Originally published on January 24, 2020 by A story published this week in Forbes In March of 2019, Purple Bricks, formerly known as Comfree, ran a contest within their brokerage to get friends and family members to write glowing reviews of the brokerage “whether or not” they were customers of Purplebricks.  There were detailed instructions on how to game the system so they wouldn’t violate the terms of use agreements with Facebook and Google.  This is wrong on so many levels. Purplebricks promotes itself as a low cost alternative to the traditional real estate brokerage. They cater ..read more

To many, the new year brings on resolutions and new habits.  But for investors, in particular investors of student rental properties, the new year brings new opportunity to create, build or expand their real estate portfolio. The student lease cycle typically runs from May 1 to April 30, so many investors begin their search early in January in hopes of closing on a property around the timing of the new cycle.  Those considering a student rental in Guelph don’t necessarily need to be a large investor adding another property to their current portfolio. Often times parents purchase a ho ..read more

Guelph bucked the national trend in 2019.  Prices and sales across the country were expected to show modest gains and recovery over 2018, and while that was true for the country as a whole, Guelph exceeded expectations and continues to lead most markets in terms of sales and price growth.  Last year we indicated that 41% of homes sold in Guelph moved at or above list price.  This year that number is even higher: 49% of properties are changing hands at or above list price.  The telling part of this story reflects the reduced levels of available homes and the almost double-di ..read more

, ORIGINALLY POSTED by “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” to sell? Despite homes being covered in snow and icy roads galore, winter is a great time to sell your home!  Or is it?  If you’ve been contemplating whether you should list your home on the Guelph MLS now or wait until the snow melts away, we made a list of everything you should take into consideration. Buyers mean business While more total buyers are looking in the spring and summer in Guelph, there are more serious buyers in the winter season.  If someone is making time to visit open houses and showin ..read more

It’s often the first thing real estate clients ask: “How’s the market?”. This is such a hard question to answer because it could be addressed in many ways. Information on the Guelph real estate market is everywhere and depending on what you’re looking for, you’re going to get mixed messages.  At the beginning of the year,  Just how strong was the Guelph real estate market this year? Both the Guelph and Toronto markets performed stronger than anticipated. The average price of a single-family residential home in Guelph has increased 6% in 2019 versus 2018, beating a 1-3% projection. &n ..read more

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY Buying your first home is a daunting experience – with so much out there, where do you even start your research? We've compiled some of the best resources and apps to get you started. Your Guelph Realtor should be able to help you navigate through the process. Once you become familiar with the details, it becames far less intimidating (and in some cases, actually fun!). Here are the details: . 49% of first-time home buyers are Millennials (25-34) 61% of first-time home buyers purchased a detached home 50% of first-time home buyers felt price was the most important ..read more

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY Relatively speaking, this week was considerably better than the same week last year and even better than the same week in 2017.  Looking at the recently released October numbers for the City of Guelph, we see that this past October set the new high water mark for Guelph, with 202 homes sold.  Since 2008, when 127 homes changed hands, there has been a 59% increase in home sales for the month of October.   The Guelph market has been increasing, not only in price, but in the number of homes changing hands as well.  Further evidence that the Guelph market i ..read more

Guelph real estate continues to outperform expectations As Christmas decorations hit the shelves and holiday parties start, many people consider whether or not the cold winter months are the right time to buy and sell Guelph real estate. Is there a right answer? Traditionally, the Guelph real estate market sees a slight uptick in the number of sales in October, which could be due to children now in school and people wanting to settle into their new homes before Christmas. And sales in October 2019 were no exception: it was one of the strongest Octobers on record with almost 200 homes changing ..read more

"My house is infested with termites" is something you never want to have to say if you own a home in Guelph. Thankfully, termites in Guelph are well monitored. Termites are wood destroying insects, living in large colonies that can cause serious structural damage to homes if they are not contained and controlled. Introduced in 2007, Guelph’s termite management program helps to control the local termite population and prevent damage to wood structures. And, reduce the area that termites are actually active in. Guelph’s termite control strategy involves inspections, monitoring properties with tr ..read more

One of the best things about buying Guelph real estate is the variety in housing. Just like the variety in ethnicities of food or brand of cars, there is something for everyone in the Guelph real estate market. Browsing the MLS listings for Guelph, you’ll find a mix of new homes, old homes, bungalows, sidesplits, townhouses, apartments and condos. Generally, the older homes are the centre of the city and as time moves on, newer homes extend the radius out the current city limits. Here is a general look at the Guelph market and the homes you may find in each area: Downtown: The areas that make ..read more