Thoughts & Happenings

Goodale Miller Team clients Carolyn and Troy Holmes host a fund raising event each year in honor of their son Luke who passed away in 2007. 1 in 100 children are born with a congenital heart defect. Luke lost his battle with his congenital heart disease on December 28, 2007 at only 22 months of age.

Are you attending the Downtown Plan Open House and Workshop on January 30, 2014 put on by the Town of Oakville?

A new report out last week shows that your four legged friends, no matter how beloved, could be devaluing your condo. This new US report researched the price of condos over time, compared with whether or not they allowed pets. The report concluded that while having a pet did knock down the resale price by a few percentage points on average (and up to 30% in the case of extreme damage), it’s more about the atmosphere pets set than the damage they’re inflicting on the building.

We get a lot of questions, and of course, many about bars in the home. Some people want a wet bar in their office, while others are going to see it as something that they don’t want to devote a lot of time and space to. It’s all about presentation, modernity and catering to the needs of people that would actually want a bar.

Even though 79% of owners of condos built in the last year are single or couples without children, it’s not so easy to find a one bedroom that fits all your needs. Developers have come to the conclusion that people buying new homes want extra room, specifically extra bedrooms, and are phasing out those 1/1 classics in favour of spacious units with open floor plans.

According to an annual housing report from the CMHC, less than a quarter of condos in Toronto are owned by investors - but what does this mean? 23% of condos in Toronto proper are being rented out, but those numbers are counting only the ones that go through the MLS and professional realtors. So if you’re renting a condo via a listing you found on Kijiji or Craigslist, a condo you found through a friend or word of mouth, you won’t show up in these numbers.

Yes, they’re changing their minds, again. 2013 was expected to fall apart and go out with a whimper, but instead we have one of the most active winter seasons we’ve seen in a very long time. What does this mean for you, what does this mean for us as realtors, and does this mean you’re going to pay more for a home next year than you did this year? Keep reading and find out!

It’s said that you can spot a recession by how boxy the homes are – but the brilliant designs, the designs that push the envelope and stick with us, those only happen when times are good. Today many luxury developers are putting money into homes, condos and developments that not only break the mould, but do it with style.

Many of you have probably seen that article making the rounds about the condo owner that didn’t understand why she had to pay a $1500 assessment to give the staff holiday bonuses – after all, shouldn’t a small part of all your monthly dues go to that at the end of the year? What if you hate the doorman, what if he likes to smoke indoors and is absent minded about who he lets into the elevator? Do you really want to face the inevitable “Wrath of the Staff” for failing to tip appropriately?

Many homeowners are spending upwards of $90,000 for professional holiday and installation, but how much are you willing to put down to make your neighbours go ooh and ahh?

Each year our taste for décor becomes more and more elaborate, and once you get a taste for the holidays it can be a bit hard to stop. But the larger the home, the more elaborate or exotic the architecture, the more risky it can be to decorate your own home for the holidays. It’s no wonder so many Canadians are turning to professional décor and installation!