Toronto Real Estate Newsletter October 2021

Vol. 29, Issue 4, October 2021


Julie's Scoop

Greetings from the JKT!

Hope you are well, and enjoying the change of season.

October is a great month to focus on being thankful. With Thanksgiving celebrations, the beautiful Fall colours and even the Covid #’s in Ontario! It’s a time that I’d like to personally express my thanks to you, our beloved clients who are the lifeblood of our business, to my team for their incredible professionalism, commitment and hard work, to my brokerage that is always supportive, and to my family and friends who enrich my life.

I am super grateful for all the clients who were appreciative of the invite to the Dixie Orchards Pumpkin Farm, and to those who trekked out to our first event since pre-pandemic, in Caledon. The forecast was gloomy yet the skies were brilliant and bright and I needed my sunglasses. Who knew? The event was far better than I expected. It was really beautiful to be up seeing the leaves and the farmland, the hay bales, the pumpkin patch and eating yummy pie & treats with a very Autumn like feel. And of course it’s always nice to see and be amongst familiar faces and generous hearts.

check out all the pictures

We have an exciting announcement! Jen Palacios, who has been working from her “Hacienda” in Belfountain Caledon since March 2020 has decided to step back from practicing real estate on a day-to-day basis. We are all so excited for her and I am very grateful for the 15 years we have worked together on The JKT. Jen is so happy in her country life with her animals, gardening and has taken up golf in a big way. Rest assured any of you who loved working with Jen in real estate, will always be taken care of by the team.

Wishing you all the best on behalf of the JKT!

guiding you home™,
Julie

P.S. Stay safe! Please reach out if you need help. Now is the time for our JKT community to stick together!

P.P.S. Attention budding artists of all ages! The JKT is looking for some artwork to grace the cover of our custom printed Holiday card! We would love it to come from our peeps! Please submit your own rendition of an Inukshuk (with or without a holiday theme). We will draw for up to 4 that we will use. Have fun! Email a photo of it to by November 2nd.
 


Our clients are looking for the best quality information about deciding on best schools and neighbourhoods - that is why we've partnered with a SchoolQ providing invaluable resources! Visit schoolQ.ca/juliekinnearteam & let us know what you think!


Quote of the Day: 

 
 

Chit Chat…

Friends of High Park Zoo have really of cool stuff going on!

#GivingTuesday2021 - It’s ALL about the Capybaras - Raising $ for heaters for their home - Saturday Nov 27,10 - 11 am - Click here for tickets!

2021 HOLIDAY TREES -Vote for Trees on Instagram & Facebook - #HighParkZooTrees - decorated from Dec 5- Jan 8

Special Snowflake Walk - Sunday Dec 12th or 19th from 5-6 pm - You get to stroll through the Zoo in the dark and see the trees lit up...you might see some animals too! Tickets are on sale now: Suggested: $10/family.


We have some very sad news about two beloved fur family members of the JKT.

Jen’s darling rescue Nessy has passed away. Nessy was Jen’s first official rescue from northern Quebec and was Jen’s constant companion for 15+ years. Nessy was amazingly strong and outlived all of her siblings & offspring including Julie’s sister’s late dog Takoda. Nessy never lost her northern spirit and would “take off” whenever she got the chance. She loved trekking through the woods & was known to run into a porcupine or two. She will be missed by Jen and all the Palacios clan.

On October 4th, Holly’s little fur-friend Porch passed away unexpectedly. From Holly“ His name was Porch because that’s where I found him as a stray and that’s where I said he’d stay. Instead he became the king-of-the-castle and led a very good life which included heated beds, fireplaces, luxury hotels and music. He needed me and I needed him. I’ll forever be grateful for the time spent with him, and the valuable lessons he taught me which I didn’t know I needed to learn. RIP 2008ish - October 4, 2021“


Krazy Kontest Winners…Kongratulations!

Krazy Kontest Winners… Love supporting LOCAL! We are continuing the theme for prizes - upping the $$ and supporting local restaurants.

Kongratulations to our July KK winner Alison More - who chose to support- Vaticano in Yorkville!

Kongratulations to our August KK winner Bill Parish - who chose to support- La Cubana in Roncesvalles Village!

Kongratulations to our September KK winner Nicole Lee - who chose to support- Deco in The Junction!

Market Watch ~ Typically Busy Fall Market in September - See Below for TORONTO Specific #’s.

September marked the transition from the slower summer market to the busier fall market in the in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Every year, we generally see an uptick in sales, average selling price and listings after Labour Day, and September 2021 was no different. Sales increased relative to August and were also at the third-highest mark on record for the month of September. The average selling price was up both month-over-month and year-over-year.

GTA REALTORS® reported 9,046 sales through TRREB’s MLS® System in September 2021 – up in line with the regular seasonal trend from August. Compared to last year, market conditions tightened noticeably, with sales representing a substantially higher share of listings, and a significantly lower number of new listings across the board. Resurgence in the condo market was a factor in the higher share of listings sold. The total # of sales was down 18% from 2020’s record September result, in large part due to the lower number of new listings, which were down 34% from the same time last year.

“Demand has remained incredibly robust throughout September with many qualified buyers who would buy a home tomorrow provided they could find a suitable property. With new listings in September down by 1/3 compared to last year, purchasing a home for many is easier said than done. The lack of housing supply and choice has reached a critical juncture. Bandaid policies to artificially suppress demand have not been effective. This is not an issue that can be solved by one level of government alone. There needs to be collaboration federally, provincially, and locally on a solution,” said Kevin Crigger, TRREB President.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 19.1% year-over-year in September 2021. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by 18.3% year-over-year to $1,136,280. “Price growth in September continued to be driven by the low-rise market segments, including detached and semidetached houses and townhouses. However, competition between buyers for condo apartments has picked up markedly over the past year, which has led to an acceleration in price growth over the past few months as first-time buyers reentered the ownership market. Look for this trend to continue,” said Jason Mercer, TRREB Chief Market Analyst.

 

 Mortgage Rates

 

Feeling like Giving Back? 

Assaulted Women's Helpline - The Assaulted Women’s Helpline provides a safe space, free of judgment anytime, day or night, to support, listen & guide women who have experienced any type of abuse anywhere in Ontario.  They are a multi-disciplinary team of women committed to providing exceptional, respectful and appropriate service to women who have & are experiencing violence or the effects of violence, crisis & abuse. 

In a normal year AWHL counsellors answer over 49,000 calls but 2020 & 2021 are not normal years & calls to this 24/7 crisis line have risen dramatically. Counsellors answered more than 93,000 calls between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 from women, many of whom have spent weeks at home in untenable and often dangerous situations.

Water First - which work helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training & meaningful collaboration.



Water First began working with Indigenous Communities here in Canada in 2012 and dedicated itself exclusively to working with Indigenous communities in 2016. Water First focuses on both drinking water and environmental water concerns, as well as Water Science education for youth.

To date, Water First has collaborated with Indigenous communities in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec & Labrador as one of the top charitable organizations in Canada addressing water challenges. 

If you’re in a position to pay it forward please donate to one of your favourite charities. 💕

The Julie Kinnear Team's GEMs (Genuine Evidence of Merit)

A company's success is strongly impacted by the customer reviews and for those of us in real estate, Google reviews and Facebook reviews create the biggest impact. We are asking for your help to go online and add your input and we will happily donate to a charity of your choice for your efforts!

You can do it on Google Maps here (it's very very important that you write a comment as well in addition to the rating), or you can also leave the same review on JKT's Facebook page here by clicking on "Yes" next to the "Do you recommend the JKT?" It's true, 5* reviews are almost as precious as a referral nowadays!  

 
 
 

Interested in new build condos and townhouses? We have access to pre-public sales of new developments. Be sure to get in touch to take advantage of this leg up!


What They Got - More of our happy buyers & sellers!

A continuing column of the Julie Kinnear Team's sales...

 
 
 
 

35 Thirty Third Street ~ Long Branch

Sold (represented buyer)

35 Minlow Way ~ Aurora

Sold (represented buyer)

 
 
 
 

33 Mill Rd #3203 ~ Distillery District

Sold (represented buyer)

256 Maria St. ~ The Junction

Sold (represented buyer)

 
 
 
 

371 Wallace Ave #30 ~ The Junction Triangle

Sold (represented seller)

55A Avenue Road, Suite 307 ~ Yorkville

Sold (represented buyer)


Did You Know? We have a large number of awesome trusted realtors in different towns and communities across Ontario, Canada and Internationally. Just get in touch so we can introduce you.


Our Purpose

Our purpose is for you to be so outrageously happy with the service we provide that you gladly refer us to your friends and family before you've even bought or sold with us.


The JKT - A few of our Favourite Things:

Jen

  • My friend has written a mystery novel – Silent Sands. It’s a great novel!! Downloads on Amazon right now are only $0.99. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the free app. It’s nice to support local!!
  • Golf - loving it more every day!

Holly

  • One of my favourite things is to finally get some work done on my house. For most of the summer, I had painters at my house painting the exterior, some of the interior, and refreshing the old but still useable deck. It looks new! It was power washed and had a couple of applications of CUTEX which is an oil product and one you can clean up with soap and water. I'd say CUTEX is one of my favourite things.
  • Janice Lindsey from "Pink." Janice is a colour expert like no other and was referred by our good client Jackie Garrow a long time ago. She made everything so easy and I didn't have to gather up paint chips and be paralyzed by indecision. She suggested colours I never would have chosen but are pretty amazing.
  • Cedar Waxing Bird. I discovered what they were earlier this summer when I helped a little one out They are a very beautiful and sociable bird with a wonderful characteristic of sharing with each other. They pass berries to one another and sometimes get drunk from the fermented ones.

  •  

Jay

  • As an airplane enthusiast, one of my favourite things is attending the annual Toronto – Canadian International Air Show. The weather was perfect for capturing the Canadian Forces Snowbirds flying in formation.  I tried to get pics of the single F 18 Hornet and the Demo of the new F35 Lightning, but they moved so damned fast!  Since I was a kid at the CNE grounds, I have watched the show and look forward to attending next year by Lake Ontario.
  • Charles Sauriol Conservation Area along the East Don River. One my favourite things is my favourite season – Fall – I love to take walks through Toronto’s many ravine trails with the change of the Fall colours.  Very invigorating for the soul!

Julie

  • Bear Claw - back scratcher! Who knew that there was the perfect back scratcher, I used to literally pick up a stick and use it.  For some reason I get an itchy back when cycling... thanks to my friend Sarah Macrae-Blakeley, there is an easy answer... AND it is telescopic, so fits in a bedside table, or anywhere!!

  • Our Aerogarden Seed kit.  We now have an all year round herb garden growing fresh basil and all kinds of others - smells so good, and very easy to maintain :) And I have learned that you can get in really LARGE indoor sizes for your basement or wherever.

     

Brenda

  • What excitement! My first restaurant outing in 18 months is currently my favourite thing. A luncheon with a dear friend of 40 years at the Four Seasons Hotel was a fabulous, good for the soul experience. The eclectic menu offered lots of choice and the food and the service were very good. I was familiar with the luxe traditional decor of the old Four Seasons Hotel. The new one offers a dramatic Asian vibe. Beautiful and serene.
     

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