of loft developments are sold before the building is listed on the public market. This means that people wishing to buy a loft must do a lot of research and try to secure a loft before construction is completed. If they are successful, there are many rewards. Many lofts in the Toronto area increase in value anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 on the day that they are placed for sale on the public ho... 02/19/2007

Toronto's Harbourfront area offers a unique setting for a fun night out on the town. Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the harbourfront is a very popular tourist destination as well as a haven for the hip and rich, many of whom own condominiums in some of the very latest developments around the area. One of the main attractions of Harbourfront is its many restaurants. You can expect these restaurants to be particularly packed in the summer time, when tourist traffic combines with locals seeking the nightlife to make the front a bustling center of activity.As far as dining goes, there are several experiences that Harbourfront offers unique to the area. One restaurant that is extremely popular is the Boathouse Bar & Grill. This is a family restaurant, but there are sections rese... 02/17/2007

The wealthiest neighbourhood in Toronto came into being in 1824, when William Botsford Jarvis bought a portion of a 200 acre land grant made to Captain George Playter for his role in supporting King George in the American Revolution. Jarvis was the sheriff of the home district, and was a staunch supporter of the crown, continuing the family tradition passed on by his father, who like Playter had fought for the Crown during the American Revolution.Jarvis moved to the property with his wife Mary. After their house was completed, Mary named the residence Rosedale because of the many roses that grew in the area. The couple would have five children, and Rosedale itself was one of the centres of concentration for William Lyon MacKenzie's rebellion.  MacKenzie and Jarvis had much ill will towa... 02/17/2007

As reported on my Podcast at http://www.tuneinrealestate.com/ Hi, my name is Jarrett Hunter and I am a downtown Toronto realtor with Royal LePage.  This is the market information for January 2007 for my area which is downtown Toronto - best defined as the area south of Bloor Street to the lake, west of the Don Valley Parkway and east of Dufferin Street. - I like to refer to it as "the Core." The Toronto Real Estate Board reported that this was our best January ever!  Statistics are derived from the Toronto MLS system and reports a 13% increase over January of last year and a 6% increase over sales of January 2002 which was our previous record holder. We had a total of 761 active listings with a total sales volume of 295 of which 233 of these were condominiums. I am expecting that Januar... 02/06/2007

What You Should Know Before Selling Your Home is my new CD available free of charge to Toronto homeowners.  Tons of information, worksheets and tips to prepare and sell your home. You can order it on my home page at http://www.jarrett.ca/.  As one of Toronto's top Realtors®, it is not only my job to get my clients top dollar for their home but also to have a streamlined approach to get from sell ot SOLD.  My clients will now have the ability to have the guidance of a Realtor® when I am not there.  If you are thinking of selling at some point in the future, you will want this CD.    01/29/2007

Learn Jarrett's "Must Have's" when buying a downtown Toronto condo. Have you ever wondered what one of Toronto's top Realtors® will look for when shopping for a condo?  Typically, they are looking for good re-sale value!  "I want to buy a condo - not sell one!  Yes, this is true; but one day, you will want to sell.   How do you ensure a good re-sale value of your condo?  You buy smart.  How do you do that?  Simple, you follow Jarrett's tips or "Must Have's" for how to buy smart: Location, location, location.  Downtown Toronto is a large area of many different neighborhoods. Some are very good and some fall short. Please refer to my Neighborhood Page to see some pertinent criteria used to pick a neighborhood. Also, research the neighborhood to make sure it is where you would feel comfort... 01/26/2007

Hi, my name is Jarrett Hunter and I am a downtown Toronto realtor with Royal LePage.  This is the market information for December 2006 for my area which is downtown Toronto - best defined as the area south of Bloor Street to the lake, west of the Don Valley Parkway and east of Dufferin Street. - I like to refer to it as "the Core."December sales ended the year on a high note! We had a total of 660 active listings with a total sales volume of 257 of which 211 of these were condominiums.The downtown market has slowed a bit in December over the November numbers but is somewhat indicative of the time of year.  The average days that a property was on the market before selling was 34.  The average selling price? $315,123 - which makes us a bargain in most big city markets. Looks like we are e... 01/18/2007

Over the years, I seem to get a lot of calls from clients outside the city (province/country) that will ask me a myriad of questions about any particular Toronto Neighborhood. Questions about where it is located, who lives there, what type of housing is available, is it safe, close to good schools, serviced by transit, prices, etc etc.In an attempt to answer some of these questions, I have set up a link to Toronto Neighborhoods on my main page of my website (http://www.jarrett.ca/) Some of our best neighborhoods are listed below in no particular order and if your neighborhood is not included it may be doe to an oversight on my part or it may be that I just wouldn't include it in my "best" Toronto neighborhood list. I will start in Toronto proper which we call "Old Toronto" and which inc... 01/17/2007

I just found out about this G-R-E-A-T website and want to share it with everyone since I think it is so unique and effective to get clients. On January 1, 2007 will be the launching of a network of 36 web sites targeted to various housing markets across North America (United States & Canada). The difference here is that each website is specializing in just ONE GEOGRAPHIC AREA so you can focus on your own TARGET MARKET and establish yourself as a sought after, knowledgeable professional in your housing market area.I was wondering why there was not a website like this before since the best way to advertise yourself is LOCALLY. These sites will be a great source for news, numbers and opinions regarding your local housing market. Every site will have content written by professionals from th... 12/06/2006

Networth Financial Group Inc. & Leverage Pro wants to invite you to a FREE information seminar where you will learn how you can: Get the Government to FUND the downpayment on your home Get as much as $10,000 in CASH after you move in Reduce the amount of income taxes you pay & Learn how to pay off your mortgage quicker and increase your income tax refundOur company specializes in helping families get out of renting and into homeownership quicker without using any money of their own as the downpayment. With this program, you can save your own money and have as much as $10,000 in cash after you move in. Use this money to help with moving expenses, legal fees or to refurnish your new home. To attend our FREE information seminar, please email us with your full name, address and contact numb... 12/05/2006

Your Cars Keyless Entry could be a life saver...at home too! I recently came across a great idea which made so much sense. I realize that many of us when shopping at the mall and time comes to find the vehicle you have all heard the car alarms going off so the owner can locate their vehicle. Well this same principle can be utilized at your bedside. Instead of hanging your keys remote at the door , have them accessible at your bedside. Imagine you hear a break in at your house and you are in your bed. Short of having a dangerous weapon handy just reach over and push the car alarm button on your remote. Hopefully the noise will alert your intruder or at least make them aware that you know they are there. Anyways the alarm will not go off for a while and during this length of time you will... 10/25/2006

The real estate markets continue to steam ahead, with the Toronto Real Estate Board keeping a positive view of the future.  They report that there have been 3007 homes sold in the fist half of October up from September's first half sales of 2,913 and only slightly lower than October 2005's 3012 home sold in the first half.In the report they also talk about a few areas that have experienced large increases in sales volume, while leaving it unsaid that if there are several areas with high increases and the over all change is minimal, then there must be some areas that have seen significant reductions in sales volume as well.  These fluctuations may just be the signs of normal fluctuations due solely to the number of buyers that have just decided to take the plunge or it could be evidence ... 10/19/2006

As much as Real Estate has many ups and downs and can go from invigorating to frustrating and back in a matter of hours, I will still count my blessings.  As a little reminder of some of the other employment options that are available, here is a little ditty complements of the Jack FM newsletter (92.5 Jack FM - Radio station in the Toronto Area).I hope it brings a smile to your face as it did mine :-D 09/27/2006