The biggest story in the Toronto condo market over the past 6 months has been the disparity between supply and demand. Simply put, inventory (condos available for sale) is at an all time low, and demand is at an all time high. This has been a recipe for rapid price appreciation, frenzied buying, and sellers […]
Like most Canadians, I have been watching the news and updates surrounding the earthquake in Haiti with a sense of shock and sadness. The images and scenes are horrific and overwhelming. And like most Canadians, I feel like it is my responsibility to do something to help. The immediate needs are obvious: people need food, […]
Around this time last year I predicted 2009 was going to be the year of the assignment. I was wrong. While assignments did begin to take a greater role in the overall Toronto condo market, they still have not gone ‘mainstream’. Quite frankly, this method of buying and selling real estate will probably never go […]
I am part of one of the best condo brokerages downtown – Re/Max Condos Plus. Our broker of record is Jamie Johnston. Jamie has been in this business a long time and he’s a very sharp cat. Follow him on Twitter and check out our company blog which Jamie writes. Jamie just put out his […]
February 16, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur /Insights, News
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced changes to the way mortgages are given out in this country today that are said to help prevent a housing bubble from forming. The keyword being prevent, meaning the government is very clear that they do not believe a housing bubble exists. I would have to agree with the […]
Greed is bad. Greed distorts reality and greed in the condo market hurts both buyers and sellers, consumers and developers. Recently I’ve noticed some signs of greed finding its way into the downtown condo market. To me, this is a sign the market is about to change as an impending inventory surge in the resale […]
Building a sales centre on the site of a future new condo development used to be the first thing that developers would do when launching a new project. Developers of Toronto condos typically would spend hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions in the construction of these temporary structures that were built to be torn down. Inherently […]
While the title of this post may sound confusing at first, the meaning is simple: whenever you buy a condo, make sure it is a unit that would be easy to sell again in the future – even in a strong buyer’s market. This is advice I always tell my clients, especially investor clients. May […]
The long predicted rush to beat the HST seems to be in full effect. Developers who have nearly finished buildings are rushing to get their remaining inventory over $400K sold and closed (building registered) before June 30th. For example, Empire Communities has School House Lofts in the Annex – a boutique collection of high-end condominium […]
Insights
Inventory Relief Coming Soon
January 4, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
The biggest story in the Toronto condo market over the past 6 months has been the disparity between supply and demand. Simply put, inventory (condos available for sale) is at an all time low, and demand is at an all time high. This has been a recipe for rapid price appreciation, frenzied buying, and sellers […]
Read more
My Response to Haiti
January 18, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
Like most Canadians, I have been watching the news and updates surrounding the earthquake in Haiti with a sense of shock and sadness. The images and scenes are horrific and overwhelming. And like most Canadians, I feel like it is my responsibility to do something to help. The immediate needs are obvious: people need food, […]
Read more
Why No One is Buying Your Assignment
January 29, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
Around this time last year I predicted 2009 was going to be the year of the assignment. I was wrong. While assignments did begin to take a greater role in the overall Toronto condo market, they still have not gone ‘mainstream’. Quite frankly, this method of buying and selling real estate will probably never go […]
Read more
January Market Update from Re/Max Condos Plus
January 5, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
I am part of one of the best condo brokerages downtown – Re/Max Condos Plus. Our broker of record is Jamie Johnston. Jamie has been in this business a long time and he’s a very sharp cat. Follow him on Twitter and check out our company blog which Jamie writes. Jamie just put out his […]
Read more
New Mortgage Rules Aimed at Cooling the Condo Market
February 16, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights, News
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced changes to the way mortgages are given out in this country today that are said to help prevent a housing bubble from forming. The keyword being prevent, meaning the government is very clear that they do not believe a housing bubble exists. I would have to agree with the […]
Read more
Greed
March 4, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
Greed is bad. Greed distorts reality and greed in the condo market hurts both buyers and sellers, consumers and developers. Recently I’ve noticed some signs of greed finding its way into the downtown condo market. To me, this is a sign the market is about to change as an impending inventory surge in the resale […]
Read more
Death of the Sales Centre?
February 12, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
Building a sales centre on the site of a future new condo development used to be the first thing that developers would do when launching a new project. Developers of Toronto condos typically would spend hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions in the construction of these temporary structures that were built to be torn down. Inherently […]
Read more
Buy to Sell in a Buyer’s Market
March 18, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
While the title of this post may sound confusing at first, the meaning is simple: whenever you buy a condo, make sure it is a unit that would be easy to sell again in the future – even in a strong buyer’s market. This is advice I always tell my clients, especially investor clients. May […]
Read more
HST Rush Is On
April 12, 2010 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
The long predicted rush to beat the HST seems to be in full effect. Developers who have nearly finished buildings are rushing to get their remaining inventory over $400K sold and closed (building registered) before June 30th. For example, Empire Communities has School House Lofts in the Annex – a boutique collection of high-end condominium […]
Read more