Put your hand up if you’re tired of hearing about bursting bubbles. My, there are a lot of you out there. Is it any wonder? 

Prognosticators have long been predicting that the sky is falling. For years, we’ve heard doom and gloom about rising interest rates and the dire consequences that will have on Toronto’s smoking hot real estate market.

As lifelong realtors who have been there, done that and just about seen it all, we’d like to offer our thoughts on what we think should take place in the real estate sector for 2015. Keep in mind that we make these suggestions with our tongues firmly planted in our cheeks.

Tip Your Realtor: That’s right, we said it first. You tip your hairstylist, your doorman, your newspaper delivery person. You offer gratuities to wait staff, taxi drivers and gardeners. If you feel you’ve received top-drawer service from your realtor why not give them a little extra? Or perhaps tickets to a theatre or sporting event or a weekend away at your cottage? We’d probably fall over but your kindness would be most appreciated.

Stop Talking about Rising Interest Rates: We’ve heard it for years and now it’s simply annoying. This reminds us of the self-proclaimed trendsetter who prides himself or herself in repeatedly saying red is the new black until – several years pass – and finally it is. We propose a new rule when it comes to making forecasts: the act of making predictions is punishable by death unless uttered six months before said incident is to happen.

You Drive: Clients would be better behind the wheel as that would allow realtors more opportunity to sweet talk you into a deal you hadn’t bargained for. While the realtor would naturally help navigate (turn left at the light, for example), clients, it could be argued, would begin to warm up to certain houses and neighbourhoods much sooner by experiencing the feeling that they are driving ‘home.’

Only Lookers Need Apply: Realtors will no longer be unattractive as this can be repugnant and off putting to some clients. Instead, they will have movie-star good looks with smooth skin, big bright eyes and a full, glossy head of hair. This rule will be implemented by January, 2016, which gives agents who no longer fit the bill a full year to find other work.

Full-Service Realtors Expand Horizons: Full service shops will really give discount brokers a run for their money in 2015. They will do so by offering a multitude of services that assist the prospective home buyer or seller. In addition to looking after your traditional real-estate needs, agents, depending on their speciality, will also offer feng shui, house cleaning, psychotherapy and home repair services. To get your business, others may throw in hair cuts for the whole family, dog walking and even violin playing. This may even prompt a trend in which clients begin picking realtors based on what they did in previous careers.

We naturally understand that the holidays place a huge stress on our time given all the commitments the festive season creates. Yet we’ve always believed that real estate should carry on like usual though many consumers opt to put the brakes on the buying and selling of real estate during the holidays.

We’ve said it here before that those who continue shopping throughout the festive season are more inclined to realize a good buy as opposed to those who wait till winter’s thaw.

And it appears that our message is starting to get through.  According to a survey by Ipsos Reid, two-thirds of prospective home buyers in Ontario are planning to continue their search for the perfect home over the holidays. A majority of buyers feel that shopping for a home during the holiday season could mean less competition among potential buyers and, possibly, a better deal on the price of a desired home.

With the thought that potential sellers could be worried their home will sit on the market while prospective buyers are enjoying the holiday season with their families, a majority (55%) of likely buyers believe that sellers are more willing to negotiate on the price over the holidays, compared to two in ten (19%) who don’t believe sellers will be in a negotiating mood over the holidays.

If you’re a seller, less competition is a good thing for you. You are competing in a much smaller inventory over Christmas and New Year’s so that means more buyers’ eyes on your property. Ensure that your house is priced well and that your home is always ready for a viewing.

If you’re looking for a home over the holidays, you’re obviously very motivated.  Since time constraints from seasonal commitments and miserable cold weather make people want to hibernate, sellers need to be flexible about showings.

Festive decorations can make a home look merry and bright. Just don’t overdo it. Christmas lights are pretty but not in the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation way. When strangers traipse through your home they want to feel cheerful and comfortable so don’t assault them with stinky food smells, ugly décor and too much clutter. Bake gingerbread and light a fire to add to the warm and cozy feel.

The poll was conducted by Ipsos Reid, a leading public opinion researcher, on behalf of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

In 2015, we will begin to see changes in the way consumers spend their money and how they approach buying real estate.

Because consumers will grow even more green, value-conscious and mobile, expect those traits to penetrate the housing industry more deeply than ever.

Renovate is the fourth R when it comes to the environment –
More people will turn to makeovers when it comes to changing the space in which they live. This is good news for their pocketbook and for the environment.

Expect homeowners to invest in energy-efficient upgrades that reduce the draw on a home’s heating and cooling.

Footprints Shrink — When people build new homes, more will be doing so with smaller as opposed to bigger footprints.  According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average size of a new home in 1978 was 1,750 square feet, a figure that had grown to 2,520 square feet by 2008. In 2010, that figure fell to 2,480 square feet. The decreasing trend is expected to continue with square footage estimated to fall to 2,152 by 2015.

Net Zero – A net zero home generates as much energy as it consumes. To achieve this, homeowners need to combine passive and active design strategies. Passive energy includes such methods as strategically placed windows that maximize or deter heat or shrubs and trees planted to help cool your home. Solar panels and wind turbines, on the other hand, produce energy.

While investing in a renewable energy system such as a geothermal well can be costly, perhaps the net result is worth it in the long run.

Energy Monitoring Systems — Keep track of your minute-by-minute energy
usage. Find out what it costs to wash a load of laundry or to cook a meal. The point, of course, is for you to learn how and when you use the most and to figure out ways to cut back.

LEDs – These lights use less energy than compact fluorescents (CFL) and have much longer life spans. Prices are dropping  with LEDs so more and more consumers will adopt this lighting especially once they learn how much more they can save on their energy bills.

Have you been searching for your dream home for months, maybe even a year or two or three? Maybe you’ve lost out on a bidding war in which multiple buyers all vied for that exact same piece of the rock. Are you starting to feel a little desperate or doomed?

Don’t even go there.

Multiple offers are pretty much a side effect of a hot seller’s market. But that doesn’t have to mean the seller has Oz-like power and might. As a buyer you can employ certain tactics and strategies that will make you stronger and more competitive. Let’s look at how you can stand out from the crowd:

Clean offers – those with fewer conditions – are best. A clean offer with pre-approved financing, especially in a multiple offer situation, shows the seller that you are serious.  Conditional sales and offers that hinge on financing aren’t acceptable when there are other offers on the table.

Sell your house first.  You don’t want to include selling your house as a condition as this will serve to weaken your offer by making your bid more complicated and less desirable.

Don’t wait for an open house. If a house interests you based on its online photos, make an appointment to see it before the weekend open house. That way your offer can be entertained before the open-house feeding frenzy.

Use a trusted local broker.  The more well-known and respected your agent is, the better odds they have at enticing listing agents. In a bidding war situation, the offer presented by the known broker will be more attractive to the listing agent and increase your odds especially if the two offers are close.

Get a home inspection – quick. The idea here is to signal to the seller that you are prepared to act quickly. Having to wait ten days for a home inspection that might prompt the buyer to drop a deal, isn’t very appealing for the seller so get this done ASAP.

Be flexible. Believe it or not, but this attribute can make or break a deal. If a seller has already purchased and you meet their closing date that could net you the house over a higher competing offer. Also, to stand out from other offers, don’t ask for the moon when it comes to extras such as window coverings and appliances. Simply ask for what is offered in the listing. Also on this point, try not to nit-pick on minor repairs and instead offer to purchase the property as is.

Pull out the big guns.  Offering a large deposit shows the seller you’re serious. Put down as much as you can afford. No need to worry as it goes toward the balance owing on the property or, if the deal falls through, you get it back.

Yes Virginia, there is value in selling over the festive season!

You’ve thought long and hard about selling your house. You’ve had those long, late-night chats with your spouse; perhaps you’ve discussed the prospect of a new school and new friends with the kids. Maybe you’ve scoped out neighbourhoods you’d like to move into. But now it’s November and with the holidays approaching, you’ve decided it’s best to wait till spring to list your home.

Not necessarily.

In today’s energetic real estate market selling your house over the holidays can actually net you a better price for your home than during traditionally strong spring and fall markets. Let me explain. With a housing market that’s as large and as vigorous as Toronto’s, seasonal markets don’t really exist anymore. That said, there are peaks in sales, usually in May and September thanks to the number of listings that come available then. The holiday period – aka the ‘slow months’ of November, December and January – is when the number of listings drops as people turn their attention to gift buying, decorating and entertaining. But this is a great time to sell your property because demand for housing is still very high. Combine strong demand with less supply and what have you got? Higher prices. It’s simple economics.

My view may seem contrarian in that it goes against commonly held beliefs about selling over the holidays: the main one being that buyers will think the seller is desperate, which will reflect in the offers that come in. But in Toronto’s current market that notion doesn’t really fly anymore. I’ve helped clients sell during these ‘slow months’ and netted them better results than if they’d waited till spring or fall.

Here are a few tips for selling at this time of year:

Rein in the décor – Don’t overdo it. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or another faith-based holiday, prominently displayed menorahs, angels and other religious symbols can be a distraction for potential buyers. Garish displays could be considered offensive not just to aesthetic sensibilities but also to different religions and cultures.

Don’t be a Scrooge – While it may not be a good idea to play up the holidays when it comes to decorations, giving your home that cozy Christmas feeling doesn’t hurt. Play soft music, display homemade treats on a decorative tray, and keep the thermostat at a comfortable temperature. Baking muffins or a pie just before a showing isn’t a bad idea because it fills the air with a homey, comforting scent.

Proud homeowner — Try to provide spring and summer photos of your home and property so buyers can get a sense of how it looks when trees are in full bloom or when the pool is sparkling in the summer sunlight.

Let it snow – But make sure you clear it from all paths, steps, walkways and driveways.

The sign on her salon says Studio 976 but everyone on the block knows her as Mary the Barber.

A fixture in the Annex for 34 years, Mary Vinci is a barber, hairstylist, confidante, major Leafs fan – you name it.

“I’ve watched people grow from when they were babies,” says the follicle goddess of her one-woman Bathurst Street empire that’s smack in between Dupont and Bloor. “I don’t do nails, sun tanning, pedicures. I strictly do hair. Because I’m a one woman operation here, it’s hard to do everything. Besides you’ve gotta stick with what you do best and do it well.”

The 55-year-old Italian-Canadian has groomed some great heads in her time. And she doesn’t discriminate – male or female, young or old, Muslim, Christian or Jew – she’s worked her aesthetic talent on them all.

Our family – my grandparents, my father, my uncle and my son – have surrendered to Mary’s charms: her capable hands, her colourful stories and her never-ending wit.

In 28 years, she’s been witness to my slow and regrettable hair loss, but having Mary tend to my crowning glory has somehow made it a little more bearable. She’s great for a laugh or to find out what’s going on in the neighbourhood.  A diehard Leafs fan, her clients know it’s the holiday season when Mary puts up her beloved blue-and-white Christmas tree.

About 70 per cent of Mary’s customers are men. Haircuts for men are $20, while for a women, it’s $25.

She’s proud of her 22 year-old daughter, who is following in her footsteps and currently apprenticing at a separate salon. Mary thought her daughter’s training in the business would be best done outside of her shop.

Thinking back on her early days, she recalls working for a lawyer after studying legal administration but she hated the office atmosphere because it was simply “too boring.”

“This is so much more fun,” she says of her 500 square foot salon. “I get to play around with people’s hair and make them look good and hear all their nasties.”

Had Mary not followed her heart we’d all be the lesser for it.