Despite some rain, the Toronto real estate market saw positive results in April with an increase in both sales and average selling price compared to the previous year. While sales dipped slightly, the average home price rose 2% to $526,335. The condominium apartment segment was a key driver of price growth. Real estate agents anticipate continued strengthening of demand for homeownership over the rest of the year as buyers who delayed purchases are now returning to the market. Strategies like pre-screening buyers help agents bring only qualified prospects to sellers.

1. Sun Shines on Toronto Market
Information courtesy of the Toronto Real Estate Board.
Sales & Average Price By Major Home Type
APR. 2013 Sales Average Price
416 905 Total 416 905 Total
Detached 1,264 3,675 4,939 $852,090 $588,784 $656,170
Yr./Yr. % Change -11.8% 2.5% -1.6% 2.5% 2.2% 1.1%
Semi-Detached 415 681 1,096 $595,398 $410,739 $480,660
Yr./Yr. % Change -5.5% 1.3% -1.4% 2.4% 4.3% 2.7%
Townhouse 398 1,123 1,521 $433,710 $375,269 $390,562
Yr./Yr. % Change -3.6% -1.2% -1.9% 2.3% 3.5% 3.1%
Condo Apartment 1,479 582 2,061 $379,266 $273,832 $349,493
Yr./Yr. % Change -1.3% -7.3% -3.1% 5.6% -5.9% 3.1%
While April 2013 sales numbers
dipped two percent in comparison to
April 2012 sales, the average selling
price rose by two percent during the
same period.
“Despite the headwinds we have
experienced in the housing market
this year, April sales came in quite
strong in comparison to last year. As
we move through the spring and into
the second half of 2013, the demand
for homeownership should continue
to firm-up relative to last year,” said
Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB)
President Ann Hannah.
“It has been almost a year since
the federal government enacted
stricter mortgage lending guidelines.
It is realistic to surmise that some
households, who originally put their
decision to purchase on hold, are
once again looking to buy,” continued
Ms. Hannah.
Jason Mercer, TREB Senior Manager
of Market Analysis, added, “The
condominium apartment segment in
the City of Toronto was a key driver
of price growth in April, with both
the average selling price and the MLS®
HPI apartment index up on a year-
over-year basis. The improved condo
sales picture, with Toronto sales down
by only one percent compared to last
year, suggests that interest in condo
ownership may be improving."
Interested in a more in-depth look at
the Toronto real estate market? Please
call today!
Despite the rainy weather, April results were bright in the Toronto real
estate market with 9,811 sales, an increase in both new and active
listings, and an average selling price of $526,335.
TREB
Recine Team Report
Compliments of Melanie & Fabio RE/MAX Premier Inc., Brokerage
Each office is independently owned and operated.
Melanie Maranda Recine &
Fabio Recine
Sales Representatives
"It's your call
Call Melanie and Fabio"
RE/MAX Premier Inc., Brokerage
9100 Jane Street, Bldg. L, Suite #77
Vaughan, ON L4K 0A4
Office: 416-987-8000
Fax: 416-987-8001
Direct Melanie: 647-836-4062
Direct Fabio: 416-828-5441
mmaranda96@hotmail.com
frecine@trebnet.com
www.RecineTeam.ca
Greetings! You’re receiving this
newsletter with hopes that you find it
informative and entertaining.
If you’re thinking of making a move, or
are just curious as to real estate trends
in your area, please feel free to call at
any time. It’s always good to hear
from you!
Best wishes,
Melanie and Fabio
Volume 9, Issue 6

2. 2
Stick To It
Wall decals aren’t what they used to be: made of resilient
materials like vinyl, today’s decals are just as easy to
remove as they are to apply, so you can effortlessly change
them when you get bored and take them with you when
you move. Available in a range of sizes and prices, and a
huge variety of colors, designs, and themes, from animals
and cartoons to words and abstract designs, decals are just
as suitable for your stylish, sophisticated living room as
they are for children’s rooms.
Material Issue
With its variety of colors, patterns, and textures, fabric is
a versatile tool for dressing up walls, especially damaged
ones. It’s like commitment-free wallpaper: use liquid starch
to apply fabric to your walls just as you would wallpaper;
to remove it, just dampen and peel. Or hang fabric panels
on your wall as you would over your windows, whether in
pleats, shirred, or flat across the wall; this technique is best
used for one accent wall and makes it easy to change the
look when you tire of it.
Shelve It
Available in a huge selection of colors, materials, shapes,
and sizes, floating shelves lend movement and dimension
to walls. What’s more, they’re functional, providing added
storage and display space, which no one ever seems to
have enough of. Plus, you can always easily change what’s
on your shelves to create a fresh look. But when you get
really creative in your choice and placement of shelves
(by grouping together cube shelves of varying sizes or
color, for example) it’s the shelving itself that becomes the
decorative element.
High Profile
Molding isn’t just for the space where floors and ceilings
meet walls; like shelving, it’s a great way to add dimension
to walls themselves, and is versatile given its variety of
sizes and profiles. Use it to create raised panels for a formal
look evocative of Colonial homes; to create a latticework
pattern of flat trim; to frame artwork, collections, mirrors,
or architectural features like windows or built-in shelves;
combine it with beadboard for a Cape Cod look; or even to
make floor-to-ceiling or wall-width stripes.
On a Roll
Wallpaper has competition from a new trend: tape. You
can get just as creative with wall tape, given the variety
of colors, widths, and patterns available. It’s cheaper and
easier to remove too. Your best bet is probably Japanese
masking (or “washi”) tape, which is made of rice paper, but
you can also use regular masking tape, electrical tape, and
gaffer’s tape. Make stripes, a diamond pattern, or wall art
(abstract or otherwise) on your walls. Craft and art-supply
stores carry decorative tape, but you’ll find the greatest
selection online.
Your home’s walls are its biggest canvas. While paint and wallpaper are the most common ways to decorate
them, they’re not the most creative options. Below are five ways to liven up your walls that go beyond merely
painting or wallpapering them.
Off the Wall Ideas

3. Still Searching?Time Management
Volume 9, Issue 6 3
Time wasters are a common complaint amongst
homeowners who sell their own properties. Here’s
why real estate sales representatives are a seller’s
best line of defense against tire kickers and
unqualified buyers.
 A FSBO (For Sale By Owner) seller has to field every
phone call personally and even deal with would-be
buyers showing up at their door unannounced. When
you have representation, you have a buffer between
you and prospective buyers, someone to filter all those
initial inquiries that lead nowhere and bring you only
those that have potential to become a sale.
 Your real estate representative pre-screens buyers to
ensure that in addition to being interested in your
home, they can actually afford to buy it. By finding out
whether buyers have their own homes to sell and have
obtained pre-approval for mortgage financing, your rep
weeds out unqualified buyers, allowing you to focus on
those buyers who are able, not merely willing.
 By marketing your home through the Multiple Listing
Service®
(MLS®
), your rep exposes it to a network of
other real estate professionals who are looking for
properties to present to their clients – clients they’ve
ensured are serious, qualified buyers. This is one
more way in which having a representative means
sellers are exposed to fewer time wasters and more
promising prospects.
 FSBO sellers have to host their own open houses and
showings – which tend to bring out nosy neighbors
and lookie-loos. As a seller with representation, you
don’t have to deal with time wasters at open houses or
handle buyers’ questions at showings – that’s your rep’s
job. You don’t even have to be there. In fact, it’s better
if you’re not.
 An inability to see past cosmetic flaws. Gaudy
wallpaper, stained carpets, outdated fixtures, and
sloppy paintjobs are off-putting, but if you can’t
look past such superficial, easily remedied problems,
you may well end up passing over properties that
meet your needs as far as the important things such
as “bone structure,” size, layout, location, and price
are concerned.
 Unrealistic expectations. Are you waiting for “the
perfect home” to come along? Are you wasting time
looking at homes that are beyond reach of your
budget? If so, it’s time to reevaluate your list of
needs, wants, and deal breakers, and, if you haven’t
already, talk to a mortgage consultant about what
you can afford and get pre-qualified for financing.
 Indecisiveness. There are a few reasons you may be
suffering from analysis paralysis: fear of experiencing
buyer’s remorse, always thinking there’s a better home
just around the corner, or holding out for a better
deal. Of course you don’t want to rush into buying
a home before you’re ready, but there comes a point
when you have to pull the trigger.
 You’re trying to do it all yourself. You can spend
endless hours combing through classifieds and
clicking your way across the Web, but a professional
real estate representative is the best way to narrow
your search and find the right home for you more
quickly, by presenting you with only those properties
(even ones not actively being advertised) that meet
your criteria.
Are you looking to move but your search for a new
home is taking longer than you’d like? Below are
a few factors that might be holding you back from
finding and purchasing your next home

4. With summers seeing more record-breaking temperatures,
what better time than now to discuss how smart landscaping
can help keep your home cool and your energy costs low
when the mercury rises.
 The strategic planting of trees can provide shade, help direct
breezes inside, and improve air circulation outside, lowering
temperatures around and in your house. You’ll need to
consider height, root spread, growth rate, and canopy
density when choosing what and where to plant. Deciduous
trees help cool things down in the summer while allowing
sunlight through during the winter.
 While waiting for those trees to mature, you can plant tall
shrubs along the sides of your house to prevent heat gain
and keep walls cool. Low-lying shrubs can help cool the
ground around your house. Just be sure to leave some space
between your plantings and walls – at least two or three
feet, for example – to allow for better air circulation.
 Fast growing, flowering, food producing, and fragrant
vines are a quick way to shade windows, patios, and walls.
They can be grown directly on your walls, on pergolas, or
on trellises, even as a kind of awning over windows. Vine
trellises are particularly convenient in areas where there’s
not enough room for trees or shrubs.
 Whether you use trees, shrubs, vined trellises, or a pergola,
shade your air conditioner. When it’s roasting in the sun, it
has to work harder to cool your house. Shade it and it can
do its job more efficiently, saving you money each month.
Just be sure your plantings or structures aren’t so close as to
restrict airflow or obstruct filters or air intakes.
Made in the Shade
Terminology Tip
Assumable Mortgage — An assumable
mortgage is one that can be assumed (taken
over) by the buyer of a property when that
property is sold. Usually, the borrower must
apply and qualify for the mortgage in order
to assume the loan. If the lender approves
the borrower, the buyer then takes over the
seller’s loan obligation and is responsible for
making mortgage payments on the property at
the seller’s existing mortgage rate and terms.
4
The information and opinions contained in this newsletter are obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The publishers assume no responsibility for errors and omissions or for any damages resulting from the use of the published
information. This newsletter is provided with the understanding that it does not render legal, accounting, or other professional advice. Not intended to solicit properties or businesses listed for sale and agency agreements in place with other real estate brokers. Whole or
partial reproduction of this newsletter is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. © Market Connections Inc.® 2013, Phone: (800) 387-6058.
www.RecineTeam.caMelanie Direct
647-836-4062
Fabio Direct
416-828-5441
Fabio and Melanie Recine
Sales Representatives
Compliments of Fabio Melanie Recine RE/MAX Premier Inc., Brokerage