Archive: June 2014
Which comes first? The purchase or the sale?
One of the most difficult decisions in Real Estate for home owners looking to move is deciding whether to Buy or Sell first. While there is no easy answer to this question, there are a number of things to consider when determining what will be the right choice for you.
Do I Really Need A Real Estate Agent to Sell My Home?
I received a call this winter from a friend who had recently tried to sell her condo privately. She seemed frustrated with the process and wasn’t sure what to do next. After the property sat on the market for 60 days without an offer, she felt she made a poor judgement call by not hiring a Full Service Agent. The worst part is that, unlike a typical commission-based relationship with a Realtor, she will be out $3,500 (the non-refundable listing fee charged by her private sale website) if she is unsuccessful in selling her unit.
This is one of the biggest disadvantages of selling your home privately instead of with an agent. If your Agent is unsuccessful at selling your home, there is often no cost to you; whereas when you sell your home privately, you are taking on all the risk and paying your selling costs upfront whether you achieve a successful sale or not.
Are you paying too much property tax?
Property taxes are a reality for any homeowner and a necessity to our city, but have you considered if you’re paying your fair share?
Last fall, MPAC sent out its property assessments for a four year period beginning January 1, 2012 which saw a 23% average increase in property values from its previous assessment date of January 1, 2008.
Although I speak with the odd homeowner who is outraged to see such large increases in their valuation knowing the increased assessment often leads to higher property taxes, most of us don’t give this assessment a second thought, and many of us are excited to see how much our properties have appreciated over recent years. [..]