1006 Rambleberry Sold!

Many consumers think multiple offers just happen in the housing market in Toronto or Durham.  While that might be the case,  an experienced Realtor can add additional dollars to the sale of your home with a careful marketing strategy designed to attract multiple offers.   Using this home which recently sold in 2 days with 5 offers I will share some tips:

1. Understand the market: Evaluate home sales to see that's a successful strategy in your market

2. Prepare your home:  You'll have to spend some money to get top dollar, whether it's strategic renovations or a refresh.  Evaluate time & price differences to choose what's best for you.  We discussed these things at length and decided to:

- Paint the garage door, trim and entryway to make a great impression

- do minor repairs where needed

- update (clean and mulch) front and side garden areas)

- declutter

- stage the home using a designer & combining staging pieces with the homeowners own furniture.  A professional stager was hired to do the job right

3. Price Aggressively, but not unreasonably: this gets more buyers through your house & will attract those with deep and shallower pockets.  You want the deep pockets to fight it out.   This pricing strategy achieved 40+ showings booked in the first 3 days on the market.

4. Do a full marketing press: Video, professional photos, neighborhood postcards, it all adds up! 

5. Decide whether to accept offers preemptively.    A pre-emtive offer is when a buyer offers an irresistible offer to a homeowner - to pre-empt other buyers; selling the home before the designated offer date.  In this case we got 5 pre-emptive offers & sold in two days.  This relieved the stress of the incredible amount of showings, we sold at top price!  The homeowners can now go about organizing their next steps for the move, 5 days earlier than they thought.  


So what did the homeowners think of the sale?  Here's what they said: 


We are extremely happy with the service that Sue provided. Right from the first meeting with her, we knew we found the agent we wanted to sell our property. Sue was very organized and arrived to the meeting with a strategy already in mind. She took us through this process with calm and professionalism, and executed her plan perfectly. The house sold in 2 days! I highly recommend that you give Sue a try, you will not be disappointed!

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Explore this incredible opportunity in the heart of Markham's housing market! This centrally located 4-bedroom Markham home is now for sale!  It sits on a deep private lot with an expansive backyard – perfect for family living. Recently renovated with brand-new flooring and a fresh coat of paint throughout, this residence boasts an inviting eat-in kitchen equipped with stainless steel appliances. The spacious bedrooms and separate side entrance offer versatility and comfort. Enjoy the bright, airy atmosphere thanks to ample natural light streaming through the large windows in the generous basement, ideal for relaxation and gatherings. Situated on a serene, low-traffic street, this home epitomizes convenience. 

It's a short walk to schools, parks, public transit, Centennial GO station, Markville Mall, and the vibrant shopping district along Highway 7.  You can even walk to grocery stores! This is great for commuters – an almost unheard of walking proximity to everything you need that’s rarely found outside the city core. Don't miss this opportunity to make this fantastic home in one of Markham's prime locations yours!

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A disturbing trend I've come across recently is the fraud in the rental space.   As an agent who handles a fair share of rentals; these issues have shown up over several ways this year.   I'll tell you about 3 instances I've had and the red flags that appeared with each! 

When I'm representing a landlord and an application comes in, I spend a lot of time going through an applicants documentation and getting references and looking through their background.  Here's what I do:

  • Call their employer by finding the employer's website and calling through their office to confirm employment.  I don't just call the supervisor on the application
  • Look carefully at the documents to see if they are real; company letterhead & credit reports can be faked or bought
  • Check social media & linked in
  • Call past landlords
  • Make sure there is a building at the address they're currently renting
  • Check that the landlords name and property owners names match.   If it's an apartment building call through the property management company if it's an apartment rather than calling the number provided.
  • Look at the credit report for signs of altering


With those things in mind, let's look at 3 things that have happened to me this year!

1.  Student rental Scam - fake rental and landlord

First of all, you should never have to pay to submit a rental application, or be asked for a deposit before you get a chance to see the place.   These scams are generally ads on sites like Kijijii and Facebook for rentals that look too good to be true.  They also steal MLS listings for homes and advertise them at lower rates.  I came across one recently through a family friend desperate for some student housing.  It was a big scam; and when I called them out they 'protested too much'.    Here's how to spot these scammers:

  • They demand payment to submit a rental application
  • They demand a deposit before you see the unit
  • Makes excuses why they are not available to speak to on the phone 
  • Will only communicate through messenger, text or email
  • The advertised price is way lower than other rentals
  • Their Facebook profile was just created
  • Their Facebook name does not match their user name ID (see the URL) 

2. Fake Rental Applications   

There are some very good forged documents out there.  I had some people submit an application on a lease I was advertising and here's what I found during the checks, among the other checks I did as above :

  • Inconsistencies in addresses on the application
  • Employment letter does not look real - no header or footer with information on the company letterhead

3. Forged Tenacy Papers

I had a call from a gal who had a great story, good employment, good credit, moving to Toronto from outside the city for work, can't come in to look for a place so needed virtual showings.  Could I help her find a place.  Sounds great right?  

Now I don't usually check tenants out before I help them (and I'd helped out a client with an out of town move this year already in a similar situation)  But with everything going on right now, I felt it couldn't hurt to see what her references would say.   So she sent in her application & 

then came the paperwork - the address of her job didn't match up with her story.  The company had never heard of her or her supervisor.  There was even no property listed at the home she had put for her address!  Other red flags for scammers include what she did:

  • get overly upset when called out 
  • provide complicated excuses for 'mistakes' on application forms
  • call the fact checker a liar, unprofessional, etc.


So be careful out there folks! 



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A big thank you to the communities of Guildwood, West Rouge & Port Union for the terrific support last Saturday for my Community Shredding Event.  About 30 families participated - and their generous food donations filled our Jeep to the brim!   The food donations were taken straight to Feed Scarborough - the Scarborough Food Security initiative and will be distributed to local satellite food banks in the area.   Judging from the huge line up outside the Manse Rd. food bank Saturday, it's much needed. 

Chartwell Guildwood was my partner for this event and provided the venue and great snacks.  Thank you Kelly & Dianne for your wonderful support.  As always, Papersavers was gracious, friendly, professional and helpful!  

One interesting sideline - My husband, myself, Dianne and Alex from papersavers all grew up within the same area!   Such a big city/small world! 

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