Toronto Real Estate News by Paul Chan
Hi there,
Please welcome Ellen Li to the Modern Family Realtor team as our new Marketing Manager. Feel free to reach out this month to get your free marketing and listing consultations if you are planning to sell or buy a home in 2017.
If you’re planning on a renovation, you’ll want to make sure to prepare in advance at it’ll likely get a bit messy and chaotic. This month’s article offers some advice on how to plan your renovation so that things will go as smoothly as possible.
Thanks so much for checking out this month’s newsletter. Please get in touch if you have any questions or comments regarding the articles, or real estate in general — it’d be great to hear from you!
The Modern Family Team is Growing!
Modern Family Realtor is proud to announce the addition of Ellen Li as our new Marketing Manager. Ellen has a strong background in marketing from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto.
She has assisted many organizations grow their marketing and social media platform with strong results. Feel free to connect with Ellen if you are interested in getting your own customized marketing plan for your property in 2017!
The Toronto Real Estate Report
2016 was a record-breaking year for home sales.
Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 113,133 home sales through TREB’s MLS® System – up by 11.8 per cent compared to 2015.
The calendar year 2016 result included 5,338 sales in December – an annual increase of 8.6 per cent.
The strongest annual rate of sales growth in 2016 was experienced for condominium apartments followed by detached homes.
“A relatively strong regional economy, low unemployment and very low borrowing costs kept the demand for ownership housing strong in the GTA, as the region’s population continued to grow in 2016,” said Mr. Cerqua.
A Few Ways to Help Toronto’s Homeless
Homeless shelters are always in need of help during the winter.
If you’ve ever wondered how you can help the homeless this winter, the City of Toronto has put together a detailed list of community agencies along with their specific needs.
There are over 50 organizations dedicated to helping men, women and youth. Some of the items most needed around this time of year are winter coats, socks, gloves, warm hats and hygiene items such as toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant.
The website also lists the various volunteer opportunities that are available should you wish to roll up your sleeves and help out at a shelter in person. Whatever route you decide on, it’s important to remember that every little bit counts!
Surviving the Stress of a Home Renovation
A bit of planning in advance will help keep you sane during a renovation.
If you’re thinking about renovating your home, you’ll want to try and consider every little detail in advance.
Careful planning will not only allow you to hold onto your sanity during the upheaval but will also ensure you get the best bang for your buck! Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- No Surprises – Make sure you agree (in writing) on a completion date but keep in mind that renovations can sometimes be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
- Be Flexible – Accept from the start that you’ll be dealing with a lack of privacy along with dust, noise, mess and disorganization but remember that it’ll all be worth it in the end.
- Kidding Around – Set aside some toys/games for the kids and schedule some playdates and local outings so you can escape the construction zone chaos.
- Plan Ahead – Pre-prep some freezer meals for quick and easy dinners. Also, take this opportunity to donate unwanted items to charity so your newly renovated home won’t be full of clutter.
- Stay in the Loop – Misunderstandings between contractors (and spouses!) are one of the biggest causes of stress during a renovation. Open communication is essential so schedule regular progress reports.
Watching your home transform into something new is a very exciting experience but it’s also a major inconvenience. The secret to making sure everything goes smoothly is to remain calm throughout the process and plan ahead for surprises. If you keep that in mind, your dream home will be a reality before you know it!
The Trick to Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions
It’s important to have realistic goals as well as a flexible attitude.
The new year inspires us to start fresh but the possibility of failure sometimes stops us from even getting started.
There are a variety of smartphone apps to help you track your goals whether they be to quit smoking, build volunteer hours or lose weight. Stride for iPhone and Resolutions for Android are both very popular options.
New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be set in stone so try to be strong yet flexible. If you start realizing your goals aren’t achievable, take a few moments to modify them. Our lives are constantly changing so it’s important that our goals change as well.
