Oh November you creeped in so quietly and took over so swiftly. You kicked October down like the dressed up Halloween fool it was and you painted the world a pre holiday glow! You changed our clocks and made our five o’clocks as dark as the coffee we sip in the morning to wake up!
Where has the year gone? Was it not yesterday we sipped champagne, sangs songs for the new year ahead and made resolutions we would break just days later?
Now on only November 21st, the holidays are already in full swing. People celebrate their distinct festivals of lights, schools gear down and people eat.
November is also a time where housing does not move swiftly, like the animalistic traits of a June or July. Where are the listings? Are people moving?
Oh November will you ever and end, and bring in December our holiday friend?
Monday, November 21, 2011
Back Again!!!
Yes it has been several months, but THE SHAPIRO and CHO LEGAL BUZZ blog is back.
Musings will be more frequent and will reflect on the industry and on the company of course.
So lean back and enjoy!!!
Musings will be more frequent and will reflect on the industry and on the company of course.
So lean back and enjoy!!!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
To Save & Scrimp -OR- To Spend & Enjoy ?
Do what you want today, you never know what tomorrow will bring!
Some people save and save and save (which is great to a point!) but never enjoy “today”! Saving is an amazing skill to master, but an even more important skill is balance. Balance is being able to save and spend and have a happy medium.
Have you ever had that carnal urge to spend on something you knew was a luxury and not needed and you just could not do it? That is pretty common and happens to everyone, but where saving becomes obsessive is where your thrifty light always pops on even with small purchases that are needed (EX-a new toothbrush).
It is human nature to spend too much and save too much so balance is key.
A big debacle that can arise from this common SAVING Vs. SPENDING debate is should I rent or buy a condominium or house? For some people renting is an option and sometimes the only avenue. There are times though where someone is so intense on their saving and scrimping that they can not see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel which is to become an owner.
So the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION is… “When should saving end and a bit of spending begin?”
The truth is, the answer is different and entirely unique for every person!
So are you a spender, a saver or a balanced soul?
Some people save and save and save (which is great to a point!) but never enjoy “today”! Saving is an amazing skill to master, but an even more important skill is balance. Balance is being able to save and spend and have a happy medium.
Have you ever had that carnal urge to spend on something you knew was a luxury and not needed and you just could not do it? That is pretty common and happens to everyone, but where saving becomes obsessive is where your thrifty light always pops on even with small purchases that are needed (EX-a new toothbrush).
It is human nature to spend too much and save too much so balance is key.
A big debacle that can arise from this common SAVING Vs. SPENDING debate is should I rent or buy a condominium or house? For some people renting is an option and sometimes the only avenue. There are times though where someone is so intense on their saving and scrimping that they can not see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel which is to become an owner.
So the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION is… “When should saving end and a bit of spending begin?”
The truth is, the answer is different and entirely unique for every person!
So are you a spender, a saver or a balanced soul?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
QUESTIONS??!?!?!?
Who are you as a real estate agent? Who are you as a mortgage broker? Who are you as a person? What kind of service do you want to provide to your clientele? What makes you different from others in your game? As a person how are you in respect to others?
I think some questions are in order! Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves more questions to see who we want to be? Questions truly open us up and help us discover who we are and who we want to be. A simple self directed query could help you know how to gear your efforts in business or even how to live you life!
So how can a simple questioning of yourself help your business you ask? For example, let us say you are a real estate agent. You are working in a competitive market and obviously trying to differentiate yourself from the other agents in your field. So you could 100% ask yourself questions such as:
a) What type of client do I want to attract?
b) Do I Want to Take Every Client?
c) What Pre-Requisites Should I Have For Taking on a Client?
d) What Attributes Do I Have That Many Others Don’t That Would Attract Clients?
These questions would help score answers that could maybe help you in the marketplace. Maybe you will realize you have a special talent many do not have (i.e.-speak a language that may attract customers) and you can corner a market.
Questions can be extremely helpful and aid in your self discovery. The end result is knowing yourself better and everyone can use a bit of that!
I think some questions are in order! Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves more questions to see who we want to be? Questions truly open us up and help us discover who we are and who we want to be. A simple self directed query could help you know how to gear your efforts in business or even how to live you life!
So how can a simple questioning of yourself help your business you ask? For example, let us say you are a real estate agent. You are working in a competitive market and obviously trying to differentiate yourself from the other agents in your field. So you could 100% ask yourself questions such as:
a) What type of client do I want to attract?
b) Do I Want to Take Every Client?
c) What Pre-Requisites Should I Have For Taking on a Client?
d) What Attributes Do I Have That Many Others Don’t That Would Attract Clients?
These questions would help score answers that could maybe help you in the marketplace. Maybe you will realize you have a special talent many do not have (i.e.-speak a language that may attract customers) and you can corner a market.
Questions can be extremely helpful and aid in your self discovery. The end result is knowing yourself better and everyone can use a bit of that!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Where Are You Toronto?
Moneysense Magazine recently came out with a ranking of the most liveable Canadian cities. The top 25 list features such places in Ontario as Ottawa, Guelph, London, North Bay, Burlington and even Newmarket. Suspicously absent from the the top 25 though was Toronto.
As I peered down the list I saw Toronto was nowhere to be found. Not in the the top 35, or top 50 not even in the top 80. Out of 108 cities Toronto ranks a sad and surprising 108!
Items that are being evaluated here include: weather, household income, new cars on road, population growth, low crime, affordable housing, discretionary income, job prospects, access to health care and walking or biking to work.
To be brutally honest, I was quite shocked we ranked so low. Maybe I was a bit over zealous to think we would be in the top 25 but at least the top 50. Toronto is nowhere near the perfect place to live of course but there are many benefits of being a “Torontonian”. The weather can be cold in the winter, rainy in the spring and of course humid in the summer, but for the most part the weather is not as bad other places. Yes crime is higher than many other smaller cities, but at the same point Toronto is not a hub of crime either. It could be much worse! Toronto is a very accessible city to health care having many fabulous hospitals at a hop, skip jump away as well as many doctors in different trained practices. Yes there is a vast amount of unemployment but there is job growth as well. All in all, yes there is more that can be desired from Toronto but it is not a bottom dwellar type of city either.
So what does this all mean for us? What does this all mean for Toronto? It means that this popular magazine and its popular article will be read by a large quotient of Canadians, and many might get the idea that Toronto is not a liveable city. For most though, people will shrug it off. To be brutally honest rankings like this are enjoyable reads, but how fully accurate are they?
What I found increasingly interesting was another notable low ranked city—Vancouver. Vancouver like Toronto is a huge Canadian hub. Vancouver was the host city for 2010’s Winter Olympics and saw tourism reach record highs, yet one year later it is way down the list (albeit better than Toronto!) Peculiar!
Further in Toronto, the magazine has even gone further to delve into more ratings: Value (C-), Momentum (C+), Economy (B) and overall (C). Now this is a little more encouraging (Okay, maybe not when compared to Moncton, New Brunswick that respecively got an A+, A, B and an A overall!)
So Toronto love it or loathe it Toronto may not be viewed as the most liveable city, but it is home sweet home.
Toronto 88 out of 108, what do you think?
As I peered down the list I saw Toronto was nowhere to be found. Not in the the top 35, or top 50 not even in the top 80. Out of 108 cities Toronto ranks a sad and surprising 108!
Items that are being evaluated here include: weather, household income, new cars on road, population growth, low crime, affordable housing, discretionary income, job prospects, access to health care and walking or biking to work.
To be brutally honest, I was quite shocked we ranked so low. Maybe I was a bit over zealous to think we would be in the top 25 but at least the top 50. Toronto is nowhere near the perfect place to live of course but there are many benefits of being a “Torontonian”. The weather can be cold in the winter, rainy in the spring and of course humid in the summer, but for the most part the weather is not as bad other places. Yes crime is higher than many other smaller cities, but at the same point Toronto is not a hub of crime either. It could be much worse! Toronto is a very accessible city to health care having many fabulous hospitals at a hop, skip jump away as well as many doctors in different trained practices. Yes there is a vast amount of unemployment but there is job growth as well. All in all, yes there is more that can be desired from Toronto but it is not a bottom dwellar type of city either.
So what does this all mean for us? What does this all mean for Toronto? It means that this popular magazine and its popular article will be read by a large quotient of Canadians, and many might get the idea that Toronto is not a liveable city. For most though, people will shrug it off. To be brutally honest rankings like this are enjoyable reads, but how fully accurate are they?
What I found increasingly interesting was another notable low ranked city—Vancouver. Vancouver like Toronto is a huge Canadian hub. Vancouver was the host city for 2010’s Winter Olympics and saw tourism reach record highs, yet one year later it is way down the list (albeit better than Toronto!) Peculiar!
Further in Toronto, the magazine has even gone further to delve into more ratings: Value (C-), Momentum (C+), Economy (B) and overall (C). Now this is a little more encouraging (Okay, maybe not when compared to Moncton, New Brunswick that respecively got an A+, A, B and an A overall!)
So Toronto love it or loathe it Toronto may not be viewed as the most liveable city, but it is home sweet home.
Toronto 88 out of 108, what do you think?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Business Cards: The Lifeblood of Any Person
Think fast, what is the one promotional tool EVERY person needs in EVERY industry? Did you guess it? Yes, you are right, business cards!
Business cards are an essential marketing tool, especially for real estate agents, mortgage brokers and other people in that facet of the industry. Such a simple tool can mean so much.
It is more than just a small piece of paper printed up, it is an actual connection between people. One card lets people know your name, contact, profession as well as email. It helps them view a bit of who you are! Usually a handshake goes along with the exchange of a card and fuses two people together, even if just for seconds. A business card opens doors as well as closes them. It is a mirror of who you are.
So why is it that some people do not have business cards. They are not too expensive to print at a shop or even with todays amazing printers you can make them at home. I was at a recent event, and out of the 500 or so people I shook hands with only two thirds or so had cards. If you you are going to a large convention and spending several hundred on your ticket, you should definitely bring some business cards--it is just as simple as that!
So why are business cards so handy. For one they are small, succinct and get the point across. Even with technology the “Old School” technique works best.
Business cards are an essential marketing tool, especially for real estate agents, mortgage brokers and other people in that facet of the industry. Such a simple tool can mean so much.
It is more than just a small piece of paper printed up, it is an actual connection between people. One card lets people know your name, contact, profession as well as email. It helps them view a bit of who you are! Usually a handshake goes along with the exchange of a card and fuses two people together, even if just for seconds. A business card opens doors as well as closes them. It is a mirror of who you are.
So why is it that some people do not have business cards. They are not too expensive to print at a shop or even with todays amazing printers you can make them at home. I was at a recent event, and out of the 500 or so people I shook hands with only two thirds or so had cards. If you you are going to a large convention and spending several hundred on your ticket, you should definitely bring some business cards--it is just as simple as that!
So why are business cards so handy. For one they are small, succinct and get the point across. Even with technology the “Old School” technique works best.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Make Your Rental Your Own!
I’ll be the first to admit that I rent a place, and for the moment I love it! There will be a day down the road where I do purchase a condominium or townhouse all of my own, but for today renting suits me fine. It suits my lifestyle great and lets me save money for the big day when I have a place all of my own.
What is hard about renting is making the place really feel like your own. I know I have rented places where I would put my head on the pillow at night and really feel as if I was a stranger in my own room. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and literally my eyes would dart around the room trying to comprehend where I was. It was a discomforting and weird feeling and many people who rent sometimes feel similarly. Also my kitchen did not feel useable or that it was mine and I ate most of my meals out. This time around though I have worked hard to make my rental my home—and it has worked well.
So I figure rather than keeping a well guarded secret I will share with you my tips on how to make a rental your own little piece of paradise.
First rule is Unpack: In the past I said to myself “How Long Will I Really Be Here?” and this line really persuaded me to never fully unpack and try to assimilate the feeling of being at home. This time around I unpacked EVERYTHING and gave every item a spot all to its own. This really lets me see everything I have and makes me feel a bit of comfort.
Second Rule is Keep It Clean: Weekly cleaning should be done. To avoid heaps of laundry do loads twice weekly. Vaccuming as well as dusting and mopping should be a regular happening. This consistency will make you feel that this is indeed your place and that you need to keep it in tip top shape
Third Rule is Cook up a Storm: Nothing says this is my place better than having tons of pots and pans, and cuttlery handy and cooking everything and anything. Live your life, entertain and really enjoy it.
Fourth Rule is Invite and Entertain: This is your place, so invite people over and be social. You want to make sure that you are having people over and treating your place like the fun gathering place it should be.
There are lots of things you can do to make your place feel like yours and these are just a few. So the moral is do not be a stranger in your own place, make it yours!
What is hard about renting is making the place really feel like your own. I know I have rented places where I would put my head on the pillow at night and really feel as if I was a stranger in my own room. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and literally my eyes would dart around the room trying to comprehend where I was. It was a discomforting and weird feeling and many people who rent sometimes feel similarly. Also my kitchen did not feel useable or that it was mine and I ate most of my meals out. This time around though I have worked hard to make my rental my home—and it has worked well.
So I figure rather than keeping a well guarded secret I will share with you my tips on how to make a rental your own little piece of paradise.
First rule is Unpack: In the past I said to myself “How Long Will I Really Be Here?” and this line really persuaded me to never fully unpack and try to assimilate the feeling of being at home. This time around I unpacked EVERYTHING and gave every item a spot all to its own. This really lets me see everything I have and makes me feel a bit of comfort.
Second Rule is Keep It Clean: Weekly cleaning should be done. To avoid heaps of laundry do loads twice weekly. Vaccuming as well as dusting and mopping should be a regular happening. This consistency will make you feel that this is indeed your place and that you need to keep it in tip top shape
Third Rule is Cook up a Storm: Nothing says this is my place better than having tons of pots and pans, and cuttlery handy and cooking everything and anything. Live your life, entertain and really enjoy it.
Fourth Rule is Invite and Entertain: This is your place, so invite people over and be social. You want to make sure that you are having people over and treating your place like the fun gathering place it should be.
There are lots of things you can do to make your place feel like yours and these are just a few. So the moral is do not be a stranger in your own place, make it yours!
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