I thought I would take the time to answer some of the more common questions here on my blog. Hopefully it may provide you with some insight and possibly answer a question or two of your own!

Question: I’m thinking of selling my home in Etobicoke, do you think staging it is a worthwhile investment?

Answer: This is a fast and easy answer. Yes! Staging a home in today’s market is really an artform and brings many valuable benefits to today’s sellers. I have listed my top 8 benefits below.

1. Staged homes typically sell faster than non-staged homes
2. Staged homes typically sell for more money than non-staged homes
3. A staged home attracts attention because it shows better and thus gets more exposure from potential buyers and other real estate agents
4. A staged home can create a welcoming look and memorable impression on potential buyers thus helping the home stand out from other homes for sale
5. A staged home refreshes the home so it presents as a clean and well maintained home
6. Staged homes just show better overall so photos of the home, virtual tours, Youtube videos etc. will stand out amongst the competition and on the Internet
7. Staged homes look bigger and brighter
8. Staging helps define rooms and assist buyers in envisioning themselves living there and get excited about buying it

Homes are purchased on emotions.  If you take the time to prepare your home for sale and get the advice of a professional stager you can expect to add so much value to your bottom line! First impressions really do count when you are selling your home and once you are on the market there is no turning back!

Do you want to get the most money out of your home sale? Talk to me today and I can help you get there.

Do you have a question for me? Send an e-mail to milana@mcizmar.com and let me know how I can assist you today!

Click on the latest issue of Your Cizmar Report to read the rest of the story and to see what the market is doing in New Toronto and Mimico.

]]> http://www.mcizmar.com/toronto-west-real-esate-blog/toronto-real-estate-reports-strong-salesprice-growth/feed/ 0 http://www.mcizmar.com/toronto-west-real-esate-blog/toronto-real-estate-reports-strong-salesprice-growth/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MilanaCizmarBlog/~3/Bh9T6K9P8NM/ http://www.mcizmar.com/toronto-west-real-esate-blog/5-quick-tips-to-spruce-up-and-sell-your-home/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:18:48 +0000 admin http://www.mcizmar.com/?p=1157 Continue reading →]]> Make your home more appealing for yourself and for potential buyers with these quick and easy tips:

1. Trim bushes so they don’t block windows and cut down on light.
2. Buy a new doormat.
3. Put a pot of bright flowers (or a small evergreen in winter) on your porch.
4. Put new doorknobs on your front door.
5. Put a fresh coating on your driveway.

Looking for more quick and easy tips you can implement? Sign up for my newsletter on the top right hand side of this page – to be kept in the know!

Few things are more gratifying and rewarding. Congratulations!

Finding your dream home should be an enjoyable experience. Yet, in today’s busy real estate market there are so many elements to consider when purchasing a home.

The Internet has made searching for a home a very easy and fruitful experience, and my web site can get you started in the right direction, but don’t forget, nothing is ever as it appears on-line, so plan on doing some real-world investigation too.

For most people looking for a home, the best place to start is truly contacting a professional real estate agent such as myself!

• I can take your dreams, desires, needs and focus selection to the properties that fit you, saving you countless hours in the process.

• I am on top of the real estate market and have access to the latest up-to-the-minute listings, so you don’t miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

• I know the local neighborhoods in Etobicoke – New Toronto, Mimico, Long Branch, Alderwood and Eatonville and have networks of clients and referrals. These networks allow me to know about homes that are about to be listed and are not on mls yet.

• I can help you with the mass of paperwork and documentation surrounding home buying.

• I do this everyday and can best prepare you for the process.

And best of all… I won’t cost you a thing if you hire me!

I would be delighted if you chose me for the honor of assisting you, I have been helping make home ownership a reality for many people in Etobicoke and Toronto West for over 15 years!  Hopefully you’ve found enough evidence on my web site to justify this choice, if not, please download a copy of my Buyer’s Guide for even more information about buying a home.

Do you have any questions or comments about home ownership? I would love to hear from you.

That’s right 2012 is a Leap Year! February 29th doesn’t come around that often – but this year it will make an appearance. Every four years, we get an extra day, so in 2012 we will be rounding out the year with 366 days. The extra day, February 29 is the leap day of the leap year.

This year is particularly special. If you look at a 2012 calendar, you will see that February has five Wednesdays. The most recent year in which February comprised of five Wednesdays was in 1984 – it won’t be until 2040 that we’ll see five Wednesday’s again!

Speaking of calendars, did you get your 2012 Calendar? If not, I do have a few extra ones available, just send me an e-mail or give me a call and I can get one out to you right away.

We are in February already! Time seems like it is really flying. We have seen brisk sales in Etobicoke so far this year. It is definitely a seller’s market when there is a low inventory of houses for sale and they are selling in an average of 14 days or less!

If you have been sitting on the fence or thinking about selling, now is really a good time to get ahead of your competition. I find every year more people are thinking about getting their houses for sale and preparing them for a spring market.  In my opinion, the best time to sell is when you do the opposite of everyone else.  Think about it, if there are no other houses for sale but yours and it is a seller’s market where will the buyer’s focus their attention on? The advantages of putting your house on the market are many if you use this strategy and I would be happy to provide you with a more detailed report outlining the reasons why.

In the meantime, don’t stop those newsletter subscriptions!  If you would like to be kept up to date with the Toronto West and Etobicoke Real Estate Market, would like free tips on how to prepare your home for sale or add value to it, you need to subscribe to my monthly newsletter and get on the list! Just visit www.mcizmar.com

Judy did the same thing last month and is our winner of the Staged to Sell contest.  Judy receives a copy of “Staged to Sell (or keep)” Easy Ways to Improve the Value of Your Home by Jean Nayer. Congratulations Judy!

Do you have any questions about the real estate market in Toronto West or Etobicoke? Please let me know how I can help you today by posting your question or comment below.

Click on the latest issue of Your Cizmar Report to read the rest of the story and to see what the market is doing in New Toronto and Mimico.

Paul Lachine illustration

I thought I would take the time to answer some of the more common questions here on my blog. Hopefully it may provide you with some insight and possibly answer a question or two of your own!

Question: Any tips on how to pay off my mortgage sooner?

Answer: The faster you pay down the principal amount of your mortgage, the more you can reduce the interest costs. You can find the exact amount of interest you have been paying on your mortgage by taking a look at your most recent mortgage statement.

If you are looking to change that amount I have the following 5 Tips for you:

1. Shorten your amortization period. Instead of your current 25 or 30 year amortization period, shorten it to 15 or 20. Doing so will increase your payment amount but you will be mortgage free sooner and will incur less interest during the duration of the mortgage.
2. If you are currently making monthly payments, switch and increase your payment frequency to a weekly or bi-weekly payment schedule.  This is one small tip you won’t feel and you will end up making an extra month’s payment every year.
3. Increase your payments permanently or temporarily. Did you know some banks or lending institutions will let you increase your regular mortgage payment by 25-50% sometimes even 100!  These extra payments go directly towards your mortgage principal!
4. Make a lump sum payment if you can. Not everyone can do this but it’s nice to have the option! If you’ve come into a cash bonus lately or expecting an income tax refund, use it. Don’t spend it all. Put even a portion of this towards your mortgage.  As long as you have the prepay option you can pay up to 15-20% of your principal mortgage each year!
5. Change from a fixed interest rate mortgage to a variable interest rate mortgage. Keep your mortgage payments the same but switching to a variable interest rate mortgage offers you today’s lower rates and allows you to pay off your mortgage sooner by applying more of the payment towards the principal. Think about it, you haven’t changed your current payment amount but you are paying off your mortgage sooner.  Now that’s a win-win!

If all of these tips are a little too much for you to handle all at once, try one of them and slowly build from there.  You’ll feel good about making some positive changes towards paying down your mortgage sooner and free up some options for you once you have. Then before you know it, you will be looking to upgrade your home to a bigger one or buy that recreational place you’ve been dreaming about!

Do you have a question for me? Send an e-mail to milana@mcizmar.com and let me know how I can assist you today!

Your home is a reflection of who you truly are and of those who live there. If you are looking for a little inspiration and not sure where to start, try this:

Take a fresh look at each room with pen and paper in hand and think about ways in which you can update and improve them.  ALL updates will provide you with a return on investment when it is time to sell.  You cannot go wrong with updates.  Just remember to keep them simple without too much fuss and you will always appeal to a broad audience.  Even if you are not thinking of selling your home, updating a room can always add fresh appeal, create inspiration and a whole new space for you to enjoy!

Ask yourself some of the following questions to get started with your ideas:

What is the first thing you see when you walk into a room? Do you like it?

What type of mood is created in the room? What type of mood would you like to create?

What is the purpose of the room?  I know this one seems obvious but seriously – I have seen bedrooms cluttered with everything from desks, outdated furniture and exercise equipment.  Hint: These are the rooms you should tackle and turn into your little oasis when you are thinking of selling your home.  These are the rooms future buyers will envision themselves in, so try to create a mood for them and the return on your investment will pay off ten-fold!

Some dream rooms that buyers are looking for today? The dream home office, the gourmet kitchen, a home theatre, spa-like bathrooms and master bedroom retreats.

Simple fixes and updates to any of these rooms include modernizing and replacing items that are completely outdated or broken. These are quick and inexpensive fixes that can completely transform a room.  Try modernizing all your light fixtures, putting on a fresh coat of a new paint colour, changing faucets in kitchen and baths, doors and hardware and even updating furniture that you’ve always wanted to.

Looking for more inspiration, tips and tricks for adding value for your home? Get on the list and I’ll have you finishing off your to-do list in no time!

There is a little known program that you could be taking advantage of that can increase the chances of finding a home in this market where bidding wars are the norm and you don’t have the money to buy a “fixer upper”. With a great product out there you now have more flexibility to buy a house that you may have previously overlooked due to the fact the house is in need of some TLC. Whether it is a new kitchen, bathroom, windows, hardwood flooring, etc you have the flexibility to purchase a home and include the cost of renovations in the purchase. This program is ideal for first time buyers who typically have a smaller down payment and can’t afford to put money down on a house and pay for the renovations they desire.

CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing) is the government insurer that anyone with less than 20% down payment must pay in order to purchase a home in Canada. They have a program called Purchase Plus Improvements that allows qualified borrowers the ability to borrow up to 10% of the value to pay towards the costs of renovations. Let me give you an example: If the purchase price of a house is $500,000 the clients have the ability to borrow up to an additional $55,000 (10% of the purchase price plus 10%) in order to pay for the costs of renovations. This allows borrowers to not have to eat into their down payment in order to pay for the costs of renovating a home. With a lot of younger first time buyers trying to find creative ways to get into this increasingly expensive market, this allows you the flexibility of looking at homes that need a little TLC and allows you the ability to build some of your own equity by renovating the house. Why pay more for a house that someone else has renovated when you can include the renovation costs in your mortgage loan approval and renovate to make something your own dream home?

How it works is that borrowers must provide a quote from a contractor prior to the closing of the house, which is submitted off to the lender and insurer for approval. You must make sure you have a visit to the house prior to closing written in your purchase contract so that you can have a contractor review the work required and provide you with a quote that breaks down the scope of work and the costs associated with that work.

Once both CMHC and the lender have approved the improvement amounts, the amount is added into the mortgage and on the closing date the amount is advanced to the lawyer to hold onto until the renovations have been completed. That means you don’t get the money until the work has been completed so we recommend that our clients ensure that they have access to an unsecured line of credit available to them so the initial deposits/costs can be paid and work can begin. Once the work has been completed the lender sends an appraiser out to confirm that the scope of work that has been outlined on the quote has been completed and the lender authorizes the lawyer to release the money to you.

So what’s the catch? Borrowers cannot include the costs of appliances in the quotes as they are not part of the actual house and can be taken if you ever decide to sell. From our own experience, CMHC and lenders usually will not approve renovations to do things like add another unit to the property (like a basement apartment) or fix something like a furnace that should be in good working order when you buy the home. So keep that in mind when you are considering the options.

For additional information on your house hunting process or for your FREE copy of my Buyer’s Guide click here

Content written and provided by Jason Friesen of The Calum Ross Team