[Note: the analysis from this blog post was referenced in a Globe & Mail article in March of 2018.] The calendar just turned from February to March. That means February real estate statistics will be released next week. And that means we're going to be seeing harsh year-over-year (YoY) price comparisons for the next few months. If you want a fun drinking game, have a shot every time you hear or read the media use any variation on the word "plunge" related to... [read more]

This is the second part of a three-part series. The first post dealt with scintilating topics such as what I'd change with RECO, land transfer taxes, and pre-construction sales. Today I'll have my sights set upon some stuff that really cheese people off - like bidding wars and bogus square footage claims. 4) Bidding wars Who likes blind bidding wars? Sellers do. Seller's agents do. But in a transaction you will have exactly one selling party, whereas you might have dozens... [read more]

I've been siting on this blog idea for a long time. I wrote a bunch of it during the initial COVID-19 slowdown in activity, but then things ramped way up and I never got to finishing it. The idea for this post comes from seeing several things in my time as a realtor that are either frustrating or seem like they could be improved - or both. The ideas vary in importance and potential impact, but since I'm The King I'm going to share whichever ones I please and in whatever order! And... [read more]

Here we are with Part 3 of this three part series with me complaining about stuff I don't like about real estate currently. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. On the last two points, one is a provincial matter, and the other one is a much broader issue but I'll focus on some possible Ontario and Toronto solutions. 7) Home Inspection certification As Bob Aaron, long time real estate law columnist in the Toronto Star put it, In Ontario, anyone with a business card... [read more]

I chose areacode416homes.com as my real estate website domain and @areacode416 as my Twitter handle because it ties nicely into a couple of my passions: Toronto and numbers. It is also a nod to my high school and university summer job as a Bell Canada telephone operator. Zero was my work phone number back then. You may remember me from such catchphrases as "Bell operator — can I help you?" or "Directory Assistance — for what city... [read more]