August 2017 - Toronto Realty Blog

August 30, 2017 51

Should Glen Abbey Golf Course Be “Saved, Or Should It Be Developed?

When Jhonattan Vegas shot a seven-under-par final round to pull into a tie with Charley Hoffman at -21, and subsequently won the tournament in an epic playoff, a lot of the lustre of the RBC Canadian Open had already been removed, since more people were talking about the plans to demolish and develop Glen Abbey Golf Club than were talking about the golf itself.

I understand the need to balance a city’s history and tradition with the increasing demand for housing, but what makes a building, a park, or a golf course “of historical significance,” enough so that it needs to be “saved” for all eternity?

A lot has been made of this topic, and I’d like to weigh in with my thoughts…

August 28, 2017 7

Condos

A Condominium Design Flaw You Might Not Notice…

…until you’ve already bought, and are ready to move in.

As I say in the video, this isn’t really a design flaw in the building that’s going to affect your day-to-day life, but you have to wonder how in God’s name a condominium developer could make a mistake like this.

Suddenly I’m picturing Ross Gellar from Friends yelling “Pivot! Pivvv-aaaat!” as he, Rachel, and Chandler try to move a couch up a flight of stairs…

August 25, 2017 3

Special Features

“What If The Whole World Worked The Same As The Toronto Real Estate Industry”

I am absolutely shocked at how slow the market is right now, both in terms of the number of sales, but also new listings.

There’s “nothing out there,” as we continuously say, while hundreds of properties sit on the market, and as we marvel when a hot new listing does hit the open market, albeit mistakenly, in my opinion, since every active buyer has his or her head in the sand. Wait until after Labour Day, the consensus says.

In any event, we’ll get back to business next week on TRB, but as I soak in the last few days of the Idaho sun, have a gander at my last two videos from my 2015 series with the objectionably-long title.

August 23, 2017

Special Features

“What If The Whole World Worked The Same As The Toronto Real Estate Industry”

Upon further reflection, I could have chosen a shorter name for this series.

But how can you get the right message across if you’re overly-concerned with how a 14-word title will look on the home page?

Today, let me show you two more videos from my 2015 series, so I can head out and shoot Budweiser bottles in the woods with my neighbour. Okay, I made that up. But I’m sure just about anybody on the street would be up for that if I asked…

August 21, 2017 1

Videos

Going To Idaho!

Yes, folks, it’s that time again!

My yearly foray down to the spud state so that everybody I come across says, “Idaho? Why the hell are you going to Idaho?”

That question, is why.

I won’t leave you high and dry with nothing to read or watch on TRB, so for those of you that are new readers in the last two years, let’s have a look back at a feature I ran in 2015 called, “What If The Whole World Worked The Same Way As The Toronto Real Estate Market?”

Long title, but you’ll enjoy the videos. And for those of you that have already seen them, pretend you haven’t re-watched The Wire on HBO On Demand five years after seeing it on DVD box-set…

August 18, 2017 13

Business

Ban “Double-Ending?” Or Introduce “Designated Representation?”

The choice is yours, folks!

Oh wait, nevermind, it’s actually up to a wing of government who is going to tell us what’s best for us…

Talk of banning multiple representation, or “double-ending,” has been going on for the better part of 2017, but the Ontario Real Estate Association has proposed the introduction of “designated representation” as a compromise.

Comments on online newspapers are inherently negative, but I’m curious to know what my readers think about this…