The Jackie Carron Team

You want to be sure you choose well when you choose the Agent that's going to help you by a home.  This person will become your closest friend and confident for a short period of time and in the long term they may end up becoming a good friend.  Either way the main thing is you "hire" someone (we all know the buyer pays no commission when purchasing a home") thats going to represent you so that you buy a home that represents good value and a home that your will love~.

I always ask myself, "would I buy this home"?

Vist me at ww.jackiecarron.com 

What the hec does Toronto Real Estate and The Law of Attraction have in common? Well everything and nothing I guess you could say.... We've almost all heard of this "Law of Attraction" - "like attracts like" and "focus on what you want and keep your mind off of what you don't want". And many of us have probably heard of or watched "The Secret", the blockbuster movie all about "The Law of Attraction". Well I do believe in the Law of Attraction just as much as I believe in the "Law of Gravity". That is, if I jump off a tall building I'll hit the ground hard and likewise, whatever I focus on daily with consistency and certainty is positively going to show up as the result I get in my life. The point is the Law of Attraction is REAL and it can be used in any area of life to create whatever you want, including finding the perfect home or getting the price you want for the home you are selling. This doesn't mean you can sit there and meditate and what you want will come to you by some magical means. It does mean if you take professional marketing, a good work ethic, and inspired action and combine it WITH the principals of the "Law of Attraction" the results are nothing short of spectacular! Not only do you get what you want, life takes on a new meaning because it suddenly is full of all the right people, places and events.

Dear Jackie, A very sincere thank you for all your hard work in helping us find the perfect home for us. We appreciated your competence, friendliness and most of all the responsiveness you showed always - especially those times where we didn't provide much notice to you. Another quality we were really grateful for was your availability, even on holidays etc. We also appreciated your advice without any "hard sell". You will go far in the Real Estate business. Marilyn and Terry Harford"

“Jackie was honest, helpful and humble. She exhibited the highest quality of professionalism – from her first powerpoint presentation, to the interactions via email and telephone she was knowledgeable about real estate and related issues than anyone else we talked to. Thank you Jackie for being genuine about our needs, and helping us acquire a home of our choice, and lastly being part of our extended family here in Canada. Maureen and Henry”

My husband and I decided after 6 years to sell our home. Selecting a Real Estate Agent was a very important decision for us. We wanted to make sure that the sale of our house is handled by a professional. We were extremely careful in choosing the right person for the job. We interviewed a few agents first and we learned pretty fast the difference between agents. Jackie’s professionalizam appealed to us right the way. She came for the interview completely prepared and organized. She had presented herself with extreme confidence and positive attitude. After meeting Jackie, our search for a superstar Real Estate Agent was completed. We would definitely use Jackie again and refer her to anyone we know that is considering selling or buying a home. She made the process of selling and buying stress free. Jackie’s confidence made a hard decision for us very easy. She is honest and trustworthy and she has a great group of people that she works with. The most important with Jackie you'll never feel like you are "out of the loop". She was always available to answer our questions and concerns. Thanks to Jackie the process of selling and buying a house was over in less than two weeks. Marko and Danijela Tomasevic

Customer service is a hot topic these days.  Doesn't matter what business we are in its the glue that holds a good business together.  And that might be doubly so for Real Estate.  The Toronto Real Estate market is hot and in order to complete you have to give excellent service that extends before and after the sale.  I recently received this unsolicited email from a client and it made me realize once again why I choose real estate as my profession.  Helping people with their largest financial investment is not to be taken lightly and it's a honour knowing people have given me their trust.  I received this from Jane:

The Toronto Real Estate Board recently released their mid-month figures for November 2009.  Prices may be up but we have to take into consideration the market we had one year ago... Read the entire entry below....

November 6, 2009 -- The Greater Toronto Area real estate market showed continued strength in October with the number of sales and average price up considerably over the same period a year ago.

If yours is one of the more than 70,000 homes in the GTA that has changed hands so far this year, you likely undertook some fix ups as part of your efforts to prepare your property for listing or to put your personal stamp on a new residence. Regardless of whether you are undertaking a move though, this is a particularly opportune time to embark on household projects thanks to the federal government’s Home Renovation Tax Credit which expires on February 1, 2010. This program provides a 15 per cent credit that can be claimed on a portion of eligible renovations between $1,000 and $10,000, a credit of up to $1,350.

While it’s definitely wise to take advantage of this program, astute homeowners will choose renovations that offer the best return on investment and use the most environmentally advanced products to undertake them.

You can for example, expect to get back 75 to 100 per cent of what you put into kitchens and bathrooms. Look for high-efficiency appliances with the Energy Star symbol. You might also want to consider installing automatic dustpan inlets, which are connected to the central vacuum system. Used for quicker, more energy efficient clean-ups, they are located in baseboards and cabinet kickboards, and are activated with a toe switch. Look for low-flow water fixtures as well, keeping in mind that some government programs like the City of Toronto’s residential toilet replacement program offer rebates on new units.

Painting will return 50 to 100 per cent of your investment and in this case, be sure to consider your indoor air quality and the environment by choosing low VOC paints, which reduce the number of unstable, carbon-containing compounds that enter the air and react with other elements.

New flooring can also dramatically enhance the overall look of your home and will provide returns of 50 to 75 per cent. To keep your existing materials out of a landfill and save on labour, consider installing floating flooring. This product, which can be glued or clicked together, floats on top of your existing floor. You can find this product in a number of different colours and looks, including natural wood.

It’s also important to consider what your home needs most. Window and door replacement may only offer a return of 50 to 75 per cent as well, but if your existing units are broken, there’s no question this should top your project list. When purchasing windows, look for low-E argon-filled units with the Energy Star symbol to achieve the highest thermal efficiency. A new product on the market can even eliminate dirty panes with a special coating that lasts the lifetime of the glass. It reacts to ultra-violet rays from natural daylight to break down dirt. When it rains, dirt washes off leaving no streaks or drying spots, thus reducing your water consumption.

These are just a few examples of new and green products that add appeal and value to your property. To learn more about all of your housing options, talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com for full details on government programs, market statistics and neighbourhood profiles.

Tom Lebour is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 28,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

• President's Toronto Sun Column Archive.

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A Taxing Issue: Let’s call on future mayor to roll back LTT


October 30, 2009 -- If you are at all interested in Toronto [Real Estate] politics, you have likely heard that Toronto Mayor David Miller has announced that he will not seek re-election next year. Only time will tell how history will view Mayor Miller’s leadership, but one thing is indisputable: Mayor Miller ushered in some very significant changes to how the City operates, not the least of which was the introduction of a City land transfer tax, which has been shown to have had a negative impact on the real estate market and the City’s economy. With this in mind, REALTORS® are calling on any candidates that run to replace Mayor Miller next year to make serious commitments to roll back this unfair tax once elected.

Without a doubt, many issues are discussed during municipal election campaigns, so why should the Toronto land transfer tax be included among these? The answer is two-fold: this tax is bad policy and it’s bad politics.

First, I’ll deal with why the Toronto Land Transfer Tax is bad policy. The real estate sector is one of the most important parts of the economy. When people buy homes, they usually spend money on numerous other things like renovations, furniture, and appliances, which helps to maintain and create jobs. In fact, a recent study conducted for the Canadian Real Estate Association showed that every re-sale housing transaction in Ontario resulted in over $47,000 being pumped into the economy.

This type of spending should be encouraged, but, unfortunately, Toronto’s Land Transfer Tax does just the opposite. In fact, a recent study conducted by the C.D. Howe Institute and Economics Professors from the University of Toronto showed that this Tax resulted in approximately 5,000 lost re-sale housing transactions in the City in the first year that the tax was implemented. This represents a loss to Toronto’s economy of almost $240 million in consumer spending.

But not only is the Toronto Land Transfer Tax bad policy, it is also bad politics. When this tax was first proposed, REALTORS® spoke out strongly against it, and we heard from countless people that they supported and appreciated our efforts to protect their interests. Well, now that the tax has been implemented, the public is opposed to it more than ever. In fact, a recent poll conducted by the Environics Research Group found that 65 percent of Torontonians want this tax repealed.

REALTORS® are looking forward to raising these issues during the upcoming municipal election campaign. Not only will we be working hard to make sure that all Mayoral and Council candidates understand why this unfair tax should be rolled back, we will also be working to ensure that the voting public remembers this Council decision and considers it when they go to the voting booth. I am confident that the public will, once again, join REALTORS® in calling for this tax to be scrapped.

Tom Lebour is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 28,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

President's Toronto Sun Column Archiv

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Shopping for a home in Toronto is a little like shopping for a car. Unless you know what to look for, you risk being swayed by first impressions and buying something that does not truly meet your needs. For example, you might fall in love with the basement recreation room - complete with a bar and a dartboard - and unconsciously overlook the fact that the home doesn't have enough bedrooms to accommodate your growing family. So when you're viewing a potential new home, or checking out a property during a week-end "open house", what should you look for? Here are some suggestions: 1. Is there enough room for your family, now and in the future? Remember, as kids grow so does the space they require! 2. Are there enough bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and storage space? 3. Do you like the neighbourhood? Always take a walk around and explore the area. 4. Does anything need to be repaired or replaced? If the seller won't be taking care of such issues, repairs or replacements could add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the true cost of buying a property. 5. Will you be happy there in the winter as you will in the summer, and visa versa? Imagine the home in all four seasons, good weather and bad. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions when viewing a home. After all, it's a major purchase. You want to get it right! Need help finding homes to view that meet your requirements? Call today or visit: www.jackiecarron.com