Social responsibility and non profits
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REAL ESTATE FOR SOCIAL GOOD

REAL ESTATE FOR SOCIAL GOOD

LEARN HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT WHAT IS CLOSE TO YOUR HEART

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND NON PROFITS

Passion Makes A Difference

Doing Work That Matters!

GIVING BACK!

Social responsibility and non profits are a great combination with real estate.  Why not use real estate transactions to help your local and / or global communities to make a difference! Whether you’re buying or selling your Montreal real estate, it’s always a huge decision. Probably one of the biggest decisions you can make. Aside from having my knowledge and expertise to guide you, I donate a portion of my profits to the non profit of your choice! It’s nice to know that on top of having a successful transaction, you’re using your real estate transaction in a socially responsible way and are able to make a positive impact on something that’s close to your heart. You make a difference!!

 

 

Below are some of the amazing non profits some of my clients have introduced me too and I’ve had the pleasure to know.  Some are more well known then others, operate locally and / or  globally. What they all have in common is that they do awesome work that addresses many diverse needs and communities. I hope you’ll  be inspired liked I was to learn of their existance.  If you don’t see a non profit that’s of special importance to you, the list is growing all the time with your help.

Learn more about me

social responsibility and non profits

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Rosamond Halsey Carr at the Imbabazi Orphanage
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Regroupement Trisomie 21

Regroupement Trisomie 21, based in Montreal is a local organization helping families with children with Down Syndrome. Visit their website to learn more about their incredible work!

Miriam Foundation

The Miriam Foundation, based in Montreal is a local organization that does exceptional work helping families with children with autism. Please visit their website to learn more about their incredible work!

Light A Dream

Light A Dream Non Profit

Light A Dream is an exceptional organization supporting young adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities with career training and vocational opportunities. Light A Dream, through the use of both classroom training and hands on experience in a variety of job placements, creates a safe and secure sense of community for  the students, enhancing their self esteem, work, social and leadership skills.

CTV recently did a segment on the wonderful and important work of this special foundation!

A career for those with special needs

CTV Montreal reports on Light a Dream, a West Island foundation that teaches job and life skills

Learn more about this awesome organization!

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Ronald Mcdonald House Montreal

The Ronald McDonald House Montreal is a temporary home away from home for out-of-town (more than 55 km) families of children with critical illnesses who must travel to Montreal for medical treatments. Our vision is to  offer children the possibility of having their parents near them during their treatment or hospitalization. For $10 per night, families can access a warm and secure home where they can find comfort and support during this difficult and stressful time.

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

Logifem

Logifem provides accommodation and support to women and children experiencing homelessness in Montreal. They have a primary residence where each woman has her own room, meals are provided and Intervention Workers are available 24 hours a day. They also have transitional apartments in the community where women, both with and without children, can stay for up to three years. They’ve been able to help thousands of women and children move on from incredibly difficult situations related to issues such as conjugal violence, mental health problems, financial difficulties, isolation and difficulties parenting.

When you support Logifem you are supporting a whole community.

 

Watch the video and learn more about what they do!

 

Visit their website!

SPCA Montreal

SPCA MONTREAL’S was founded in Montreal in 1869, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was the first animal-welfare organization in Canada. The SPCA is the largest animal-protection organization in Quebec, speaking on behalf of animals wherever there is ignorance, or cruelty. Their  mission consists of protecting animals from neglect, abuse and exploitation; representing their interests and ensuring their well-being; and last but not least, raising public awareness and helping develop compassion for all sentient beings.

 

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

 

Social responsibility and non profits

gofundmelogo

Use my donation to support someone’s campaign on GoFundMe!

jewish general hospital foundation

Donations to the Jewish General Hospital Foundation are essential for the funding of initiatives like cancer research as well as providing vital hospital resources!

Fondation Emergo

Camp Emergo, is the first summer camp for autistic people in Québec, which was set up by parents of the Association des enfants autistiques du Québec (today, the Fédération québécoise de l’autisme).  It’s mission is to offer respite services to families living with autistic people or people having pervasive developmental disorders by welcoming them in a safe and stimulating outdoor environment adapted to their needs, thus encouraging them to maintain and develop their capabilities. To learn more about the incredible work this organization does, visit the foundations website!

Montreal General Hospital

 

Code Life: The Montreal General Hospital Foundation’s Mission is to Provide Vital Support for Vital Care through Training, Technology and Research. Code Life is their pledge to protect, heal, extend, and save life by means of leading-edge medical research and care. The Montreal General Hospital (MGH), the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and more broadly, within the McGill academic health network, work in close partnerships with donors and collaborators to raise awareness and foster excellence in vital care to all patients, present and future.

Visit their website to learn more about the foundation and their awesome work!

Social Responsibility Kids Help Phone

Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only free, anonymous and bilingual professional counselling, information and volunteer support service for young people. They are available 24/7 by phone, Live Chat, and the Always There chat app.

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

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Rainbow Railroad was founded in 2006 to provide an additional solution to address the global refugee crisis, to which LGBTQI persons are uniquely vulnerable. Rainbow Railroad provides support to LGBTQI individuals
seeking safety with airfare and financial support that facilitates departure, travel, arrival and referral for settlement. Beyond direct financial assistance, Rainbow Railroad provides information, resources and advice for
asylum claimants.

 

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

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SHARE THE WARMTH’S mission is to awaken hopes and dreams in the South-West of Montréal and Verdun community through excellence in programming that fosters the overall development and success of youth, increases access to food security and health for all, and offers work training programs. We are inspired by a vision of a vibrant community where all members reach their full potential and achieve their dreams. We promote member involvement in all aspects of the organization and innovative and efficient use of our resources, especially the building in which we offer our programs. Our mission is lived out in schools, with youth and in the community by providing food, school supplies, scholarships and tutoring, music for youth, a food bank, a fruit and vegetable market, a community Boutique and lunches, work and volunteering programs and more. At our core is the belief that together, we can fight hunger and poverty.

There values are generosity and reciprocity, accountability and responsibility, creativity, openness, inclusion and respect.

 

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation
Plant Trees Save Lives

Learn More about my membership and the Rebsea organization

Old Brewery Mission Logo

The Old Brewery Mission is an incredible organization based here in Montreal that is trying to end homelessness! Some frightening statistics you  may not know according to The Old Brewery Mission

  • As many as 50,000 make up the “hidden’ homeless”, “couch-surfers” or individuals who stay with family, friends, or others because they have nowhere else to go[1].
  • The average life expectancy of a person experiencing homelessness in Canada is 39 years[2].
  • For people who remain homeless for more than three months — the chronically homeless — life on the streets and in shelters creates cascading trauma often leading to addiction, abuse and suicide[2].
  • The chronic homeless incur large economic costs – an estimated $1.1 billion or $35,000 cost per person each year through being inappropriately ‘housed’ in jails and temporary shelters and using hospital emergency departments[2].

  • On The Mission

    • the largest resource of its kind for homeless men in Quebec and for homeless women in Canada.
    • Operates seven pavilions across the city of Montreal and employs 200 trained individuals.
    • Transitions more than 600 homeless men and women
      back into society every year.
  • To learn more about all the vital and great work the Mission does, visit their website.
RAVEN Trust logo 2

RAVEN’s vision is a country that embraces the ancestral laws of Indigenous Peoples and their equitable access to the justice system within a thriving natural habitat. Their mission is to raise legal defence funds to assist First Nations who enforce their rights and title to protect their traditional territories. The environmental challenges that face many First Nations in Canada are really challenges for the entire world. Fundamentally, we believe these are issues of human rights and climate change – we are seeking environmental justice for all.

To learn more about RAVEN visit their website

Montreal Heart Institute

The Montreal Heart Institute Foundation supports one of Montreal’s most prescious resources, The Montreal Heart Institute. This hospital is  specialized and dedicated to the development of cardiology, and is affiliated with the Université de Montréal. The hospital is a provincial, national, and international leader in healthcare, prevention, research and teaching in the area of cardiovascular disease.

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

Welcome Hall Mission

Welcome Hall Mission founded in 1892 provides support to the homeless, young single mothers, families and at-risk youth. Their mulititude of programs transform the lives of struggling Montrealers every day, providing them with nourishing meals, education, employment classes, recovery, and community. Supporting Welcome Mission Hall helps them to lend a hand to anyone that needs it!

 

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

WaterFirst

ABOUT WATER FIRST

Water First Education & Training Inc. is one of the top charitable organizations in Canada addressing water challenges in Indigenous communities through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

Founded in 2009 to bring drinking water resources to rural schools in Uganda, we provided training on the operations and maintenance of the water and sanitation systems we installed. Water First began working with Indigenous communities in Canada in 2012, after being challenged and inspired on numerous occasions about why we weren’t working with communities here in Canada experiencing water challenges.

Our projects with Indigenous communities were initially small but grew quickly. Within a few years, our collaborations accounted for nearly 90% of program resources. Water First dedicated itself exclusively to working with Indigenous communities in 2016. We focus on technical skills training in the fields of both drinking water and environmental water, as well as water science education for Indigenous youth.

 

Visit their website to learn more about the important work they do!

Articles From One Good Earth

Montreal Market Forcast  2023: Trends, Statistics And Potential Opportunities   photo by ®Bonnie Meisels   The Montreal market forcast for 2023 will depend on mostly two things, the state of interest rates and inventory. It feels like it was only a few months ago that I was writing the Montreal market forcast for 2022, I honestly don’t know where this year has gone as it feels as if time flew by so fast, especially the last six months! As we all know inflation, evidenced by the price of gas, food, and continuos rising interest rates, continue to put a huge...

November 30, 2022

Introducing 1280 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest #1110 – Ritz Residences    Welcome to 1280 Sherbrooke Ouest #1110 located in the Ritz Residences in Downtown Montreal. This stunning 2 bedroom + den features the highest quality finishes as well as impeccable style and design. The condo features 2 large bedrooms each with their own ensuite bathroom. There’s a large balcony with great city views, and a feeling of spaciousness with the 11 foot high ceiling accents.   1280 Sherbrooke Ouest #1110 – Realtor Montreal Bonnie Meisels No Description   View the full listing   The Ritz Residences provide an incredible 5 star,...

October 27, 2022

Fantastic Neighborhoods in Greater Montreal   Fantastic neighborhoods in Greater Montreal gives you a snapshot via this small map, of some of the wonderful neighborh0ods to live or hang out. Each highlighted quarter features some fun and informative Youtube videos that will give you a feel for these places.        For those who are thinking about moving to Montreal, I thought this video by “Making That Change” covers many aspects of the city.     9 Things to Know About Montreal Before Moving No Description   A must read Montreal blog to discover things to do and...

October 10, 2022

Best Performing Sectors Of The Real Estate Market    The best performing sectors of the real estate market reveal a strong and growing industrial property market. Revenue property is also maintaining high demand. Sales across the residential sector have slowed with the advent of increasing interest rate hikes. More inventory is coming on the market but we’ll have to keep an eye on how things continue to unfold. Commercial real estate has to adjust to changes in a post covid world.  Check out the PWC report on commercial trends. https://www.pwc.com/ca/en/industries/real-estate/emerging-trends-in-real-estate-2021/commercial-property-outlook.html   Read the PWC report   “In the office today,...

September 23, 2022

Parched! The French Countryside This summer I had the priviledge of visiting parts of the French countryside, Les Alpes-de-Haut-Provence and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur. Two stunning areas well known for the Gorges du Verdon which you could say is like the Grand Canyon of France as well as the famed lavender fields of Provence. I debated as to whether to rent a car as I was travelling alone.  I don’t drive manual, and have heard alot about the twisty, white knuckled driving required through these parts. Truth be told though, the thought of doing a 10 – 11 hour tour and being picked...

August 19, 2022

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE LOCAL MONTREAL REAL ESTATE FRONT Since I’m back in Montreal, it seems like we’re getting some of that rain that other parts of the world are most desparate for. Temperatures have ranged from 22 to 28 degrees celcius with most mornings being on the cool side. It’s hard to believe that the end of summer is upon us, it’s so short lived that time feels fleeting. While I was away, the Bank of Canada in July, enacted another huge interest rate hike of 1%. Of course the rising of rates is going to effect the amount...

August 19, 2022

Where Do We Go From Here – A Market Snapshot   Where Do We Go From Here – A Market Snapshot takes stock of where we find ourselves mid year of 2022. With the steady rise of interest rates and possibly more on the horizon, we are starting to glimpse the repercussions. Price inflation on everything from gas to food, combined with hampered supply chains due to Covid, have created a self escalating effect. The question remains as to whether efforts by the central banks to tame inflation, will eventually go too far, causing the economy into deep contraction and/or...

June 20, 2022

Are We In A Real Estate Market Shift? Are we in a real estate market shift? I guess that remains to be seen! There are definitely some adjustments that will take place in the wake of the Bank of Canada’s recent sharp and swift interest rate hikes. For the moment, inventory on the Island of Montreal is still low and not meeting the demand of buyers, depending of course, on the type of product and location. If the supply begins to increase, it will definitely put some pressure on prices, creating a more balanced market.  It’s still a good time...

April 28, 2022

In Support of Ukraine In support of Ukraine is written with the view point of being the daughter of a holocaust survivor. Growing up, I often heard the expressions “never again” and “we must never forget”. It’s a miracle that my father’s family survived the Siberian Labor Camps to even make it here to Canada. They were lucky to be sponsored by a distant family relative who made all the difference to my family’s survival. If it wasn’t for this family, my siblings and children would not be here….. All that being said, I never thought I would witness the...

March 11, 2022

Great Neighborhoods Less Than an Hour Away From the City of Montreal Great neighborhoods less than an hour away from the city of Montreal are my findings as a the result of the historical past two years.  This experience has been lifechanging for most people.  My humble opinion at this point, is that we’re all just going to have to live with COVID as we do with the flu. We’ll move from pandemic to endemic and I suspect there will be an annual COVID shot as there is with flu. This virus and its variants are here to stay. Over...

February 4, 2022

On Kindness And The Real Estate Outlook in 2022   On kindness. I honestly find it hard to believe that we’re already in January of a new year. 2021 felt like it lasted 6 months rather than 12, or maybe that’s because so much of our time in the first half of the year was spent in curfew, lockdown and the zoom form of human contact. The one silver lining in my case, is my husband and I got to spend more quality face time with 2 of our kids who spent more time at home. Gary Vaynerchuk has been...

January 7, 2022

The Best Food In Montreal And November Real Estate Performance The best food in Montreal and November real estate performance has the list for Montreal’s best eateries in 2021!  Enjoy discovering the winners. Here Are the 2021 Eater Award Winners for Montreal Today, we’re excited to announce the winners of the 2021 Eater Awards, celebrating some of the best in new dining to grace Montreal since January 2020. From St-Hubert Street’s happening new Thai restaurant Pichai to NDG quick hit Café Entre-Deux, the spots below are just a few of the new restaurants that have made their mark on Montreal’s...

December 10, 2021

The Future of Real Estate The future of real estate is tied to some strong, emerging technologies like blockchain, web – 3, and the tokenization of property. I don’t believe these technologies will completely erase the human side of things, but it will make things easier to do as most technology does. Another important topic which I’ll write about in a separate article is the emerging importance of Proptech. Proptech aims to innovate and disrupt the real estate industry the way Uber and Airbnb did. Through the improved use of data and platforms that make that data accessible to end...

December 4, 2021

What does the Canadian Housing Market Look Like in 2022?   What does the Canadian Housing Market Look Like in 2022?  Here are the market highlights and data via CREA (The Canadian Real Estate Association):   HIGHLIGHTS National home sales rose 8.6% on a month-over-month basis in October. Actual (not seasonally adjusted) monthly activity was down 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. The number of newly listed properties climbed by 3.2% from September to October. The MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI) rose 2.7% month-over-month and was up 23.4% year-over-year. The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price posted an...

November 21, 2021

The Latest Market News, COP 26 & Web 3 The latest market news, COP 26 & web 3 as you obviously can tell, looks at many diverse topics happening at the moment. There’s just so much happening in the world right now that every 24 hours ushers in a bombardment of news and change is happening at an unprecedented, accelerated breakneck pace. Right now COP 26 is taking place over several days in Glascow Scotland. The wonderful thing about this is that you can watch it streamed live for free. Read more about it here.   Together for our planet! Together...

November 6, 2021

Questions vs Possible Solutions for a Greener Planet & the Latest Market News Questions vs Possible Solutions for a Greener Planet & Latest Market News is about trying to actively find answers to some big problems. I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of people bringing up and/or discussing all the environmental problems the planet faces right now, without at least suggesting some possible solutions. At a recent conference I attended I learned about a new initiative in Barcelona that plans to provide free solar panels to it’s population. This is part of a public – private partnership....

October 17, 2021

What’s Driving Our Market & Affordable Real Estate What’s driving our market & affordable real estate is a blog post addressing two different aspects of our current Montreal housing market. Here’s a snapshot of the most recent sales data for Montreal in August 2021 via Centris. If we compare the inventory numbers from August 2020 to August 2021, active listings, inventory was down -26% for single family homes and -14% for condominiums. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what this data is showing in terms of supply and demand. With lower supply, it will remain a seller’s market...

September 19, 2021

Montreal Mortgage Rate Outlook for 2022 & 2023 Montreal Mortgage Rate Outlook for 2022 & 2023 show that long-term government bond rates have risen from 0.3% to 1.0% since January. Following the Bank of Canada’s  (BoC) May announcement, it confirmed in June that it might start raising short-term interest rates in late 2022, as a result of a brighter outlook for the Canadian economy. 5-year mortgage rates are expected to continue rising, although their current low by historical standards. Forecasters anticipate the economic recovery will not gain full traction until late 2021 or 2022. With the surge of the Delta...

August 29, 2021

Milan’s Green New Deal – Leadership for the World All photos copyright Bonnie Meisels Milan’s green new deal – leadership for the world as a shining example for the urban regeneration of cities and neighborhoods. The featured photo is of a new development called Bosco Verticale. This is found in an area of Milan called Porta Nuovo a newly constructed neighborhood with a focus on sustainable development. The aim is to create a thriving community with a healthy lifestyle and focus on wellness.  The architecture is wonderful! These are just some of the photos from the area:      ...

August 3, 2021

Feature Photo Credit APCIQ / Centris  – Info Source Credit APCIQ / Centris Montreal Real Estate Market 2021 & Beyond Montreal real estate market 2021 & beyond provides a complete snapshot of the market across many factors. From immigration, unemployment, projections for 2022 and the past performance of 2020, we can get a clearer picture of where things are at.   Everyone has witnessed a housing market with steadily increasing prices and inventory shortages, especially in certain markets. The question is will this continue? Is inflation a part of why we are seeing this. Prices have increased across many categories, not...

July 13, 2021

Wake Up Call & Climate Migration Map source: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Wake up call & climate migration tells a visual story of climate urgency. I was recently looking at the drought map of the west coast and the picture is quite alarming. Not only is this part of the U.S. experiencing unprecedented heat and high temperartures, but without sufficient water, this doesn’t bode well for one of North America’s primary bread basket. Another alarming sign of trouble is the drought-parched Lake Mead which could leave seven states high and dry. Lake Mead: The devastating impact of drought on America’s largest reservoir |...

June 27, 2021

How Were Montreal Home Sales In May   A mini capsule story report on Montreal home sales in May 2021   May Market 2021 No Description Read the full Centris sales report for May 2021 Featured image by Action Vance

June 4, 2021

Montreal’s Latest Real Estate Housing Data   Montreal’s latest real estate housing data by neighborhood, housing category, days on market, average sale price and inventory levels from January to April 30th 2021.   Each neighborhood in Montreal is a universe unto itself. There really isn’t a single housing market in the city. If you peer under the hood you’ll discover that each area is a micro neighborhood with it’s own market data. Even buildings that are side by side one other in an area like Griffintown can have a completely different market and real estate story happening within. Condos are...

May 27, 2021

ODE TO MOTHER EARTH In honour of this Mothers Day I feel compelled to give thanks to our mother earth.  I want to express my gratitude to all the  trees that work 24 hours, non stop, consuming CO2, Let us not forget that without this, there wouldn’t be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to sustain humanity’s existence on this planet. . The oceans also play a vital role in CO2 absorption.  Currently, an over abundance of CO2 is causing the oceans to become chemically imbalanced. This increased acidification is making it harder for many of it’s inhabitant species to survive....

May 11, 2021

What’s Next for Montreal’s Red Hot Real Estate Market 2021 So you’re here because you want to know what’s next for Montreal’s red hot real estate market 2021. I don’t blame you, as I myself am asking that question. There’s no crystal ball and I don’t claim to have prognosticator abilities. Based on what I see from the past year as we’ve emerged from COVID, prices have and continue to rise based on low inventory levels. Low interest rates help fuel the demand  but over the past two months  mortgages have risen several points from there all time lows. My...

May 7, 2021

What Montreal Rents Look Like By Neighborhood What Montreal rents look like by neighborhood tells several stories. The graphics and data via Square Feet AI, shows how Villeray has scaled massively in rent values over the years. It also shows the areas where the highest rents per square foot can be found. The chart is based on monthly rent for an average 2 bedroom unit. Pointe Claire, Le Plateau, Ville Marie and Le Sud Ouest, which is comprised of St Henri, Pointe St Charles, Griffintown and Ville Emard, Cote St Paul are neighborhoods garnishing some of the highest rent values...

March 9, 2021

Montreal Market Performance January 2021 Montreal Market Performance January 2021 shows a real estate market that has continued to outperform last year’s numbers. Sales for single family homes of all kinds have been in high demand and short supply, driving prices higher. Condos have also performed well, but appear to be in a more balanced market depending on the neighborhood and price point. Demand is still strong in many neighborhoods in greater Montreal, but for single family homes, the West Island offers more space for less $$$’s. The farther you travel out from the city center, the more bang you...

February 23, 2021

COVID-19 and Montreal’s Changing Real Estate Trends COVID-19 and Montreal’s changing real estate trends contain themes we see playing out across North America. As Montreal is now well into it’s second wave of the pandemic we can clearly see some emerging trends. With most of the population spending more time at home and in some cases becoming the new work from home set up, more Montrealers are prioritizing homeownership and seeking out as much indoor and outdoor space as they can afford to improve their quality of life while working-from-home and social distancing. According to recent stats from the Royal...

December 4, 2020

The Top 3 Rules of Real Estate The top 3 rules of real estate held true years before I got my realtors license and still ring true today! Those 3 rules are: 1)Location 2)Location and by now you can guess the 3rd ….that’s right, 3)Location!!! When working with my clients, it’s always my humble advice for them to buy the best location their dollars can afford. Unless you’re a professional flipper, real estate is a long game. When analyzing the prices of properties over longer time spans of five, ten, fifteen years, etc., real estate prices have only gone in...

December 1, 2020

Montreal Market Highlights September 2020 Montreal Market Highlights September 2020 as a continued sellers market. According to Centris, “With an average selling time of only 46 days in the Montreal area, a new record has been broken for a month of September, reflecting extremely tight market conditions in favour of sellers, including for properties that are less desirable in normal times.” The Island of Montreal had a 28 per cent rise in sales, surpassing Vaudreuil-Soulanges (+22 per cent) this month. In September, with inventories remaining low, sales across the Montreal CMA for single family homes posted the largest jump in...

October 16, 2020

photo by ©Bonnie Meisels Montreal Market Update Fall 2020 Montreal market update fall 2020 continues to show a seller’s market across many categories. Inventories remain low, especially in single family homes and condos at a certain price point.  According to the Centris statistics report “No Summer Respite for Montreal’s Residential Real Estate Market as Sales and Prices Set New Records”. “In total, 4,878 residential sales transactions were concluded in August 2020. This represents a 39 per cent increase compared to August of last year and the highest number of transactions ever recorded for a month of August since the Centris...

October 1, 2020

Montreal’s Latest Market Update August 2020 Montreal’s Latest Market Update August 2020: Amazingly enough, despite the huge drop in real estate activities over the few months of the COVID – 19 lockdown, here in Montreal, both sales and prices have strongly rebounded. It’s as if all that pent up demand became unleashed once the market re-opened. There’s still a shortage of inventory which is what’s driving the Montreal real estate market this summer of 2020. “Montreal-area residential sales jump 46% in July, setting new record for month”, read the Montreal Gazette article below. Here are some excerpts from the most...

August 11, 2020

Mont-Royal A Gem Of A Neighborhood Mont-Royal is a gem of a neighborhood and one of the best places to live in Montreal! This quartier, often referred to as TMR, is a small enclave of beautiful and charming homes surrounded by an abundance of green spaces.  Not only does the “town” as it’s often referred to, have atleast 30 parks, but it also claims to have as many trees as it does inhabitants. In 2008 Mount Royal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Centrally located in the center of Montreal, “the town has a surface area of 7.43...

June 25, 2020

Who Speaks for the Earth Who Speaks for the Earth? A question that I’ve been contemplating with both my head and heart for awhile. It looks like others that have come before me have grappled with this as well as I fortunately stumbled across a video by the iconic Carl Sagan, Cosmos by Carl Sagan – Episode 13: Who Speaks For Earth. Covid 19 has caused devastation across the world, but the one bright spot in all of this is the visible relief on the planet. With the reduction of boat traffic and noise pollution, wildlife is once again resurfacing...

May 19, 2020

Montreal Market by the Numbers March 2020 Montreal Market by the Numbers March 2020 shows as expected, a very active first half of March and a drop for the second half. According to Centris, here are some of the details: -“In total, 5,907 residential sales transactions were concluded in March 2020, a 4 per cent increase compared to March of last year. Still, this was the 61st consecutive month of sales growth. For the first quarter of the year, 14,662 transactions were concluded in the Montreal CMA, a 13 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of 2019. -The Island...

May 5, 2020

COVID 19 And Montreal Real Estate COVID 19 And Montreal Real Estate finds us in a state of flux and change. Just as Premier Legault sent us into full lockdown mode, the Montreal housing market was booming and in full swing. Open houses were packed with lineups at certain properties. Most of the sales went from five thousand to several hundred thousand over asking. Pre-Covid, inventories were low, demand was high, and prices were on a continual rise. The reality is that although prices continued to increase, Montreal’s prices still remained substantially lower than there counterparts in the Toronto and...

May 5, 2020

Photo by ©Bonnie Meisels Montreal February 2020 Market Data Montreal February 2020 market Data shows for the Island of Montreal a continued sellers market with certain categories of properties in bidding wars resulting in well over asking price territory. Of course, the extent to which depends on the category and location of the property. Island of Montreal Sales:  Feb 2020: 1742   Feb 2019: 1487  Increase of  17% Active listings:                                             7175                 ...

March 7, 2020

Last Quarter of 2019 Montreal Market Stats The last quarter of 2019 Montreal market stats shows for the Island of Montreal a sellers market for up to 600k and a balanced market for more than 600k Fourth Quarter Sales:   4587   Increase of  11% Active listings:                   5765   Decrease of -19% New listings:                       4934  Decrease of  -6% Sales volume (in thousands):     $2516709  Increase of  22% Sales by property category: Single-family homes Sales:                   ...

February 12, 2020

December Real Estate Market Highlights 2019 According to the latest Centris report it was “An Exceptional End to the Year in the Montreal CMA With the Most Active Month of December on Record” December 2019 real estate market highlights confirm for the Island of Montreal: Year To Date Sales:  Dec 2019: 18983 Dec 2018: 18294  Increase of  4% Active listings:                    6744                      8044  Decrease of -16% New listings:                     25208         ...

January 13, 2020

Our Hearts Are Breaking For Australia Our hearts are breaking for Australia as the world and I watch the horrifying destruction of the country! Australia has always been on my bucket list to visit.  In fact from the time I got engaged, it was one of my top picks for our honeymoon destination…But alas, being that it was so far from Montreal, my husband said we’ll go another time…then you know how that goes. I guess that time will now be pushed back much further than I ever imagined. Australia has always captured my imagination with it’s vast, unique landscape...

January 6, 2020

Renos That Increase The Value of Your Property Renos that increase the value of your property depend on the overall value of the home and what is typical within your neighbourhood. How much should you spend? Well that depends on your goals and how you look at things. If you’re going to be living in the property for many years, then the cost of the renos may not be the most important consideration. Style, features, and enjoyment of the property may be a high priority. On the other hand, if you’re thinking of selling, you may want to consider which...

December 9, 2019

Feature photo©Bonnie Meisels November Real Estate Market Highlights November real estate market highlights confirm for the Island of Montreal: Single-family homes outshone other types of properties in October, posting an eight-per-cent median price increase to $355,000, the data show. Plexes — defined as properties with two to five dwellings —– saw their median price climb seven per cent to $560,000, while condominium prices advanced six per cent to $280,000. Home prices rose the fastest in Côte des Neiges/Côte St-Luc, according to the association. The median home in the area sold for $776,168 in the period, a 22-per-cent jump from last...

December 9, 2019

Feature photo©Bonnie Meisels October Real Estate Market Highlights October real estate market highlights confirm for the Island of Montreal: Total sales:   Sept 2019:  1625   Sept 2018: 1,512  Increase of 7% New listings:                     2,206                       2,273  Decrease of -3% Active listings:                  6,384                      7,534  Decrease of  -15% Sales volume:     $779,666,573      $646,188,403   Increase of  21% Sales by property category: Single-family homes Sales:     ...

November 14, 2019

Ideas For More Sustainable Cities Part 1: Ideas for more sustainable cities was inspired by some interesting initiatives happening around the world. There are many factors to consider when talking about sustainable cities. Things like resilient local food and housing systems, renewable energy and water conservation, smart infrastructure designed to complement nature, are just some of the topics. Around the world, there are some cool initiatives and solutions in the works.  Singapore for example, is Asia’s greenest city. As a small, dense, and resourceless island, it has very little farmable land to grow food.  So for locals, rooftop gardens are...

November 5, 2019

September Real Estate Market Highlights September’s real estate market highlights for the Island of Montreal Total sales:   Sept 2019:  1,435   Sept 2018: 1,316  Increase of 9% New listings:                     2,261                       2,174  Increase of 4% Active listings:                  6,435                     7,587  Decrease of  -15% Sales volume:     $779,666,573      $646,188,403   Increase of 21% Sales by property category: Single-family homes Sales:               ...

October 23, 2019

Montreal Home Buyers 35% Increase Montreal home buyers 35% increase in the city center since last year according to the Royal Lepage Q3 Market Report. Some highlights from the report: ● With close to 6% year-over-year home price appreciation in the third quarter, the Greater Montreal Area residential market had the highest appreciation rate since the second quarter of 2018. ● Montreal East had the highest aggregate price appreciation rate in the country, increasing 8.5% year-over-year. ● Nationally, Royal LePage expects the Greater Montreal Area to experience the highest price increase, closing the year with an increase of 6.0% in...

October 12, 2019

The Hottest Properties In Montreal Real Estate The hottest properties In Montreal Real Estate right now are revenue properties such as duplexes, triplexes, etc. Overall Montreal sales in August were up 10% from August of 2018 while active listing inventory was down a hefty -21%. Sales of plexes have always been healthy, unique to Montreal are the abundance of duplexes and plexes that dot neighborhoods such as Le Plateau and Cote des Neiges to name a few.  Although condo sales have been holding their own with a 23% increase from last year, plexes in the Montreal Metropolitan Area have also...

September 25, 2019

Montreal Real Estate Sales July 2019 Montreal Real Estate Sales July 2019 saw home sales rise for the 5th month in a row in July, and prices up 4% in past year. According to Crea, after hitting a six-year low in February of this year, activity seems to be rebounding across Canada, as sales were up in about 60 per cent of all markets across the country. Montreal’s HPI rose by 7.23 per cent in the past year. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp “The Montreal market isn’t growing too fast or overheating and properties aren’t being over-evaluated,...

September 4, 2019

For todays blog post I thought I would share a recent article written by the team at Centris on how to clean without chemicals. Here’s the article Cleaning Without Chemicals Cleaning without chemicals means your grandmother was right! It is possible to clean your house with natural products.  In addition to being environmentally friendly and economical, natural products are better for your’s and your pet’s health. Finish any store-bought cleaning products that you already own so that you can re-fill the containers with these new recipes: All-purpose cleaner ½ white vinegar ½ water 8 to 10 drops of lavender or...

August 23, 2019

Montreal Real Estate Stats June 2019 Info courtesy of Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers Montreal real estate stats for June 2019 show the largest quarterly increase in Residential Sales Since 2005 in the province of Quebec. Highlights for the second quarter of 2019: Sales All three property categories registered an increase in sales, but condominiums and plexes (2 to 5 dwellings) stood out with respective increases of 14 per cent (7,253 transactions) and 13 per cent (2,400 transactions). Sales of single-family homes increased by 6 per cent (19,410 transactions). Geographically, all six of the province’s census metropolitan areas (CMAs) registered an...

July 20, 2019

Montreal Market Report May 2019 Montreal Monthly Market Report May 2019 and some of the highlights via JLR “Property sales in Quebec have increased in May 2019 compared to the same month the previous year for single-family homes: +14%, condominiums: +17%, properties with 2 to 5-unit: +13%. From June 2017 to Mat 2018, the median prices have surpassed those registered the previous year by 2% for single-family homes and 3% for condominiums. Bad debts on residential properties continue to go down in the Province of Quebec with a 20% decrease in repossessions, and a 6% decrease in prior notice compared...

June 12, 2019

Happy Mothers Day in 2019! On this beautiful Montreal sunday, reflecting on the #love of #mothersday #mothersday2019, I came across this video that made me laugh and my heart warm. Thought I would share it and make you smile:)     As always, nature leads the way……   It’s all about LOVE!!

May 12, 2019

Montreal Housing Stats May 2019 So how’s our Montreal real estate market holding up against the rest of Canada which has mostly been performing poorly. According to Centris and the QPAREB, these are the latest numbers for this past April. -April sales in the Montreal CMA were increased for a 50th consecutive month. -Sales increased  by 11 per cent compared to April of last year. -The Island of Montreal posted (+6 per cent) gains. -Condominium sales rose by 17 per cent, plex sales by 12 per cent and single-family homes by 6 per cent. -Plexes (2 to 5 dwellings) registered...

May 12, 2019

The Latest Market Update March 2019 The latest market update for March 2019 across Canada continues to show a steady decrease in sales across most major markets in Canada, except for Quebec. A Look At Montreal Sales March 2019 According to Centris: Residential sales increased in March 2019, a modest 1 per cent compared to March of last year. This was the 49th consecutive monthly increase in sales. The Island of Montreal posted a 6 per cent drop in sales, while sales in Laval fell by 1 per cent. But one must take into account a 15 per cent drop...

April 15, 2019

Montreal Real Estate Market Update March 2019 Some of the highlights from the QPREB Report of the Montreal real estate market as of March 2019 February 2019, was an 8 per cent increase compared to February of last year. This was the 48th consecutive increase in residential sales Sales on the Island of Montreal fell slightly by 1 per cent. Across the Montreal CMA, the number of transactions rose by 4 per cent for single-family homes (2,436 sales), by 14 per cent for condominiums (1,588 sales) and by 7 per cent for plexes (339 sales). The median price of single-family...

March 28, 2019

2018 Finishes Strong in Montreal’s Real Estate Market According to December’s Centris report, across the Montréal CMA, the number of single-family home transactions rose by 3 per cent (1,491 sales) while condominium transactions grew by 2 per cent (993 sales). In contrast, plex transactions fell by 1 per cent (336 sales). The median price of single-family homes and plexes increased significantly across the Montréal CMA in December, reaching $327,450 (+7 per cent) and $525,000 (+8 per cent) The median price of condominiums rose by 3 per cent, reaching $272,863. In December, there were 18,970 active residential listings in the real...

January 15, 2019

Montreal Real Estate News November 2018 Some key highlights in and around Montreal real estate, as of November 2018 show that October home sales in Montreal up 11 per cent compared with 2017   While luxury home sales drop 35% in Toronto and Vancouver; high-end condo sales up,  Montreal was the only Canadian city to see it’s housing price index rise in October. According to the Montreal  CMHC report,  the Montreal housing market is stable. Market conditions for all housing types — including condos — are now favourable to sellers, according to the CMHC. This was especially true for the sales category of single...

November 26, 2018

Montreal Housing Market Boom Through 2020 It’s time for Montreal to shine! The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Fall Report was just released with good news for this city. According to their most recent forecast released Wednesday, the market here is far from peaking. Projected lower inventories of single family homes, and a continued strong job forcast, will keep real estate prices on an upward trajectory. Although condo construction is booming with the launching of many new projects becoming available, certain hot sectors of the city like the downtown core are in high demand. “Data from Altus Group shows, a...

November 12, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Predictions For 2019 Montreal real estate predictions for 2019 show that we’re increasingly in a digital world, amidst a rapidly changing landscape. Technology has been transforming many industries and real estate will be no exception. “The intersection of real estate and technology is a major trend in real estate.” “Fast-paced technological and social change will transform how people live and work, and the real estate sector will face rising pressure to respond with new ideas by accelerating digital transformation, being more innovative with deal strategy and rethinking how it addresses affordability. Those that embrace creativity may find...

October 30, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Numbers September 2018 So what are the most recent Montreal Real Estate numbers September 2018? Residential sales rose eight per cent in September compared to the same month last year. Across the Montreal CMA, the category of condominium sales increased 23%, the most amongst other real estate categories. The number of single family home sales remained unchanged since this time last year. The median price point across all categories steadily increased since last year.  Inventory numbers continued to remain low with an overall percentage drop of 17% compared to a year ago.  The 3,220 home sales represent a...

October 12, 2018

Elimination of Transfer Taxes For First Time Home Buyers Elimination of transfer taxes for first time home buyers was put on the table during the election campaign by the Parti Quebec.  According to the QFREB, (Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards), the homeownership rate in Quebec (61 per cent) remains considerably lower than the Canadian average (68 per cent), says the association. The Government of Quebec, in 2018, took a first step in this direction by granting a $750 non-refundable tax credit for the purchase of a first home. “There is no question that real estate transfer taxes (known as the welcome tax) are an...

September 30, 2018

WorldGBC Project To Advance To Net Zero WorldGBC Project To Advance To Net Zero is a project by the World Green Building Council which aims to promote and support the acceleration of net zero carbon buildings to 100% by 2050. Since buildings account for over half of all emissions, they are a logical target for energy remediation. “The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment) challenges companies, cities, states and regions to reach Net Zero operating emissions in their portfolios by 2030, and to advocate for all buildings to be Net Zero in operation by 2050. By setting ambitious ‘absolute’ targets,...

September 23, 2018

Crea’s Market Forcast For The Balance Of 2018 And 2019 Crea’s market forcast for the balance of 2018 and 2019 expect that “Economic and demographic fundamentals remain supportive for housing demand in many parts of the country; however, policy headwinds have impacted home buyer sentiment and access to mortgage financing in many housing markets. Further expected interest rate increases, combined with this year’s new federal mortgage stress test are expected to continue to keep home sales activity in check over the rest of the year and into 2019,” says CREA in a statement, adding the latest mortgage stress test has...

September 23, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Stories September 2018 The short of it is that Montreal held it’s own in August. Despite lower inventories, sales of condominiums increased by 12% compared to this time last year while sales of single family homes rose 5%. The largest increase in sales was in the plexes categories. Read the Centris Report below to view all the numbers. As for the full picture across some of the major markets across Canada, the National Bank Housing Index gives us a snapshot of Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and other cities in Canada. Ten of the eleven metropolitan areas recorded increases...

September 12, 2018

From Handbags To High End Luxury Real Estate Years ago, after graduating Parsons School of Design, while living and working in New York City, I worked as a handbag designer for Bruce Makowsky designing handbags. It’s been many years since I left New York, settling back in my home town of Montreal, to get married and have a family. I never imagined after all those years of school in the U.S. that I would eventually meet my husband from Montreal in New York city. But then again, life always has it’s own plans. It turns out my former boss, had...

August 25, 2018

If I Had A Crystal Ball. But I Don’t… I can’t believe we are at the end of August.  I hope you have been having a wonderful summer.  Fall is now in our sights and a new wonderful season to be enjoyed.  So, I am going to share a little something on issues that arise during a Montreal home inspection and will use windows as a venue to explain my point. One of the things we must understand when a home is inspected is that the inspection is a snapshot in time.  Let me explain by using a metaphor.  Imagine ...

August 24, 2018

Fun Stats Comparing In Store Vs Online – 11 Best American Businesses Fun stats comparing in Store vs online  –  11 best American businesses features an awesome infographic by Redbrain. Amongst the top 11 best businesses in America, the stats show that bricks and mortar stores are still doing a ton of business. Check out this infograph by Redbrain

August 6, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Stories The Week Of August 5th Montreal Real Estate Stories The Week Of August 5th – Some of this week’s headlines: The Urban Design Conundrum About Transit Oriented Development Montreal’s Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement represents the long term plan for housing projects to be built around TOD (transit oriented development).  The plan represents homes to be built between 2011 and 2031 strategically located near metro stations. Although this sounds like an ideal arrangement, Vancouver’s former city planner Brent Toderian has this to say: “the issue is that designing well-planned, livable places is about so much more than...

August 6, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Market Stories July 2018 Montreal real estate market stories July 2018 – latest market news: According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), 60% of all Canadian markets saw increased activity in June. Canadian home sales increased by 4.1% between May and June. Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was 10.7% lower than in June 2017. June’s MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) increased by 0.9% year-over-year National home sales increased by 4.1% in June 2018 compared to May. While this is a substantial monthly increase, sales remain low when compared to June of last year. Slow activity in the Canadian...

July 23, 2018

Hidden Defects Let me say first that normal wear and tear is not considered a latent defect.  Regardless though, if you receive a complaint from the buyer about discovered issues after the purchase you must reply in kind and acknowledge receipt of their complaint.  Ask the Buyer to provide a written letter with the facts.  You need to know about the evidence being used against you.  This is a requirement as per the Civil Code of Quebec, Section 1739. It may also be in your interest to ask the buyer permission to visit the property with your expert to further...

July 12, 2018

These Low-Cost Improvements Will Help Sell Your Home Fast   Anyone who is selling a house wants to sell it as quick, and for as much, as they can. However, not everyone has an unlimited budget. Fortunately, there are quite a few things you can do to raise your home’s appeal without going bankrupt. If you can make room in your budget for minor projects and you’re willing to put in the time and energy, these low-cost improvements are sure to help your home sell fast.   Calculating What You Can Make   The first step of selling your home...

July 7, 2018

How Hot Will It Get? Truth be told, I had never heard of climate change before seeing Al Gores’ “An Inconvenient Truth”. At the time the movie came out, I had a young family.  I was busy working, raising my kids, and more focused on things within my own personal sphere. I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on with the planet. “An Inconvenient Truth” brought the issue to my awareness and I’ve been paying attention ever since.  The film came out in 2006…you would think that by now, in 2018, we, as a collective, global society, would have...

July 4, 2018

Who Are Montreal’s Homebuyers: A CMHC Report The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) did a comprehensive study to find out “Who Are Montreal’s Homebuyers.” QUOTE “There is very little data on the profile of households who buy homes in the Montréal area, and this study allows us therefore to help industry players keep abreast of the dynamics at play in the various sectors of Montréal. The suburban sectors generally attracted more young families and young couples without children looking for single-family homes. These suburban sectors also attracted buyers from other sectors of the CMA, including a number from the city...

June 24, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Market Update May 2018 The Montreal real estate market update for May 2018 shows we continued to set a new sales record.  The biggest news is the continuation of a tight supply of inventory which has directly impacted sales. “The number of properties for sale continued its downward trend. In May, there were 24,501 active residential listings in the Centris system, which represents a 16 per cent drop compared to one year earlier. “The number of condominiums for sale in the Greater Montréal area fell by about 22 per cent in May. A drop like this has...

June 20, 2018

About That Condo You Are Moving Into Inspecting condos is part of what I do.  As such, I find that many who decide to purchase a condo do so without full knowledge as to how a condominium operates and how you are affected by its governance.  So, here is some information I would like to share with you so that you enter your new digs with eyes wide open. A condominium or condo is a type of real estate ownership which consists of both commonly owned and privately owned areas.  The Co-Owners Association is the collective body formed by the...

June 20, 2018

Bidding Wars In Montreal Fact or Fiction Bidding Wars In Montreal Fact or Fiction According to the QFREB, Montreal CMA is currently the only province that’s in firm seller’s market territory. Sales transactions are up while inventories are down, giving sellers somewhat of an upperhand in negotiations. The chart of where sales are happening over asking by region. Chart Source via: QFREB How much or what percentage did buyers pay over asking: Sales price percentage over asking by region, chart source via: QFREB “For single-family homes, several municipalities in the West Island stood out , such as Pointe-Claire (31 per...

June 13, 2018

Mold Loves Humidity In general, mold loves humidity! Humidity levels in your home should be between 40 to 60%.  More specifically, between 20 and 40% during the winter months and less than 60% during the rest of the year. This percentage reflects the amount of moisture in the air. However, checking your humidistat level is not enough in maintaining a healthy indoor environment. Humidifiers contain water and as such, are a potential place for microbial growth.   Many homes have a humidifier attached to their furnace which releases humidity during the heating season.  There is a waterline that feeds the...

June 10, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Prices Montreal real estate prices vary across the many different neighborhoods in the Greater Montreal area. The sales data and market place can vary as greatly as an areas style of architecture. Within Montreal, there exists many micro neighborhoods and markets.  Although our general market reports cover the overall sales in the GMA, the devil is always in the details. Housing styles and prices are unique to each region and cannot be compared. For example, single family homes in the urban Le Plateau are entirely different and not comparable to the suburban town of Hampstead. Condos in...

June 6, 2018

Trust Is Gold Whenever I find myself in doubt, I hear my father’s booming voice, “Honesty is the best policy”.      Like in most fields and or specialties, what we knew when we started and what we know now is a reflection on the things we learn along the way.   We learn from the continuing education in our related fields of expertise and we also learn from the ongoing hands on work experience.  This invaluable combination hones our skills enabling us to provide a valuable service to our clients. As an inspector, we are trained to detect things...

May 31, 2018

Inspecting A Home As A System When inspecting a home as a system, we need to understand that these components are part of a system.  Plumbing components for example, could affect the roof negatively if the vent stacks for plumbing that travel through the ceiling, into the attic and out through the roof, are not sealed and or insulated properly.   Let’s say we are in the middle of winter and heat is escaping into the attic through an improperly sealed venting stack.  The warm air comes in contact with the cold attic air and forms condensation.  The condensation will...

May 26, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Sales Up 10% Montreal real estate sales were up 10%.  The most recent statistics record 5,432 residential sales in April 2018, which is 10% higher than April of last year. This is the best April since 2010, and Montreal’s 38th consecutive monthly increase in sales. The South Shore led the way at 15%, followed by 13% in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and 12% in Laval with sales on the Island of Montreal showing an increased of 6%. While both plexes and single family homes enjoyed a sales increase of 6%, it was condominium sales that performed the best in April, with...

May 22, 2018

Sustainable Homes on the Desert Mesa of New Mexico Sustainable homes on the desert mesa of New Mexico takes a peek at an alternative way of living.  In the desert of New Mexico, a group of homes jut out from the landscape, resembling something from a science fiction novel.  These unusual but interesting constructions referred to as “Earthships” are passive solar houses, and are the brainchild of architect Mike Reynolds. Devised originally in the 1970s, they are designed to be almost completely self-sufficient not relying on the use of any electrical grid, water lines, or municipal sewage system.  Instead, these home collect rainwater,...

May 14, 2018

Montreal Public Transit Guide Bus And Train Info Montreal public transit guide – bus and train info will help you find the nearest train station to your destination or which bus station is closest to home. You’ll also be able to see which alternative lines can also get you to your destination or how far the walking distance is. From when does the last train of the day depart to when the first bus line starts operating. When thinking of purchasing a property, check in real time, the public transport options. Get all the info you need in advance.  ...

May 8, 2018

How’s The Montreal Real Estate Market First Quarter 2018 How’s the Montreal real estate market first quarter 2018, shows residential sales were up seven percent in Montreal compared to 2017. Inventory was down sixteen per cent and prices were up five per cent for homes and three percent for condos.  Among the different types of properties, condominium sales took the lead registering a jump of seventeen percent creating a new first quarter sales record. Sales of single family homes increased by two percent, and plexes by five percent. In Montreal, the median family home price was $310k and condominiums $245k....

May 4, 2018

Latent Defects: What you need to know before purchasing your new home   Purchasing a new home is a big step, whether it’s your first home or your tenth, and being aware of latent defects and how to prevent any unwanted surprises from them is an important step to protecting yourself and your investment.   What is a latent defect?   A defect is defined as “a flaw in the quality of a building”.  To be a latent, or otherwise known as a ‘hidden’ defect, the flaw has to meet three requirements:   It is not obvious, just by a...

April 27, 2018

Feature photo ©Bonnie Meisels Montreal Real Estate Stories April 25th 2018 Montreal real estate stories April 25th 2018 begins with the STM, Société de transport de Montréal which announced it’s plans to construct a nearly 300-unit housing project near the Frontenac metro station. This is the first time the STM will be providing housing for Montrealers, and not just transportation services. The project is “a first step toward the development of its real-estate holdings,” said chairman Philippe Schnobb. “The complex, consisting of four buildings ranging from two to 12 storeys, will be built on a 54,200-square-foot parking lot owned by the...

April 26, 2018

Montreal Mortgage Lending Questions And Answers Montreal mortgage lending questions and answers features a post by Michael Bolanakis, a mortgage specialist with Scotiabank. Many of my clients are searching for information about the mortgage process here in Montreal. Michael wrote this post below, to share some of his knowledge and information on this process.  Q&A: The Mortgage Process Many first time home buyers have not really thought about what the mortgage process entails.  You may have lots of questions about the products, rates and fees but there is also more to it.  Here are answers to some common questions:  ...

April 25, 2018

Montreal Home Buyers Program Montreal mayor Valerie Plante just introduced a new Montreal home buyers Program with refunds up to $15000.00. The mayor is trying to encourage more people to stay on the island by providing some financial support. The downtown Montreal core has not had much to offer for families, especially when it comes to affordability. The new program has strict and defined criteria: A single buyer purchasing a new development for a maximum price of $225,000 will receive $5,000 from the city. A family buying a new development for a maximum price of $400,000 will receive $10,000. A...

April 19, 2018

Inspect to Sell Inspect to sell and why it’s important! When it comes to selling your property the last person you’d probably take advice from is a home inspector. But in light of what I’m about to tell you maybe I should be the first one you come to. Have you ever sold something that you knew nothing about. Or at least very little? Chances are the answer is no. When you sell a car, you know when the last time you did an oil change was, how old the tires are, and when the breaks were last checked. That...

April 18, 2018

Info via Centris Montreal Real Estate Performance March 2018 Montreal real estate performance March 2018 according to Centris, showed the 37th consecutive increase in sales and the best month of March in eight years.  Sales on the Island of Montréal were up +7 per cent from March 2016.  While sales of single-family homes remained unchanged, condominiums stole the spotlight with a strong sales increase of 19 per cent. Mathieu Cousineau, President of the GMREB Board of Directors said “The condominium resale market is booming in the Montréal area.” Prices of single-family homes across the Montréal CMA were up 5% from March of...

April 12, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Market Update as of April 2018 Montreal Real Estate Market Update as of April 2018 begins with RBC’s recent housing report. The headline of the report says it all. “The payback continues: home sales fell again in February following regulatory change on Jan 1”. According to this report and the latest statistics, it appears as if the new mortgage tightening rules have been extremely effective. February sales across some of the major provinces in Canada show a significant decline in sales. The only exception is Montreal, which posted a 7.7% increase. Read the full report or download...

April 5, 2018

Canada’s New Mortgage Rules Canada’s new mortgage rules and what they mean for you! With the advent of Canada’s hot housing markets, the Canadian and provincial governments introduced new stop gap measures to cool down the market. Provincially, both Vancouver and Ontario implemented the 15% foreign buyers tax. At the Federal level, as of January 1st 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada’s banking regulator) introduced three new rules on mortgage lending. First of the three new rules, is the new “stress test“. All prospective home buyers, even those with a down payment of over 20%  will now...

March 26, 2018

Wellness Communities Are A Multibillion-Dollar Real Estate Trend Our homes are the latest frontier for wellness Wellness communities are  not only a multibillion-dollar real estate trend, but they’re here to stay. A recent 2018 research report from the Global Wellness Institute entitled Build well to live well: Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate & Communities, is the first research report to size and analyze the global and regional wellness lifestyle real estate and communities market. “The 150+ page report finds that real estate and communities that intentionally put people’s health at the center of design, creation and redevelopment are the next frontier in...

March 19, 2018

The Latest Montreal Real Estate Sales February 2018 The latest Montreal real estate sales February 2018 shows a 5 per cent increase compared to February of last year and the best month of February since 2012. Five of the six main areas of the Montréal CMA registered an increase in sales.  The Island of Montréal posted significant increases of +5 per cent. Condominiums sales increased by 14 per cent in February, single family home sales +1% and plexes +3%. The median single-family home prices across the Montréal CMA was $310,000 in February, up 6 per cent compared to February 2017. The price of condominiums grew...

March 13, 2018

Montreal Investment Property Comparison Montreal investment property comparison, determining which is the best type of property for you. Buying investment property is very personalized as each investor has their unique needs, budget and comfort level with renovations and maintenance. We’ll have a look at the four different types of investment property, revenue properties (duplexes triplex etc), condos, townhouses and single family homes. Multifamily is a specialized asset class that will be covered in it’s own blog post. Let’s look at the Pros & Cons of each type of property: Single Family Homes Pros Highest potential for appreciation, Private form of...

March 10, 2018

Montreal Compared To Toronto & Vancouver Markets Montreal compared to Toronto & Vancouver markets, is a quick snapshot of the the three cities in terms of their overall real estate performance. All three cities, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are strikingly different. Montréal is very European in feeling, with old architecture and rich history. The province’s predominant language is French with a small Anglo minority.  Montreal is world renown for it’s awesome food culture! Montréal’s real estate market, due to political instability, endured periods of stagnation, keeping price points much lower than the Toronto & Vancouver markets. Over the past few...

March 4, 2018

Montreal Housing Prices Montreal housing prices show that certain areas in Montreal really stood out for their strong sales increases or price growth in 2017.  Here are some interesting stats via the QFREB / Centris Chart 1 The ten neighborhoods with the lowest amount of inventory (measured in months) for single family homes in 2017   Market conditions – single-family homes Rank Cities, municipalities or boroughs Number of months of inventory 1 City of Pointe-Claire (Montréal) 2.6 2 City of Kirkland (Montréal) 2.8 3 City of Beaconsfield (Montréal) 2.9 4 Neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (Montréal) 3.0 5 City of Montréal-Ouest (Montréal)...

March 3, 2018

Feature photo by ©Bonnie Meisels Montreal Real Estate In 2018 What You Need To Know   Montreal real estate in 2018 what you need to know, takes an indepth look at the current Montreal real estate market. We’ll address common questions such as “is it better to invest in a home or a condo? which type of investment has the highest potential for appreciation? or which Montreal neighborhoods are performing best in 2018.   Current Market Performance   First we’ll have a look at the current market stats. In 2017, Montreal was one of the hottest real estate markets in...

February 26, 2018

Housing Affordability In Canada Is Actually Improving Housing affordability in Canada is actually improving. for the first time in three years.  For the first time since 2015 “the National Bank of Canada’s home affordability measure fell 0.2 points in the fourth quarter of 2017, meaning that an average mortgage on a representative home was slightly cheaper than it was a quarter earlier.” This was due to two main factors, lower home prices and slower sales in Toronto over the last six months and a booming job market. How much of your income you need to spend to afford an average...

February 24, 2018

Feature photo: CDPQ Infra What The New REM Transport Network Means For Montreal Real Estate What the new REM transport network means For Montreal real estate is those neighborhoods close to the rail stops will see a nice increase in value.  The Montreal real estate market has been enjoying steady increases in both prices and the numbers of transactions. This trend is expected to continue with the QFREB predicting a 5% increase in sales in Montreal  for 2018. With the new REM transit system in the pipeline, things are going to get more interesting. CDPQ Infra,  a subsidiary of the Caisse...

February 18, 2018

The Latest Montreal Real Estate Market Stats 2018 The latest Montreal real estate market stats 2018 reveal an accelerated and tight market. Inventories are lower and prices are higher. But, at the end of the day, the value is incredible. In what other large metropolitan Canadian city can you buy a nice condo, in a super location for between 350k – 450k? Sales have been increasing month over month and don’t show signs of abating in 2018. It’s a great time to invest in our market despite the rise in prices as they’re still a bargain compared to Toronto or...

February 15, 2018

350 Rue de L’inspecteur #204 – Griffintown Condo 350 Rue de L’inspecteur #204 – Griffintown condo for rent! No need to worry about security in this location as it’s right across the street from the police station. This awesome lacation is around the corner from Peel St, the Adonis market, many restaurants, bakeries and boutiques.  To learn more about the neighborhood, read my post, Griffintown Montreal, a neighborhood on the rise. This is a two bedroom one bath Griffintown condo, furnished with taste and style. This historic building was originally built in 1895 and housed a chocolate factory! The condo...

February 5, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Conference By CREC Montreal real estate conference by CREC (Concordia’s Real Estate Club) was held today at John Molson School of Business. Today’s Montreal real estate conference was the 3rd year and I was happy I was able to attend. How great to see all these young business students dressed in suits and eager to learn about the vast world of real estate. The conference did not disappoint.  Although the workshops had an overall informal vibe, they were very informative. The conference was well organized and had lots to offer with it’s diverse topics. Whether your interest...

February 4, 2018

AI & Real Estate What To Expect AI & real estate – what to expect? Will it replace the role of the real estate broker/agent? As far as disruption goes, the real estate industry here in Quebec, has managed to remain unscathed. In contrast, other Provinces and Countries have an open MLS system and have witnessed many innovations, such as Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, Opendoor and a long list of other incumbents. As far as Artificial Intelligence goes, there’s no doubt it’s here to stay, and in a big way. “Intelligent software has massive potential for creating technology that changes labor...

February 1, 2018

Innovations In Sustainable Housing Innovations in sustainable housing are very exciting.  New technologies are enabling a new breed of housing. Innovative approaches to construction, are creating homes that are more resistant to climate change along with many sustainable features. Modular or prefab homes are becoming a popular alternative to traditional new construction methods. Some of the benefits modular/prefab homes can offer are energy efficiency, very little to no construction waste, less use of precious resources, quick delivery times and more affordable price points. Check out the videos of this new unfolding, totally transportable home created by TENFOLD. Ten Fold Engineering...

January 28, 2018

Featured photos ©Bonnie Meisels Griffintown Montreal A Neighborhood On The Rise Griffintown Montreal A Neighborhood On The Rise is about a newly developed sector of Montreal, barely a kilometer in size.  It’s border stretch from north of the Lachine Canal to Notre-Dame St., and east from Georges-Vanier to the Bonaventure Expressway. Real estate wise, this area is part of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest. An area rich with history and some wonderful architectural buildings, this southwestern part of Montreal stretches back to the 1820’s to the 1960’s as an industrial and working class neighborhood for mostly Irish immigrants. In 2014, Griffintown...

January 9, 2018

Montreal Real Estate Stats December 2017 Montreal Real Estate Stats December 2017 – The latest Montreal real estate sales statistics via Centris: The quick market update – key takeaway points via Centris. Four of the six* main areas of the Montréal CMA registered an increase in sales in December 2017 as compared to December 2016. Laval, the Island of Montréal and the South Shore set the tone with strong sales increases of 20, 15 and 15 per cent, respectively. Condominium sales were extremely robust in December, jumping by 35 per cent. In fact, the 978 condo transactions registered last month represent a new...

January 8, 2018

Chinese Buyers In The Canadian Market Chinese buyers in the Canadian market features the recent report “China to Canada: International Home Buyer Insights”, jointly created by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada and Juwei.com, China’s premiere international property portal. The report uncovers the prospective interest in home buyers from mainland China in terms of  pricing, motivation, and levels of interest between conventional and top-tier real estate in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. The report does take into account the impacts of the recently imposed 15% property transfer tax on foreign buyers in Metro Vancouver. Some Key Takeaways: Education was the most commonly cited...

January 8, 2018

Bitcoin And Real Estate Bitcoin and real estate, has anyone actually bought or sold their home with bitcoin? The answer is YES! Bitcoin is already accepted in many retail outlets and restaurants, so it’s no surprise that this has extended to real estate as well. According to an article at CNBC, “it was only a matter of time before the cryptocurrency took on real estate. That time is now. Bitcoin is slowly making its way into closings on everything from Lake Tahoe land in California to Manhattan condos to single-family homes in the heart of Texas.”  Ben Shaoul, president of...

January 6, 2018

Realtor Montreal Bonnie Meisels – Wishing Everyone An Awesome 2018! Realtor Montreal Bonnie Meisels…just thought I would take the opportunity to wish all of my friends, colleagues and clients a wonderful holiday season and a simply awesome 2018!                        

December 24, 2017

The Truth About Internet vs Brick & Mortar Stores So what’s the the truth about internet vs brick & mortar stores? As the internet and ecommerce continues to become a large sector within our global economy, many entrepreneurs are stuck wondering what online success means for offline shopping channels. It is no secret that internet has pervaded nearly all aspects of modern society, and within the online shopping realm, e-commerce has grown about 15% in last year alone. We can see from https://love.shopping.fm statistics on the both online and offline retail that online growth is set to outpace conventional offline retail...

December 24, 2017

Montreal Food, Real Estate And Other Cool Stuff Montreal food, real estate and other cool stuff you need to know about!  Let’s start with food (my favorite topic of course because my heart is in my stomache).  One thing we know for sure and we can all agree on, Montreal has no shortage of great chefs! Lesley Chesterman of the Montreal Gazette just released her list of the best Montreal restaurants of 2017.   Here’s the short summary; For Brunch: Arthurs: Traditonal Jewish and Middle Eastern cuisine – some of the favorites “sprout-topped avocado toast, to more complex plates like challah...

December 22, 2017

Montreal Home Improvement Montreal home improvement and renovation professionals can now be found on my new directory website, https://localmontreal.net Over the years, clients have asked for names of professional painters, handymen, roofers, electricians, etc. Whether you’ve just moved into your new home and are looking to do some renovations or are looking to spruce up your house before listing it on the open market, it’s great to have quality local professionals you can count on. Rather than scrolling through many pages on Google, I’ve curated a directory of tradespeople and companies that have a minimum google reviews score of 4.0...

December 5, 2017

Town of Mont Royal A Jewel Of A Neighborhood Town of Mont Royal a jewel of a neighborhood, often falls under the radar when it comes to desirable neighborhoods! This small quartier is almost a little island unto itself. This quaint town lies in the heart of central Montreal. Often referred to as TMR for short, this area is primarily residential but offers great shopping close by.  Location wise, it’s super. There are good schools and plenty of green spaces and small parks. The houses, though not inexpensive, are charming with lots of character as most are not new constructions....

November 27, 2017

PWC Report On Emerging Trends In Real Estate 2018 PWC report on emerging trends in real estate 2018 is a must read. It’s an interesting and informative report on the Canadian real estate outlook for 2018. The PWC report zeros in on the types of real estate which hold promise in 2018, amidst the changing landscape of commercial, development, and investor portfolios. It identifies where the projected opportunities will be along with ranking the Canadian provinces in order of their real estate market potential outlook. The economic trends and forcasts are helpful in showing us by province, the actual employment,...

November 14, 2017

Residents of Ville Mont-Royal organize to fight against hunger Residents of Ville Mont-Royal organize to fight against hunger on the weekend of November 4, 2017, from Friday to Sunday. The owners of Villa Mont-Royal Phase 2, 145 Bates Road, will join forces to fight hunger in the area. The residents and their families organized with Super Recyclers a collection of used clothing and textiles for a good cause in an eco-socially responsible project. They are asking neighbors to clean up at the end of the season and to bring their used clothing and textiles directly to 145 Bates Road. All...

October 31, 2017

Feature photo by Alexey Shikov Third Quarter Montreal Market Stats 2017 Third Quarter Montreal Market Stats 2017 according to the Barometer report produced by the QFREB: Sales were up +9% and the highest number of third quarter sales sinces 2009 Condominiums sales set a record registering the largest sales increase of +18% Sales of single family homes were up +5% and plexes +8% Sales growth across the Island of Montreal was up +12% Across the CMA prices for single family homes increased by +5% and +2% for condominiums on the Island of Mtl The supply of listings in general fell ...

October 25, 2017

Climate Change And Real Estate Climate change and real estate are intertwined. According to  Mika Tosca, a climate scientist at NASA JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and a faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, during her talk at Inman Luxury Connect in Los Angeles, ““We’re likely to see rising sea levels threatening coastal development,” Tosca said. “A huge proportion of the United States and global population lives within five miles of the coast.” Sea level is expected to rise at least three feet by the end of the century. Especially at risk are properties  within three feet or fewer above sea...

October 24, 2017

The Rise of Single Person Households In Canada And The U.S. The Rise of Single Person Households In Canada And The U.S. and what it all means. The latest stats Canada from 2016 shows that single-person households, same-sex marriage, language diversity and bilingualism are on the rise.     Chart Via The Globe and Mail, SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA, 2016 CENSUS For the first time in the Canada’s history, the number of one-person households has surpassed all other types of living situations. They accounted for 28.2 per cent of all households last year, more than the percentage of couples with children,...

October 13, 2017

Feature photo by Alberto Castillo Montreal Home Sales Hit Eight Year High In September Montreal home sales hit eight year high in September with four of the area’s five metropolitan areas sustained growth, led by a 17-per-cent jump in sales in Laval. The Greater Montreal Real Estate Board (GMREB) says 2,893 residential sales were completed last month, a six-per-cent increase from a year ago.  Sales on the island of Montreal, which accounted for 43 per cent of all area sales, were up five per cent.  Condominiums continued to drive sales volume, rising 11 per cent while sales times were down....

October 10, 2017

Feature photo by ©Bonnie Meisels Montreal’s Renaissance As A Business And Luxury Center Of Canada Montreal’s renaissance as a business and luxury center of Canada is referenced in the recent New York Times article “A Luxury Building Boom Hits Montreal” by Aili McConnon. One can’t help notice the transforming downtown core with all the construction cranes and new development projects underway.  “The largest of the developments is the new Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Montreal, a more than $200 million hotel and condo project that highlights the city’s renaissance as a business and luxury center of Canada. This current...

September 30, 2017

Feature photo by Jason Briscoe Montreal Is A Rising Star In The Luxury Real Estate Market Montreal is a rising star in the luxury real estate market, according to Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, which just published their forecast for the 2017 Fall Market. The luxury market in Montreal is poised for continued growth as sales increase and prices increasingly reach the 1 Million plus range. Summer sales of properties of one million and over surged 60%, while the city’s luxury condo sales increased by 40% over the same period last year. Brad Henderson, President and CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty...

September 26, 2017

First Organic Rooftop Farm Atop IGA Duchemin The first organic rooftop farm atop IGA Duchemin is the largest and first grocery store in Canada to sell produce grown on its own roof. Store owners Richard, Daniel, and Francis Duchemin own and run the IGA extra Famille Duchemin store located in the borough of Saint-Laurent. Required by St-Laurent to install a green roof, Richard Duchemin, decided to treat that as an opportunity, instead of a constraint. He teamed up with urban farmers from La ligne verte (Green Line: Green Roof) to make the vision of an urban farm project a reality. I recently...

September 20, 2017

Featured Photo by Jesse Orrico Cool Home Repair Videos And Other Stuff Cool home repair videos and some others that I thought you’d like! If you’re like me, you prefer to watch a video to better understand how to do stuff. Here are a few videos that you might find interesting. 37 TOTALLY BRILLIANT HOME REPAIR TRICKS Subscribe to 5-Minute Crafts: https://www.goo.gl/8JVmuC For copyright matters please contact us at: welcome@brightside.me —————————————————————————————- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5min.crafts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5.min.crafts/ The Bright Side of Youtube: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz —————————————————————————————- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me/ Music: 1. Cool Rock – Take the Lead by...

September 19, 2017

Canada’s Rising Interest Rates Canada’s rising interest rates come after a prolonged period of extremely low rates.  According to an article on The Financial Post; “Dana Peterson, Citi Research The BoC hiked today catching markets off guard, once again … The stronger-than-expected Canadian economic performance largely influenced the decision to hike. The Bank cautioned that while the “removal of some of the considerable monetary policy stimulus in place [was] warranted,” policy is not on a predetermined course. Nonetheless, we believe the action sends a powerful signal to markets that the Bank is likely initiating a tightening cycle, not simply engaging...

September 19, 2017

Montreal Real Estate Trends August And September 2017 Montreal real estate trends August and September 2017 – The numbers are looking good! Download the latest Montreal real estate trends for August and September 2017, via the QFREB, RBC, BMO, Quebec Stats The Latest Economic Stats for Quebec BMO Economic Forcast September 8th 2017 RBC Provincial Trends September 2017 RBC Canadian City Trends On the Quebec Economy; “Last month, Standard & Poor’s announced that it was raising Quebec’s credit rating from A-plus, to AA-minus, the highest rating the province has enjoyed since 1993, and again, better than Ontario’s.” ‘It’s raining money’:...

September 13, 2017

Yoga In Montreal Yoga in Montreal is awesome. I started doing yoga in Montreal almost 15 years ago. When I began doing yoga, it wasn’t quite popular here yet. Now, there’s a yoga studio in almost every neighborhood. The studio I go to in Le Plateau is called Equilibrium Yoga. It’s not exactly next door to me, but I often think about how great it would be to live within a 5 – 10 minute walk to the studio. If you haven’t tried yoga yet, I recommend that you experiment with different types to find the style that works for...

September 12, 2017

Condo Sales Drove An 8 per-cent Increase In Residential Sales Condo sales drove an 8 per-cent increase in residential sales and Montreal remains a relative bargain even though the average real estate price increased 4.1 per cent to $374,333 in August! Montreal’s real estate market proved to be red hot in August with record sales and rising prices.  Condo sales surged 19% and single family homes, 4%.  While the island of Montreal posted a 12% increase in sales, Toronto’s sales of detached, semi-detached, condos and townhouses fell between 25.7 and 41.6 per cent in August. The The average sales price...

September 11, 2017

Photo Credit: Nasa Are Hurricanes Harvey & Irma The New Normal Are Hurricanes Harvey & Irma The New Normal? David Helvarg, the executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean conservation organization, in an interview with Amy Goodman from “Democracy Now”, had this to say; “As we see sea level rise in certain areas, like the Texas and Louisiana coast, South Florida, the tidelands of Virginia. You’re projecting now three to six feet or more of sea level rise in the century. Maybe it has only been ten inches today. People are going to go, “Well, what’s ten inches?” But it...

September 6, 2017

Featured Photo Via Cogir A New & Inspired Vision of Real Estate – Humaniti Mega Project Montreal A New & Inspired Vision of Real Estate – Humaniti Mega Project Montreal is about a revolutionary and exciting new real estate project being developed by Cogir, here in Montreal. The Humaniti Project is one of the first of it’s kind and is at the forefront of the North American real-estate industry. The development, located in the heart of Le Quartier International is slated to be ready sometime in 2019-2020. It’s design features a distinctive sculptural quality, which is in the shape of...

August 30, 2017

Best Food In Montreal Want to know about the best food in Montreal? Here are some videos to shed some light. If you’re like me who’s heart is in their stomache, then great food is an essential part of your happiness! I’d also like to share a few cool articles. This one below, makes the case for why to consider visiting Quebec instead of France! Viewpoint: Itching for a trip to France? Try Quebec instead – Atlanta Business Chronicle Sure, Paris may be the most romantic city in the world, but I want to give you 5 reasons why you...

August 22, 2017

28 Dreamy home offices with libraries for creative inspiration 28 Dreamy home offices with libraries for creative inspiration is a great article that I thought I’d share from onekindesign.com.  If you’re like me, you’re drawn to these great rooms that have this cozy, library feeling, filled with endless books on all kinds of subjects…it looks like a place you’d be happy to be in on a snowy winter day, curled up with a good book. As much as I love and appreciate all the digital technology around books.. by the way my favorite app is Scribd! Scribd, for a reasonable...

August 20, 2017

What Does Happy Look Like In Montreal What does happy look like in Montreal you may ask? Well I’m about to show you. This gorgeous Sunday in Montreal was a perfectly balmy temperature of 26 degrees. Perfect weather if you ask me for biking, hiking, walking, or whatever your pleasure. As I’ve written before, one of my favorite happy places in Montreal is Mount Royal. Our park, which is on a lush mountain in the middle of our city shares the same architect, Frederick Law Olmstead as Central Park in New York City. Today, the park was filled with happy...

August 13, 2017

Montreal Eats 2017 And Air Canada’s Best Restaurant Nominees Montreal Eats 2017 And Air Canada’s Best Restaurant Nominees encompass a list of 30 contenders. Toronto tops out with seven nominees, Montreal came in second with five spots and Vancouver with three. The five restaurants nominated from Montreal are; CADET CHEFS FRANÇOIS NADON AND ANTONIO FERREIRA CUISINE: SEASONAL Montreal, QC 1431, BOUL. SAINT-LAURENT (located in Quartier des Spectacles) 514-903-1631 RESTAURANTCADET.COM LOV CHEF STÉPHANIE AUDET CUISINE: VEGETARIAN Montreal, QC 464, RUE MCGILL (located in the Old Port) 438-387-1326 LOV.COM MARCONI CHEF MEHDI BRUNET-BENKRITLY CUISINE: SEASONAL Montreal, QC 45, AV. MOZART O. (located...

August 12, 2017

It’s Official Canada’s New Hot Housing Market Is Montreal Canada’s New Hot Housing Market Is Montreal! With the cooling of Toronto’s housing market since the imposed 15% tax on foreign buyers, and the days of never ending price increases in Vancouver now well behind us, Montreal has picked up the slack.  Montreal posted a 15% increase in sales in May 2017 over this same month last year.  Prices, while expected to rise only by 1%, in fact rose by 6%. There is quite a lot of interest from foreign buyers who have fallen in love with our beautiful city and...

August 10, 2017

Montreal Things To Do When it comes to things to do in Montreal, this city is a hidden gem which comes to life in the summer. There’s a ton of fun things to do in our city, rich in it’s diversity of neighborhoods and culture. If you’re a foodie like me and your heart is in your stomache, you’ll appreciate all the wonderful places to eat and discover. Our city has no shortage of awesome restaurants. Top Things to do in Montreal On those beautiful summer days and nights there’s nothing like sitting outside and enjoying a drink or dinner on...

July 31, 2017

Westmount Village Walking Tour Westmount Village Walking Tour is what I decided to do this past weekend, to take advantage of our beautiful summer day. There are several parts of Westmount which are truly wonderful which I’ll cover in another post, but for now I thought I would share two short videos of what it feels like to walk in and around Westmount’s Victoria Village. The homes are older but rich with character and warmth. The shops are diverse and stretch right to the heart of Sherbrooke West. The beauty is that everything is in walking distance! The florist, supermarket,...

July 27, 2017

Canada’s 10 Best Neighborhoods To Raise Kids Article Via Moneysense Canada’s 10 Best Neighborhoods To Raise Kids includes a fantastic neighborhood called St Bruno De Montarville. In fact, according to an article by Moneysense, St Bruno ranks number #1  as one of the best places to raise kids. I recently worked with a lovely young family looking to purchase their first home. They told me about St Bruno and off we went to visit homes. It did not disappoint! I can see why the data showed that St Bruno proved to be one of Canada’s best neighborhoods to raise kids....

July 27, 2017

Airbnb And Montreal Airbnb and Montreal, as of the writing of this article, July 23rd 2017, is still a gray area. Just like Uber, it took awhile, years in fact, for the city to figure out a peaceful way forward between Uber & the Taxi industry.  Uber disrupted the status quo for taxi drivers around the globe and Airbnb, the hotel business. Montreal had to come to terms with the fact that Uber was not going to disappear from the landscape and  similarly, Airbnb is here to stay. According to Leigh Gallagher, in her article 5 Lessons from the story...

July 24, 2017

Canada’s Best Value Real Estate Markets Story Via CTV – Realtor Monte Burris appears on CTV’s Your Morning, Monday, July 10, 2017. Canada’s best value real estate markets according to Toronto broker Monte Burris, owner of Trust Realty Group, as he told CTV, are not blanketed across Canada, but are to be found in distinct towns and cities.  These are his top choices, based on average sale prices across all housing types in the first quarter of 2017: 1. VICTORIA, B.C. – $585,745 – Fantastic climate, waterfront, huge appreciation potential but much less expensive than Vancouver 2. VERNON, B.C. –...

July 19, 2017

What’s Happening In Montreal Real Estate July 2017 What’s Happening In Montreal Real Estate July 2017? Well according to the latest quarterly report of The Barometer, published by the QFREB; The Montreal residential real estate market is up 8% in sales over last year The condo market registered a whopping 17% increase in sales Single family homes registered an increase of 4% The Island of Montreal posted a 12% increase in sales and Ville Marie 36% Sales of properties $500,000 and more were up 31% and properties $700,000 and more, increased by 40% The number of active listings across the...

July 14, 2017

Renewables will be the cheapest form of new power generation by 2020 Story Via Business Insider Renewables will be the cheapest form of new power generation by 2020 according to Morgan Stanley. Energy sources like wind and solar will be cheaper than their coal counterparts. In fact they predict that in less than three years, renewables will be the cheapest source of power generation in the world. The bank noted that “The price of solar panels has fallen 50% in less than two years (2016-17).” “We expect the US to exceed the Paris commitment of a 26-28% reduction in US...

July 12, 2017

Buying Affordability In Montreal Buying Affordability In Montreal depends on where and what you buy! According to the Montreal Gazette, “Compared to Vancouver and Toronto, buying a home in Montreal is relatively affordable. But with rising prices, and some areas seeing faster increases than others, affordability often comes down to where — and what — you’re buying.” According to the QFREB, these are the median condo prices in Montreal: *Includes central de-merged suburbs of Town of Mount Royal, Westmount, Hampstead and Montreal-West **Includes municipal Sud-Ouest borough and Verdun Via the QFREB, these are the median prices for single family homes...

July 6, 2017

12 Charts About Canadian Housing That Will Make You Go WTF 12 Charts About Canadian Housing That Will Make You Go WTF – article by Huffington Post. Although Canada has never built as many condos, RBC who created many of the charts here are not concerned as there’s still a housing shortage in Toronto and Vancouver where a lot of the construction is concentrated. In contrast single family home construction is near record multi year lows attributed to the lack of space in Toronto and Vancouver as illustrated in the RBC chart below. This short supply may help explain why...

June 29, 2017

The Heart Of Our Homes Is The Kitchen   Photo by Main Street Kitchens at Botellos – Look for kitchen design inspiration The heart of our homes is the kitchen without a doubt! I’m not sure about you, but after living over 20+ years in my home with my family of three kids, who by the way, still live at home, the kitchen and family are the two rooms we spend most of our time in! After years of selling real estate, the kitchen can either make or break the sale of the home. For a buyer to fall in...

June 29, 2017

Featured photo by Jim Kruger/Landmark Photography Frank Lloyd Wright Designed House Asks $1.4 Million This Frank Lloyd Wright Designed House is asking $1.4 Million by the original owners after having lived there for  almost sixty years! To begin with, it’s rare to have a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on the market. “Located on 3.77 acres in Minnesota’s Lake Forest neighborhood is a 2,647-square-foot, three-bedroom home that was designed by Wright in the late-1950s. When Paul and Helen Olfelt commissioned Wright to design a home for their family in 1957, he worked on the project until he passed away...

June 29, 2017

Foreign Home Buyers Are Looking To Montreal According to the greater Montreal Real estate Board there were 5,057 residential sales in May, a 15 per cent increase from last year. The median cost of a single family home increased to 6 per cent from last year to $319,000. “As I understand it, non-resident buyers have been a growing factor in Montreal for some time,” said Doug Porter, chief economist with the Bank of Montreal. “It hasn’t been obvious since the inflows are not as significant as in Vancouver or Toronto, and the underlying market simply isn’t nearly as tight as...

June 21, 2017

Paint Your Bathroom This Color And Boost Your Sales Price! Paint Your Bathroom This Color And Boost Your Sales Price Paint your bathroom this color and boost your sales price by $5440.00! By painting your bathroom blue, and this is the data behind it! Who knew that painting your bathroom blue could significantly increase your sales price!  According to Zillow, after analyzing the sales of 32000 homes, they found that ” homes with blue bathrooms — specifically light shades like powder blue or periwinkle — fetched $5,400 more than expected when sold.” To get a look at just how much...

June 10, 2017

No Foreign Tax In Montreal No Plans For A Foreign Tax In Montreal means that Montrealers can relax safe in the knowledge that there are no plans to implement a tax on foreign buyers that wish to buy Montreal real estate. Vancouver implemented their tax about a year ago, Ontario, in April 2017. Many feared that Montreal would follow suit, but the truth is our real estate market never became overheated like Vancouver or Toronto’s. According to the article written by CTV News: “The average prices of all homes in the Montreal area was $364,373 in April, roughly a third...

June 5, 2017

Photo source: Miracle Farms A Garden Of Eden In Quebec A Garden Of Eden In Quebec is about an organic permaculture farm in Quebec that really is like the garden of eden! This special place, is called Miracle Farms. It has an abundance of beautiful produce is open for a short time during the summer and early fall.  A 60$ membership, gets you: $20 of UPick foods included One free tour with a guest per year The opportunity to order our grass raised meat The opportunity to come to the farm during our “members only” open days But most importantly,...

June 5, 2017

Montreal Market Update 2017 The Montreal Market Update 2017 –  It’s hard to believe but the year is halfway over! Some of the stats are in and Montreal’s real estate market has been performing extremely well. I thought I would share the QFREB’s latest market report called          “The Economist”. According to “The Economist”, “The resale market in Québec had a much better start to the year than we had anticipated. In the first four months of 2017, the increase in residential sales stood at 3 per cent.” Access the Montreal Market report below: Centris Sales Stats...

June 1, 2017

Montreal Time Lapse Montreal Time Lapse is today’s post about some videos that I thought I would share. The first video is called “Merry Montreal” and was created by Joerg Daiber from Spooner Films.  It’s a wonderful expression of Montreal as seen through it’s different seasons, places and time frames. Whether you love skating, beautiful skylines, or interesting landscapes, this video does a great job of expressing Montreal through time lapse! Enjoy:) Click here to see more of Joerg Daiber’s videos More Montreal Time Lapse & Drone Videos Another cool video that you might enjoy is by Tristan Henry; His...

May 30, 2017

Photo Source Via: Branchez Vous Montreal’s 375th Birthday Montreal’s 375th Birthday is happening this summer, with many events planned over the next few months. As usual, I always look forward to summers in Montreal, one of the best times of the year to be in this awesome city! Check out and enjoy watching the film “Magical Montreal” made in honour of Montreal’s 375th birthday;   Montreal’s Concert List: Summers in Montreal always have their fair share of music and this summer is no exception! To find out what concerts are happening, check out this list from Mtl Blog; Top Concerts In...

May 29, 2017

‘The Biggest Prosperity Opportunity in History’: Joel Solomon on the ‘Clean Money Revolution’ Published in Sustainable Brands by Sheila Shayon ‘The Biggest Prosperity Opportunity in History’: Joel Solomon on the ‘Clean Money Revolution’ is Sustainable Brand’s interview of Joel Solomon on his book and vision for the future. Who is Joel Solomon? “Solomon is Chair of Renewal Funds, a $98 million, mission-based venture capital firm in Vancouver, Canada. During his career, he has invested in more than 100 early-stage companies that have returned above market value and driven positive change. He is a founding member of the Social Venture Network,...

May 22, 2017

 Discover The Best Montreal Neighborhoods To Invest   The best Montreal neigborhoods to invest in are sprinkled across the city. There are several things to take into consideration before investing.  After taking the decision to to buy a Montreal property, it’s most important to review your primary investment objective.  Is your investment strategy a long term buy and hold over the next 20 years, or is it short term where you’ll buy, hold and sell, and look for high rental yields. Ideally, it’s smart to purchase a solid property with a great location that will only appreciate in value over...

May 12, 2017

Montreal Real Estate A Golden Opportunity For Foreign Investors Montreal Real Estate is a golden opportunity for foreign investors with U.S. or stronger currency! This beautiful city of Montreal, my home and birthplace has witnessed many  roller coaster rides as far as the real estate market is concerned.  Our steaming hot real estate market came to an end in 2012, only to find it roar back and on pace to meet or beat it’s pre-market records of 2012. Our city has always been like a best kept secret. With fantastic food and restaurants, boutique shops, European flavor, incredible diversity of...

May 8, 2017

Canada’s Real Estate Boom Is Super Hot As Shown Through 13 Charts Canada’s real estate boom is super hot as shown through a selection of these 13 charts via BuzzBuzz News Canada. The charts reflect home prices across Canada from the 1920’s until 2012, to luxury rent values across 17 cities in the world… “The takeaway: Toronto rents for luxury homes saw the greatest year-over-year appreciation of any market examined. It beat out places including central London, Shanghai and New York.” Altogether, these charts tell a visual story of Canada’s real estate boom! Another chart illustrates the difference between the...

May 3, 2017

Is Affordable Home Ownership A Thing of The Past? Montreal’s median prices for single family homes are $300,000 lower than they are in Toronto and $500,000 lower than they are in Vancouver.  The lackluster condo market of 2015 was replaced by steady growth in sales in 2016. “Montreal registered the lowest unemployment rate in 30 years in December 2016 with immigration rates skyrocketing. According to the Royal Bank of Canada, Vancouver and Toronto were ranked the first and second most unaffordable cities in Canada with Montreal ranked third. Now that both the Ontario and Vancouver real estate markets have imposed...

April 27, 2017

Every Day Is Earth Day – A Time For Celebration And Action Earth day should be every day!! Here in Montreal, this day is also referred to as Jour de la terre. John McConnell, an American newspaper publisher first proposed “Earth Day” at a UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969. , On March 21, 1970, the first Earth Day was observed, on the vernal equinox, the day on which night and day are of equal length around the world. The intention was for this day to serve as an annual reminder that all humans are stewards responsible for the condition of the...

April 22, 2017

Montreal Home Sales Jumped by 11% in March Montreal home sales and the latest Centris Montreal Market Stats for March 2017 <img src=”//b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6538986&cv=2.0&cj=1″ alt=”” /> As indicated in the table below, all of the province’s census metropolitan areas (CMAs) registered an increase in sales in March, with the exception of Trois-Rivières. The Gatineau CMA led the way with a 38% increase. As for the median price of single-family homes, it was up in all CMAs except Québec City, where it remained unchanged. For the province as a whole, the median price for single-family homes rose by 4% in March.

April 10, 2017

DESJARDINS MARKET FORCAST FOR QUEBEC Read the report below: On March 23, Desjardins published its forecasts for Québec’s resale housing market. According to their forecasts, the number of existing home sales is expected to grow by 2.3 per cent in 2017 to reach 80,000. Despite the latest mortgage tightening measures, Desjardins considers that the low unemployment rate and the increase in after-tax income will be able to counter the negative effects of these measures. Québec’s unemployment rate is at its lowest level in approximately 40 years and, in 2016, after-tax income saw its biggest increase since the 2008 recession. As for the...

April 1, 2017

West Island A Seller’s Market With The Shortest Selling Times! According to the QFREB, (Quebec Federation of Real Estate Board in case you were wondering), six West Island cities had the shortest selling times in 2016. Pincourt, Kirkland and Dorval had the fastest selling times at 73 days and Beaconsfield, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Pointe Claire not far behind. It’s no suprise these areas are in high demand with the proximity of the 20 and 40 highways. According to Paul Cardinal, Director of QFREB Market Analysis Department told The Suburban, “with a strong pharmaceutical and high tech jobs base in the territory. It attracts people...

March 15, 2017

Griffintown Walking Tour I thought I would share this post from G. Scott Macleod as he just finished creating the Griffin Town walking tour production. The Griffintown walking tour is in preparation for St Patrick’s Day and Montreal 375th anniversary. Enjoy the 21 videos that tell the stories of Griffintown.  Here’s the link to the website: www.griffintowntour.com Below is a small sample of the artwork. Griffintown Tour The Death and Life of Griffintown: 21 stories MacLeod 9 Productions Presents 21 short films by G. Scott MacLeod In these 21 short films, Irish Historian Dr. Matthew Barlow recounts the fascinating social...

March 2, 2017

Montreal Real Estate January 2017 Montreal real estate January 2017, the details according to Centris “January’s sales increase can be largely attributed to the number of condominium transactions, which jumped by 21 per cent compared to January of last year,” said Daniel Dagenais, President of the GMREB Board of Directors. “What’s more, condominium sales increased in all geographic areas and in all price ranges,” added Mr. Dagenais. “Sales by geographic area For all property categories combined, January’s results show an increase in residential sales in the areas of Vaudreuil-Soulanges (+18 per cent), the Island of Montréal (+10 per cent) and...

February 16, 2017

The Montreal Vacation Home This past year I had the distinct pleasure of getting to meet a colleague of mine from Texas who made the decision a few years back to invest in a vacation home here in the Le Plateau neighborhood of Montreal. She originally came to visit Montreal in the fall of 2000 and loved it so much, she returned and rented a place in the Plateau for 30 days in August of 2002.  Finally, in May of 2006, after contemplating for several years, she and her husband took the plunge, purchasing a lovely pied à terre by...

January 30, 2017

The Resurgence of Walkable Neighborhoods From the youngest generation to the oldest generation, there’s consensus that walkability is a shared amenity that needs even more attention in our cities. In fact, walkability is the feature of cities that holds promise to reduce the sprawl that we all hate. People want to be able to walk to get food, visit a restaurant, get a cup of coffee—or just walk to walk. That drive to increase walkability requires a unique mix that’s often found in rejuvenated downtowns. There are schools and workplaces, as well as sidewalks and parks. People gather in open,...

January 19, 2017

Headline photo by Bonnie Meisels ©all rights reserved Montreal Real Estate Forcast for 2017 The Montreal real estate forcast for 2017 shows 2016 had a strong finish and a solid and stable market is expected in 2017. To get some idea about the numbers, here’s a short video for you to watch.  

January 18, 2017

Montreal Real Estate Stats 4th Quarter 2016 After a healthy and strong Montreal real estate market in 2016, this last quarter is looking to be a bit weaker here in the last quarter. Here are some of the preliminary numbers courtesy of the QFREB Market Analysis Department: Housing Starts Decreased in Québec in the Fourth Quarter of 2016 According to preliminary data from the Canada Mortage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), there were 8,783 housing starts in Québec centers with 10,000 or more inhabitants during the fourth quarter of 2016. This represents a drop of 5 per cent compared to the same...

January 12, 2017

Happy 2017! Happy 2017 and farewell to 2016!  By many accounts, 2016 has been unprecedented…well we won’t rehash the election…the loss of some of our revered icons like David Bowie, George Michael and just the other day, both Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, the list is far too long for the length of this post. The insane fire of Fort McMurray, the photos of which stay etched in my mind. In my lifetime, I don’t ever recall seeing such an all consuming, deadly fire that literally ate an entire place.  Horrible acts of terrorism that appeared all over the world,...

January 1, 2017

Montreal’s Best Restaurants of 2016 By Lesley Chesterman for the Montreal Gazette With rising interest rates in both the U.S. & Canada and much uncertainty in the world on the political front, this holiday season is a good time to turn to one of my favorite topics, “food”, When it comes to food, Montreal is certainly one of the best cities! I fear it’s no longer a well kept secret, in fact the word is out! There are so many delicious tastes and places to discover and savor, spread out throughout our many neighborhoods. What’s really special is the local...

December 24, 2016

More Downtown Condos In Montreal? Do We Really Need More Downtown Condos In Montreal? Last night, it was announced in Montreal, that the land and building for the old Montreal Children’s Hospital would now be revitalized as a development project for new condos, green spaces and affordable housing. With an over abundance of small condos for sale, we don’t need any more 700 – 800 square foot units in the downtown region. There is an interest to attract more families to live downtown which is fantastic. But, in order to do so, developers need to construct townhouse type of condos...

December 16, 2016

Condo Buyers Should Beware Of New Inspection Rules Today’s Press Review from the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board is a nice complilation of interesting articles. One in particular is an article by the Montreal Gazette “Condo Buyers Should Beware of New Inspection Rules”, what you need to know. 14/12/2016 Condo buyers should beware new inspection rules Condo inspection alert: Before purchasing a condo, potential buyers should find out if the building is subject to inspection under 2015 amendments to the Quebec building act, the CMHC advises. CMHC estimates about 1,400 condo and rental buildings in the Montreal area are subject...

December 14, 2016

Time For Music! As the holidays approach and things start to wind down, I thought I’d share a music stream that a friend shared with me this evening. Did you know that this year, Hanukkah and Christmas fall on the same night. Does anyone know when this last happened….In any case,  it’s bringing back some old memories, and Chris Botti on the trumpet is giving me goosebumps! Enjoy this video featuring Chris Botti, Sting, Yo-yo Ma, and Dominic Miller – How Fragile We Are     Hallelujah   Alexandr Misko – ‘Billie Jean’ A tribute to Stevie Wonder   And...

December 13, 2016

Canadian Homeownership For today’s blogpost, I’d like to share with you the press review from the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board. The review consists of a few interesting articles about Canadian homeownership and real estate. 12/12/2016 The doomsday scenario: Why you’re more tied to real estate than you think and what you can do about it Canadian real estate prices only have three main directions they can go: Up, flat or down. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, this article is about what happens if they go down. It is not a prediction, but just trying...

December 12, 2016

Montreal’s Eater Awards for 2016 is out! This year there are two sets of selections for each category. One set was determined by the Eater Awards editorial team, the other, the people’s or reader’s choice vote. I really like the way they chose to do the awards this year, it’s refreshing to have the people get their say and vote! What I also like about the article below, is the visual presentation of how the voting panned out in the final selection. The awards feature the picks for best restaurant, chef, design, bar or wine program of the year, and...

December 11, 2016

Featured headline photo by Jeremy Thomas Montreal Holidays 2016 Staycation If you’ll be here in Montreal over the 2016 holidays, don’t fret as there are tons of things to do for under $50, according to Montreal Blog’s article “16 Montreal Things You Absolutely Must Treat Yourself To For Under $50 this winter” From spas, to Igloofest, skating and good eats, there’s lots of choice and fun for everyone! Some other Montreal spots you might also want check out during your staycation are: Next Door Pub & Grill –  https://www.mtlblog.com/photos/a-night-out-in-ndg-at-the-next-door-pub/ Kampai gardens by Antonio Park – https://tastet.ca/2016/11/24/kampai-garden-montreal-shaughnessy/ Fitzroy –  cool vibe, billiard...

December 10, 2016

Ten Emerging Trends In Real Estate 2017 Ten emerging trends in real estate 2017, features a great article by Curbed, giving us a picture of the U.S. economic growth and  real estate returns. Despite all the recent political uncertainty with Brexit and the U.S. election results, the United States still seems to be a safe haven for investment. “According to the Urban Land Institute’s annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate Report, which was just released this morning at their annual meeting in Dallas, real estate in the United States shows a more favorable outlook than much of the rest of...

November 29, 2016

Urban Farming And Emerging Real Estate Trends The truth is real estate became super interesting for me when I realized that it crossed over into my passion for good, natural food! I always said my heart was through my stomache and it still holds true today. Years ago, at the start of the major push to build endless condos, I had the crazy idea of integrating small urban gardens on rooftops. Well why not I thought, we put pools, gyms and sometimes skylights on roofs. Why couldn’t we have our own herb gardens, how wonderful would it be to go...

November 26, 2016

5 Things Changing Canadian Real Estate Canadian real estate was once something well understood.  Since the unexpected results of the U.S. election results the Canadian real estate market has followed suit. Mortgage rates are on the rise, with RBC Bank, being one of the first to implement the rate increase New mortgage rules  The Canadian government has imposed tighter mortgage rules trying to ensure that Canadians can afford their mortgages.  An overheated Vancouver market was cooled by the new 15% tax imposed on foreign buyers as well as a 1% tax added to properties left vacant for more than six...

November 25, 2016

Dollars & Sense – Rising Interest Rates Photo by Bonnie Meisels ©All rights reserved Recently rising interest rates came as big suprise here in Canada after much talk and speculation that rates would remain low for quite some time. A recent publication from TD Bank gives us a good snapshot of the current U.S. and global fiscal picture.  Although it’s complicated, at least too complicated for me, this TD Economy report does a nice job of explaining some of the reasoning and underpinnings of the suprising rise in interest rates. Where it goes from here will depend on what unfolds...

November 21, 2016

The one-in-six rule: can Montreal fight gentrification by banning restaurants? Interesting article by The Guardian St Henri is an up and coming, sweet little neighborhood, close to the Atwater Market. The neighborhood has many shops, cafes and restaurants that have put this neighborhood on the map. It’s this wonderful diversity, especially of good eateries that has people flocking to live in this urban hotspot. But, a debate has been brewing to limit the amount of restaurants. Read more about it here: The one-in-six rule: can Montreal fight gentrification by banning restaurants? In Montreal’s Saint-Henri neighbourhood, the hallmarks of gentrification shout...

November 17, 2016

Montréal Real Estate Market is on a Roll According to the market report from the CMHC – Canada’s Mortgage And Housing Corporation „On the existing home market, demand will be on the rise in 2016, and sales registered through the Centris® system will increase, reaching between 38,500 and 48,500 units. Existing home market: growth to continue in 2016 The year 2015 was characterized by renewed growth in home sales registered through the Centris® system, after five years of stagnation. This increase in sales should continue in 2016. Already in the first quarter, transactions recorded a strong gain (+10 per cent)...

November 7, 2016

Photo by Bonnie Meisels© Best Montreal Real Estate Market October 2016 – Posts Vigorous Price Increases Via CNW According to the latest Centris statistics the Montreal real estate market in October 2016 in Greater Montreal has been the best October in seven years! Sales by geographic area All five main areas of the Montréal CMA contributed to the sales increase in October. Vaudreuil-Soulanges registered the largest increase in sales, as the number of transactions jumped by 45 per cent. The South Shore (+10 per cent), the Island of Montréal (+6 per cent), the North Shore (+6 per cent) and Laval...

November 7, 2016

Photo credit: Bonnie Meisels © Montreal Real Estate News Is Out! Montreal Real Estate News is out! Welcome to my online digital newsletter. Discover what our local real estate market is up to with the latest monthly market news and videos. Besides articles and statistics on our local Montreal Real Estate market, you’ll find a collection of interesting stories from around the globe. I hope you’ll enjoy reading some cool stuff on sports, entertainment, technology, great eats, and of course real estate! You can also find my newsletter  at https://real-estate-montreal.com. For any suggested articles, email me at buymontrealrealestate@gmail.com. Sign up here, for...

October 23, 2016

Montreal Real Estate September 2016 Highlights Courtesy of GMREB Montreal Real Estate September 2016:  Sales in the Montréal CMA increased by 4% in September. This was the 18th sales increase in the past 19 months.  The Island of Montréal (+8%), the North Shore (+4%) and the South Shore (+3%) registered sales increases, while Vaudreuil-Soulanges (-5%) and Laval (-7%) posted decreases.  Sales of single-family homes and condominiums grew by 4% and 9%, while plex sales fell by 9% compared to September of last year.  The median price of single-family homes and condominiums rose by 4% and 1% respectively,...

October 11, 2016

The coolest neighbourhood in Montreal without question is Le Plateau! Every week I go to the Mile End section of Le Plateau for yoga class. I’m fortunate to be in this part of Montreal every weekend as there’s always something new to discover in this neighborhood! The people and shops are so diverse and eclectic, the streets beam with so much character. Real estate wise, there are such colorful, beautiful brownstone like structures with antique architectural details. There’s a fantastic creative energy that lives here, reminding me of the days I lived in Soho New York. A colleague of mine...

October 4, 2016

Photo © by Bonnie Meisels The Benefits of Living In Le Plateau The benefits about living in Le Plateau were made clear to me this week when I finally had the opportunity to meetup with Judy, a fellow Texan colleague of mine.  She got wise years ago about buying property here in Montreal. The summers in Texas are brutally hot, somewhat in comparison to our winters that are often insanely cold! Thankfully, this past winter here in Montreal, was one of the mildest on record. I’m afraid to think about this winter coming up, all I can say is I...

September 28, 2016

Rooftop Urban Gardens in Quebec Rooftop urban gardens and sustainable food systems is what began my interest in green real estate. I have been a member of Batiments Durable de Quebec for several years now. Batiment Durable de Quebec is the Montreal  chapter of the Canada Green Building Council. Their events are a fantastic resource for learning about sustainability.  Whether it’s about green building practices, permaculture or urbain agriculture, there’s always something to be inspired about. My entire journey into green real estate began with my love and obsession with sustainable food systems, permaculture and urban agriculture. Without question, my...

September 17, 2016

Green Condo For Sale Fabulous green condo in the beautiful and quiet Bois Franc neighborhood in Saint-Laurent. This awesome new construction, 2014/2015 features two bedrooms and two baths. The building called Bella Vista Phase I is by Rodimax. It is surrounded by exquisite high end homes in a cul de sac type of setting near parks and public transit. As an eco condo, the building has already applied for LEED Certification. Watch the video to get a feel for the lovely design of the condo! Some of the sustainable features of this eco condo are: Water fixtures are Bélanger H2OFlo...

September 17, 2016

Luxury Condo In Montreal Offered at 1.4 Million This gorgeous luxury condo in Montreal  is up for sale now that P.K. has been transferred to the Nashville Predators. No doubt, this is a sad loss for Montreal, but PK will no know longer need his Montreal crib. His awesome downtown condo is up for sale for a cool $1.3 Million. The condo is 1,887 square feet and has a super location in the heart of Centre-Ville Montreal.  For a sneek peek, here’s the article featured by The Star which showcases the details. Alex Toulch from Rebl House Media just did...

September 10, 2016

MONTRÉAL MARKET SALES FOR AUGUST 2016 SHOWING STRONG SALES! Montreal residential market sales in the Montréal CMA increased by 13% in August 2016. What a big improvement compared to August of last year. This was the 17th sales increase in the past 18 months. All of the details will be revealed in the GMREB’s monthly press release, which was published on Wednesday. Check out the  video version of the latest Montreal Market stats for August 2016, courtesy of Centris. To download the report, visit my montreal real estate reports page   Centris Sales Statistics – August 2016 Uploaded by CIGM GMREB...

September 10, 2016

5 reasons Gen X moms are the best real estate agents As a mother of 3 plus one kids, I can honestly say that I love this article that makes the best case as to why us Gen X moms make the best real estate agents!   BY MARY MCINTOSH For Inman Key Takeaways Youth is honored in our society, but often age holds way more value. Technology and response time are not only dependent upon age. Often in an effort to keep up with youth, older people embrace technology as well. Sometimes buyers and sellers need and want a...

August 21, 2016

Foreign Investment in Canada And Montreal Foreign investment up until August has been slower in Montreal than other parts of Canada like Vancouver. But this is set to change. Read about new measures imposed on foreign investment in the Vancouver market in this informative article by Benjamin Shingler for the CBC on how the new tax imposed on foreign buyers in Vancouver should effect our Montreal real estate market. The article also provides a snapshot comparable of the average home price in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.  With no surprise, the average home price in Vancouver is three times the average...

August 17, 2016

Le Plateau Mont Royal And Mile End Montreal’s Best Kept Secrets One of the best places to hang out if you’re visiting Montreal or for local Montrealers in need of a good restaurant or a neighborhood with some creative energy, Le Plateau Mont Royal is a wonderful quartier with a wonderful, eclectic, and artistic vibe. This neighborhood hosts many great restaurants, boutiques, cafes and above all diversity of people. I thought I’d share a couple of videos to give you a feel for this special part of Montreal. Visite du plateau Mont-Royal Petite vidéo réalisée par Julia et Charlie Marois,...

August 9, 2016

With the advent of new technologies or applications changing things up daily, there’s no shortage of industries that will be disrupted, including Montreal real estate at some point. From artificial intelligence to self driving cars, we may think these things are far off in the future, but they are closer than you can imagine. I recently read and thought I’d share this article by Laurence Van Elegem, that appeared on Across Technology that places the value of creativity front line and center as a means to thriving in the age of uberization,  The Real estate industry could definitely benefit from some...

August 1, 2016

I couldn’t resist posting this recent article about Keller Williams’ performance. Although Keller Williams is new to Montreal and Quebec in general (only about 3 years or so), it’s plans to expand throughout Quebec are aggressive. Most Montrealer’s aren’t aware that Keller Williams is the number 1 brokerage in the United States. Here is the article by Inman News; Agent productivity propels Keller Williams sales growth to all-time high While the company increases in agent count, transactions and sales volume have caught up Caroline Feeney Jul 25, 2016 Key Takeaways In Q2 2016, Keller Williams had a net gain of...

July 30, 2016

Best Sustainable Home Designs – Best Eco-friendly Sustainable Green Homes I thought I would share this video series by Josh Byrne, Best Sustainable Home Designs – Best Eco-friendly Sustainable Green Homes Episode 1  Join Josh Byrne (best know as a presenter from the ABC TV Gardening Australia program) as he explores some of the best and most affordable sustainable homes. Filmed in the genre of shows like Grand Designs and Better Homes and Gardens, this video explores the Zero Emissions House project near Melbourne Australia. The Zero Emissions House is an 8 star energy rated affordable 4 bedroom project home...

July 26, 2016

The Ultimate Guide to Green Living Using 10 Stylish, Eco-Friendly Apartment Ideas by Cynthia Bowman for Freshome The Ultimate Guide to Green Living Using 10 Stylish, Eco-Friendly Apartment Ideas – Freshome.com Our home is our sanctuary away from the chaos of the world outside. But is it really a sanctuary? How much pollution and toxic chemicals are you bringing into your apartment without even realizing it? You’d be surprised that in many cases, it’s not even what you’re bringing in – the culprits that affect the …  

July 25, 2016

7 Home fixes you must complete before selling Good article from Inman News on 7 Home fixes you must complete before selling. Key Takeaways Fix it to sell. Structural is just as important as cosmetic. Give the buyers what they want — create the “wow” factor. The process of getting a property ready to put on the market can seem daunting enough. There’s clearing the clutter, endless amounts of cleaning, organizing and scrutinizing your property with a fine-tooth comb. What needs attention and what can you leave alone? Welcome to the new world of “fixing to sell.” Gone are the...

July 24, 2016

Foreign Investment Effect On Montreal Market Foreign investment effect on the Montreal market. There is a significant difference in investment in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Read the article published in the Globe and Mail to learn more. ALICJA SIEKIERSKA The Globe and Mail Published Wednesday, Jul. 13, 2016 11:32AM EDT Last updated Wednesday, Jul. 13, 2016 11:34AM EDT As Canada grapples with the impact of foreign investors in the country’s two hottest real estate markets, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says international purchasers have very little impact on housing prices in Canada’s second largest city – Montreal. According to the...

July 13, 2016

Via Inman 1. Motivators Consumers are most motivated to adopt smart home technology by family safety. Six out of 10 survey respondents cited that as the biggest reason for their interest in smart home products. Increasing convenience in home management, such as by adding the ability to turn on lights after dark (54 percent) and provide remote access to service providers (22 percent) also ranked among the top reasons for why respondents choose to adopt smart home technology, the survey found. “The new era of smart security and smart home products offer consumers visibility and control over their homes that previously had not been available with traditional security...

July 8, 2016

The Latest Montreal Real Estate Market Stats For June 2016 The Latest Montreal Real Estate Market Stats For June 2016 show a stable a balanced market, with zero change from last years numbers to this years.  Sales of single family homes continued their upward monthly trend for it’s 16th consecutive month in the Montreal CMA region.     Market stats for June 2016 Featured Photo by Vladimir Kudinov  

July 8, 2016

Condominium Fees Across Quebec The QFREB reviewed and recently published a report on condominium fees across Quebec from 2015 to 2016. There is a significant difference between the average condo fees in greater Montreal and the rest of Quebec as well as between wood buildings and large concrete structures. View and download the report below:

June 29, 2016

A Snapshot of Mount Royal – Nature’s Real Estate It’s been raining here in Montreal the past two days but never the less, I managed to sneak in a walk to the mountain, one of my favorite past times. After all, this warm season is short and before we turn around, it’s the beginning of fall. Inspired by Monet’s Haystak series where he shoots the same haystak at different intervals during a 24 hour period, and at varying points of light, the view at the mountain summit looks  ompletely different, depending on the season, weather, time of day et.  I...

June 29, 2016

A Video Perspective of Life In Montreal Tourisme Montreal published a series of eight videos, each shot by a different director. This video, entitled “huit” is one of the eight, and is produced by Mathieu Grimard. The film shares an interesting perspective on life in Montreal. “What makes us love Montréal? This is the question that Mathieu Grimard asked eight Montréalers. Each subject is presented from behind a glass surface, as they tell us stories that come from Montréal places while the glass takes us to the city’s places with a link to their history. A documentary approach with a...

June 20, 2016

Foreign buyers flocking to Canada’s hot luxury real estate markets Why the Montreal luxury real estate market has become attractive to foreign buyers, via BNN To read the full article, click below: Why foreign investors are taking a second look at Canada Brian Belski, chief investment officer at BMO Capital Markets, joins BNN Bloomberg’s Catherine Murray for a look at his spring market strategy for the TSX.

June 17, 2016

Summers In Montreal Summers in Montreal are truly the very best! The featured photo in this blog was taken from my Montreal garden this morning as my peonies, one of my favorite summer flowers, are finally blossoming:)  Summer is definitely one of the best times to come check out our city, or just enjoy a staycation if you live here.  I thought you might appreciate a list of the summer festivals happening from June to September 2016. Maybe I’ll see you around town.   June   MUTEK digital creativity fest, June 1-5, 2016 Le Mondial de la bière/Beer Festival June...

June 15, 2016

Big Data And Real Estate I recently real an article by Michael Andersen on Medium entitled  “A guy just transcribed 30 years of for-rent ads. Here’s what it taught us about housing prices“.  It’s a great read to understand how looking at the data tells an important story such as the state of employment and salaries over the many years.  Have a read below; A guy just transcribed 30 years of for-rent ads. Here’s what it taught us about housing prices I don’t know anything about Eric Fischer except that he’s a freaking hero. Much like everyone else who has...

May 18, 2016

Why Montreal is fast emerging as Canada’s cloud hub Why Montreal is fast emerging as Canada’s cloud hub via Cogeco Peer 1. As a real estate broker that’s always interested in learning about how technology can improve our lives and businesses, I often attend tech related workshops where I have the opportunity to learn and connect with people doing some interesting things both internationally and/or around Montreal. There’s lots of creativity and talent in our small but growning Montreal Tech sector, so I’m happy to say that tech innovation is alive and well here in “La Belle Province”. <img height=”1″...

May 6, 2016

April 2016 Montréal Area Residential Real Estate Market: Condominiums April 2016 Montréal Area Residential Real Estate Market  – The latest stats from Centris   To download the report, visit https://www.realestatemontreal.net/montreal-real-estate-market-reports/

May 6, 2016

Welsome to my post: This is part of a series of shorties, mini blog posts that give you a snapshot of something I’d like to share or find interesting. For today’s post, I’d like to share a few videos of some Drone flights that will give you that eye in the sky feeling of what Montreal is like! There’s nothing like video to express a story. This first one is by Cavort: Montreal | Aerial 4K UHD Drone Film World class 4K aerial cinematography over Montreal Canada by CAVORT AIR. Drone video includes : The Farine Five Roses silo, Molson...

April 28, 2016

Ville St Laurent – One of Montreal’s Luxury Neighborhoods Ville St Laurent – One of Montreal’s luxury neighborhoods is another shorty in my mini blog post series. This one is about a section of Ville St Laurent that houses some large luxurious homes. To get a sneek peek, check out this video by German Korb   Big Houses in Montreal Canada (Nouveau Saint-Laurent) Big Houses in Montreal Canada (Nouveau Saint-Laurent) Let’s explore big houses in Montreal. I’m driving in a nice neighborhood called Nouveau Saint-Laurent in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Thank you for watching! Visit the full Ville St Laurent neighborhood...

April 21, 2016

Here in Montreal, it’s true, we never experienced  the real estate boom that the Ontario and Vancouver markets enjoyed for many consecutive years. Now with the Canadian dollar being so weak against the U.S. Greenback, Montreal real estate prices are looking very attractive to foreign investors and out of town buyers. When Canada’s currency regains it’s strength, prescient buyers will be enjoying their gains because even if they do nothing, they will be benefitting from a significant purchase discount. It’s nice to see Montreal finally getting some attention over the other provinces. Let’s compare and see what could be purchased...

April 13, 2016

Unlocking Real-Estate Value by Going Green                                                             Via Morgan Stanley’s INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE INVESTING. Did you know that new green technology could boost asset values of US office buildings by as much as $35 billion. I’m curious as to what the projection would be for the Canadian market, but I’m sure it’s significant. According to their recent report, sustainable technologies can cut a buildings annual expenses anywhere from 3 – 30%....

April 3, 2016