Hamilton, Ontario: Home to McMaster University, Redeemer University, Mohawk College and a campus of Brock University. Needless to say, the demand for student housing is high. One of the biggest issues facing Buyers who want to invest in the student rental market is obtaining financing. The Royal Bank of Canada is one of the only major lenders offering an actual "Student Rental Mortgage" program. With the RBC program, there are no worries about the appraiser reporting that the property is being used as a student rental complete with locks on all the bedroom doors. RBC Student Housing Mortgage requirements 30% down payment $55,000 personal income for 1 property (rental income not included) $75,000 personal income for 2 or more properties (rental income not included) Net worth of $100,000 ... 05/08/2014

 Now only those self-employed who can prove income will be permitted to obtain an insured mortgage.Generally insurance is required buyers with less than 20% of the purchase price as a down payment.  Another rule affecting all buyers is that you cannot have more than one CMHC insured home owner insurance at time. In the past a buyer would purchase a property with as little as 5% down, live in it as a principal residence and then some time later move out, use it as a rental and put 5% down on a second property claiming it as a principal residence. With tighter restrictions generally, credit unions who are not subject to Federal law should be the winners. These rules do not affect salaried employees. 04/28/2014

The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) has a very interesting composition of communities. On the south shore of Lake Ontario, there's Hamilton. The official City of Hamilton is actually an amalgamation of the old City of Hamilton and many of the towns that surround it: Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Flamborough, Dundas, Waterdown & Glanbrook. RAHB's trading area goes all the way out to the south shore of Lake Erie, taking in the rural and small town areas in Haldimand, Norfolk and Dunn. The eastern boundary is in West Lincoln, home to the towns of Grimsby, Beamsville and Smithville. But the most influential area in RAHB's jurisdiction is the city that wraps around the northwestern tip of Lake Ontario: Burlington. ReMax recently announced that Hamilton has set a new record in l... 01/28/2014

Homeowners often have the idea that spring is the absolutely best time to list. Perhaps it's one of the prettiest times to sell their home, but in actuality, winter may be the perfect time to hammer that "For Sale" sign into the frozen ground! There's a few reasons why winter is a great time to put up a "For Sale" sign. This year in the Hamilton, Ontario real estate market, the calendar flipped into 2014 with a lower than average inventory of listings. This listing shortage actually started months earlier and as the listings have become scarcer, the inventory of qualified buyers has done nothing but grow, creating a substantial demand. Even though January and February always seem like good months for sellers, this year looks exceptionally good simply because there's such a shortage of g... 01/25/2014

Looking for a house in a particular City or Town in Ontario? The internet is full of sites offering "house searches", but unfortunately, Ontario law hasn't merged with technology yet and no one except the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) offers a complete and accurate list of Ontario properties for sale. Almost all of North America has what's known as IDX; an industry fed exchange system that allows individual Agents the ability to offer complete search functions of MLS® listings on their websites. Ontario has one of the strictest Real Estate Act's in North America. The Advertising Guidelines in the Code of Ethics prevents us from implementing a full IDX for consumers. What it says is that a Brokerage cannot advertise a property unless they have the express written consent of the... 01/23/2014

There's an understanding in Real Estate: just like a lot of other things in life- a property is only worth what someone is willing to pay. If a Realtor determines value based on what other similar homes in the neighborhood have sold for, how can it be that buyers, armed with their own independent representatives, would be willing to pay 30% more? It's simple: emotionally fueled demand.  I've been there with Buyers before: I've been one of those 32 Agents. I know the story well and there's absolutely no economics class that can explain exactly what happens when emotion meets affordability meets demand.  Add into the mix the human desire to win, and you've got the Kentucky Derby of Real Estate. It's a fight to the end. MSN Real Estate- dealing with multiple offers Reuters on Multiple offe... 01/22/2014

One of the most interesting and affordable areas of Hamilton is the Downtown "Corktown" neighborhood. The "Corktown" neighborhood was first mapped out in 1842. Named after "County of Cork" in Ireland, the area was home to hundreds of Irish and European immigrants. Nestled at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment, the land was poorly drained, offing up bog-like conditions and muddy streets in the spring and fall. The Irish culture was as rich as the land the people lived on. Vegetable gardens and livestock allowed the families reproduce the lives they had back their homelands and before long, grocery stores, specialty shops like bakeries and pubs sprung up thru-out the neighborhood. The area was lush with orchards and groves. The first homes in the neighborhood were shacks on rented land, b... 01/20/2014

All across North America I'm sure there are REALTORS® who'd love to scoop up 75% of the paint chips in every single paint/hardware store in their area, leaving behind a wonderful selection of whites, off whites, beige's, grays and all things neutral. In the grand scheme of real estate sales, some of these pigment combo's should come with clear directions for their use. Perhaps some should even require a license to buy. Right now, as I type this, I'm certain that there's a homeowner dipping their roller into a tray of "Extreme Tropic Orange" with the belief that they're embarking on a home improvement project that's going to make their home sell like a well decorated HGTV hot cake! Many a Seller has lost a Buyer because of the colour of their walls. Yep- the colour of their walls. Many a... 01/18/2014

Writing a great blog post is easy. Grabbing the perfect graphic to accentuate your article can be a lot more difficult. The Community Guidelines of AR draw to our attention the need to "Respect copyrights" and "upload content and images that you have the right to use legally." Now, that really doesn't sound like too, too much of a big issue, after all, everyone just skates over to google images and snags their pics...don't they? How the heck can anyone track it? I have to confess, up until last summer, that's the way that I thought. The pitfalls to this practice really hit home when I visited the head office of my web provider. They had just finished settling out of court for "copyright" infringement as a result of one of their subscribers using a copyrighted image from "google images".... 01/06/2014

It's amazing how much colour and decor impact the emotions of Buyers. Often homeowners get trapped in their own comforting colours; but after all, that's what makes their home comfortable...to them.  When it comes time to sell, it's important that you step back and take a close look at what you're selling. Are you content to limit yourself to a select group of buyers that have your exact taste; or are you open minded to making your home appeal to the widest range of buyers possible? There's a mindset that kitchens and bathrooms are the two rooms that date a house the most. The truth is, ripping out cabinetry and replacing bathroom fixtures is not only costly, it's extremely time consuming, and there's no guarantee that the cost of the improvements will be recaptured in the sale price. P... 11/09/2013

Every year, our Association (Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington) hosts a wonderful gala. Back in the old'n days it was known as the "Presidents' Ball"- today, it's known as the "Presidents' Gala". Invitees include committee volunteers, Past Presidents and anyone who's been a member for 25 years or more. A few years ago, as I watched one of my colleagues receive an award for their contribution, I gazed into my wine glass and started to feel extremely guilty about my lack of involvement with the Association. Of course it didn't help that her list of contributions seemed to be endless...and I mean endless. She was also the owner-operator of a Brokerage, a wife, a mother and everything else that occupied space in my arsenal of excuses why I wasn't able to give a bit more of my time... 11/08/2013

Anyone who's welcomed a little puppy into their home has probably experienced that exciting moment when they realize that little fido was born to chew; anything and everything. It may be devastating enough when you discover your beautiful leather shoes have been turned into little poochies "chews", but love is taken to a whole new level when you discover that your adorable little puppy has spent an hour or two nibbling away at your 100 year old baseboards. Before you know it, he's moved onto the bottom corner of a door-perhaps another bit of baseboard and finished his hectic week off with a taste of the stairs. Most dogs grow out of the chewing stage or comes to grips with living in a crate, but it's not unusual that the damage to baseboards, stairs & doors lingers around for years. It'... 10/23/2013

Did you know that regardless of where you live in the City of Hamilton, you can simply fill out a tree request and the City will supply & plant the tree of your choice, off of their extensive list, on that little section of City owned land between your property and the road! The list includes Flowering crabs, China Snow Lilac, Flowering Pear, Elms, Maples and almost every other tree you can imagine! But, don't forget to do your part in reducing allergy aggravating pollen in your neighborhood and ask the City to provide you with a "female" tree. Studies have shown that pollen in our urban areas has increased drastically since landscapers started to gravitate towards "male" trees for a multitude of reasons. Order your free tree today! Botanical Sexism making life miserable?  Trees to avoi... 10/20/2013

It's one thing to lose money on an investment because of something that you have absolutely no control over, but when it comes to rental properties, whether that be a single family home or a multi residential property in Hamilton and area, you may be surprised how a stitch in time will certainly save nine!  The key is to have control over your investment. The City of Hamilton has been moving towards Rental Housing Licensing since 2008. In June, 2013, the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington and the Hamilton District Apartment Association provided the City with an easy solution to properties that were being used as multi unit rentals without proper zoning along with various safety issues the City felt could only be dealt with by some form of City wide licensing. The Sustainable S... 07/24/2013

I'm sure that anyone who's reading this blog may very well be aware of the City of Hamilton's desire to License all Rental properties in the City of Hamilton. Even though Stakeholders such as the Realtors Association of Hamilton Burlington, the Hamilton District Apartment Association and the Flagship for Affordable Housing are working hard in their fight against Rental Licensing, it is important that we use the tools that we have at our disposal today to preserve and create the affordable housing we need.  If you are the owner of an "illegal" duplex in Hamilton or want to convert your single family home into a duplex or add a secondary suite, you may be eligible to do so under Section 19-Conversions of the Hamilton Zoning By-Law.  Property owners can take steps right now to gain legal s... 06/19/2013

Since 2007, rental housing has been on the radar at City Hall. Hamilton, a City with vibrant post secondary education facilities such as McMaster University and Mohawk College, has been struggling with an increasing number of properties in these once quiet and more affluent areas now being rented to students. The non-student related residents in these areas complain about the noise, lack of property maintenance and parking. As the College and University get bigger, the problem expands in proportion, because after all, students need a roof over their head and unless there are enough "purpose built" buildings going up in these areas, the demand for housing in existing homes will grow, further exasperating the problem. Property Value increases in Student Rental areas Ironically, even thoug... 06/18/2013

This weekend from Thursday June 20 until Sunday June 23 is the Burlington Sound of Music Festival.    The Sound of Music Festival won 10 awards last year and is one of the best in the world.  Various bands play Thursday and Friday evenings, and all day Saturday and Sunday.  There is a midway and food trucks.  Something for everyone.    Brant Street is closed from Lakeshore to Caroline for browsing without traffic concerns.  It is truly a great event and from Spencer Smith Park where most of the action takes place, you have a fantastic view of Lake Ontario.    This year the new pier will be open and I am sure all of those who live here can hardly wait to stroll on the pier. 06/13/2013

Working today was an absolute joy. Freshly cut, lush green lawns; magnolia trees in full bloom; daffodils, hyacinths and tulips adding life to wakening gardens; hues of green budding from trees that lost their leaves many months ago. Spring is here in all of it's glory and it feels great! No wonder so many people line up at the home buying gate in the Spring. The days are long, the weather is warm and the outside living spaces of homes come to life.                 If you plan on selling this spring there are a few things you can do right now to make your outside as beautiful as possible.   Power wash your deck and stain if necessary Edge gardens and flower beds Mulch- looks great and cuts down on weeding and watering Caulk windows ( especially basement) ** many people leave this for th... 05/05/2013

I just came across a great paper that was put together by the University of Florida IFAS Extension, titled "Top Sellers; Characteristics of a Superior Salesperson".  What are the "Benefits of Being A Top Seller".. "A top salesperson clearly has the competitive edge over other salespeople; they have the characteristics needed to sell their products and create important relationships. Twenty percent of all salespeople make eighty percent of all sales, which means eighty percent of a sales force fights over the remaining 20 percent of business (Greenberg & Greenberg, 1983). This statistic reinforces how important it is to be in the top twenty percent of sellers. These top salespeople possess personalities and abilities that best fit selling as an occupation. In addition, 55 percent of sale... 01/26/2013

Tonight I was leaving a gas station and walked by the newspaper stands. The major headline for January 16th, 2013 in the Hamilton Spectator was an article about how much someone was being paid. The article was prompted by the recent release of public sector salaries in Ontario aka  "The Sunshine List" Every year, some newspapers and journalists embark on lynching someone who appears on the list. Personally, I find it disgraceful...repugnant...totally unnecessary in an educated and advanced society and my heart goes out to this years victim. Now, we're not talking the millions of dollars that our top bank executives make ....nor our we talking about people who have committed any type of crime. We're talking about a person who simply has a job that is funded by the public sector and earns... 01/17/2013