Ajax Pickering Real Estate Blog

Grant Surridge, Financial Post

Sales of existing homes in Canada’s major cities reversed two months of declines in October, clocking in with the largest ever figure for that month, according to a national real estate agents‘ association.

Seasonally adjusted national sales rebounded to 28,966 units in October, climbing 1.3% from the level in September, said the Canadian Real Estate Association on Thursday.

“The thing that surprised me most was the fact the rebound occurred in markets across the country,” said Gregory Klump, chief economist at the Canadian Real Estate Association.

“It just shows the strength of resale housing markets across Canada.”

The average resale price rose 10.6% year-over-year to $333,544, the sixth consecutive month that number climbed over 10%. Average prices hit record levels in Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto and Montreal.

Mr. Klump contrasted the continued positive news emitting from the Canadian housing market with the doom and gloom from south of the border.

“We continue to see sellers’ markets, not buyers’ markets like in the States.”

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960

The addition of an area rug helps to pull furnishings together, offers visual impact and adds comfort and warmth to a room. It is important to realize that the size and placement really does matter so your rug will provide the most impact.

In a standard living room / family room, a rug should be proportional to a room size with an equal amount of floor exposed on all sides regardless of obstacles such as fireplaces, radiators or furniture pieces. If this is not possible, then the rug should be placed so that it reaches under all or most of the major furniture pieces in the centre of the room to unify the seating arrangement. It is not essential however that the back legs of a sofa or chair are resting on the carpet. If more than two feet of carpet extend behind a sofa or chair, then a table should be added to fill the space.

In a dining area, the rug should extend 18-24 inches past the edge of the table so the chairs can rest on the carpet even when they are pulled away from he table.

In a living room / dining room situation where two rugs are being used, assure that there is space between the two and follow the guidelines already mentioned for the various areas.

In a bedroom, allow about 2 feet of bare floor at the edges similar to the living room space. If the bed is not centred however, the carpet could seem awkward and misplaced, so consideration might be given to using smaller rugs on either side of the bed and perhaps at the end, instead of one large rug.

HINT: to give an area rug maximum impact, customize it by having it bound with decorative edging to co-ordinate with the room colour and furnishings. This can be expensive, so shop around. Cotton, jute, suede and leather are just a few of the many original options available. One of today’s hottest trends is the addition of an extra wide binding.

REMEMBER: Empty houses should be staged to provide the opportunity for the potential buyer to view a property in its ideal state. Sellers are strongly encouraged to regard this as a necessary expense if they hope to successfully negotiate a good asking price for their property. The approximate cost for successfully furnishing / accessorizing / staging a 3 bedroom home is $3,000-$3,500 depending on the size of the home.

Hope these tips have been of some benefit to you in offering suggestions for preparing a home for sale.

Please take the time to check out our website at www.homesteps.ca. You will find several photos taken of homes staged for clients have been exceptionally pleased with the service we have provided for them. Please give us a call and let us help you sell your house.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960

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No one prefers chips these days. The world is going crazy after any carpet. There are carpet tiles now, in addition to the rugs living rooms and studies of the middle ages are so famous for. You can also have an exclusive all outdoor carpet too.

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CanWest News Service

Home sales in Canada’s major real estate markets during the third quarter of 2007 edged back 4.1% from the previous quarter’s record levels but remained strong, according to an industry report released Tuesday.

Seasonally adjusted figures show that 89,482 units were sold in the third quarter of 2007, the third highest quarterly figure on record, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.

The report indicated that the quarterly decline was mainly due to fewer unit sales in Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal. Reductions in these major real estate markets more than off set the increase in sales activity in Vancouver.

“Resale housing activity remains strong, but it is beginning to ease back from its breakneck pace recorded in the first half of the year,” said the Canadian Real Estate Association chief economist Gregory Klump. “Sales activity remains on track to set a new annual record this year.”

The report said that on a year-to-date basis, sales activity is well ahead of levels recorded last year. There were 291,003 units of sales in Canada’s major real estate markets in the first nine months of 2007, an increase of 8.7 per cent from the same period in 2006. The Canadian Real Estate Association statistics indicated that year-to-date transactions remained above year-ago levels in almost all of the major markets surveyed.

The report authors argued that a substantial increase in new listings caused markets in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina to become more balanced. By contrast, markets in Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., Ottawa and Saint John, N.B. have become tighter since the year began according to the report.

“The recent surge in new listings has quickly put major markets in Alberta into balanced territory,” Klump added. “Buyers in those markets will likely take shop, and remove some of the steam from price increases.”

Seasonally adjusted figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association show there were 148,022 new listed units in the third quarter, the second highest level on record. The marginal decline in new listings was less than the quarterly sales decline that, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association,led to a more balanced resale market in the third quarter.

“Over the long haul, a strong and stable market is good for both buyers and sellers” said Canadian Real Estate Association president Ann Bosley. “We have not seen any of the large adjustments that have affected markets in the United States.

“The underlying economic conditions in Canada that affect real estate are still very strong. The main reason for any market adjustment stems from volume of new listings.”

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960