Representatives of 16 boards and associations met in late November to share ideas about Quality of Life initiatives at an annual symposium hosted this year by the Toronto Real Estate Board.   The Durham Region Association of Realtors has initiated a program called Random Acts of Kindness to further the principle of Building Better Communities. [...]

Re/Max International has sold master franchises for the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Samir Mane, an Albanian citizen and local businessman, is the new owner of franchising rights for both countries.   The new regions will have their headquarters in the Albanian capital, Tirana. Mane anticipates rapid growth and has ambitious plans [...]

By Kathy Bevan   When George Loades isn’t busy selling houses, he’s building them by the hundreds…and giving them away. Birdhouses, that is. The Calgary Realtor has been building houses for a variety of birds, but in particular the mountain bluebird, since the 1980s, when his father’s retirement hobby grew into a labour of love [...]

The Durham Region Association of Realtors (DRAR) held its Annual Christmas Dinner, Election Meeting and Charity Auction in support of the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Lodge on December 4. The event raised more than $11,000 for the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Lodge. A further donation of $5,000 from the Ontario Real Estate Association’s [...]

I always read your paper, as I find there is always something of interest and use to me. I am writing in response to two letters in the last issue.   Home energy rating – When this is proposed by people in the energy/insulation business (read self- interest) and government (read nanny state), you know [...]

Three out of four first-time homebuyers in Canada would benefit from additional education about the buying process, says a report by Genworth Financial Canada.   The latest First-Time Homebuyer’s Monitor survey tested Canadians’ knowledge of mortgage and home buying terms and concepts, revealing important gaps that could be filled by more homebuyer education, the company [...]

Economists and investment analysts may be bearish about Canada’s economic prospects, but one real estate franchisor is being bullish about 2009: Red Carpet is in expansion mode once again in Canada.  Its corporate headquarters open in February in Mississauga, Ont. and its first new franchise has already been announced in the greater Toronto area.   [...]

Avison Young (Canada) has acquired Avison Young Quebec Inc. The purchase includes Avison Young’s independent member real estate firms in Montreal and Quebec City. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.   The acquisition of the Quebec operations completes the company’s national merger process. In October, the shareholders and partners of Avison Young companies in [...]

There are enough people out there in the media and the blogosphere to tell us that the market is this and the market is that. For every doom and gloom piece there is another that says this is the time of opportunity.   Here are the facts. There is a market. There has always been [...]

By Marty Lachance   Video has become a hot topic in the real estate industry over the past year. I receive calls regularly from Realtors across North America, seeking advice and information about the value of video on their websites. The decision to include video is not as black and white as it may seem. [...]