Propertyshop.ca announces new supplier of mere posting on mls service

We are excited to announce our arrangement with John Gagnon of HomeLife/Unlimited Connections Realty Ltd . of Belleville who is advertising a flat fee of $195 (plus HST). We will be sending copies of the required forms to our member lawyers to bring them up to speed on our new arrangement. The real estate market is constantly changing -- and Propertyshop.ca will continue its efforts to offer the public this much needed service for private sellers who want legal guidance from the very beginning of their decision to sell privately.

45% of Canadian want to sell privately according to a sutdy commisioned by Titleplus

A survey has found that almost half of Canadians would consider selling their homes privately, but few are aware of exactly what a recent law change means.

Canada is very much like the UK, with most homes traditionally being sold by agents. However—again like the UK—the Canadian Competition Bureau recently changed the law, to allow Canadians to use agents in order to list their property on the Multiple Listings Service (MLS), which is the largest real estate sales portal in Canada. As a side-note, it will be interesting to see the change this makes in private sales figures, given that the UK's biggest portal (Rightmove) is still presently blocked from private sellers.

Now, an Environics poll sponsored by the TitlePlus has found that while 45% of Canadians would consider selling their home without a real estate agent, only 11% are aware of how the law change makes this task easier.

Looking on the web using the the Google.ca (Canadian Google) search engine I can't find any Canadian portals specifically aimed at private sellers, not to say that they don't exist. Given this, the MLS would pretty much be a must for Canadians, perhaps even more so than Rightmove is to private sellers in the UK. Thus the new law has the potential to really increase private property sales in Canada, which could be good for the market.

Some argue that house prices should not be determined by people who make profits proportional to sale prices (agents charge percentage-based commission) and that removing agents from the house sales equation on a wider scale could alleviate the boom-bust cycle most markets around the world fall prey to. Unfortunately for Canada there is no real voice behind private sales to push forward information about the new law, and unless one pops up the change could well prove to be even slower in Canada than it is in the UK.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/half-of-canada-property-owners-want/#ixzz1OhVCjMAr

Competition Bureau sue Tronoto Real Estate Board for anti-competitive behaviour

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/05/27/competition-bureau-treb.html

Considering buying or selling a home without an agent? What you need to know before taking on the real estate market.

New study shows majority of Canadians aren't aware of changes that will affect real estate transactions

TORONTO, April 25 /CNW/ - Although most Canadians (97 per cent) who have bought or sold a home are aware of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), only one-in-ten (11 per cent) understand how recent changes to the MLS will affect when they buy or sell a home privately, according to a new poll commissioned by the TitlePLUS program.

MLS provides Canadians with access to listings for thousands of homes from coast-to-coast which, until recently, was only available with the full suite of services traditionally provided by a real estate agent. Recent changes allow people who are selling their homes privately to use a real estate agent only to get their property listed on the MLS system, while they handle all other details of the transactions directly.

The TitlePLUS poll showed that while three quarters (72 per cent) of Canadians were not aware of the changes made to the MLS, almost half (45 per cent) of Canadians say they would now consider using a real estate lawyer and selling privately rather than using a real estate agent.

"What these findings show us is that there is an appetite among Canadians to conduct the sale of their home privately," says Ray Leclair, vice-president, TitlePLUS. "But buyers and sellers alike need to recognize the limitations of going it completely alone because of the intricacies of the often perceived common transaction. Consulting with a real estate lawyer early on in the process can ensure that consumers' interests are protected and that they are armed with the most up-to-date information available."

Overall, Canadians recognize the value of advice and the importance of using a real estate lawyer with seven-in-10 Canadians seeing value in working with a lawyer. The lawyer's role will now become even more critical in consumer protection as Canadians consider going it alone when buying or selling.

Take for example the agreement of purchase and sale. Consumers who choose to go it alone privately need to ensure this document is drafted to protect their interests and reflects their views of what was agreed to between the buyer and seller - i.e., was that antique hutch included in the sale price or not? Lawyers can prepare or vet this agreement to protect their clients - either the buyer or seller -- and offer objective, expert advice and identify potential issues early in the process that may need to be addressed to prevent the sale of the home from falling through. Consulting a lawyer upfront also helps the parties understand the legal implications of the transaction and the role of the various players.

About LawPRO and TitlePLUS title Insurance
TitlePLUS title insurance is provided by Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company (LawPRO), an insurance company that is licensed to provide professional liability insurance and title insurance in most jurisdictions across Canada.

TitlePLUS title insurance is the only all-Canadian title insurance product on the market today. It protects home buyers and mortgage lenders under the same policy (and for the same premium) from title-related and other problems that could affect ownership or the marketability of the property, and covers the legal services provided by the lawyer closing the purchase.

79% of Canadain home owners believe it is time to allow technologies to change the way they sell their home.

Recent Canadian research by a leading national polling company has confirmed that the majority of home owners (79%)  are looking for a new alternative to traditional real estate model,  (74%) say real estate commissions are too high, and two thirds (64%) are open to considering an alternative to a high-fee real estate agent to sell their home. 

 Propertyshop.ca  a new  concept utitlizing the internet and traditional marketuing methods to allow  individusld to sell tand market their property while having  their lawyer  involverd  and having legal advise at all times. Through a business arrangement  Propertyshop.ca has with  Best Value Real Estate allows client's property to be listed  on mls. and realtor.ca the most widely search data bases when someone is looking for a property. . In Ontario you cannot transfer property wiithout a lawyer,  it only makes sense to has a trusteed professional in your corner therough out the whole transation and the cost is a fraction of traditional real estate fee. Change is coming.

Knob and Tube wiring and insurance issues

Knob and tube wiring can effect getting insurance on your property.

 

Decisions Price

This is, of course, the first and single most-important decision. And by now it should already be made. Set a preferred range on the price you want to pay, and then set an upper limit — the highest price you are comfortably willing to pay. There is no sense in looking at a $300,000 house if you know $175,000 is your upper limit. However, if your preferred range is $175,000 but you could go as high as $200,000, then you know what price range to look within.