Download - Winter 2010 Newsletter
They say having children
changes your life– and they
were right!
My name is Glen Buchanan–
Real Estate Sales Represen-
tative and entrepreneur.
Outdoor enthusiast, cycling
fanatic, arts appreciator,
DIY’er, lover of music, egg
sandwiches and all things
“local”. Father to 1-year old
Rowan and dog-daddy to
Gryphon the Wonder Dog.
After a 5 year leisure time
indulgence in MLS, com-
bined with having bought
and sold 8 (...make that 9!)
personal properties in the
past 8 years, I have now
settled into my passion as a
Real Estate Sales Representa-
tive.
I am very excited to have
partnered with RE/MAX
Omega Realty (1988) Ltd in
Newmarket and am very
proud to be affiliated with a
brokerage that has been #1
in market share of listings sold
in Newmarket since 1983. In
joining RE/Max Omega, I
have the benefit of a broker-
age that has over 25 years of
marketing, sales and business
experience.
Whether you are looking to
sell or buy this month, this
year, or this new decade, I
look forward to working with
you and making your dreams
come true.
My son, Rowan & I enjoying
a dip in the local pool post-
swimming lessons. One
would think he was born
with fins with how much he
loves the water!
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G L E N B U C H A N A N
S A L E S R E P R E S E N T A T I V E
R E / M A X O M E G A �
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Real Estate Sales
Representative
RE/MAX Omega Realty
(1988) Ltd, Brokerage
Independently Owned & Operated
1140 Stellar Drive
Newmarket, ON
L3Y 7B7
Phone: 905-898-1211
TO Line: 416-798-7365
Fax: 905-898-7345
DIR: [email protected]
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
“ IF YOU
WORRIED
ABOUT
FALLING
OFF THE
BIKE– YOU’D
NEVER GET
ON”
- LANCE
ARMSTRONG
P A G E 2
Special thanks
to all my clients
who have
referred their
family, friends
and
acquaintances.
I am never too
busy for your
referrals!
Location,�Location,�Location!Location,�Location,�Location!Location,�Location,�Location!Location,�Location,�Location!����It’s the old ‘rule of
thumb’ that everyone
has heard of, but per-
haps, not everyone has
heeded its’ warnings.
Location is one of the
number one predictors
of selling (or buying) a
home. Just as a local
business would not set
up shop in a subdivision
(sure- there is a lot of
traffic opportunity with
the dog walkers, but
the retailing intent is not
a prime focus of the
passers-by!), a home,
for most people, has a
certain surrounding for
its’ comfort and enjoy-
ment.
The first step is choosing
where you would like to
live- there are many
factors to pay attention
to, not only for your in-
terest, but also because
one day, you will likely
want to sell this property
to someone else. Care-
fully choosing your
community is the first
step in “location, loca-
tion, location”, and can
help to maximize your
future resale value.
Your chosen commu-
nity should have a num-
ber of resources to offer
the local residents-
does your community
have good economic
stability? Is there a
downtown core with
local retail, in addition
to a mix of industry and
big-box options for dif-
ferent consumers? Is
your chosen community
rural, and if so, does it
host common benefits
for rural property? How
well is the community
maintained? Do the
residents (and town-
ship) take pride of own-
ership of property and
parkland? What types
of community services
are offered? What are
the schools like? Even
if, as a buyer, you do
not have children of
school age, it is still im-
portant to ensure there
is a strong local school
system, as future buyers
of your home may find
this of interest.
What would you define
as your “dream
neighbourhood”? Re-
member- the home you
are looking to buy (or
sell!) can be reno’d
and refurbished…but it
cannot be moved. In
addition to considering
location as an invest-
ment in the future value
of your home for resale
opportunities, you
should also be comfort-
able in your home for
the years you intend to
live there.
If you are looking to sell
your home, take heed
of the possibility that
location may strongly
play into your ability to
sell quickly. Although
you have enjoyed your
home for the years you
have lived there, it may
perhaps not appeal to
new buyers that you
live next to a major rail-
way crossing, have your
driveway front onto a
major street, or back
onto the new outdoor
patio for the local pub.
Take these issues into
consideration- your
Real Estate Representa-
tive may advise you
that these factors may
contribute to a softer
market price of your
home, or perhaps in-
crease the time it will
take to sell.
Location with respect
to local retail, grocery,
pharmacy and other
town amneties may be
of importance. In addi-
tion, proximity to transit
systems, GO station,
and commutability to
larger city centres also
plays into considera-
tion.
If you are considering
selling your home, or
moving onto a new
one, consult a local
Real Estate Representa-
tive, as they are an ex-
ceptional resource for
local buying and
selling.
3. Impersonal works- try to open
up your space so your potential
buyers can envision their “stuff” in it,
and not feel as though they need
to look past all your belongings to
become one with the home.
4. Keep it “fresh”- homes with
odours are the most difficult to ap-
preciate. Try opening the windows
for 10 minutes once a day to
freshen up the rooms, or make sure
you take out the diaper genie more
often than usual. If you have a pet,
ensure furniture and flooring is free
from hair. Throw out the idea of
room deodorizers…their artificial
scent is often more nauseating
than helpful. Consider warm,
home-feeling scents, such as crock
pot roasts, turkey or chocolate chip
cookies (not sure if they have cre-
ated turkey-flavoured candles yet,
but might be worth a shot!)
5. Clean! Clean! Clean! Make
sure your house is clean- inside &
out. Consider investing in a maid
service for the duration of your sale.
This will decrease stress and time
invested in keeping the house spar-
kling.
6. Fix all the outstanding “fix-it”
projects in your home- As home-
owners, we can often overlook the
drippy faucet, peeling caulking
and poor paint jobs. As a buyer,
these are items of high attention, as
it demonstrates how well kept the
home has been. Tick off your “to-
do” list before the house hits the
market!
7. Colour- Painting is considered
one of the single best return-on-
investments for your home. Con-
sider neutral palettes, and touch-
ups where needed. If your home
has dated wallpaper, it may be
prudent to consider pulling this
down and sprucing up the room
with a fresh coat of neutral, VOC-
free paint.
8. Pare down the furniture- Keep it
clean and simple- consider remov-
ing some pieces from a furniture-
Want to get top dollar for your
home? …or just enjoy a whole
new look & feel in one of your
favourite rooms in your home?
Home Staging professionals per-form their magic by highlighting
the best features of your home-
whilst pulling visual attention
away from less attractive fea-
tures. The notion of a home
staged is to facilitate a welcome
showing to any potential buyer.
This may necessitate packing
away some of your most prized
possessions (note- not everyone
will appreciate the fond memo-
ries conjured up from one
glimpse at the dozen curling tro-
phies adorning your fireplace
mantle, nor be able to see past
the Cinderella extravaganza in
your toddler’s bedroom). Thus
said, you also have to be able to
live in your home while it is up for
sale on the market- a balance of
both show-ability and live-ability
is a must!
The “Top 10” of how to stage
your home for top dollar:
1. Make an impression- first im-
pressions are lasting, and a po-
tential buyer will likely come to
their own conclusions just by pull-
ing in the driveway before even
seeing the front hall! Clean up
your gardens, rake the leaves, shovel the snow and consider
planting some seasonal flowers,
greens or hang a wreath on the
door to spruce things up!
2. Declutter- Purge! Box! Store!
You will need to pack your things
when the house is sold, so invest
some time up front to pack away
items that may clutter visual pres-
entation of your home. This is a
good time to remove all the kid-
die’s artwork from the fridge,
pack away stacks of books, and
magazines and consider making
a new rule of ensuring all foot-
ware is nicely stored in the closet,
rather than on the front hall mat.
heavy room to open up the
space, allow for light to fall into
the flattering corners of the
room, and the future buyer will
have an easier time envisioning
their furniture in its’ place.
9. Light it up- open up the
window coverings, clean the
windowpanes, and turn on the
lights in every room for each
showing. More bright light and
sun in your space makes it eas-
ier to sell.
10. Add a bit of “you” to the
place- After removing all the
clutter, photos, children’s art
and doggie toys, you may
want to consider putting a little
bit of life back into the place.
Consider fruit bowls, a vase of flowers or show-able pottery to
catch the eye of the buyer and
soften up a room. Don’t under-
estimate the power of the
“pop” of a bowl of granny
smith apples on a clutterless
kitchen counter!
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P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
energy into your overall
health to ensure you are in
top form to enjoy the 12
months ahead! Eat a well-
rounded diet, exercise daily,
take your vitamins, stretch
and manage daily stressors.
Easy to say, but not always
Its January– the first month of a
new decade, and what are
you going to do to ring in the
new year? This is often a time
for reflection, resolutions and
deliberation about the year to
come. Start with yourself– con-
sider investing some time and
easy to do? Start small and set
realistic goals for yourself. Con-
sider some qualified insights
from your local professionals
and get started today!
Happy 2010– BRING IT ON!
New�yearNew�yearNew�yearNew�year––––�new�you!�new�you!�new�you!�new�you!����
Renovating can be a great way
to add value to your home. It
can make your house a more
comfortable environment for
you and your family, and even
reduce your energy bills. And
now, with the introduction of
the new Home Renovation Tax
Credit (HRTC), this might be the
best time to begin the renova-
tions you’ve been planning.
As part of Canada’s Economic
Action Plan, the Home Renova-
tion Tax Credit will provide a
one-year, temporary 15% in-
come tax credit on eligible
home renovation expenditures
for work performed, or goods
acquired between January 27,
2009 and February 1, 2010. The
credit may be claimed on eligi-
ble expenses exceeding $1,000,
but no more than $10,000, for a
total credit of up to $1,350. Eli-
gible renovation expenditures
include: renovating your
kitchen, bathroom or base-
ment; installing new carpet or
hardwood floors; building an
addition, deck, fence or retain-
ing wall; installing a new fur-
nace, central air conditioner or
water heater; painting the inte-
rior or exterior of your house;
resurfacing a driveway and
laying new sod. Renovations
which are ineligible for the
credit include: purchase of
furniture, appliances and tools,
carpet cleaning, and mainte-
nance contracts.
To obtain more information on
the Home Renovation Tax
Credit, call 1-800-OCANADA or
visit the Canada Revenue
Agency Web site.
Don’t forget to shop local!
There are a number of tal-
ented, trusted and skilled pro-
fessionals in our community.
I’m happy to point you in the
right direction! As there is little
time left to take advantage of
this great tax savings, be sure
to plan, prep and move for-
ward with your project today!