If you’re wondering wither you should put your house on the market now or wait till the spring, I would say absolutely now is the time.  The houses that are sitting on the market, are either not prepared to show, or over priced.   The secret is to make sure you have your home prepared for the market so that it stands out from others.  You can do this by hiring a Professional Home Stager to do a home consultation, giving you the tools to prepare your home by yourself, or have a Professional Home Stager to come in and do it for you. People lose money by not preparing their homes, if you need more information about this please don’t hesitate to send me an email..

On September 30, 2010, reports broke of a settlement between the Canadian
Real Estate Association (CREA) and the Competition Bureau and with it my
blackberry started to ring off the hook. Realtors asking what’s next,
clients confused about misleading reports of what is to be, confusion was
the best way to sum it up. Unassuming consumers breathed a sigh of relief
and rejoiced at the Competition Watchdog’s announcement that the world is
now a better place. “This agreement is welcome news for Canadians”, said
Melanie Aitken, Commissioner of Competition. “If ratified, the agreement
will ensure that consumers have the ability to choose which services they
want from a real estate agent when selling their home, and to pay for only
those services. It also provides much-needed flexibility for real estate
agents by ensuring that they have the ability to offer the variety of
services and prices that meet the needs of consumers.” Aitken went on to
say “Since challenging CREA’s rules, the Bureau’s goal has always been to
achieve a long-term solution that would strengthen competition in the
residential real estate brokerage services market. This resolution, if
ratified by CREA’s membership, achieves this goal.”

As discussed in my previous blogs, competition in the real estate brokerage
services market has never been an issue. A realtor is free to charge any
amount, can provide as many or as little services as their client wishes,
and can charge a flat fee or a percentage of the final negotiated price.
There are many different business models operating throughout our great
country. Models that offer discount pricing for inferior service, and high
end models that offer full-services for slightly higher prices. So after
all this work, time, and money wasted, it is reported that Canadians NOW
have flexibility? You’re kidding me right? Did our taxes just go to fund
this make-work project?

As a real estate professional, one must laugh at the commissioner’s lack of
knowledge on this subject. According to her press release, Realtors may now
provide a-la-carte services. Now? Realtors could and would provide
a-la-carte services since the introduction of organized real estate. What’s
even more comical is the idea that a-la-carte pricing will benefit the
consumer. Sure, if the consumer just selects to be on the MLS and nothing
more, this may be a monetary savings albeit not a significant one in the
end. You see, a listing placed on the MLS by a Realtor who is under contract
to the seller assures the seller of the Realtor’s fiduciary duties. The
fees are also tied to an important aspect of the service called THE SALE of
the home. A Realtor is not paid for the listing until the sale has been
completed. As a flat rate service, the fee is due and payable at the time
the listing has been posted on the MLS. This is a welcome change? What
are we now, lawyers? Realtors provide a service, we do not charge for time.
By misleading the consumer and giving them advice to select services without
educating them as to the features and benefits of each service is absurd.
Shame on the Competition Bureau and CREA for not looking at the consumers’
best interest. There should have been detailed lists of services that are
offered by Real Estate Professionals, their features and benefits to allow
consumers to make the right choice. At that time, and only after that,
consumers could and should be able to choose the services they require. The
old adage, “You get what you pay for” is certainly applicable here. But
what are consumers paying for? How can the issue be relevant if all the
pieces of the puzzle are not disclosed. Great, you save money by paying to
post a listing, but what else is involved in selling a home? How does it
affect the sale price? How is the consumer protected? The MLS is one small
tool in selling a home. It is not the be all and end all of the sale.

Now in Ms. Aitken’s Wonderful World Of Real Estate, a Realtor may charge a
flat fee to post a property on the MLS and provide no other services. The
seller may choose to conduct the rest of the sale on their own by marketing
the property, preparing property for sale, advertising, booking
appointments, conducting background checks on visitors, verifying employment
of Realtors, confirming appointments, arranging showings, securing their
premises, following up with visitors and agents, monitoring market
conditions and competition, drafting offers, negotiating sale terms,
negotiating commission with selling agent, scheduling inspections,
renegotiating based on home inspection findings, arrange bank appraisals and
negotiate with bank in case of discrepancies, confirming financial
worthiness of the purchaser, drafting and negotiating fulfillment of
condition documents, arranging additional purchaser visits, ensuring buyers
are prepared to close, coordinating closings, and finally post closing
arrangements. Just paying to post the listing on the MLS is fine and dandy,
however the flat fee for the MLS posting is collected up front with no
additional liability for the Realtor so how is selecting just the MLS
posting a benefit to the consumer? The seller’s identity and contact
information is now available on the internet, and with more and more fraud
artists using the internet as their “industry tool”, the seller is wide-open
to fraudulent activities against them. Does the Competition Bureau overrule
the Privacy Commission? Realtors have to abide by Privacy Laws, so you are
protected when you use a Realtor, not so much when the changes suggested by
the Competition Bureau kick in.

Of course, as the seller you can select a number of the above services and
pay a flat rate for each. Think of visiting your favourite restaurant.
Each restaurant allows you to order complete meals for a set price, or you
may choose to order a-la-carte should you choose not to have a complete
meal. In the end, if you choose two or three a-la-carte items, you’re
surely going to pay more for your meal than you would have with the “combo”.
Now take this back to Real Estate, by ordering the “combo” you’re
guaranteeing that you will not pay unless your home sells, you can still
select what you want and don’t want. Not only that, you are also getting a
qualified professional to guide you through the process and negotiate the
best deal on your behalf. By taking the “combo” or even ordering a set of
a-la-carte items, you are also transferring the liability from yourself to
your “agent”. Realtors are insured against Errors and Omissions and cannot
trade in Real Estate unless they can show proof of insurance. Fraudsters
and con-artists are exempt from this rule and won’t have insurance, they
will however be actively seeking out properties as soon as they are able to.

Does the consumer really want to go on their own and take on the liability
and leave themselves open to lawsuits, criminal activities and fraud? Your
lawyer will obviously be there to protect you and most will do it for free
since they are your friends. Or, actually, they won’t they don’t work for
free, at least I don’t think they will. A lawyer charges by the minute. So
what you may save in terms of dollars spent on a Realtor, you’ll surely
spend through the legal process of protecting yourself against lawsuits that
will be brought against you. Legal fees are set to go through the roof if
people choose to take on the liability on their own. Can you imagine the
retainers that lawyers would have to charge? As grow-house operators start
to sell their own properties, fraud artists and con artists start
capitalizing on identity theft and sell homes they don’t own, buying and
selling real estate will get very scary, and lawyers will be raking in the
money you thought you were saving. Realtors are trained in Real Estate Law
and provide much of the documents that will keep your legal fees to a
minimum. By the way, did you know you cannot sell your home without a
lawyer? Why hasn’t this aspect of the anti-competitiveness been brought
forward yet? Did you know that when you go to a lawyer, they have to charge
certain fees and registration fees? I wonder if you can tell them you just
want to pay a flat fee for the title registration and conduct the rest of
the process yourself. Could it really be that hard to figure out the
adjustments? How about trying to tell the bank to transfer the mortgage
funds directly into your bank account so you can deal directly with the
seller/buyer. Since Realtor are highly qualified to trade in Real Estate,
how about eliminating the lawyer’s role in trading Real Estate and saving
the consumer some money? So the MLS is anti-competitive but the Land
Registry isn’t? Hmm. If it looks like discrimination, smells like
discrimination, and walks like discrimination, whatever could it be? Another report from Canoe.ca/money mentioned that a group of advertisers,
which the media misleadingly reported to be “brokers”, launched a new
property selling network that will compete against the MLS. This is great
news. Since Realtors were not allowed to advertise their listings on sites
such as For Sale By Owner, Property Guys and ByTheOwner.com, the allowance
for private sellers to advertise on MLS should also be extended to Realtors
advertising on the aforementioned Private Sales sites. Also, sites like
Kijiji that now charge Realtors for their listings should be deemed
anti-competitive for their two-tiered system, and Realtors should be able to
advertise for free as everyone else. More great news!! Now our clients
will have a greater reach and be able to market their properties to a wider
audience – all for the same low price as they are paying now. This is part
of the deal right? The deal doesn’t discriminate just against Realtors does
it? I’m sure the Competition Bureau addressed this nonsense and made this
part of the Agreement, am I correct? I hope they did. CREA has always stated that they do not discriminate against any of the vast
business models trading in Real Estate. A quick glance of the MLS will
prove this is true with the differences in fees being charged to sellers,
varying commissions being paid to co-operating brokers, and wide range of
services that are included/excluded. Discount brokerages already exist and
run successful operations throughout the country. Consumers have always had
a choice as to what they spend, who they use, and what services they
require. The entire “investigation” has just been a waste of tax payers’
dollars and time. The only thing this has accomplished is that newspapers
had content to write about, an average lawyer became a household name, and
awareness about our Competition Bureau was heightened. From a Realtor’s
perspective, our roles have been questioned, reputations tarnished, however
the value of a Realtor has never been greater! Real Estate is still the
greatest investment Canadians have, and only a handful will take it upon
themselves to gamble with their life savings. Let’s hope this goes away now
and we can get back to protecting the integrity of the MLS, and continue to
lead our nation to economic stability through a strong real estate market.

If you are interested in discussing the value of a Realtor, and/or would
like more information on the features and benefits of the services we offer,
please do not hesitate to contact me. My focus is on educating my clients
with options available to them and assisting them to maximize their return
on their Real Estate Portfolios while protecting the integrity of our
country’s Real Estate systems. You can always email me at
teamkhan@asifkhan.ca. Regards,

Asif

DreamTeam (1)

Asif Khan, Realtor

Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.

Permanently removes or controls unpleasant odours.

Oxidizes dangerous contaminants.

Provides simple and economical odour control tech­nology.

Removes smoke & smoke odours from cigarettes and fires.

Reduces bacterial growth on meat and vegetables.

Kills mould, bacteria, viruses and algae, dust mites.

Penetrate and deodorize impossible-to-reach areas.

WHAT IS ONTARIO OZONIZATION?

Ozonation of a room is not air-conditioning. Ozone does not affect the temperature or humidity. In fact, it accomplishes something that the usual air-condi­tioning system does not do ~ it reduces, by oxidiza­tion, common odours of organic origin, thus assisting in making the re-circulated air purer and more pleas­ant to breathe.

Properly used and tested commercial Ozone tech­niques have been proven both harmless and highly effective with proper care.

Common Odours Eliminated with Ontario Ozone

Kitchen smells, ethnic cooking (i.e. frying and baking), pet odours, ripe or rotten foods, rotting and decaying substances, sewer odours, alcohol beverages (bars, lounges, etc), aged books, auto exhaust, all organic waste, bacteria, bathroom odours, body odours, burned food, burned hair, carbon monoxide, cigarette smoke, diesel fumes, fish odours, hospital odours, methyl mercaptan (pet urine), mildew, mould, oils and greases, most organic chemicals, paint fumes, smoke, stale or stuffy rooms or buildings.

Homes up to 1500sqft $450.00

Apartments up to 1000sqft $350.00

Each additional 500sqft (Home or Apartment) $50.00

Garage (1 or 2 spaces) $200.00

Attics/Crawl spaces to 2000sqft $200.00

Cars and trucks $100.00

Privately owned cars and trucks $70.00

Hotel – Motel rooms $125.00 (Quantity Discount)

Sports Lockers, Locker rooms (Call for Pricing) Quantity Discount

Hockey or any sports equipment bag $30.00

Tel (416)477-2752 HelpMeOO@OntarioOzone.com www.OntarioOzone.com

Is there any good movers out there that can be trusted?

DO NOT USE GREATER TORONTO MOVERS THEY ARE THEY BIGGEST RIP OFF ARTIST…SEND THIS TO ALL YOU CLIENTS. THEY RIPPED ME OFF AND HELD MY STUFF FOR RANSOME! THEY ARE A BUNCH OF THEIVES….

I am at the police station now. My things were suppose to go into storage but the storage company doent know anything about it.

City Line Movers are another one! Stole from my clients. Beat the heck out of the furniture and over charged!

FYI…….GTA movers are also known as LMS moving and also Logan Moving and Storage… they are apparently run by the same crooked person

OMG>>>More Info…. CMS movers… DESI Movers …City Hawk Movers are also apparently all affiliated …. phone numbers to AVOID 905 789-6170……Logan@ 416-8393693 …Nancy Hadisunjo@ 416-9944694…. they have been called thieves, ripoff artists ,rude and Abusive… to get your belonging back you must negation with the god father

I have used Frances Movers for about 10 moves, office/home and relatives. Had one bad move, rest were very good, reasonable and Frances is a decent guy. Moving again this Saturday and am using Frances again. Been using them for about 12 years, more or less. Had 5 moves in past year,

I haved used Francis movers alot they are honest movers and hard working bunch.

‘It’s really crazy how many people want my drawings’

Olivia Bouler doesn’t have time for anything else these days except to draw and paint. But that’s OK for the artistic fifth-grader, because everything she does is for the birds.

The Islip, N.Y., girl, who turns 11 on Friday, has raised an estimated $80,000 by sending her sketches and paintings of birds to people who donate to organizations helping with relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico spill disaster.

“I do some in the mornings and some in the afternoons, and weekends are really the time for me get cracking at them,” Olivia told msnbc.com on Thursday in a telephone interview as she and her parents were headed to the Gulf for a visit.

Olivia came up with the idea to help birds in the Gulf four days after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering the nation’s worst oil spill. Olivia’s father’s family grew up in Alabama, and she has spent vacations in the Gulf.

“Olivia heard about the oil spill and she immediately thought of the birds. She’s a bird lover. She knew they were nesting and she knew the spill would bring an incredible change to their habitat,” said her mother, Nadine Bouler.

So Olivia wrote to the National Audubon Society, saying she would like to help by doing drawings and giving the wildlife conservation group any money she raised. She signed it, a bit precociously, “Olivia Bouler, 11 years old and willing to help.”

Thus was born Olivia’s “Save the Gulf” campaign. In addition to purchasing one of Olivia’s drawings, the Audubon Society collaborated with Olivia’s family to create a fundraising program whereby Olivia sends one of her original paintings to anyone who donates to any of several organizations helping wildlife in the Gulf.

AOL got on board, giving Olivia her own artist’s gallery on its site and donating $25,000 to Audubon in her name. Appearances on local and national TV followed, and her “Save the Gulf: Olivia’s Bird Illustrations” page on Facebook has now attracted more than 10,000 fans.

Olivia creates her artwork with heavy stock paper, Ebony pencil and watercolors. She has sent out about 150 original illustrations so far and has capped the number at 500, after which contributors will receive limited edition prints, says her mother.

The Audubon Society is overseeing the donation process.

According to wildlife officials, hundreds of pelicans, gulls, sandwich terns and other birds in the Gulf have been have been collected alive with visible oil; more than 100 oiled birds have been found dead. The numbers are expected to rise dramatically as oil blankets the sea, marshlands and the coastline.

“I really wanted to help the birds and I’m really lucky Audubon found out,” Olivia says

It takes Olivia between 15 and 30 minutes to do a drawing. Between that and media queries, there isn’t much time for anything else.

“It’s really crazy how many people want my drawings,” Olivia says.

“I really don’t mind the publicity. I don’t say I love it. I don’t crave it but I don’t say I hate it either.” At school, she says, “some kids are jealous and some kids are like,’ Can I have your autograph?’”

Adds her mother, “She knows it’s for a good cause. She didn’t get into this to be a celebrity. She just wanted to raise some money and awareness.”

Olivia’s interest in birds transcends the Gulf. “I want to be an ornithologist,” she says matter-of-factly.

It is through donations from private individuals, municipalities and corporations that make this program possible. Our sponsors donate surplus and obsolete computers and peripherals, which in the hands of needy children and the learning disabled, become a valuable asset in their development. Some systems have also been donated to seniors, to assist them in emergency and family contact.

Because we are a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher, under the Community Mar program, we are able to supply Windows and Office products on the computers, for a minimal sum of $14.00 each, a license cost that we have to recover. Linux systems are provided free of