Filter by area
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board’s November Market Watch report showed the first sign that some relief might be on the way for Toronto home...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News, Home Buying Tips
The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) recently published a brochure with some consumer focused information about...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News, Real Estate Trends
In case you missed the headlines earlier this week, after a two-year investigation into Canada’s real estate brokerage...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Toronto real estate prices increased by 9.4% in just four months according to the Teranet National Bank House Price Index.
The House...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Home Selling Tips
The Great SPIS Myth
It's time to reveal The Great SPIS Myth – the prevailing fiction about the Seller Property Information Statement (SPIS),...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to the current shortage in housing supply that we are seeing in Toronto.
From...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board released their monthly Market Watch report yesterday and the numbers aren't very encouraging. We are...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Condo Buying Tips
Terry is a 23-year-old public servant, having recently graduated with a bachelor of commerce degree.
He is ready to buy his first home, and...
John Pasalis in Home Buying Tips
My last post on multiple offers sparked reaction from agents and consumers alike. As a follow up, I’ll consider these comments and further clarify...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board released their monthly Market Watch report for August showing 8,035 home sales in August - a 27% increase...
Many of our regular subscribers have enquired about the status of our media roundup which we haven't published over the past few weeks due to summer absences.
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board reported a record 9,967 resale home sales for July, a 28% increase over the same month last year. Average...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
When Toronto’s real estate market started to pick up in April it was encouraging to see that many Toronto home buyers were taking a very...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board reported 10,995 sales in June 2009, a 27% increase over the same month in the previous year and the highest...
John Pasalis in Home Buying Tips
When buyers decide to make an offer to purchase a home their real estate agent typically includes two conditions in the agreement of purchase and...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
From the Canadian Real Estate Association's Press Release:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
National...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area increased by almost 2% to 9,589 in May 2009, the first monthly increase since December 2007....
CBC’s The Passionate Eye recently profiled “The Passionate Prince” – a work I settled down to watch once I was able to verify that it was not about...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News, Condo Buying Tips
Toronto’s condo market is on solid ground according to a recent research paper published by Scotiabank Economics....
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) recently released two new commercials as part of their "How Realtors Help" ad campaign. I ...
Last week, we scooped up rush tickets to see Glengarry Glen Ross, staged by the Soulpepper Theatre Company at the Yonge Centre. It’s especially...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board reported 8,107 sales in April 2009, down 7% from the same month in the previous year. The average price for...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
February 2009 marked the sixth straight monthly decline for the Teranet National Bank House Price Index for Canada. Canadian home prices...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Condo Buying Tips
Last week I had the opportunity to review a condominium builder purchase agreement with a couple of clients. They had been told in the sales...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The overall mood about the current state of Toronto’s real estate market typically depends on the two most commonly reported statistics in...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board released their March sales statistics yesterday and they appear to be encouraged by the fact that sales are...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Canadian home prices fell 2.4% in January 2009 led by declines in Calgary (-8.2%) and Vancouver (-4.2%). The Teranet-National Bank House...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board reported 2,565 transactions in the first half of March 2009, a 19% drop from the 3,183 transactions reported...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The recent slowdown in Toronto’s real estate market has left many people wondering where the market is heading leading up to the busy...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Fellow real estate blogger Richard Silver has the inside scoop on TREB's February sales statistics.
The Toronto Real Estate Board recorded...
John Pasalis in Leslieville, Urban Issues
The Ontario Municipal Board has decided that big box stores anchored by a Wal-mart have no place in Leslieville. The board said that...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Canadian house prices in December 2008 were down just .6% from a year earlier, according to the Teranet-National Bank House Price Index....
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
In the past 18 months 700 Ontario homes have been insulated with a prohibited type of insulation called urea formaldehyde-based thermal...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Under normal circumstances, a 26% decline in real estate sales is not something to be excited about. But these are not normal...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Over the past couple of months the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) has issued a freeze order, freezing the accounts of three...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board reported 3,433 condominium rentals in the Greater Toronto Area from September to December 2008, a 30%...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Canada's Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) was introduced as part of the 2009 federal budget and was just one of several measures...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods.
Christie Pits is a neighbourhood bordered by Bloor Street West, Ossington Avenue, Christie Street and the railroad tracks that lie just...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Toronto real estate sales declined by 50% during the first half of January 2009, continuing a sales slide that started in October 2008.
...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about a new Canadian House Price Index launched by National Bank and Teranet. I thought I would...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Using a simple average to measure the change in real estate values can present a number of problems. I have covered these issues in ...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
RBC Economics says that Canada is experiencing a “Canadian-style” housing downturn but will avoid a US style housing market crash. The...
Given the disastrous effects of the subprime mortgage on the world economy, it is easy to forget that many once saw the instrument as an agent of good. Under many US...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board recorded 3,640 sales in the Greater Toronto Area for November 2008, a 50% decline over the 7,313 recorded in...
Rachel Loizos in Legal, Condo Buying Tips, Home Buying Tips
In his recent article, Condo Buyers should prepare for ‘phantom’ rent, Terrence Belford of the Globe and Mail...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
For the past couple of months I have been cautioning our readers against making any big conclusions about Toronto’s real estate market...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
For those who missed the headlines last week, the Toronto Real Estate Board announced their bleak sales figures for October 2008. The...
Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with my views on names, which is that they matter. The big names behind the Leslieville Lofts project, Lamb Development Corp and Hyde...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News, Condo Buying Tips
In May of this year the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released an optimistic report on Toronto's...
I have become a great fan of Andy Barrie. It happened the morning he reported on the incredible story of brakes being cut on the cars of Toronto-area Liberal party supporters....
Jesse Fleming in Urban Issues.
Furthering Toronto’s green initiative does not end at the array of garbage collection bins that have been distributed to residents throughout the...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The average price for a home in the city of Toronto dropped by 15% during the first half of October, eclipsing the 6% decline we saw last...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News, Condo Buying Tips
The past ten years have been kind to home buyers and real estate speculators who invested in pre-construction...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
After a slight decline in new listings in August, we saw new listings climb 19% over 2007 levels in September and 6% over the volume we...
John Pasalis in Real Estate Trends
CEP News interviewed me several weeks ago for a story about a home buyer who decided to purchase a house with a rental unit as a way to spend a...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Toronto’s real estate bubble in the late 1980’s left a grave mark on the city. Those who didn’t lose money in the bubble probably knew...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Real estate sales in the Greater Toronto Area for the first half of September declined to 2,726 a 16% drop over the record set during the...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods.
When a particular neighbourhood has a quality that sets it apart from the pack, the entirety of that characteristic generally echoes...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
In April of this year I indicated that my outlook for Toronto’s real estate market was neither bullish nor bearish. I said that Toronto...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
When I reported last month that real estate prices increased by just $298 in July 2008, I wondered when Toronto would see its first...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
When approaching the neighbourhood of Wallace Emerson it is hard for one to ignore the neon lights of Club Paradise illuminating a...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Many of our readers have been a bit concerned about the rise in inventory (homes available for sale) in Toronto’s real estate market. The...
There’s a new way to search for houses online in Canada, and it’s not Realtor.ca.
Zoocasa, a Canadian real estate search site backed by Rogers...
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"><HTML><HEAD><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
When economists see a significant and sustained deviation from recent trends in data, they try to find the factor(s) that may have...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Sales continue to slide in Toronto's real estate market. 3,019 homes were sold in the Greater Toronto Area during the first half of...
Norman Ave. is a two-block long street near St. Clair Ave. W., and Lansdowne Ave. Number 16A is a small row house that recently became the subject of an apparent mortgage fraud...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Updated (3:49pm 8/14/2008) :The Toronto Real Estate Board’s Market Watch reports for May and December of 2007 incorrectly swapped the...
A reader recently wrote in to ask me about the Distillery District following an early post. He's not the only one to wonder about 'emerging neighbourhoods'. While up-and-comers...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Some interesting numbers from the Toronto Real Estate Board this month.
The average sale price for a home in the City of Toronto last...
One of the drawbacks I initially had towards living in a condominium was the lack of a garden to call my own. Although my green thumb has yet join...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
A few months ago I did a live online Q&A on globeandmail.com where I had the opportunity to answer questions about Toronto’s real estate...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Last week we released our Q1 2008 Move Smartly Housing Report which offers a detailed summary of real estate sales by neighbourhood....
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods.
Bounded by Lawrence Avenue East, Snowden Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road, the neighbourhood of Wanless Park relies on the lay of the land...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Here are the latest numbers from the Toronto Real Estate Board:
Moderate activity and strong prices continued to characterize the Greater...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Hoggs Hollow has always been one of those neighbourhoods that I had heard of but never quite knew where it was or what to expect when I...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
One of our reasons for launching realosophy.com was to educate consumers about some of the not so nice things that can go on in the real...
John Pasalis in Real Estate Trends
I am a pretty loyal user of Google Maps but over the past few months I have been using Microsoft’s Live Maps when I want to map houses or...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The latest numbers from the Toronto Real Estate Board:
Download the Complete Market Watch Report
The trend toward more balanced market...
Two Toronto communities are fighting the re-appearance of naughty nudies on their strip. Residents of New Toronto and neighbouring Long Branch are home to an increasing number of...
John Pasalis in Real Estate Trends
The Globe and Mail interviewed me for an article published this weekend about a local real estate site called Housing123.com that the Canadian...
As of July 1, 2008, residents of multi-unit buildings will be charged a fee for garbage collection. In a previous post, I had explained the roll-out...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The story for Toronto’s real estate market continues to be consistent half way through June. Prices continue to rise and sales continue to...
If you already own a home and are considering marriage, you may be considering obtaining a marriage contract to protect your assets. If you are considering...
The shopping mall, currently staring as the villain of Leslieville, and frequent associate of the gassy nightmare that is the suburbs, is rarely heralded by urban enthusiasts....
Rachel Loizos in Legal, Home Buying
You can browse through the list provided on the City of Toronto Website and search our heritage properties by their municipal address. The...
Rachel Loizos in Legal, HomeBuying
I attended a great Law Society of Upper Canada seminar recently, The Annotated Agreement of Purchase and Sale, chaired by Bradley N. McLellan...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board recorded 9,411 sales in the Greater Toronto Area in May 2008, a 16% decline over last year. Prices increased...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
If there was ever a more family-oriented neighbourhood in Toronto, I have yet to find it. The neighbourhood of Leaside was a planned...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Home Buying
Next month marks the official beginning of summer, the season when many city folk retreat to their cottages to de-stress and to absorb some...
Renovation season gets underway each year as soon as spring’s tulips begin to peek out of gardens across the city. In a previous post, I had...
Carl Minicucci in Home Buying Tips, Condo Buying Tips, Legal
In the market and planning the purchase of a new freehold home or condominium in the next few months? If so, you will...
John Pasalis in Real Estate Trends
I just came across a Forbes article covering the world's first billion dollar home. The home is being built for Indian billionaire and fifth...
Bob Aaron in Home Buying, Legal
Taking the law into your own hands over a property line dispute can be dangerous to your bank account, as one Toronto homeowner discovered...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News, Condo Buying Tips
Last week I raised a couple of concerns about a recent Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) report that had...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Growing up in the suburbs, I had been a frequent patron of the night life on College Street otherwise known as Little Italy. I always...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board released their sales figures for the first half of May 2008 and the statistics continue to show a softer...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Home Buying
When Donna bought her home near Warden Ave. and Ellesmere Rd. last summer, she had no idea she would get stuck with the final water bill of the...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Two housing reports released this week have been making headlines across the country. The reports from Scotiabank and CMHC are forecasting...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Earlier this week Realosophy.com released their first Quarterly Move Smartly Housing Report to subscribers.
The Realosophy team is...
He was a young guy, fresh-faced and eager - to talk to me. Not necessarily odd, but odd for a dimly-lit subway car after a long work day. "Is that what you work on?" he wanted to...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
A friend of mine named her dog after it. Former Sault St. Marie band Treble Charger wrote a song about it. The neighbourhood of Trinity...
It seems that a week in Toronto is no longer complete without that criminal act which appears to define the word ‘senseless’ as we understand it: the...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board released their sales for April 2008. It wasn't much of a surprise to see that sales declined 7% in April...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Home Buying
The most important question for anyone buying a cottage property is always, "How do I get there from here?" After all, there's no point...
John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News
Last Friday I was invited to answer questions about Toronto’s real estate market in a live online discussion on globeandmail.com. I...
Rachel Loizos in Real Estate Trends
A recent article in DreamHomes & Condominiums magazine highlighted one of the most interesting trends in real estate that I have seen in...
Over the weekend, Tom Kent's widely-read piece on Canadian citizenship, "Canada is much more than a hotel," appeared in the Globe and Mail. Kent, a...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
My favourite Toronto housing style has always been, what I call, the ‘downtown house.’ They are numerous within Dufferin Grove (check out...
It's not uncommon for an elderly parent to transfer real estate or other assets into joint names with his or her adult children. When this happens, does the...
Bob Aaron in Home Buying Tips, Legal
Earlier this month, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice released a decision which highlights the obligations of parties signing a...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Resale home sales in the Greater Toronto Area are down 5% in the first half of April compared to the same period last year. This is an increase...
Jesse Fleming in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Similar to any older Toronto neighbourhood, the trend of knocking down post-war homes (usually bungalows) and building grander, modernized...
John Pasalis in Money, Home Buying Tips
Last week, the Toronto Star’s Ellen Roseman wrote an article titled 40-year Mortgage Comes with Hidden Hazards. On Move Smartly, we often...
Bob Aaron in Legal, Home Selling Tips, Toronto Real Estate News
Ed. Note. We are pleased to welcome Bob Aaron, a Toronto real estate law expert, to Move Smartly. A leading ...
Carl in Home Buying, Home Selling Tips, Real Estate Trends
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to show you the greatest Real Estate brokerage offer ever made…all your investment and...
In the end, being in the new Museum subway station was like being in, well, a museum. Or perhaps a coatroom in a museum. Amidst harsh ceiling lights and...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
This past weekend, Toronto was home to the Canadian National Scrabble Championship. As I am an avid player of the crossword-themed game, I could...
Rachel in Legal, Real Estate Trends
Some new developments are coming to pass in the legal world as it relates to real estate. You may or may not know that the province of...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
There were a couple of reports yesterday that are sure to make the average home buyers head spin.
While the Toronto Real Estate Board announced a...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Here are the latest numbers from the Toronto Real Estate Board.
Low inventory levels kept the Greater Toronto Area resale housing market brisk but...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
“Four hundred feet above Lake Ontario and far from the lake winds in winter” was the original advertisement for the neighbourhood of Lawrence Park
Ed. Note. Move Smartly is pleased to welcome Carl Minicucci and his insightful commentary to our blog. Carl is a sales representative with Humber Valley Realty in Vaughan and is...
Rachel in Lifestyle, HomeBuying, Legal
With spring in the air and my tulips breaking the surface in my garden, my thoughts naturally turn to home renovations. I enjoy taking on...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
The neighbourhood of Humewood-Cedarvale is a result of the amalgamation of the former communities of Humewood and Cedarvale (check out...
As we move towards our first anniversary, the team at Move Smartly invites you to consider blogging with us.
John in Home Buying, Home Selling Tips
Multiple Representation (also referred to as Dual Agency) can occur when one agent represents both the buyer and the seller in a real estate...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
The Toronto Real Estate Board released their statistics for the first half of March and it's no surprise to hear that sales in the GTA are down...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Here's is the latest press release from the Toronto Real Estate Board:
Resale home transactions in the Greater Toronto Area continued at a...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Incorporated into the City of Toronto in 1912, the neighbourhood of Lytton Park hit its construction peak between 1946 and 1960 (check out...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
There’s a new book on the market that is sure to satisfy Toronto real estate bubble theorists. While I haven’t read it yet, recent media reports...
Urmi in Urban Issues
Richard Florida, doyen of all things city, has a new book out – Who’s Your City? While I have yet to read it, publicity materials and early reviews suggest...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying
I have heard many people say that they want to rent out their basement or that they want to buy a property that can accommodate a tenant. Whether this...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Joining Allenby and Corso Italia is yet another of Toronto’s smaller areas, the neighbourhood of Caribou Park (check out Realosophy’s...
John in Condo Buying Tips, Legal
A couple of months ago, CBCs’ Marketplace had a great feature that highlighted many of the problems that buyers of new condominiums are faced...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Real estate sales rebounded slightly in the second half of February according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. Resale sales were down 14% during...
Have you returned those hedge clippers yet? If not, you could be on the internet - Rottenneighbor.com is a website that encourages people to air their...
Rachel in Condo Buying, Legal
If you are currently or have ever considered buying a condo, you should check out this site. It belongs to the Canadian Alliance for Condominium...
Rachel in Home Buying, Money, Legal
Home buyers, especially first time home buyers, are often surprised by their closing costs. Although the standard legal fees and land transfer...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Somewhere in between snow storms, I ventured out of my house-turned-hibernation-cave with a plan to seek out all that Oakwood-Vaughan had to...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Urbancorp, the developer behind West Side Lofts and Bridge Condos, is Toronto’s first condo developer to leverage Facebook’s new advertising...
Heather in HomeBuying, Money
RRSP season is here and at this time of year, Canadians grapple with issues about finding money to contribute, deciding what to invest in, and...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Any time a realtor represents a family member in a real estate transaction, this relationship must be disclosed to all parties involved. Being...
Urmi in Urban Issues
Last month, Michael Fenn, CEO of the Metrolinx - the agency charged with overhauling the patchwork of GTA transit systems - had some interesting things to...
In a previous post, I had written about Toronto’s roll-out and implementation of its new waste reduction initiative. Various sized blue bins and new solid...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying
In your agreement for purchase and sale you will very often have items, called warranties, that help define and clarify the agreement between the...
Rachel in Real Estate Trends
The recent, tragic death of B.C. realtor Lindsay Buziak highlights the security risks that face those in the real estate industry. My heart goes out...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Similar to Allenby, the neighbourhood of Corso Italia is one of Toronto’s smallest (check out Realosphy’s Neighbourhood Profile for housing and...
After months of work, I’m excited that the Realosophy team has added some great updates to our site. One of our goals when we first started was to help...
Rachel in Home Buying, Legal
In a previous post, we discussed the most common ways that people can take title to property. In particular, sole ownership, joint tenants, and...
John in HomeBuying, Money
With all the news about interest rate cuts recently, many home buyers are wondering if now is the right time to go with a variable rate mortgage. The...
For most Canadian homeowners, paying off their mortgage as quickly as possible is a top priority. Paying down extra principal in the early years by whatever means...
Urmi in Urban Issues
Ed. Note: Thanks to a sharp reader for pointing out that the total area of the David Dunlap Observatory Lands is 190 acres, not 90 acres as originally...
John in Home Buying, Toronto Real Estate News
In a previous post I addressed the one question that’s on most first time buyers minds; is now the right time to buy my first home?...
Rachel in HomeBuying, Money, Legal
On October 22, 2007, Toronto City Council approved a Municipal Land Transfer Tax (MLTT), the "Toronto Tax," and we have now received more...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying
A recent article highlights one of the most valuable and often glossed over part of your real estate transaction - relationships. Reported in the Globe...
Urmi in Urban Issues, Lifestyle
Stats Can's recent release, Dependence on Cars in Urban Neighbourhoods, reveals that car culture is alive and well in Canada - understandable to...
John in Toronto Condos and Lofts, Toronto Real Estate News
Jesse in Lifestyle, Urban Issues
I received this email from greenbin@toronto.ca in response to my inquiry about how the green bin program is to be implemented in multi-unit...
Rachel in Condo Buying, Legal, Ask an Expert
This post is a collection of some popular questions that I have received over the last little while that I thought might be of...
Jesse in Lifestyle, Urban Issues
With 2008 underway, Toronto is only two years away from fulfilling its pledge to reduce its waste by 70%. Appropriately titled ‘Target70’, a large...
John in HomeBuying, Toronto Real Estate News
It’s a tough time to be a first-time home buyer in Toronto. Toronto’s eleven year real estate boom has left many first time buyers...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Nestled in between North Toronto and Forest Hill lies the neighbourhood of Allenby (check out Realosophy’s Neighbourhood Profile for school and...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying
Most HomeBuyers do not bring the agreement of purchase and sale to their lawyer until it has already been signed. If you do not have a lawyer review...
Urmi in Urban Issues, Lifestyle
In case you missed it last month, the Conference Board of Canada issued yet another headline-tailored missive, this one heralding a new report on...
Urmi in Urban Issues
I am grateful for the holidays, however bittersweet, and that all too brief opportunity to catch-up with a bright, wandering tribe I call my friends and...
Jesse inToronto Neighbourhoods
The neighbourhood of Lawrence Heights, like a lot of older communities, has two sides (check out Realosophy’s neighbourhood profile for local...
The team at Move Smartly would like to thank you, our readers, for a wonderful first year. We look forward to bringing you more original analysis and stories about your HomeBuying...
Rachel in Condo Buying, Legal, Money
A HomeBuyer can decide to buy a new condo at any point that units are available for sale – meaning from the time the sales office is open all...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
REM, a Canadian real estate industry publication, reports that discount brokerage Realtysellers is suing the Toronto Real Estate Board for $41...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
During my directionally challenged tour of Fairbank, I accidentally ended up in its western neighbour of Keelesdale (check out Realosophy's...
Urmi in Toronto Real Estate News, Urban Issues, Lifestyle
Some good news on the housing front for recent immigrants to Canada has me thinking about integration issues this week....
John in Home Buying, Legal
Multiple offers on homes are a common occurrence in Toronto’s hot real estate market. For those unfamiliar with the dynamics of a multiple offer, go to
It is not just the law, but good common sense. Make sure you have both a carbon monoxide alarm and a fire alarm in your house. Make sure you maintain the...
John in Home Buying, Media Roundup
Home Information Packs (HIPs) were introduced in the UK this past summer as a way to improve transparency in the HomeBuying process. HIPs...
Rachel in Home Buying, Money, Legal
Mayor Miller’s land transfer tax (Miller’s Toronto Tax) takes effect on February 1, 2008.
I was having a conversation last night about the...
Jesse in Condo Buying, Legal, Lifestyle
You have found your ideal condominium. It may be a conversion of sorts, a shiny high-rise in a tony neighbourhood or one of the row house...
This week, I find myself having to confront old demons to prepare for a big move. The New Year will find me simultaneously downsizing and upgrading to share a...
John in Money, Media Roundup
Rob Carrick from the Globe and Mail had a great article last week that highlighted the effects the US subprime mortgage collapse is having on Canadian...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Getting lost in one’s own neighbourhood takes dedication and skill. Having moved to the neighbourhood of Fairbank (check out Realosophy’s...
Title insurance is widely used in Ontario real estate transactions and is often used to replace or augment what is referred to as the ‘solicitor’s...
Urmi in Toronto Neighbourhoods, Urban Issues
I particularly enjoyed reading Jesse's take on the history and future promise of the Distillery District this week, since I've been...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods, Toronto Condos and Lofts
A short while, I had lamented on Toronto’s seemingly lack of recognition to buildings that were erected during its...
John in Condo Buying, Toronto Real Estate News
Now that the dust has settled on the insanity that was the 1 Bloor broker preview, we can start asking what the future holds for...
Rachel in Home Buying, Legal, Money
In my very first post on this blog, I wrote about the GST rebate and how HomeBuyers can take advantage of the benefit of the ‘transitional...
Heather in Home Buying, Money
Ed. Note. We are very pleased to welcome a new blogger to the Move Smartly team. Heather Paterson is an experienced mortgage professional who is...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods
Growing up in the ‘burbs' of Toronto, I had acquired a certain ignorance about the ‘big city’. Toronto was a place to go annually for holiday...
John in Home Buying
Real estate agents have a saying; a well-listed property is half-sold. The term ‘well-listed’ refers to the information the listing agent entered into the MLS...
In my last post, I provided an overview of options designed to aid Home Sellers when they decide to sell and list their home. I compared hiring professional...
Rachel in Legal, Home Buying, Condo Buying
You have finally received the good news that your new home is (almost) ready. Only a few more loose ends to tie up before you can...
Urmi in Toronto Real Estate News
Nice to know that my spidey-sense is more than a caffeine-induced health emergency. At the start of this week, I was curious as to why developers...
Rachel in Home Buying, Toronto Real Estate News
I am sharing the correspondence I received from Councillor Thompson and Councillor Minnan-Wong. Prior to the vote held on Monday...
House Porn. Catchy isn’t it? The words definitely caught my eye while perusing the Lifestyle section of The Globe and Mail. At once I began to reminisce about...
Urmi in Urban Issues, Toronto Real Estate News
A Bay St. heavyweight's startling prediction for Toronto's real estate market will worry HomeBuyers looking to become a part of the...
A few weeks ago, I basked in the delicious heat on what City News described as a “whopping 32C"on Thanksgiving Monday in Toronto. Sweltering heat created a...
Rachel in Legal, Condo Buying
Very few people give a second thought to insurance coverage issues until disaster strikes – arguably not the best time to start wondering if you...
Rachel in Urban Issues, Home Buying, Legal, Money
Councillor Thompson dropped a stack of over 1,000 sheets of paper at the start of the meeting and announced they represented ‘no’...
John in Toronto Real Estate News, Home Buying
The victims of a phantom (or fake) multiple offer recently came forward to tell their story to Toronto Star reporter Gail Swainson....
John and Urmi in Urban Issues, Toronto Real Estate News, Home Buying
With a major tax vote just around the corner, Mayor David Miller hasn’t exactly convinced Toronto that his ...
My previous post on taking title did not address the title-related issues in the fairly common scenario where people live together in a relationship...
Jesse in Toronto Neighbourhoods, Urban Issues
Lately, I have been interested by Torontonians' reactions to certain neighbourhoods. Uttering 'Rosedale' or 'Malvern' sends the...
John in Toronto Condos and Lofts
idea At a Glance
Neighbourhood: Long BranchTotal Suites: To be announcedExpected Occupancy: December 2009Developer: Queenscorp Residences...
John in HomeBuying, Money, Toronto Real Estate News, Real Insight
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
Some of...
Rachel in HomeBuying, Legal, Real Insight
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
Any number of factors can...
Jesse in Lifestyle, Condos, In the News
A few months ago, a fabulous brochure landed in my mailbox. Printed on high-quality, lustrous paper it captivated me with everything that...
Urmi in Neighbourhoods, Lifestyle, In the News
Plans are underway to expand Toronto’s PATH system. Developers and planners would like to extend the network of underground...
Jesse in Neighbourhoods, Neighbourhood Explorer
York University’s Keele campus is a daunting collection of all that is academia. Student housing complexes tower over low-rise,...
Rachel in HomeBuying, Legal, Real Insight
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
When you purchase your home, you...
Jesse in Neighbourhoods, Neighbourhood Explorer
Few neighbourhoods hold my fascination as Guildwood does (see Realosophy's Guildwood neighbourhood profile for local school and...
A small headline on the bottom of the first page of the Globe and Mail's Report on Business section grabbed my attention. Amidst all of the excitement about...
Urmi in HomeBuying, Lifestyle
In order to write great fiction, Virginia Woolf opined back in 1928, a woman must have “money and a room of her own.” In observing the limited...
John in HomeBuying, Money, Lifestyle, Real Life
Ed note. Real Life is a periodic feature detailing stories about the situations HomeBuyers encounter in the real world.
A reader...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Here are the latest housing stats, in the words of the Toronto Real Estate Board:
September 20, 2007 -- With 3,236 sales so far this month,...
John in Realosophy News, HomeBuying
The absence of consumer protection in the real estate industry was one of the main reasons our team started Realosophy. HomeBuyers are the most...
Urmi in HomeBuying, Money, Toronto Real Estate News, In the News
No wonder consumers are confused when it comes to HomeBuying – apparently, they are not the only ones. Departing...
John in Money, HomeBuying, Real Insight, In the News
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
Last weekend’s...
Urmi in Neighbourhoods, Lifestyle, Condos, In the News
Urban planning enthralls me, like so many others, because it holds out that tantalizing promise of agency, that assertion...
Rachel in Condos, HomeBuying, Money
When you purchase a new home or condominium, on your statement of adjustments, there will be a section that references realty taxes (also known...
My head was spinning after hearing the latest eco-friendly, organically inspired gadgets debuted on the morning news. Geared towards HomeOwners who are trying...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
Here are the latest housing stats, in the words of the Toronto Real Estate Board:
August 2007 became the fifth record-setting month in a row,...
Jesse in Neighbourhoods, Neighbourhood Explorer
Growing up in a suburb east of Toronto, I was unaware of the weight some neighbourhoods carried when their names were uttered. “You...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying, In the News
There are many reasons to require a home inspection prior to firming up your real estate transaction. For most people, buying a home is...
John in HomeBuying, Toronto Real Estate News
Talk about real estate in Toronto usually centers on the city’s booming housing market. For the past seven years, we’ve been hearing...
Rachel in Condos, HomeBuying, Legal, Money
Nothing sends clients reeling like the statement of adjustments on a new condominium closing, except, perhaps the statement of...
June 2010 - Editor's Note: Due to spam and trolling issues, Move Smartly's comments have been disabled. But we still want to hear from you! Please feel free to send our writers...
Urmi in In the News, Neighbourhoods, Lifestyle
Humans, it seems, can never get enough of parlour games—Monopoly, Scrabble, Name the Most Successful Multicultural City in the...
John in Toronto Real Estate News, Legal
An article in the Globe and Mail this weekend tells the story of a handful of investors who pre-purchased condominium suites at the now...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
I came across a New York Times article this weekend that outlines the lending practices of one of the US's largest mortgage lenders, Countrywide...
Urmi in HomeBuying, Money
For the longest time, I put off one of the first steps any potential HomeBuyer is advised to take: get one with your credit score or rating. For most of...
Rezen is a new condominium project currently under construction at the corner of Frederick and Adelaide, just west of Sherbourne. This condo is a short walk from...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
The persistence of Toronto’s red hot real estate market has left many HomeBuyers wondering if things are ever going to slow down. The US real...
Jesse in Neighbourhood Explorer, Neighbourhoods
Almost at the foot of the Allen Road Expressway lies a quiet collection of houses just south of Lawrence - the neighbourhood of...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying, Condos
There is a very interesting period during the purchase of a new condominium that resembles something between ownership and renting...known as...
John in Real Insight, HomeBuying
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
A couple I know was recently given the...
Urmi in Neighbourhoods, Neighbourhood Explorer
Ed. Note. Kicking off a day of free celebrations at Bathurst and Bloor this past Sunday, Mayor David Miller officially declared...
Jesse in Neighbourhoods, Neighbourhood Explorer
Ed. Note. Neighbourhood Explorer is a regular feature in which our intrepid adventurer presents an up close-and-personal tour of a...
Rumor has it that Boutique Condos will be adding an additional 16 floors on top of its Phase 2 condo at the corners of Nelson and Simcoe in Toronto's ...
Jesse in Neighbourhood Explorer, Neighbourhoods
Although I frequently visit Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan, I have never taken the time to really explore the area (see Realosophy's Tam...
Urmi in HomeBuying, Neighbourhoods, Lifestyle
“So,” Paul concluded, pausing to swirl his caesar-with-extra-horseradish, “I believe I live in the Upper Upper West Annex.” Seated...
John in Toronto Real Estate News
New stats reveal that Toronto’s red hot real estate market is showing no signs of slowing down. July’s 8,912 total sales is a 26 percent increase...
Rachel in Legal, HomeBuying
My friend recently purchased a house and despite my best efforts, she proceeded with the transaction without obtaining a survey. Exasperating! A survey...
Jesse in Neighbourhoods, Neighbourhood Explorer
Ed. Note. Neighbourhood Explorer is a regular feature in which our intrepid adventurer presents an up close-and-personal tour of a...
Five short years ago, the only reason most people were driving by the corner of Cherry and Mill streets was to get to a Toronto landmark, the Canary Restaurant. As...
Urmi in HomeBuying, In the News, Toronto Real Estate News
Thanks to council's decision not to decide, heated discussions about David Miller, Millerites (the crew not the brew) and...
Urmi in Neighbourhoods, HomeBuying, Lifestyle
Being a bit of a news wire junkie, provocative headlines tend to catch my eye: “Ottawa ranked best place to live in Canada.” Before...
Rachel in Legal, Condos, HomeBuying, Real Insight
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
A very dear friend of...
John in HomeBuying, Toronto Real Estate News
An article in the Toronto Star this weekend highlights one HomeBuyer’s experience competing in four bidding wars (multiple offers)....
How would you like the purchase of your new home to translate into clawing back some of your hard-earned dollars – and from the government? Very much, I think....
Jesse in Neighbourhood Explorer, Neighbourhoods
Ed. Note. Neighbourhood Explorer is a regular feature in which our intrepid adventurer presents an up close-and-personal tour of a...
I love strolling through my neighbourhood on those bright but lazy Sundays. Warm or cold, young and old toil away on their front lawns or in their garages throughout the city....
John in HomeBuying
Many HomeBuyers have a difficult time deciding on the type of home and neighbourhood they want to live in. Couples often have an even harder time because both...
Urmi in HomeBuying, Lifestyle
I have long been committed to low-rent, public transit, downtown living in the belief that having low overhead (no home maintenance, no car, no...
John in Real Life, Money, HomeBuying
Ed note. Real Life is a periodic feature detailing stories about the situations HomeBuyers encounter in the real world.
In my previous post,...
John in Real Insight, Money, HomeBuying
Ed note. Real Insight is a periodic feature decoding some of the many mysteries surrounding HomeBuying.
Earlier this month, I came across a...
Welcome to realosophy.com! We hope that you are as excited as we are about our new Toronto HomeBuyer’s website.
We are a group of young consumers and professionals who once...
There are no posts matching this criteria.
