London Ontario Real Estate

Jim Straughan, Real Estate Agent

Uncategorized

What Is a Home, Really?

A house is walls, windows, and a roof. A home is something else entirely.A home is the smell of coffee on a Sunday morning. It's the corner of the couch that's somehow always yours. It's knowing which step creaks and not minding - because it means you're there.Home is where you exhale. Where the world's volume turns down a little. Where you can be messy, tired, and fully yourself without apology.It doesn't...

5 Ways Your Neighbors Can Affect Your Home’s Value

No matter how much you strategize, many external factors can affect your home’s value, including your neighbors. Understanding their potential influence is necessary so you can make the most of your biggest investment. From the upkeep of their yards (or lack thereof) to certain habits, here are five ways your neighbors can deter buyers and impact your home’s value.

Planning To Sell This Year? Don’t Forget To Factor in These Closing Costs

If you’re thinking about selling your home this year, you’ve probably been monitoring its value for a while so you can sell and still get a substantial profit. But before you start counting how much money you’ll make, don’t forget to factor in seller closing costs into the sale price. 

Let’s take a closer look at closing costs and an overview of the fees that will be deducted from your overall profit.

What You Should Know About Buying or Selling A Home in Winter

The winter months certainly provide a different set of challenges and complexities compared to the peak-selling season of spring and summer, but they do have several benefits. Sellers can take advantage of the less competition in the market during this period, while buyers have more negotiating power as homes stay longer on the market. Here are some things you should know about buying or selling a home in winter so you can take advantage of the season’s unique upsides.

Beware of These 5 Hidden Costs When Selling Your Home

If you’ve been thinking about listing your property for sale, you probably already know about the obvious costs associated with selling, such as real estate commissions and closing costs. 

However, there are also such things as “hidden” costs, which include a variety of smaller expenses that you need to factor in to avoid unsettling surprises and help ensure that you get top dollar for your biggest investment. Read on to get a brief overview of these hidden costs of selling a home. 

5 Questions Your Real Estate Agent Cannot Answer, and Why

It’s best to hire a trusted and knowledgeable real estate agent to help you in your house-hunting journey. Expect them to be your go-to person for almost all the advice you’ll need regarding the complicated, and often stressful, homebuying process. 

And yet, if you ask them certain questions, you might be puzzled to find them feeling tongue-tied. Be aware that there are some queries that your realtor couldn’t answer legally. This is because some things are off-limits under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), a federal law enacted in 1968 that prohibits discrimination in the purchase, sale, rental, or financing of housing based on race, religion, sex, skin, color, nationality, or family/economic status.