Occasionally Realtors misunderstand the “personal representation” aspect of agency. Under a mistaken notion of advocacy, they act in a deplorably confrontational manner and place stumbling blocks in the way of a sale. “Agency” is also misused occasionally. For example, sometimes the listing salesperson tells the selling salesperson that “the seller doesn’t want to see [...]

By Kathy Bevan   Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) has called for a Judicial Review by the Federal Court of Canada, of a Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) decision that questions the evaluation process used by PWGSC to award lucrative federal government relocation contracts.   Estimated to be worth $1.54 million, the contracts [...]

Sergio Papadopoulos, an affiliated real estate agent with Re/Max Westmount in Westmount, Que. heads a corporation that has purchased the first Re/Max office in Panama, making it the 55th country for the global real estate franchisor.  Panama is part of the Re/Max Central America region, operated by Re/Max International.   Papadopoulos started his real estate [...]

ABC television is launching a new comedy in the fall that will focus on four real estate agents.   Hot Properties, set in a Manhattan real-estate office, features “four very different women catering to high-end clients while coping with their own personal predicaments,” says an ABC news release.   “Married to a handsome 25-year-old, 40-something [...]

John W. Meehan, broker/owner of Re/Max Unique in downtown Toronto, began his term as president of the Toronto Real Estate Board today. A Realtor for 23 years, Meehan has been recognized by Re/Max as a broker/owner of the year, and previously won awards for sales and managing with Royal LePage Real Estate Services.   “As [...]

Price appreciation for recreational property has slowed in the east but keeps climbing in the west, says a new report by Re/Max.   The 2005 Re/Max Recreational Property Report, which covers almost 50 major centres from coast-to-coast, says that upward pressure on pricing has now eased in 34 per cent of markets nationwide. However, close [...]

Bruce Law, associate vice-president of J.J. Barnicke in Burlington, Ont. was elected chair of the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) recently following the regulatory body’s eighth Annual General Meeting. Joe Pinheiro, broker/owner of Pinheiro Realty & Ins. in London, will serve as vice-chair.   Three directors were acclaimed to the Board of Directors and [...]

Toronto is the most expensive city in Canada and 82nd most expensive in the world, while Ottawa is Canada’s least expensive and 122nd in the world, according to a new survey by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Tokyo is the world’s most expensive city, followed by Osaka, Japan, says the Cost of Living Survey. London, England ranks [...]

Given the choice between more space or higher quality features, new home buyers are overwhelmingly opting for the latter, says the latest survey data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).   When asked to choose between a bigger house with fewer amenities or a smaller house with high quality products and amenities, 63 [...]

With about 200 new agents joining the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) every month during the current real estate boom, the membership has voted to adopt a deficit budget to whittle down surplus funds.
The board, with more than 21,000 members, has an annual operating budget of about $22 million, but currently has a reserve fund [...]