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Making the minor hockey team can be on the most difficult challenges that youth athletes can face – both physically and emotionally. And making the team can be hard, no matter how talented or driven the athlete -- as the well-documented tale of basketball icon Michael Jordan not making his high school team as an underclassman illustrates.
It’s important to remember the positives in the tryout experience – and that these positives exist whether or not your young athlete makes the final cut. Tryouts are one of the many experiences in youth sports that prepare us for similar situations in our adult life, such as college applications, job interviews and more.
Here are 9 tips for you and your youth athletes as the tryout process unfolds this preseason:
- Set Goals: Before the tryout process kicks off, Responsible Sport Parents can sit down and have a conversation with your young athlete about what their goals are for trying out and playing on the team. Give them positive assurances that no matter the outcome, you support them and are proud of them. Talk about other opportunities that might be available in your area if they don’t make the team. By talking about goals and outlining alternatives, the tryout process won’t feel so “do-or-die” for your young athlete.
- Focus On Effort: As your young athlete enters the tryout process, remind him or her that they can’t control the outcome – whether or not they make the team. What they can control is their effort and attitude. Remind them to give maximum effort at all times, and to focus on their own effort, not what other athletes are doing.
- Keep Athletes Active: The pressure to perform and the fear of failure can wreak havoc on young athletes. Responsible Coaches organize tryouts where athletes are constantly in motion, not standing around watching other players perform or getting nervous before their turn.
- Have Fun: Laughing, having fun and learning new things can all be part of tryouts. Regardless of the outcome, kids should have a good time during the tryouts themselves. Laughter can also really help young athletes let go of stress and stay relaxed. Responsible Coaches never purposely create a stress-filled environment if they want to elicit the best performance from athletes.
- Open To Learning: While coaches are certainly looking to evaluate players based on skill levels, coaches also look for athletes who have the potential to improve (aka a player who is “coachable”). Remind your athletes that they might make mistakes in the tryouts, but how they handle those mistakes may be even more important. Responsible Sports Coaches look for this attitude just as much as they evaluate skills.
- OK To Be Disappointed: As Responsible Coaches and Responsible Sports Parents, we can help kids cope with their disappointment by reminding them that it is in fact OK to be disappointed. Empathize with them. Don’t try to make your child feel better by saying the tryout wasn’t important. Instead, consider sharing a story of when you were disappointed and how you overcame that disappointment.
- “You’re The Kind Of Person”: The “You’re The Kind Of Person” statements can really help kids manage through the disappointment of not making the team. “I know it means a lot to you, but you’re the kind of person who doesn’t give up easily.” Or “You’re the kind of person who doesn’t let setbacks keep you from playing the game you love.” Use these statements to help shape your athlete’s self-image in the face of disappointment, and to begin planning how to move beyond that disappointment.
- Check Your Emotions: Responsible Sports Parents keep their own emotions in check when it comes to their children’s youth sports experience. Having parents who get upset or angry, or want to challenge a coach’s decision about tryouts, just puts added pressure on kids.
- Feedback: As Responsible Coaches, one of the best things you can do is give kids honest feedback about their tryouts, including areas where they can improve for next year. Feeling rejected is hard enough, but not knowing why you didn’t make the team is even worse. Try to give young athletes some direction on what they can do to improve, and encourage them to try out next year.
Tryouts are always a stressful time for parents, and even more so for children. How often do you see parents adding to the stress levels of their child by telling them how bad they did, or screaming to skate harder? Here are some great tips from the OMHA for parents to make the Tryout experience as stress free as possible for children ….
7 TIPS FOR PARENTS TO MAKE TRYOUTS EASIER FOR PLAYERS
Advice to help alleviate some of the pressure your child is feeling and allow them to have a fun, positive tryout experience
There's no question that tryout season can be both an exciting and stressful time for hockey players and their parents. All players will be working extremely hard to make the team but the added pressure of tryouts can lead to nerves and jitters that players typically wouldn’t experience in a practice or game. To help alleviate some of the pressure your child is feeling and allow them to have a fun, positive tryout experience (regardless of the outcome) here are some tips.
- Always remain positive throughout the entire tryout process. Acknowledge your child's effort through verbal and physical cues; a quick comment like "good job" or "well done" or a “pat on the back” can go a long way in your child’s confidence. You do not need to critique the tryout, your job as a parent is to be a support system for your child.
- Keep the tryout process in perspective. Not only does your child want to make the team but he/she wants to make you as his/her parent proud. Whether your child makes the team or not do not let them feel like they have disappointed you in anyway as this can effect their self esteem.
- Allow the coach to do the coaching. Leave the technical aspect of tryout to the coaches as this is what they are certified to do. Coach your child by being there for them, motivating them and making sure they are having fun.
- Prepare your child for the possibility of not making the team and never fear failure.Being overly optimistic puts extra pressure on your child and if they do not make the team it can be devastating for them. Remind them there will be another team to tryout for and to use this as an opportunity to continue developing their skills and be ready for the following season.
- Encourage your child to have fun. If your child is having fun and treating the tryout like a normal practice or game, their positive attitude will translate into their on ice play, therefore, giving them a better chance at making the team.
- Take this opportunity to teach your child life lessons whether they make the team or not. If they make the team congratulate them and let them know it was because of their hard work and dedication. If they do not make the team teach them the lessons of acceptance, humility and perseverance.
- It’s ok to seek feedback if your child does not make the team. Speaking with the coach in a constructive way allows you to provide positive feedback to your child. Try to give your young athlete some direction on what they can do to improve, and encourage them to try out again next year.
Regardless of the outcome enjoy this time with your child as it can be some of the best years you will experience together and will create the fondest of memories.
4/1/2015 - Toronto, Canada
The acquisition by Disney® comes as Toronto is getting set to host the Pan Am Games. A spokesperson for Disneyland® says although negotiations have been going on for about 8 months, the timing of the announcement is strategic to piggy back off the attention that will be on Toronto - Canada for the Pan Am Games this summer. "Toronto is a world class city, and Canada's premier city. We wanted our first Canadian Park to be situated in a city that was easy to get to from all parts of the world. Another deciding factor was that the disposable income in the Greater Toronto Area being significantly higher than that in other parts of Canada. Vancouver Island was in the running due to the significantly warmer weather, however the proximity to Anaheim played a huge role in Disneyland® Resorts looking to Southern Ontario. We wanted to be within a short distance of other major attractions and Toronto provides that. With the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, and Ripley's Aquarium drawing tourists from all over the world, this was a great fit."
Disneyland® Resorts originally looked to acquire the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, however Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment nixed that deal with their refusal to relocate their professional sports outfits the Toronto Football Club (TFC) and Toronto Marlies (the farm team for MLSE's NHL Franchise the Toronto Maple Leafs). Subsequently, Disney's attention turned towards Ontario Place and Centre Island. In addition to the two theme parks, there will be nine hotels and two indoor waterparks. Disneyland® Canada will be similar to parks in Florida, California, Japan and France. The deal now has to pass in Parliament and has already received opposition from the Toronto Island Airport, Toronto Yacht Club, and the residents of Toronto Island.
The big question remains? With Disney® adding a Canadian park, will Mickey and Minnie now be forced to wear pants? A "magical" press conference is scheduled for noon today! And Happy April Fools' Day to all! ;)
All Future Shop stores in Canada have closed, effective immediately.
The news was delivered simultaneously to employees at store meetings across the country early Saturday morning.
“This meeting was scheduled for about two weeks,” said a Future Shop employee speaking to AM980 on condition of anonymity. “We found out that both Best Buy and Future Shop had the same meeting for 7 a.m. in the morning, so we all kind of knew something big was about to happen, we just didn’t know what.”
In a news release issued Saturday, company officials confirmed 66 Future Shop stores — including both in London — would be closed permanently. Another 65 stores will be closed temporarily and converted into Best Buy locations.
According to the employee, the announcement was abrupt.
“We had no idea this was going to happen as of today. We had a feeling something was going to happen, but we didn’t think it would be as immediate as today.”
As a result of the consolidation, approximately 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time positions will be eliminated.
Sign posted in the window of the north London Future Shop (R. Smith)
“They’re offering us employment help,” said the employee. “They had HR accompany them at the meeting.”
The affected workers will receive severance, described by the employee as “above industry standard”, employee assistance and outplacement support, according to a statement.
“Any decisions that impact our people are never taken lightly; our first priority is to support them through this change,” said Ron Wilson, President and COO of Best Buy Canada.
“I want to express my appreciation to the employees who are leaving, for their contributions to Best Buy Canada.”
All Future Shop gift cards will be accepted at any Best Buy Canada location and at BestBuy.ca. Existing product orders, service appointments and warranties will continue to be honoured and Future Shop purchases to be returned or exchanged will also be accepted at any Best Buy.
Future Shop was founded in 1982, and was purchased by Best Buy in 2001 for $580-million.
Until now, Best Buy continued to operate Future Shop as a separate division. Best Buy will now have a total of 192 locations across Canada, including 136 large-format stores and 56 Best Buy Mobile stores.
Your kid wants to play his/her favourite sport! That's awesome right? Give up a few days a week and sit back and enjoy the games. :) Truth is that the demands of sports are pretty powerful. As a player you are nervous, anxious, worried about impressing your parents and coaches and trying to build your own identity at the same time. And then you have the parents who have concerns about their kids being successful and happy. As coaches, you believe your identity is tied to wins as you live in a culture that puts so much emphasis on wins and losses.
Now think about this ….. Are coaches putting so much emphasis on winning that they are taking the fun out of the game? Aren't the kids the whole reason to coach in the first place? Since sports will always be valued in our society, we have opportunities here. We have an opportunity to change the way people treat the children that participate in sports. We have an opportunity to guide a child's character development. We have an opportunity to instil confidence, increase self-esteem for the child and to set them up to become leaders of the future.
When you become a coach, it's important to remember that you can be tremendously influential in a child's life. Each moment can elicit strong emotions for the child. As coaches, you can derive meaning from these moments that can shape a child's life. A huge problem in youth sports today is the fact that most coaches enter into their role without proper training. They take on the role just because their kid is on the team and feel they are doing a huge service to the team by donating their time. Today's coaches have come to emulate the "win at all costs" attitude we see in professional sports because this is where they turn to for coaching strategies and styles. There are fundamental differences between professional sports and youth sports. Professional sports has paid employees - the athletes. It is all about providing entertainment value. Youth sports is all about education and development of skills, which include human skills for the "athletes". Only a handful of coaches realize this. The rest emphasize winning to the point that it encourages poor sportsmanship. Aggression and cheating are increased in this environment. Coaches will favour their "star" players in order to put themselves in a position to win. This could be to fulfill a childhood dream or vision that they had for themselves, or their coaches' unfair demands on them. You see coaches these days yelling, screaming, throwing their arms in the air to embarrass the child. These coaches don't teach on the bench, they demean. Such conduct by an adult can have serious ramifications for a child. Nancy Swigonski wrote in the Journal Of Pediatrics: “It can impair social and emotional development and cause substantial harm to mental health. When this bullying occurs in an athletic setting, those harmful effects are augmented by the stress kids often feel as a result of athletic competition.” Does a coach's tirade do anything to help with the child's confidence for next time? No, it creates anxiety and frustration. It takes the fun out of the game for the child. WIth the drop off in numbers that most sports experience around the age of 12, a key contributor is the fact that coaches have become too competitive and selective. They have successfully removed the fun from the game. Fun - the whole reason that children entered into the sport, is being taken away from them.
In the hard nosed culture of competitive sports, the human element gets lost. If the goal is to build confidence, self esteem and create young leaders for the future, then we need a culture change in how youth sports is coached. Sure, the goal of participating in sports is to win. But there's a more important goal that coaches need to focus on. That goal is teaching life lessons to the children. Help children focus on improving their own game, AND in helping their teammates improve their game. The goal as a coach is to build leaders from within and thereby improve the game as a whole, one player at a time. Will we still lose athletes year after year? Sure we will, however research has shown that attrition rates are 80% lower when coaches provide a positive experience for their young athletes.
Coaches need so stop putting pressure on children to perform and make them worry about making mistakes. They need to stop trying to give kids technical advice while they are already feeling anxious or frustrated. It's all about putting kids in a position to succeed, and not putting them in a position to fail. Children learn from trying and failing. They learn when encouraged to get right back out there and apply what they've learned. They don't learn from being "punished" for their mistake or by being yelled at. A coach has power over the players' athletic lives, and in frustration with practice or play, or just out of hostility, may bully a player. Bullying behaviours from coaches include intimidation, insulting, ridicule (making fun of bad play or lack of skill), humiliation (singling out a player), and benching. The impact of these kinds of actions on adolescent age players can be performance anxiety about making mistakes, hesitant play, loss of confidence, believing mistreatment is deserved, loss of enjoyment, and quitting the sport.
Children can control three things when they participate in sports: the effort they put forth, the experience they take away from each play, and how they respond to having made a mistake. Sports provides so many opportunities to make a mistake. These mistakes should be a coach's dream since they provide teaching opportunities. A child knows exactly when they've made a mistake, as a coach you don't need to harp on that fact. The mistake is your opportunity to get the child to get back out with renewed determination. You need to teach kids that it is okay to make a mistake. How often do you see a child look to their coach or parent when they've made a mistake? As soon as you see this happen, you know the parent or coach has been bullying the child. The role of the parent/coach in that situation is to get rid of the mistake immediately and work on rebuilding the child's confidence to get back out there and try again. This is what makes the child play better and focus on the next play. Some coaches will justify their behaviour on the bench and call it "being tough". Yelling at the child is not tough. That’s just your lack of impulse control. It drains the child's "emotional tank", making it difficult to take on challenges or perform well. Coaches need to learn to recognize this and adjust accordingly. The ideal ratio of positive to negative remarks to a child should be 5:1. Fill up the child's emotional tank. Make them feel good about themselves. Don't drain them. Why don't more coaches follow this 5:1 formula? It takes effort to do it well. It's the lazy coach's way out to "be tough" rather than take the time to become a better coach, a better person to his players. Coaches need to observe players closely so they can offer specific and honest feedback. Each player is wired differently and has differential learning styles. Learn how to communicate effectively with each player. The key is not to withhold criticism, but to deliver it in a way that is helpful. If the child is angry or sulking or defensive, he/she’s not going to be listening very well anyway.
People coach the way they were coached. This is not about you, it's not about how you were coached anymore. Let it go. By becoming a better coach, you will not only do your players a favour, but since your kids will grow up being coached with this model they will coach the way you've coached them. The impact your role has on society is huge. You're not here to develop big-league athletes, you're here to develop big-league people.
Any parent that has a child in sports knows how much of a blessing or curse a coach can be. As parents, it’s our job to protect our kids from bully coaches. Swigonski offers several tips on that front, among them: Sit in on practices and games to observe the coach; confront the coach if there are issues; and, if that’s not helpful, scrutinize the sport's code of conduct and talk to the administration. If things get really out of hand, she advises calling child protective services. Bad coaches always get into the spotlight. The good ones make truly lasting impressions amongst the children. So coaches, you have a choice to make. You can be the "bully coach", or you can decide to become a person that helps shape a child's future. It's a simple choice, choose wisely.
Bank of Canada shocks market with rate cut
BARRIE MCKENNA
The Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Jan. 21 2015, 10:01 AM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Jan. 21 2015, 10:57 AM EST
The Bank of Canada announced a surprise quarter-percentage-point cut to its key interest rate Wednesday – a move it calls “insurance” against the potentially destructive effects of the oil price collapse.
The reduction in the bank’s overnight rate to 0.75 per cent from 1 per cent – its first move since September, 2010 – comes as a precipitous drop in the price of crude slams Canada’s oil-dependent economy.
“The considerably lower profile for oil prices will be unambiguously negative for the Canadian economy in 2015 and subsequent years,” the bank warned in its latest monetary policy report, released Wednesday.
“The considerably lower profile for oil prices will be unambiguously negative for the Canadian economy in 2015 and subsequent years,” the bank warned in its latest monetary policy report, released Wednesday.
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz is expected to explain his dramatic decision at an 11.15 a.m. news conference in Ottawa Wednesday.
The rate move, which few analysts anticipated, is an attempt by Mr. Poloz to shield highly indebted Canadian households from an oil-induced hit to their jobs and incomes – signs of which are already evident in Alberta.
The rate cut is a signal to private-sector banks to lower their own rates on mortgages and other loans.
It’s also likely to accelerate a slide in the Canadian dollar, now at roughly 83 cents (U.S.).
Cheaper crude, while good for the U.S. and global economies, is unequivocally bad for Canada.
The bank warned that lower oil prices would take a sizeable bite out of economic growth in 2015, delay a return to full capacity and hurt business investment – a trend that has already triggered mass layoffs and production cuts in Alberta’s oil patch.
But the effects could spread further, threatening financial stability as a result of possible losses to jobs and incomes, according to the central bank.
“The oil price shock increases both downside risks to the inflation profile and financial stability risks,” the bank acknowledged. “The Bank’s policy action is intended to provide insurance against these risks.”
The bank’s new forecast assumes a price of “around” $60 per barrel for Brent crude, more than $10 above where it is now. But the central bank said prices “over the medium term are likely to be higher” than $60.
As recently as June, oil was selling for $110 a barrel.
The bank also lowered its bank rate and the deposit rate by a quarter percentage point Wednesday, to 1 per cent and ½ per cent, respectively. And it removed any indication of which way rates might go next.
The bank’s decision coincides with a much more pessimistic economic forecast than the bank issued just three months ago.
Following the lead of most private-sector forecasters, the bank slashed its GDP growth forecast to 2.1 per cent this year (from 2.4 per cent), before rebounding to 2.4 per cent in 2016. The worst effects of the oil collapse will be felt in the first half of this year, when the bank expects annualized growth of 1.5 per cent, nearly a full percentage point lower than its October forecast.
The Canadian economy grew at an estimated rate of 2.4 per cent in 2014.
The bank said the economy won’t return to full capacity until the end of 2016, several months later than its previous estimate of the second half of next year. Among other things, the central bank pointed to significant “labour market slack.”
Crude’s effects on the economy will be broad and profound, the bank warned. Investment in the oil and gas sector will decline by as much as 30 per cent this year, while lower returns on energy exports will eat into Canadian incomes, wealth and household spending.
The bank also hinted at a possible spread to other parts of the country of a real estate slump already under way in Alberta. “The extent to which the downturn already evident in Alberta will spill over into other regions remains to be seen,” the bank pointed out in its monetary policy report.
“The ramifications of the oil-price shock for household imbalances will depend importantly on the impact of the shock on income and employment,” the bank added.
The bank also expressed growing angst about the impact that oil could have on inflation, which it said has been propped up by temporary effects, such as the “pass-through” effect of the lower Canadian dollar.
Consumer price increases, now running at roughly 2 per cent a year, are “starting to reflect the fall in oil prices,” the bank said.
The bank’s new forecast calls for overall inflation to fall well below its 2-per-cent target this year, averaging just 0.6 per cent. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, is expected to average 1.9 per cent in 2015.
After the most recent debacle at the Air Canada Centre, MLSE had some fans arrested and charged with mischief for tossing their jerseys on the ice. This poor excuse for a professional sports franchise continues to embarass LeafNation! Is "Jersey Tossing" a crime?
First of all, these fans PAID for their jerseys out of love and respect for the team. They PAID to watch under-achieving, over-paid players go through the motions (as loose as they looked) and collect on a contract that is funded by such ticket and jersey sales. When you pay for entertainment, and the entertainment delivered is a sub-standard product, then I believe you have every right to let them know that you are fed up. Players whining like cry-babies about how it's disrespectful to toss the jersey are full of crap. THEY are the ones disrespecting the jersey, not the fans. The players are the ones that are handed free jerseys, the fans pay well for theirs.
In post game interviews, Leaf players provide great sound bites and put on their pouty faces while saying they are giving it their all. Well guess what? If THAT is your ALL, then you need to renegotiate your contracts and have them reflect your effort or skill set. MLSE may be okay with this for tax right off reasons, but the fans are not. For 47 years, the fans have been asked to live in the glory days of the past. Sure, if these were the glory days, then jersey tossing is disrespectful. That's when the players played for what's on the front of the jersey. Today's players play for the name on the back of the jersey. Not for the logo, not for the fans, it's simply for themselves and their current contract. Let's look at it as the fans tossing the jerseys for the names on the BACK! WIth that in mind, why is jersey tossing considered disrespectful.
MLSE and their players will bitch and complain that this group of players cannot be held accountable for the past 47 years. They are not being held accountable for anything other then their last shift. Come on, this is TORONTO!! The building will always be sold out. Real Sports will always be a cash cow through jersey sales, and the love-in will continue season after season. Players can have an awful game and touch the puck on their final shift and receive a standing ovation, sometimes that qualifies them for one of the three stars. This is Toronto, where the Leafs can do no wrong. Leafs' players know this! They try to guilt the fans for showing their true feelings. The players have developed a sense of entitlement to be able to do whatever they want and receive cheers even when they lose or shun the crowd. News Flash! Real life does not work like that. You need to dig deep and give back even the slightest bit, or at some point you will have to face the backlash. MLSE has enjoyed decades of the fans giving them unconditional love, blind faith and undying loyalty. MLSE has given NOTHING back. Every relationship is a two way street. When it's as one-sided as this has become, the giver is going to get FED UP! That's what you're seeing now. Jersey tossing is the best thing that could happen to open MLSE's eyes. This is the new reality. Get used to it MLSE. The jerseys are the new waffles. 47 years of icing a sub-standard product is the crime, NOT jersey tossing. MLSE has been Making Losing Seem Easy for years and getting away with it while raising ticket prices so that fans can witness the train wreck that the Leafs have been for almost 50 (YES …. FIFTY) years. If anyone should be charged for mischief, it's MLSE. In fact grand theft and fraud may be more appropriate charges.
BREAKING NEWS via: CBC News
Target Canada files for creditor protection, plans to halt operations
CBC News Posted: Jan 15, 2015 8:37 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 15, 2015 8:37 AM ET
Target announced Thursday it is closing its 133 stores in Canada. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)
Target says it plans to discontinue all operations in Canada and seek protection from creditors.
In a release early Thursday, the U.S. retail chain said it will close all its locations in Canada. There are 133 stores across the country with about 17,600 employees.
The company says it is setting up a $70-million fund to ensure all employees affected by the move get at least 16 weeks in severance pay.
The stores will remain open while the company completes the liquidation process.
Sometimes I find it amusing to read articles that "experts" have written about the Real Estate Market. For example, the one attached below states January 20th as the best day to save money on your home purchase. Yes, they have analyzed their numbers, and there is ONE DAY that is supposed to be the best. Apparently, you can save $20,000 if you purchase your home next Tuesday!! With that in mind, Team Khan RE/MAX will be renting a bus and doing a Buyer Sales Event next week! Haha! Buyers, don't get too excited, you're going to want to read on. Bad news for Sellers though, the article goes on to state that this is the worst time for you to sell. Now hold on a second sellers, before you contemplate hurting yourself, let's look at what is actually happening in the Real Estate Market right now.
Not only today, but since 2010, Inventory remains low. During the winter months, inventory decreases even more. According to Home Search Pros, as of noon today, there are 442 active listings in Markham. Across the Greater Toronto Area there are 9,951 listings active. Of that total, 2646 are condos, leaving about 7300 homes available for sale. The GTA sells approximately 90,000 properties per year. Therefore, we don't have much inventory at all!
What does this mean for our Buyers and Sellers? This translates to the Greater Toronto area having just over a month of supply, meaning if no new properties came on the market, in about a month we would be out of inventory. In a spring/summer market, these inventory levels will be 2-3 times higher. Demand remains at an all time high. Supply and Demand principles state that if demand is high and supply is low, the value of the commodity increases. We are seeing more multiple offers (bidding wars) over the past two years than we have in the past. Why? Supply and Demand. People will pay more to get into the home they really want. With no guarantees that the inventory will increase anytime soon, a buyer does not want to lose out on the home they love and the longer they wait, price appreciation makes home ownership that much more difficult. Is it worth it? Amortized over 25 years, and with the low cost of borrowing, this translates into a few extra dollars per month but the buyer gets the home they love rather then settling on something that isn't up to their liking. Keep in mind that the price of the home still needs to be at market value. Buyers will not pay more for an already overpriced property.
The article states that this is a bad time to sell. On the contrary. If you're a seller, this is the BEST time to sell. You have no competition. In the spring and summer, your neighbours will hit the market, similar homes in the area hit the market, and the differentiating factor then becomes what? Price!! So when the market is flooded with similar product, you will not be able to have the same return on your investment as you would when you're the only game in town. Again, it is important to remember that you cannot go out and put a ridiculous price on your property. The Buyers are well informed and your home will sit on the market if you don't price it at market value. It's at that point that you receive the most interest and the best possible chance of creating a bidding war. The other thing that needs to be taken into account is the Appraisal of the property by the bank. Just because someone wants to pay more for it, does not mean the deal will go through and you will be able to retire on a tropical island. :) Ask your Realtor about the proper way to price your property for the best possible return.
There are a lot of articles making there way around the net and through the media. Before you buy into the hype, give us a call and let us take you through the actual numbers and the current state of the market. I'd hate for one of my buyers to lose out on a home because of false expectations on price. For our sellers, waiting for the spring could cost you A LOT of money.
If you don't have a Realtor that you can trust with answers to these questions, I'd love to be your go-to guy. GIve me a call anytime to discuss your personal goals for home ownership and stay informed.
Garry Marr | January 12, 2015 4:08 PM ET
Tyler Anderson/National Post
A Toronto real estate company says its analysis of five years of data from the region says the best day to buy a home is Jan. 20.
Thinking about buying a house? Is there a perfect day to pull the trigger? How about next Tuesday?
A Toronto real estate company says its analysis of five years of data from the region says the best day to buy a home is Jan. 20.
“The savings amounts to a lot for the buyer,” said Rokham Fard, chief marketing officer of The Red Pin, adding he calculates the discount at about $20,000 on a Toronto home compared to the second cheapest month, July.
Of course, it also happens to be the worst point of the year to sell a home but as Mr. Fard says, “if you have to sell, you have to sell.”
He says his firm looked at five years of transactions and found January was the cheapest month for average price going back to 2010. Conversely, May is the most expensive month..