As I was driving to work yesterday listening to Rock95, as I always do, I heard a quick clip about how Instagram and Snapchat are harming youth mental health. 
I did a little research when I got to the office and I’d like to share a little bit about what I read.
Weber Team Has Grown
My headline for today is that the Weber Team has Grown! Some of you are regular readers of our blog or follow our Facebook posts regularly. For that, we thank you! You may have noticed some changes recently. New photos, new colours, some new branding.
I thought it was time to make the official announcement, so here we go.
Is Your Home Haunted?
Is your home HAUNTED? 
While we are certainly not qualified to answer that question, John and I have talked about this topic in the past couple of weeks. We have done some research to find out if there is anyone in Simcoe County that can help with the very real problem of ghosts and haunted happenings. [Read more…]
Tuesday Morning Update
Check out John Weber’s newest Youtube video where he updates you on the current real estate market in Barrie and the surrounding area.
Why the Rush?
Selling your home can be tough on the ol’ emotions. There can be plenty of reasons why a person might feel the need to rush to list their homes. Job relocation, financial and family situations; just to name a few. Perhaps you’re just eager to move onward to a new home.
Whatever your reasons, rushing to push to your home on the market can be a big mistake that will provide an emotional and financial roller coaster. While you are ready to move, you may be stuck in limbo while your home continues to not show well.
Preparing your home to be sold takes time. Finding the best Real Estate Agent might take a few meetings and consultations. The first few agents you meet may not have the high energy or affability you were looking for. The agent may have under estimated your home just so that it will sell quickly. That is a big Red Flag.
You will want to stage your home. A few agents hire Home Stagers because they are serious about selling your home. Other agents pride themselves on taking on the staging themselves. Some may just tell you to de-clutter and freshen up. At the very least, you will need to remove some items and probably put some neutral paint up. If you have ever painted a room before, you know it can take a whole day.
Showcase all your home has to offer with some fantastic photos. An iPhone won’t do the trick. Joe Schmo with a fancy camera may take nice looking pictures but for people to want to see you home in person you will want a good online presence. This means making your rooms look big, airy and clean. A Real Estate photographer can provide these photos and a great agent will know this.
All of these things take time. If a person were to rush their home onto the market they may be putting themselves into a frustrating position. Only trust the most experienced and eager professionals when selling your home. They know that when a home is a “rush job” it’s a mess and money is always lost.
Q & A with John Weber: Rent to Own
This session of Q&A with John Weber we decided to sit down and talk about Rent to Own. There are plenty of conversations of why this might be beneficial to potential home buyers. The risks, however, may or may not out weight the potential benefits.
Q: What are some of the benefits of Rent to Own
The biggest problem is the down payment. When it is done properly it can help work for those people. Maybe, if you don’t have the down payment, there is a reason
Q: What are the risks?
I’m just nervous about rent to own. I think people get caught up in them, it can be problematic for a lot of reasons. The whole thing can just fall to s*&%. The risks are it’s not real. The person you are paying the rent to can just fly south with your money. You think, hold it I was paying you rent towards, 2 or 3 years now, I thought I was going towards a mortgage.
Well, it didn’t happen that way and so and so took off with your money and you really don’t have any legal repercussions. It’s not something that is necessarily protected. It’s sort of faith and trust. They know you have a low credit rating, they know you don’t have a lot of money. It’s not a great way to protect yourself financially either.
Q: Who does this target?
It’s sort of preying on the weak. It preys on people who either have bankruptcy, possibly somebody with a legal record, somebody that go out of prison or jail so they are on probation. It’s hard to find a job, hard to find a place. So, it’s a high risk category.
Q: What are some red flags, for people who have no other choice but to do this, what can they look out for?
Dealing with a reputable company or taking your time and not being in such a hurry, get references on the person if it’s an individual, or the company. It would be much better to be dealing with a company than an individual, I think. To get some references, do some background checks, speak to other people who have done the same thing and hopefully you are dealing with somebody reputable.
It’s a sketchy area, it just is, it’s not that popular and it’s not very common. Rent to Own is rare in Ontario.
