Toronto Real Estate Podcast with John Manneh and Laura Spracklin

Critical Steps To Take Right Now If You Are Selling This Fall or Winter!

John@CallJohnAndLaura.com (John Manneh and Laura Spracklin) — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 10:58:00 -0700

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There are three important proactive steps you need take right now to prepare for your home sale if you are planning on selling your home this fall or winter.

1. Take pictures of the exterior grounds and views around your property while everything looks so beautiful. Capture some good pictures of your home while the weather is still warm and your landscaping and views show nicely with all the greenery and especially with the Fall colours. We can have these pictures on display when buyer come to see your home while it is for sale.

2. Take steps to maximize your curb appeal: We work closely with companies that can help you maximize your curb appeal, things like painting railings, painting and fixing garage doors, painting or replacing front doors, fixing your stairs, walkway, driveway etc.. You won't be able to do these things in the winter, so now is your chance

3. Take preventative maintenance steps to make sure your home is dry all winter long:

A. Clean your eavestroughs to make sure that leaves don’t freeze and clog up the flow of water all winter long. This would cause water damage to your roof and the side of your house right down to the foundation as water cannot flow away properly.

     B. Seal the gap between your driveway and your house: A lot of homes we show have wide gaps between these spaces, and water gets in to the foundation and causes problems with mould and dampness. Also seal up the cracks around the base of your foundation (typically non-structural cracks).

     C. Make sure there are no issues with your roof prior to the winter: Ice damming is the #1 reason why roofs leak in the winter. We know great roofing people to refer you to, so please don't hesitate to contact us.

We are seeing a strong seller's market right now, so it's a great time to sell your home.

Please don't hesitate to contact us. We would look forward to helping you maximize the selling price of your largest investment and help you and your family find the next home that you will love living in.

Two Steps You Must Take to Sell Your Home This Fall

John@CallJohnAndLaura.com (John Manneh and Laura Spracklin) — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 14:12:00 -0700

Want to sell your Toronto Home? Get a FREE home value report

Want to sell your Toronto Condo? Get a FREE home value report

Want to buy a Toronto Home? Search all homes for sale

Today, we are going to talk about the two critical steps you need to take right now if you plan on selling your house this fall.

First, we will complete a pre-list home inspection on your property, even if you are in a condo. Then, we will determine the most cost-effective fix-ups that will get you the biggest return on your investment. We will tell you what is worth doing and what is not worth doing. We have a great home inspector who is very well respected in the real estate industry and agents and buyers highly value his inspection reports which creates many benefits for the seller.

Second, we will help you with the styling/staging of your home in order to maximize the emotional appeal. Selling real estate is about selling a dream and helping buyers picture themselves wanting to live in their new home. We work with the best stylists / stagers and inspectors, renovators / handymen who have helped our clients achieve amazing results.

Timing is important as well and we will tell you the best time to sell considering some religious and other holidays between now and the end of the year.

If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to working with you!

Answering the most common questions about real estate deposits!

John@CallJohnAndLaura.com (John Manneh and Laura Spracklin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:05:00 -0700

Want to sell your Toronto Home? Get a FREE home value report

Want to sell your Toronto Condo? Get a FREE home value report

Want to buy a Toronto Home? Search all homes for sale

Today we are here to answer the 4 most important questions about real estate deposits. There are key things to know if you’re a buyer, as well as key things for sellers to know. Without further ado, here they are:

1. How much does my deposit need to be?

In Toronto, 5% is a typical deposit, but sometimes you can get away with 4%. If you are a seller, you want the highest deposit possible for security against the buyer possibly changing their mind about buying.

2. When does the deposit need to be provided to the seller?

In the standard agreement of purchase and sale, the fine print states that the buyer has 24 hours upon acceptance of an offer to provide the deposit. If you are a buyer competing with other offers, however, it’s smart to have certified funds available to give to the seller with your offer. This way the seller won’t have to worry about a buyer who might not show up the next day with the certified funds. Sometimes a seller will even take the 2nd highest offer if that buyer has certified funds when the highest offer only has a regular cheque that still needs to be cashed, or the seller has to take a risk on the buyer to show up the next day with certified funds.

3. Can a buyer get their deposit back before a sale goes firm?

Yes they can. If a buyer purchases a property based on financing or a home inspection for example, and is not satisfied with either, the buyer can back out of the deal and get their deposit back with no penalty. This leads to the final and most common question we hear.

4. If a sale is firm, can the buyer change their mind and get the deposit back?

The answer in most cases is no. If the buyer did end up not wanting to close on the property, not only would they most likely lose the deposit, but the seller could also sue for further damages. Some circumstances will allow a buyer to back out and get their deposit back, such as in cases where the seller or seller's agent had made misrepresentations about a property or not disclosed a critical piece of information that needed to be disclosed.

If you’re planning on selling over the next few months, properties are selling very well right now in August, and we expect that to continue into the fall. It is still a seller's market for most neighbourhoods in the Toronto area. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call. We would love to speak with you anytime.

How We Help Our Real Estate Investor Clients Profit!

John@CallJohnAndLaura.com (John Manneh and Laura Spracklin) — Thu, 28 May 2015 10:26:00 -0700

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Want to sell your Toronto Condo? Get a FREE home value report

Want to buy a Toronto Home? Search all homes for sale

Our investor clients say they love the beginning of the month when they receive their rental payments in their bank accounts for their investment properties. Today's video is dedicated to helping you find great tenants that pay great rents, pay on time and keep your home in good order.

The first thing you need to do is to be ready to market your property immediately after a tenant tells you that they are going to move out. You don't want your property to sit vacant at any point in time, and we help our clients secure great tenants with our marketing program and very thorough screening process.

The first thing we do in the screening process is to run a credit check report and look for scores in the 700+ range. We want to ensure that they can pay rent on time and that they have a good credit history.

The second thing we ask for is a letter of employment, indicating their salary and whether or not they have solid, full-time employment.

References from previous landlords are important too. We want to make sure that previous landlords didn't have problems with them and it's also important to meet with the tenant before you sign a lease just to make sure that you get a positive first impression.

If you are thinking of completing any renovations prior to your next tenant moving in then you can consider such items as replacing old carpet or floors or painting to allow you to keep your property at a good level or repair and possibly even increase the rent.

Before the tenant moves in it is a wise idea to take pictures of your property to ensure that the state of the property at the end of the lease is the same as when you rented it to them.

One of the most important parts of the process is preparing the lease, and we will do that for you. Because the Landlord And Tenant Act favours the tenant, we want to make sure that you have all the appropriate clauses in your rental agreement to best protect you.

Please don't hesitate to give us a call if you need assistance with buying an investment property. We would love to help you make a profit with owning real estate investment properties!

Two Important Steps to Take Before Selling in Toronto

John@CallJohnAndLaura.com (John Manneh and Laura Spracklin) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 11:39:00 -0700

Want to sell your Toronto Home? Get a FREE home value report

Want to sell your Toronto Condo? Get a FREE home value report

Want to buy a Toronto Home? Search all homes for sale

Today we are going to talk about the steps you can take to maximize the sale price of your home. We are in the height of the spring market, so now is the time to prepare your home for sale if you are thinking of selling before the summer. There are two important steps that you can take to prepare yourself for a top dollar sale.

Staging Consultation: We will go room-by-room and suggest what you can do within your budget to make your home feel as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Our recommendations will bring you a return on your investment in the selling price.

Curb Appeal: Curb appeal is really important because we want to help make a great first impression. We work with great companies that will make your home look welcoming and they specialize in outdoor spaces. We also know great painters, plumbers, movers, and many other contractors for any job that you need done.

Pre-list Home Inspection: This will allow you to proactively fix anything in your home that will enhance the overall value to buyers. Having your home in tip-top condition when you go to sell is important, and this also prevents any unwanted surprises from occurring during an inspection later in the selling process.

Hopefully this information has been useful to you, and we highly recommend taking these steps before you put your home on the market.

If there is anything we can do for you when you go to buy or sell, please don't hesitate to contact us!

How Can You Take Advantage of the Toronto Real Estate Market?

John@CallJohnAndLaura.com (John Manneh and Laura Spracklin) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 13:02:00 -0700

Want to sell your Toronto Home? Get a FREE home value report

Want to sell your Toronto Condo? Get a FREE home value report

Want to buy a Toronto Home? Search all homes for sale

Today we will be talking to you about what has been happening with the Toronto real estate market. Overall, we are seeing a shortage of inventory and a large amount of pent-up demand, which is making for a strong seller’s market this spring.

The housing market is in short supply in every area of the city, and many homes are selling for top dollar. However, your home still needs to be priced properly or it will sit on the market.

In the condo market there haven't been as many multiple offers, but properties that are staged and priced correctly are selling within one to three weeks and for near-record prices for similar units within the condo.

Overall, now is a perfect time to sell. There is a lot of demand, and you can expect a quick and profitable sale if your property is priced strategically, prepared for sale, and marketed effectively to a large audience.

If you are buying a home, you can take advantage of the low interest rates, and you can expect there to be a good supply of properties to choose from as we head into the peak spring market. We are very experienced in selling both homes and condos in most areas of the city.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might still have about real estate in Toronto!