Your regular home insurance policy is meant for a home that is lived in. It is based on the premise that someone is coming and going regularly, has lights on at night, and is available to respond quickly to burst pipes, for instance. Without someone living in and maintaining the property, the home faces a higher risk of damage, injury or burglary. Most home insurance policies typically have a 30-day unoccupancy clause. This means if your property is unoccupied for over 30 days, especially if... [read more]

In the seller's market of late, many buyers have resorted to submitting firm offers (those with no conditions) when competing on properties, so that they are more appealing to (and more likely chosen by) the seller. Unfortunately, one of the biggest risks of this is giving up the right to a formal home inspection before firming up the deal. For one thing, they don't truly know in great detail what they are buying, which may include hidden deficiencies. For another, they aren't able... [read more]

You may often hear the terms market evaluation, home evaluation, comparative market analysis and appraisal. There are obviously many factors that can affect the value of a property, and different methods of assigning value to a property have some of those factors in common. Here are the two main uses or goals of valuation in real estate and how they differ. APPRAISAL An appraisal is most commonly a formally-documented report that provides a value on a property. It is done by an accredited... [read more]

 Who I was and what I have been doing I grew up fairly quiet and introverted. I was a deep-thinker, follower and observer. I was smart and (fairly) well-behaved and went down the path that my parents encouraged me to. I was lucky to have found close relationships during my teen years with a couple of people who have been instrumental in my life – who in the years following would (and still will) constantly challenge me to stand up for myself; to put myself out there. I... [read more]

While many people may assume MLS and REALTOR.ca are interchangeable terms and identical platforms, they are not actually the exact same thing. Of course, one major reason for that assumption is likely because the REALTOR.ca web address used to be MLS.ca! Since that changed a while back, and many people didn’t seem to notice (typing MLS.ca in your address bar will still direct you to the website that is now REALTOR.ca), the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has had this posted... [read more]