A Day to Remember

Why is this day different from every other? While on most days collectively we all think a bit possibly about how our ancestors, loved ones and friends who have fought or are fighting for our freedom (but probably not much), on this special day our minds are glued on these aspects of Canadian society. No matter who you are I bet your life in some way has been touched (Even if not directly) by someone who has or many years ago had defended Canada.

Remembrance Day is more important than ever now that Canada’s last living veteran from WWI has passed on and WWII veterans are aging rapidly. We obviously still have veterans from other wars and conflicts, but every year our number of WWII veterans shrinks at a rapid pace.

Let us be honest though, many people who are off on this somber and dignified day do not always pay proper respect to it. Many people though do go to services, grave sides or assemblies. Children and youth usually partake in special presentations at their respective schools.

Walking down the street today at 11am (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when we show our respect for a moment of silence) it was nice to see construction workers actually stop and pay tribute. Honking of cars actually ceased and buses stopped for a moment. It was heartwarming to see people took it seriously.

So however you are spending your day do something special to make it more than just any other day!

Phones: The New Frontier

So in retrospect, the last 15 years has brought a lot of technology to the forefront to help real estate agents do their jobs faster and better. These technologies have been partially responsible for helping usher a new age of growth in the industry. The internet has become the home base for sites like MLS and Zoocasa to exist and has made real estate a worldwide affair. High power faxing has made signing deals easier and a quicker affair.

One of the biggest changes though in technology has been cell phones and their growth and use in the industry.

From Blackberry’s to iphones, this new technology has helped agents build their network and keep linked while working on the run. Another newfangled idea is the fact you can now get listings on your phone by texting. This superb new feature really helps agents (and buyers and sellers alike) since prospective buyers can easily view the houses.

What is the next step in phone technology? What will science broach next? What should be tackled? Only time will tell!

Model Homes: A Trip For Your Senses

How will you ever learn as an agent or as a consumer what is out there in new condominiums and new houses? You could obviously do factual research, but how far will that take you? You could go on the internet and look at sales sites or talk to other new homebuyers or agents, but how far will that really push your knowledge? Maybe you need something tangible.

Maybe what you need is a more hands on experience, a tantalizing sensation for your senses to really get the full experience. You need to see model homes. Being someone looking for the future, down the road I have been spending many a Sunday driving around the city and seeing different models, and wow has it opened my mind.

I now no longer can look at a simple brochure and be excited by it about a development.
I need that new carpet smell, that fresh coat of paint, the staged rooms; all of this gets me excited. I’ve realized that seeing these perfect glimpses into what life could be races my pulse and gets my heart beating fast. Now I know to some this may sound totally overdone or over exemplified, but truthfully it is a fun way to spend a Sunday. Even if you do not plan on purchasing for years to come or ever, these models sometimes can give you the greatest ideas on what to do with your living space. Usually these houses also show you what the community will like as well. In twenty minutes to an hour you can get a real feel for what life would be like.

So for me no more brochures, instead candid walks in model homes where I can really see what I want!

Property Virgins on HGTV: A REVIEW

Have you ever wished you could find the perfect first property to own and that you could list all your wants and needs and a knowledgeable real estate guru would help lead your search? Well this is your lucky day now that the popular HGTV show “Property Virgins” is going into its smash 4th season. The show airs a new episode each day and re-broadcasts up to 4 times daily. Sandra Rinomato a real estate and property guru leads the “Property Virgins” (A person or people who have never owned personal property) through the hassle of finding the entity that is right for them. The show for the most part takes place in the GTA and Toronto but sometimes veers off to the U.S and other cities.

The way the episodes work is that Sandra meets the person as well as their family, spouse or whomever they choose to bring along. They discuss what they are and are not looking for in a property and then Sandra finds usually 3 properties to show them. At the end they pick a property, make an offer and we see what happens. They also talk about what works for them and what makes them happy in a property.

Now you might be asking, why am I blogging about this little show? It is an amazing show, and personally as someone who is new to property, every episode I watch opens my eyes. We see the fear and fun in picking a property as well as the naiveté of the purchasers when Sandra asks them how much they think the house or condominium are worth (they answer $60,000 below or above sometimes). We see the human condition at its best and the vulnerability of people and their choices.

“Property Virgins” broaches a topic that is important and that topic is fear of commitment. Fear of commitment can mean many things but in this sense with housing obviously. For anyone watching the show really helps give you ideas and quenches fears and lingering questions.

Sandra Rinomato has a great presence and commands the audience and “PV’s” respect and adoration. She is definitely someone who you would want advocating for you and or your family to find a place.

So for someone interested in first time property, this show is a must.

Social Networking For a New Generation

It is a new day in age we live in and everything we know and have come to learn is changing in some fashion. Technology has become a prime source of change and in so many careers and jobs over the past few years especially. With the introduction of products like ipad, iphone, blackberry and skype we have seen how technology has literally revolutionized the workplace.

The time of face to face social networking is passé and almost dead. Remember the days of early morning breakfast networking groups? They still do exist but, a whole new generation coming into the work force all but ignore them. For a new generation social networking means one medium—the internet.

Right now the hottest entity for the working world is the use of social networking programs on the web. From linkedin to twitter to facebook to even blogging, business types (especially real estate agents) are logging on to this trend in droves. What is nice about these programs are the options they give. Blogging as I am doing right now makes it possible to let your clientele know about article style issues. Twitter is great for linking articles and sending links as well as letting people know what you are up to. Facebook is adept at fusing pictures, articles and notifications to a younger echelon. For business though the “BIG” name in social networking is linkedin. Linkedin is a program that connects you to different people you know or have worked with. It is a much more professional network and a favorite among agents.

Social networking is the way of tomorrow, today! It lets professionals link their respective careers and job together and helps create a flow of information. It is quite different than the networking of past decades and a little daunting when starting, but you will see how beneficial it can be.

Time For a Place of Your Own?

So, you are in your late twenties or early thirties and you are renting a basement apartment, a room or maybe an apartment in a building. You think to yourself that the rent is a manageable price and now is not the time to go all out and get a condominium or a house of your own. When is the right time then? As consumers we buy and buy smaller ticket items, but when it comes to the more crucial yet expensive purchases (Example-Houses, Cars) we are much more hesitant to take the proverbial plunge. Obviously that is good fiscal responsibility, but we also have to take risks to as well as think outside the box.


As most real estate agents can and will tell you there is something to be said for owning a condominium or house of some sort. Mortgage payments can sometimes be as reasonable as rent and once you have your own place the money you put in is going to you and not a landlord.
A good first step is to find a real estate agent to help you weigh your options and shows you what is on the market. This can definitely open up a world of opportunity for you and open your eyes to options.

C-L-E-A-N

Love them or hate them chores have to be done if one wants to keep the place they live in nice. Can it ever be though that chores take over our lives as we know it. Some people spend their whole weekend toiling over cleaning a stove, fumbling in the garden and cleaning the floors. There are even chores at work from keeping the washroom clean to keeping your lunch area clean. For me though I do not mind fixing up my room, kitchen and such. It is truly nice to live in a clean and organized environment.




So here is a great word to live by and what is stands for:

C-leanse: Clean your place to the point that is fresh

L-ighten the Load: Always recycle and giveaway clutter

E-xcite Yourself: Do not ever make cleaning a downer make it an upper

A-ct Environmentally: When cleaning always used environmentally sound products

N-ever Give up: As hard as it is stay in for the long run

Oh HST!

July 1st 2010 came and went and on top of Canada day Parties, fireworks and movies battling it out at your local theatre something else crept in the door; a little unwelcome friend name HST. For months people have been talking and talking about how this would eventually come into place and how it would affect us.

Well with the new tax in place, the next few months are really going to tell us what in the spectrum is going on.
Will this new tax make people avoid spending like the plague? Will HST do the positive things some have said it would do? Will HST be this decades Y2K, an explosion of pre-empted fear that goes nowhere? These next few weeks will tell!

Music, Memory & Dwellings

It can be said that music is the soundtrack of our lives. Every moment of our lives can be summed up by a song, whether it was playing at that point or if the moment matches a tune. Think back to a point in your life, whether it is that big sporting event you won, a wedding, graduation or perhaps that first kiss. Now try to associate a song with it. Pretty easy is it not?


Now why do we as humans have this sensory system where events can link our minds to music? One could say we are born with this ability, one could say we learn it. All this said it is a powerful ability that most people possess.

Now if events can be linked to music what about a house or apartment? The place you live? Could you have a deep sensorial attachment to the place in which you dwell? I for one think so.

When I think about the houses I have lived in over the years of my life I can 100% link songs in my head that make me recall incidents and events in the different homes. For example hearing The Beatle’s song “8 Days a Week” reminds me of how I used to study for exams in my basement and loop the song over and over; Hearing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Our House” reminds me of doing house chores in the backyard; And of course hearing Gordon Lightfoot’s “Winter ‘s Night” makes me remember being 6 years old curled up in front a window at night staring from the warmth of my house into the snowy streets.

Music can really transform where we live. Now you give it a try! Pick a place you once lived and pick a place in the house. Now try really hard to think of a song that describes your memories and feelings. It is not that hard!

Music is the soundtrack to our lives and even more so the soundtrack of where we live and have lived.

Deja Vu

I sit and type as rain pours on the window pane at the office. The rain hits the pavement and makes a noise so distinct people in the office can hear it. As I stare out the window I notice a condominium building across the street and I realize something—I have seen it before around the city!
Now I do not mean in any way that I have seen the exact same structures, but I am finding that other than a handful of different and out there conceptual condominiums a lot of the new ones going up have a sort of familiarity to them.

Now I do not want to diminish the great job done, but I think a building with a bit of originality adds a bit of spunk and pizzazz! I think a little bit of a difference really can open the eyes of people viewing and make for an engaging sight to see.

So for me it is the condo’s that dare to be different (Excuse the cliché) that in my books are tops.

I Am Just a "Lookie-Loo"!

What a beautiful day! Days like these just do not come often, so we all have to enjoy them! One of my favorite things to do on a brisk evening as tonight will no doubt be is to walk around the neighborhood along Sheppard (between Yonge and Bayview) and house hunt. Now don’t look too much into this! I have no intentions of buying any of the attractive little bungalows or more modern developments. I simply enjoy a good walk deconstructing each house on my path.
Truly, what is wrong with that? Nothing in my opinion! I am a “lookie-loo” as they say, a passer-by who enjoys checking out the houses. It does not even matter if the house is “For Sale” or not, I enjoy seeing what works for me.
One thing that I have noticed in the Willowdale locale is that the area started off several decades ago as quaint bungalows with a lot of land in the back and front. Now with people’s needs changing and sales of these humble abodes in droves, people are bull dozing down old and building bigger, fancier new homes. So the area is really neat since you have your older homes mingling with the newer homes.
It is quite a site to see this going on in these neighborhoods. The area is so multi-cultural and each house (whether old or new, small or big) has a flavor all of it’s own. It is a neighborhood that definitely has something for everyone and is neat to walk around.

Looming HST

HST is so close; many can feel its mighty roar just around the corner. People are preparing themselves for the months ahead and it has become quite the hot button topic. Who will it affect? What will the repercussions be? Will people cut down their spending? Will people be more conservative on purchases? It is a big question mark that looms over our heads. I sit here and ponder, how will it affect real estate? That’s a big one. Time will tell!

Have You Seen the Sign? --By Shawn Shapiro

What do you think of when you think of Real Estate agents signs on a lawn? Words that come to my mind are: “Big”, “Bright”, “Explanatory” and “Written”. What have we come to know from these signs? First off we have come to understand that the information they convey from open houses to how you can reach the agent. What though, if there was more a sign could do? Crazy you say? I would have thought so too until last week when I saw a seemingly similar sign that blew my mind and changed how I looked at real estate signs forever!


It was 6:30 pm on Thursday May 6th, 2010 and I was driving in a car in the Bayview and Sheppard area. As our car passed by the houses we looked at all the signs that announced houses “For “Sale” or “Sold”.



There was one house that was different though. On the sign there was a button. Curiosity was on our side as we got out of the car and pressed the sign. To our astonishment it was a recording welcoming people to the house and giving information about the house. Our faces were struck with amazement? WOW! Yes, it seems simple and it does seem like the viable next trend but I just was not expecting it.

We quickly got back into the car and went up and down the streets searching for another talking sign. Was this one just a anomaly or are there more out there?



I ask, Have you seen this sign?

Spring to Summer

In many ways the spring season is switching gradually and quietly into summer. We see it in the weather patterns, we see it in the real estate market, we see it even at Shapiro & Cho in our offices. Is it coincidence or planned that all our recent and new clients are suddenly buying and selling property? Did they wait specifically to the start of May on purpose? What is it about summer that brings people to the forefront of the real estate market? Well this year unlike others we soon have the premiere of the HST tax and thus people are trying to beat it to the punch. There are so many reasons why on this day we see so many signs on lawns. It has been a great year so far for real estate, and we like everybody else hope it keeps up. Houses also show better in the summer when front and backyards look their best.


Our office in the past week has seen the hustle and bustle of the late Spring, early Summer rush and it has been invigorating. With smiles on our faces and hard work ethics we are making sure this is the best summer yet.

SPRING CLEANING

As the sun peaks through the bay windows at our Bayview and Sheppard office, the law clerks and lawyers bustle and work hard on a busy Thursday in April. What makes this day different than all others outside though? Looking out the window one can tell the beautiful weather has brought people out of their houses and apartments to do some spring cleaning. This is especially being the case for the rows of domiciles sporting a For Sale sign. It seems as if with every gradual raise in temperature the number of signs expands. Coincidence? I think Not! Spring cleaning time is the perfect time to sell your place! The nice weather allows for quality painting, washing and gardening time. So what are you going to use this weather for?

HST Is Coming... By: Shawn Shapiro

The long weekend is almost over. Now, beautiful spring weather is upon us and as time passes by rapidly we get closer to the beginning of summer which marks the introduction of HST. Harmonized Sales Tax or HST is coming to fruition this summer and as an agent or buyer or seller one must be ready for it. As the date comes closer, more posts will be included about HST and if you need or want a full handout we have available contact shawn@shapirocho.com

Why Spring? By Shawn Shapiro

Looking out the windows at the offices of Shapiro & Cho, much can be seen. On this chilly yet quite spectacular Tuesday in March, one could get caught up in the weather. It is not quite winter anymore, but not quite Spring just yet. People walk down Sheppard Avenue East towards Bayview clinging to their Tim Horton’s cups and rolling the rim. People are dressed as if Winter and Spring had an offspring season right in the middle. It is funny though how the minute we trade our snow boots to our rain galoshes, more and more people start the process of thinking about selling their property.


On a walk around the streets near the building, muddy lawns are littered with signs for all the local agents in North York; More and more of these go up as the days pass as one can notice. Spring is when people start really selling their homes in big numbers.

The question one can ask is “Why Spring?”, and the answers are numerous. First off with the nicer weather on its way people can get around easier. More importantly with nice weather on the way agents and their clients alike can spruce up their front and back yards. Things can look absolutely perfect-to a degree of course. The outside of a property can really help with the sale, so spring becomes a crucial time to start upkeep.

With nicer weather on the way be ready to see more signs popping up everywhere and use the season to your advantage.

The Art of Staging By: Shawn Shapiro

There was a time when selling a house was a more simplistic task. You put it on the market and that was that. In 2010 though there are more trends arising before putting your place on the market.

One such trend is that people want to see how dressed up a place can look; how a different table or chair can accentuate a place and beyond—they want to see it staged. This has created a demand more than ever for stagers- artistic types who help you jazz up your place before people come to look at it.

Now you might be asking yourself the question “Why Stage?” The answer is simple, it can help you sell! The most simplistic additions and changes can make a difference from putting out some flowers, arranging a nice dining room, and basically making your place look as if it is lived in properly. Jazzing your place up can really stimulate interest in your property.

There is now even an industry for stagers. It has become a booming business and many sellers use this service. Is staging the new way to go? It seems so!

Which Social Media Is For You? By: Shawn Shapiro

It seems as if in this day in age social media is the new buzz word. Everyone wants to know how different forms of social networking can help them and their business. More than ever different forms of social networking are helping link people and businesses together. Here are some of the more notable forms.

Facebook: The proverbial “Grandfather” of all social media is still around and helping people connect. It is a great place to set up a profile for you personally or to create a group for your business. Though this form of social networking started out catering for the younger sect, people (and Business people) of all ages have now connected to make this a viable networking place for professionals.

Twitter: This social media is adept at telling people what you are up to at the moment and to send back interesting information and links.

LinkedIn: This is the most professional of the lot, and makes it easy for professionals to create a profile and link a network of people they know with recommendations and such. Many professionals use this program as it showcases education and past careers.

Blogs: Do you have a voice you want heard? Do you have points you want to elaborate on? Writing a blog has never been so simple with all the great and easy to use templates.

Be Safe, Have a Will!

You’re in your late twenties to mid thirties, and you are finally buying your first condo or house and potentially you are starting or building a family. Somebody throws out the “Crazy” idea that you should have a will and quickly you dismiss it by saying you’re young and you do not need that piece of paper yet.

Yes, there might have been a time when most people waited until their early forties and beyond to get a will, but to paraphrase that classic song “Times They Are a Changing”. People younger and younger are getting wills done and with good reason. Your will can delegate so many things from who gets your money to childcare issues and beyond.

A will is a piece of mind and can settle many qualms that people have when they pass on. It is definitely something to look into!