I recently had the privilege of being a runway model in a fashion show! Simcoe Community Services Foundation put on their 17th Annual Reach for the Stars Fashion Show last week and although I was happy to be involved, I had no idea how wonderful the night would be.

In front of a sold out audience at Liberty North on Caplan Ave, a number of well known public figures joined a number of very special people who rely on the services of the SCS. Let me assure you, those of us volunteering our time were happily overshadowed by the courage and charisma of the men, women, boys and girls who strutted their stuff on the stage proving that intellectual disabilities can’t hold them down!

Radio personalities Jamie and Tara from Chay Today at 93.1 emceed the event and did a fabulous job ad libbing when things for a little mixed up, and graciously handed over the microphone to a couple of ladies who made us proud to witness their confidence and wonderful sense of humour. It truly was a magical evening and seeing those smiles from ear to ear on those faces was what made it so worthwhile.

I’ll be sure to work on improving my modeling skills for next year!

Fashion Show

The local real estate community is scrambling to make things safer for their clients. It has recently been reported in the news and at real estate brokerages that during a beautiful Sunday afternoon of Open Houses in the city of Barrie, two home owners were the unsuspecting victims of theft.

When you think about it, it doesn’t take very long for people with sticky fingers to seize an unsupervised opportunity to grab jewellery, small electronics or family heirlooms, and these situations leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouths.

Because of these unfortunate circumstances I have chosen to put my clients at ease by introducing new rules when I conduct my Open Houses and I am happy to say that these changes have been met with favourable reviews.

This past weekend I held an Open House at one of my newest listings. I posted a notice letting visitors know that due to recent thefts my assistant and I would only be letting two groups of people through at once and would be locking the door when needed. Also, once inside, we reinforced the registration procedure and asked to view on piece of ID.

Everyone who visited the Open House was quite receptive to the idea of stricter guidelines and we heard stories of other agents doing the same thing but not to this extent. We were very pleased that the people we spoke to agreed with and appreciated our efforts to make the home selling experience a safer one for everyone.

Foiling Thefts in Open Houses

In today’s market, some people choose not to hire a Realtor when they decide to sell their home, after all there is a wealth of information that is available on the internet, and since the Competition Bureau forced the Canadian Real Estate Association to open access to its Multiple Listing Service (MLS), many homeowners are thinking of going through the process on their own, believing they will save a lot of money. But are they?

Real Estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today often exceed $300,000. If you had a $300,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a Certified or Chartered Accountant? If you had a $300,000 legal situation, would you handle it without your attorney? Considering the small cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider dealing in real estate without the professional assistance of a Realtor .

: If you don’t price it right, you won’t get any traffic. Let a house sit on the market too long at an absurd price and your listing is stale. A Realtor will help you establish a listing price within current market guidelines, develop a marketing plan and offer advice on how to make your home more attractive.

: Let’s face it, you have to go to work! That lawn sign that you put up and your listing on MLS are useless if nobody is available when buyers want to see your home. Unless you like having unqualified buyers, nosy neighbours or perhaps even thieves over to visit your home, selling a home by yourself is time consuming. Why not have a professional Realtor screen potential buyers for you, book the appointments and handle the showings and paperwork.

: Buyers will expect you to be prepared to accept and evaluate offers. Is your lawyer available on call during the evenings & weekends? Are the clauses in the offer to purchase prepared by you or your buyer protecting your interests? Probably not. Selling your home is NOT a simple procedure. It involves large sums of money, stringent legal requirements and the potential for costly mistakes. A Realtor is committed to spending the time it takes to help you sell your home in the least amount of time and for the best possible price, with the least amount of stress. Call me anytime to discuss your real estate need. I’m here to help!

Why Do I Need A Realtor?

The Barrie Food Bank is an invaluable resource to our local community.  They do special food drives at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  What happens the other 49 weeks of the year?

Unfortunately our current economy means that more and more people and families have to turn to the Food Bank for assistance. It’s amazing how our lives can change in a heartbeat with a lost job or serious injury.  Well, a group of 12 prominent, generous women have decided to step up and make us pay attention one extra time this year!  12 Ladies in A Tent has been formed to raise awareness, money and food for the Barrie Food Bank as part of the Helping Hands for Hungry Homes initiative, and wouldn’t it be great to  help them reach their goal of 150,000 pounds of food!

The event will be taking place at the Allandale Station Park, just by the Southshore Community Centre, from June 8-12.  They are looking for cash donations, food donations, event sponsors and you can get more information by visiting their website at www.helpinghandsforhungryhomes.com.  Hope to see you there!

12 Ladies in a Tent

Is this the year you finally get into it?