The snow is flying and the temperature has been plummeting for the past few weeks, leading many Canadian homeowners to flip the switch on that gas fireplace. If your home is missing this cozy feature, perhaps it’s an upgrade you’re considering.

While a fireplace will usually add value to a home (including condos!), the type of fireplace you choose will certainly have an impact. For example, a wood burning fireplace will likely result in a higher premium on your home insurance policy, meaning that some homeowners might steer clear of this feature.

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With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to get yourself and your home ready to welcome visitors. Whether your guests are staying for a short visit or planning a longer stay, there are some simple yet special ways you can make them feel at home.

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Are you thinking of purchasing a condo? When you start your condo hunt, you’ll probably hear the word ‘freehold’ tossed around quite often. It simply means that you are not required to pay a fee each month (or the fee is quite small). This fee normally covers the costs to maintain the common grounds such as snow removal, lawn maintenance, etc.

You may have thought that when it comes to purchasing a condominium, you will be on the hook for monthly condo fees. But that’s not always the case.

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Having just recently returned from the RE/MAX Collection Luxury Forum conference in Seattle, the hot topic, as one could probably guess, was the current state of our (North American) housing market. The common take-away was that real estate is doing well in most areas across the board, with particular interest in major cities including Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

This was a rare opportunity to meet with colleagues from all over Canada and the US, and I was the only representative from the Toronto market!

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Most real estate professionals will agree that when selling a home, one of the most important factors is marketing. More than ever before, home sellers are particularly interested in knowing how their real estate agent should be marketing their home.

One of the biggest complaints from unhappy sellers is that they don’t feel their real estate agent is marketing their home properly or enough.  There are many real estate marketing techniques that top real estate agents utilize. Some of these real estate marketing techniques relate directly to promoting a sellers home and others do not, but certainly have a huge, albeit indirect, impact on the overall marketing of a sellers home.

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I’m very pleased to share the news that I have been awarded the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist® (CLHMS) designation and have simultaneously earned the Million Dollar Guild®(GUILD) recognition.  Both are based on my knowledge, experience and expertise in the luxury market.

Recognized as the mark of accomplishment in luxury markets around the world, the CLHMS designation assures affluent buyers and sellers that the agents who have earned it have the knowledge, experience, competence, and confidence they require in order to meet client needs.

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If you didn’t catch the headline of this article, you might be surprised to learn that the strongest real estate market in 2017 is in fact luxury condos.

Thanks to the downsizing baby boomers and Gen X execs looking to stay within the downtown core, un-interested in suburbia (just yet), the number of condos sold over one million dollars this year is currently 86 percent higher than a year ago!

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Buyers have plenty of choice when it comes to choosing the type of home they will buy. You can purchase new from a builder, or shop around for a resale townhouse, single family home or condominium.

The latter is an excellent option for first-time buyers, young professionals and retirees or those looking to downsize. That’s not to say that all condos are affordable. A spacious unit in a well-appointed building can easily boast a price tag well into the millions with monthly maintenance fees approaching $1,000 per month.

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Yes, according to TREB, the housing market continued its sales decline for a fourth consecutive month. What you will find however, is that the current slowdown is merely psychological.

Aside from the optics of that report appearing concerning and negative, the truth is we shouldn’t be concerned about it at all. In fact, we prefer this market to that of February and March when the market was driven by irrational behavior which was clearly unsustainable.

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If you’re like me, and you like to entertain guests at your home, you’ll know what I mean when I say that making it look easy, isn’t exactly easy, especially if it’s a backyard or garden style party.

Planning a dinner party can be as complicated or as simple as you make it. If you’ve recently moved into a new home and are eager to throw your first outdoor soiree, this is the perfect time of year to do so!

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