Home Trends from Edward Wang & Christopher Wannamaker

Connect Realty, Brokerage

Edward Wang

Christopher Wannamaker

Direct: 416.807.1977 edward@wgrouprealestate.ca

Direct: 647.285.6964 christopher@wgrouprealestate.ca

Office: 416.588.8248 | www.wgrouprealestate.ca

THE W GROUP REAL ESTATE

Royal LePage Connect Realty

FEELING COMFORTABLE IN YOUR NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD

After you’ve moved into your new home, you’ll want to explore the community and meet new people. Having a sense of community is good for your overall well being and knowing who lives in the homes around you is good for your security and safety. A great way to meet those that live next to you is to hold a yard or garage sale. You’ll probably have a few things that you moved from your old place that just don’t fit or work with your new space and it won’t hurt to set out a table and spend a Saturday selling your wares and meeting your neighbours. If you have children, they can host a lemonade or cookie stand to meet other children in the neighbourhood. If you don’t have anything to sell, consider sharing the harvest from your garden or overflowing apple tree with those around you. Another tried and true place to meet your neighbours is on the walking trails or nearby

green spaces. Perhaps there is a local running group or walking meet-up that you can join and get to know some new people while staying healthy and active. On the other hand, you can head online to see if your new neighbourhood has a social media page. If they don’t and you are tech savvy, consider starting one yourself. Engage with others online and suggest meeting for coffee at a local shop where you can bond over the best places to eat, which grocery store has the best deals and other things that make your neighbourhood special. Volunteering or attending the community league annual general meeting is another way to meet your neighbours and see what the issues facing your area are. Once you become more familiar with the area and the people around you, you’ll be able to welcome other newcomers when they move into the 'hood'.

Office: 416.588.8248 | www.wgrouprealestate.ca

THE W GROUP REAL ESTATE

Royal LePage Connect Realty

QUICK AND INEXPENSIVE KITCHEN UPGRADES

With fall and winter looming, you may be looking for a small and inexpensive change that will turn your "boring" kitchen into something exciting and noteworthy. Here are four things you can do this weekend for under $100.

Paint the island - add a pop of colour to your kitchen by painting the island a vibrant red, striking terracotta or forest green. All of these colours are trendy right now and if you get tired of it, you can just re-paint again in a few months! Remove cupboard doors to create open shelving - display your favourite dishes and cooking gadgets while creating a more functional and accessible kitchen. Use coloured or textured contact paper to line the shelves for even more excitement.

Change out the hardware - swap your old drawer and cupboard knobs for a new style. Be daring and use one style of knob on the upper cabinets and a different one altogether on the bottom ones. Update the backsplash - add a peel and stick backsplash to your existing tile to completely change the look of the kitchen. Mix and match patterns and textures if you're feeling adventurous.

Office: 416.588.8248 | www.wgrouprealestate.ca

THE W GROUP REAL ESTATE

Royal LePage Connect Realty

BENEFITS OF A CORNER LOT

Many prospective homeowners are hesitant to even look at a home on a corner lot because of the added maintenance required with this particular type of yard. It's true, there will be more sidewalk to shovel and more grass to mow, but think about the positives of owning a corner lot when you're out looking for a new home. That extra grass means more space for children to play with maybe even enough space for a play structure or swing set to be set up. More yard also means more areas to entertain and the possibility of adding a large garden as well as a gazebo firepit instead of having to choose only one because of space limitations.

The house itself can end up being brighter with more natural light as there is only one neighbouring house to block out the sun. This open side also provides a better view and more privacy as your windows won't be looking directly into your neighbour's windows. Depending on if the home is on a busy street or a quiet neighbourhood street, another advantage of a corner lot is more parking space along the curb. Guests or teenage drivers won't have to play musical cars when it's time to leave. As always, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a corner lot with your real estate agent as they'll have a lot more insight having shown and sold these types of properties over the years.

Office: 416.588.8248 | www.wgrouprealestate.ca

THE W GROUP REAL ESTATE

Royal LePage Connect Realty

SMART SHOPPING TO SAVE

With prices of almost everything seeming to be on the rise, it's no wonder many Canadians are looking for ways to save a few dollars here and there. One thing you can do is to purchase items when they're on sale or in season. For instance, September is a great time to purchase summer clothes as they're likely on clearance while stores try to make room for fall and winter inventory. Other summer related items may be on clearance as well - items like bicycles, lawn furniture, camping gear, grills and the like will be discounted so check out your favourite stores to see what stock and deals they are offering. Seasonal produce is often discounted in the month of September when it's aptly available - apples, squash, eggplant and beans are just

a few of the ingredients you can save some money on. Shopping and meal planning based on what's in season is a trend many are picking up on. Knowing that fruit like strawberries and grapes, for example, will cost way more in the winter what they would in summer is key to balancing a grocery budget. Try not to purchase electronics, small home appliances and toys in the fall as Black Friday sales have moved into Canada and these are often the most discounted items. Unless it's a necessity, try to hold off until the end of November. On the other hand, new iPhones are released in September so the older models are often discounted if you're not too worried about not having the latest model.

Office: 416.588.8248 | www.wgrouprealestate.ca

THE W GROUP REAL ESTATE

Royal LePage Connect Realty

GTA REALTORS® Release August Stats

AVG. SALE PRICE Single Family Dwelling $1,416,366

AVG. SALE PRICE Condo/Townhouse $837,863

ACTIVE LISTINGS 15,497

DAYS ON MARKET 20

GTA REALTORS® September 2023 – Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 5,294 sales in August 2023 – down by 5.2 per cent compared to August 2022. New listings were up by 16.2 per cent year-over-over, providing some relief on the supply front, but year-to-date listings are still down substantially compared to the same period last year. “More balanced market conditions this summer compared to the tighter spring market resulted in selling prices hovering at last year’s levels and dipping slightly compared to July. As interest rates continued to increase in May, after a pause in the winter and early spring, many buyers have had to adjust their offers in order to qualify for higher monthly payments. Not all sellers have chosen to take lower than expected selling prices, resulting in fewer sales,” said TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer. The MLS® Home Price Index Composite benchmark for August 2023 was up by 2.5 per cent year over-year. The average selling price was also up, but by less than one per cent to $1,082,496 over the same timeframe. “While higher interest rates have certainly impacted affordability, the prospect of higher taxes will also hit households’ balance sheets, especially younger buyers with limited savings. With the City of Toronto moving to raise the municipal land transfer tax (MLTT) rate on properties over $3 million as a revenue tool, it must also consider helping first-time home buyers struggling to enter the market by adjusting their tax rebate threshold to reflect today’s higher home prices,” said TRREB CEO John DiMichele. Source: Toronto Regional Real Estate Board | Market values stated are of the average of Toronto and surrounding region. Individual home market values will vary and are affected by factors such as location, size, interior and exterior condition. Please call to get an up-to-date evaluation of your home.

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Office: 416.588.8248 | www.wgrouprealestate.ca