Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan

Hard to believe it has been two years since Wardenwood Health first opened their doors at 549 Bur Oak Avenue (at McCowan). After over 30 years of caring for Torontonians, long-time Unionville resident Dr Razia Khan decided to open a second clinic to serve Markham/Unionville residents. Selecting only the best doctors, the Markham clinic quickly earned the same reputation that made the Toronto clinic the go-to health care facility in Scarborough. Markham's Wardenwood Health Centre has helped reduce the strain for Markham Stouffville Hospital's Emergency and Fast-Track clinics. Over the two years, Wardenwood Health has added doctors to reduce wait times and is now has Dr. Feng, Dr. Khan, Dr. Pararajasingam, Dr. Mansukhani, Dr. Vohra and Paediatrician Dr. Gunawardena from the Hospital for Sick Children. The popular Markham clinic provides Walk-In and Family Practice and is accepting new patients. As well, those interested in natural solutions through Homeopathic Medicine are very happy with Christine Jambrosic and the clinic's founder Saira Khan. The clinic also boasts a Lab, ECG, and the popular Dr. Rose for Orthotics, Physiotherapy and Chiropractic care. Give the clinic a call at 905-554-0199 and book your annual check up today. Congratulations Wardenwood Health and Thank You for taking great care of my town!!

Asif

Asif Khan, ABR
Member of Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222

By John Terauds Staff Reporter, The Star Tim Hortons» The caffeine jitters began before the first sip for some customers at Tim Hortons stores in Kingston and Sudbury on Monday morning. Coffee lovers ordering their usual medium double-double were given a large-size cup. Large grew into extra-large. And people looking for the workboot kick of the once-20- oz. (591 mL) extra-large instead received 24 oz. (710 mL) of steaming java. For the next month, residents of these two Ontario cities will be the Canadian test market for the upsized brews. The former small cuppa — 8 oz. (210 mL) — is history, as is its price point. The cheapest hot Tim’s coffee in the two test towns is now a 10 oz. (296 mL) cup, for $1.33: the price of last week’s medium. This was enough to create a stir during the morning rush at some locations. As one reader of the Sudbury Star posted on the newspaper’s website, “It was hilarious watching the mass confusion at the Timmies in the Valley. Guess the signs and explanation from the staff weren’t enough for people.” Because a change to the morning routine can easily ruffle feathers, Tim’s stores carrying the upsized coffees now sport a large poster explaining the new sizes. Included in the information is a toll-free customer service number to call in case of confusion. Company spokesman Nick Javor said the upsize servings are meant “to test consumer preferences and that the trend we have seen has been to larger sizes.” Javor denied the move is an attempt to match Canadian offerings with those at Tim Horton’s outlets in the United States, which sell coffee only in the larger sizes. In the U.S., Starbucks recently unveiled a 30-oz. “Trenta” hot beverage, upping the ante further. Neither Macdonald’s nor Tim Hortons has followed suit. Size issues aside, the larger brews bump up the amount of caffeine consumed. The old 8-oz. coffee contained 80 mg of caffeine, according to information supplied by Tim Hortons. The upsize small contains 100 mg of java jolt. Javor said the new 24-oz. brew contains 340 mg of the stimulant. This should give coffee lovers pause before they go for an extra shot of joe later in the day: Health Canada recommends a healthy adult not consume more than 400 mg of caffeine daily, or 300 mg in the case of pregnant women. Asif Khan, Realtor Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.

Caveat Venditor is the latin term for Let The Seller Beware.

Here is an interesting phenomenon that is gaining popularity amongst some money hungry Realtors.
The dreaded "marketing fee", a.k.a. "admin fee", is gaining popularity as some opportunistic Realtors capitalize on the strength of the housing market to gouge their colleagues. How does this work? Basically, the Realtor in question charges the seller a commission to market their property, then charges the agent procuring an offer a few hundred dollars for the marketing of the property a second time. In essence, the Realtor makes money on both ends of the sale, most of the time without the knowledge of the seller.

When listing a property, the seller negotiates a commission for their agent to market and sell the property. As part of this negotiation, a Co-Operating Agent's commission is set out. How would you feel as a seller when you find out that not only did your agent get paid what you had negotiated, but then he/she took a portion of the other agent's fees to boot?

As more Realtors get away with this ludicrous cash grab, more will try. It is often the inferior Realtors, ones which sell only three or four homes per year that rely on this type of activity. However, recently more and more top agents are bringing themselves down to this level. Sad, but true. Agents now charge $188, $288 and even up to $500 for this "marketing fee" which often is just a quick cash grab. With this type of thought process, should co-operating agents be able to charge for the gas expense to bring clients through your property? How about the administration expense to have an offer typed for your home? That wouldn't be fair. So then, how is it that some Realtors believe they should pass their expenses to market your listing or to run their business off to a third party? This is happening and sellers need to be aware as it could end up costing you a deal for your home.

How can a seller protect themselves from such behaviour from their agent? 1. Ask your Realtor if they will be charging other Realtors a fee when they bring buyers forward. Many agents will refuse to pay this fee and you could be missing out on serious offers if all your agent is concerned with is to pad their wallet with a couple hundred dollars - on top of what you have agreed to compensate them. 2. If your Realtor says they do charge this fee, remind your Realtor that you are paying them for their services and as part of the listing agreement, marketing the property, all expenses related with that, and their office administration cost is the sole responsibility of your Realtor.
3. Check the "Broker Full" version of your listing to make sure your Realtor is not cheating you by adding this fee to the listing without your knowledge, thereby potentially having you miss out on serious buyers.

The Realtor's desire to make a hundred dollars or two could cost you thousands as Co-Operating Agents shy away from giving a portion of their well-earned commission away to your Realtor.

It is your Realtor's obligation to pay for the marketing of your property, as per the Listing Agreement, and that is what you are paying them for. For your Realtor to charge another party for the same service you have already paid for is wrong. Your Realtor's focus should be on providing you with the best service possible and generating enough interest to get your home sold. If their focus is on earning an extra dollar or two by double charging for fees that should have been part of their offering, you need to re-evaluate your choice and go with a professional that takes pride in their high level of service, and has the respect of their peers for providing fair compensation.
Caveat Venditor - Let The Seller Beware!

Asif Khan, ABR
Member of Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222

Sharon Singleton
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Canadians are house hoppers, with the majority of homeowners finding themselves moving on to another, often bigger, house earlier than they had intended, a survey by TD Canada Trust found.
About 42% of repeat buyers have found themselves looking for another home before they had planned, with just over a third who had no intention of moving finding themselves house hunting again.
That's true for Toronto-based Valery Macri, who is on her third home and expects to move again within the next six months. She had believed her current property would be the final purchase.
"When we started living in our home we found it wasn't as user-friendly as we wanted it to be," said Macri, who has been in her current house for seven years. "The size is fine, as we are a small family, but we need the layout to be more user-friendly, as we entertain a lot."
About three quarters of Canadians who aren't first-time buyers said they plan to move on again in the next two years, TD's Repeat Home Buyers Report found. That's a 10 percentage point jump from last year,
"Our research indicates that Canadians don't stay in one home too long," said Farhaneh Haque, director, mortgage advice, TD Canada Trust. "Before making the decision to move, explore all your options and ensure that your new home will suit your changing needs and lifestyle. It might be more affordable to renovate and make your current home work for you."
This year, a growing number of Canadians cited investment opportunities and market conditions as prompting the desire to move. Eight out of 10 said they will sell their current home, and 78% said they expect to sell above asking price, compared with 66% in 2010.
Macri, who has an eight-year old daughter, said she is confident in the property market's prospects, and with the current volatility in the stock markets is happier to be in bricks and mortar.
National home sales activity held steady in July 2011 compared to the previous month, with just over half of local markets posting month-over-month gains, according to figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Repeat buyers are less likely to compromise on what they want from their home, the survey found.
A third said this time they will not budge on price, with a further third having a clear idea on what kind of layout they want. About 31% also said they will not compromise on features, with 28% saying the number of bedrooms is a key issue. 

www.asifkhan.ca
www.teamkhan.net

RE/MAX Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Both Home Buyers and Home Sellers!   Overall satisfaction is determined by examining three factors of the home-buying experience: agent/salesperson; office; and variety of additional services.  Four factors are examined for the home-selling experience: agent/salesperson; marketing; office; and variety of additional services.   Home-Buyer Satisfaction Overall satisfaction among home buyers averages 797 on a 1,000-point scale in 2011—a decrease of six points from 2010. The decrease is primarily due to lower satisfaction with the agent/salesperson, which is the most influential aspect of buyer satisfaction with the real estate company. Agent/salesperson satisfaction averages 814 in 2011, compared with 828 in 2010. “Although the current real estate market—with the confluence of low home prices and historically low interest rates—creates the perception of a buyers’ market, there are still traditional barriers to purchase in place, which could be negatively affecting buyer satisfaction with their agent,” said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Agents who properly manage client expectations around the home buying process and communicate with clients about potential challenges—such as higher requirements for down payments, tighter loan standards and additional costs on top of the monthly mortgage—may be better able to keep clients satisfied.” In the home-buyer segment, RE/MAX ranks highest with a score of 805.   Home-Seller Segment Among home sellers, satisfaction with real estate companies has improved substantially to an average of 779 in 2011 from 742 in 2010. While satisfaction with each of the factors has improved from 2010, the greatest gain has occurred in the marketing factor, which has increased by 62 points in 2011. In 2011, the variety of additional services and office factors have increased in importance to overall satisfaction, while the importance of the agent/salesperson and marketing factors have declined. According to Howland, many real estate companies have made cutbacks in additional services and offices during recent years, and the increasing importance of these areas reflects that sellers may be missing these amenities, which provides an opportunity for companies to improve satisfaction. Among home sellers, RE/MAX ranks highest with a score of 791 and performs particularly well in the agent/salesperson and office factors.    The 2011 Home Buyer/Seller Study includes more than 4,200 evaluations from more than 3,680 respondents who bought or sold a home between March 2010 and April 2011. The study was fielded between March and May 2011. Additional Industry Findings The study findings include the following key trends: Recommendations and referrals play a key role for both buyers and sellers in choosing an agent and real estate company. In 2011, six in 10 buyers and sellers say their agent asked for a referral or recommendation—up from 47 percent in 2010. The average number of homes that buyers were shown prior to making a purchase is 9.0 in 2011, down notably from 17.5 in 2010. The average number of home showings in 2011 is 8.6, on average, prior to sale, down considerably from an average of 12.1 showings in 2010. In 2011, just 58 percent of sellers indicate using a website listing to market their home, compared with 82 percent in 2010.       Asif Khan, ABR Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.

Re/Max sales associates and support staff across Canada raised more than $180,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation through the Re/Max Yard Sale for the Cure event. “Yard Sale for the Cure is an excellent example of how we, as a corporation, use our extensive network to raise funds and awareness in support of breast cancer research, health promotion and training fellowships – all integral components in the fight against breast cancer,” says Christine Martysiewicz, director of public relations, Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada. Almost 70 Re/Max offices from coast-to-coast participated in the annual fundraiser this year, substantially bolstering the funds raised by more than 80 per cent over the previous year.  Re/Max has raised close to $700,000 nationwide through Yard Sale for the Cure since 2006.  Overall, the company has donated close to $1.5 million to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation since it became an official Re/Max corporate charity in 2004. “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when people work together toward a significant cause,” says Marie Sheppy, senior co-ordinator, corporate affairs, Re/Max of Western Canada. “Re/Max never has a shortage of volunteers.” Re/Max has been involved with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation since 2004.  The company also introduced its exclusive Sold on a Cure program to help raise additional funds for the charity.  The program allows participating agents to make a donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation whenever they help a client buy or sell a home. Asif Khan, Realtor Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc. www.asifkhan.ca  www.teamkhan.net