Toronto has always been a place for the rich to enjoy their spoils by buying up luxury condo's that even a King would envy. But in the last two quarters of the previous year the market for luxury condos has flat lined. The number of new condominiums sold in the last quarter was a full 18% lower than the previous year. In fact, even the number of condos built was considerably lower (at least 1,000 less) than last year. But what is fueling this loss of growth, and what does it mean for the real estate market in general?
Recently, a mistake was made on our account by an internet service to which we subscribe and our account was suspended. The only way that this could be remedied was via email customer service. There was no phone number given on their Contact Us page. Frustration set in because it took way too much time to write them and prove that the mistake was theirs not ours. Two days later the account was suspended again for the same reason. Again, the burden of proof was on us which took more of our time. And, we are one of their best customers!
MLS is still the most used website by individuals when searching homes for sale and is the only site that licensed real estate in Marbella. use when seeking homes for their buying clients. In a nutshell if your home isn't listed on MLS then the majority of people searching for homes in your area isn't going to find it. So ensure that the company you choose includes a listing on MLS in your province.
Some syndicators charge in excess of 10% commission. 10% seems to be the norm but is still high as it has to be made up through asset performance which takes a few years. Also an annual asset management should probably not exceed 0.5% on the asset value or 2% of the cash invested... otherwise it is too rigged towards the syndicator and not the investor. It has to real estate development. be win/win!
Sugarloaf Foreclosures - The latest Foreclosure report shows 9 Sugarloaf homes that were given "notices of foreclosure" for the January 6th auction. Yes, there are a couple of well-known names on that list. This level of foreclosures is significantly higher than the 2-3 per month that we have seen throughout the year. In addition there are major builders of new homes in real estate company or service. Sugarloaf that had construction loans foreclosed upon by their banks. In 2008, there have been over 40 properties that have been given notices of foreclosure. There are currently 23 properties that are in la concha marbella some active form of foreclosure (from pre-foreclosure to bank-owned status).
On the other hand, I met a lot of great people who love the stress and busyness and action of being a real estate agent. They are mostly people who love to help people. Some of them just enjoy the business, while others enjoy it and make a lot of money.
Before you actually put your property on the market, do yourself a favor. Hire an attorney. Not just any attorney, but one who specializes in real estate. Do not hire your family lawyer or the one who got you your divorce. Loyalty is great but it has its limits. You need someone who represents real estate clients every day, week in and week out, not once every couple of months. You do not want to be paying for someone to be trained on the job. You are likely to have much at stake in the sale of your land, and you simply cannot afford to have someone screwing it up because they are in over their heads.
Dive deeper into the pursuits of your high net worth clients. This is a requirement for those of you who seek to achieve top-of-mind status in your luxury real estate marketplace.