Getting tired of having to worry about clearing snow, heating your home, and the increasing costs and hassle of home repair and maintenance? If you own a home and you’ve been considering making a move to Tapestry at Village Gate West, now is a very good time.

Irene Kaushansky, who leads the Etobicoke-based KB Real Estate Team from Keller Williams Portfolio Realty, says the local real estate market is definitely starting to recover. She says it’s better to get your home on the market earlier in the recovery, when there will be fewer listings and more eager buyers.

The data tells the story. In October 2022 the Toronto real estate market was in a trough, Irene says, and there continued to be slower sales in December, as well as in January 2023. “In December 2022, we saw 1,100 sales compared with almost 2,400 sales in December 2021,” she says. “January sales were also down about 50 per cent. However in February, things really started to pick up. We’re seeing multiple showings and in an increasing number of cases multiple offers,” Irene adds. (Statistics included here are for Toronto, not the Greater Toronto Area.)

As most people know, when it comes to real estate, timing is everything and Irene encourages both sellers and buyers to consult the experts and    get the right information to make an informed decision about when to sell their home. Having been in the real estate business for 31 years, Irene has definitely seen and weathered the ebbs and flows of the Toronto market.

“It’s important to get local information and to put the data in perspective. For example, if we look at 2023 versus 2022, the average sale price in 2022 was just over $1 million, and now it’s $987,000. However, in 2021, the average price was $865,000,” Irene says. “Despite the market slowdown over the past several months, prices have stayed relatively strong,” she adds.

One of the factors driving the start of the local real estate market recovery is the “normalization” of interest rates. “Interest rates are back up to ‘normal’ levels at around 5-6%, versus the ‘free money’ we saw with rates down around the 2% level,” Irene says. “And people are getting used to those more normal rates.”

And, once you’ve made the decision to sell, you won’t have to wait long to begin your new lifestyle at Tapestry. The average time a home was on the market in December 2022 was 28 days – that has now reduced to 22 days as of February 2023. “Some neighbourhoods are selling even faster,” Irene says. “And in some cases a week of showings can be held before any offers are considered, which increases the likelihood of multiple offers. That means you can maximize the return on your investment.”

Helping seniors with their transition into retirement living is a passion for Irene. She and her husband and business partner Philip Brown are both Accredited Senior Agents™, meaning they are specially trained in understanding the needs of senior clients.

“When we meet with a senior who is considering a move, we have a fairly extensive discovery session to find out what their concerns are, if any, and put a plan in place that will make them feel comfortable about the transition, along with creating a timeline they will be happy with,” says Irene.

Before selling your home, Irene advises meeting with two or three real estate agents to find the right fit. “Speak to realtors who are local, who know the market, and who can give you the information you need to make your decision,” she says. “Pick someone you have a comfort level with, but who also knows what they are doing and will keep your best interests in mind.”

Irene’s team includes three full-time administrators who can work with Tapestry’s move-

in advisor to make sure your transition to retirement living goes smoothly. “We help move our clients through each stage of selling their home – from prepping the house, to getting it on the market, to what happens after the sale,” Irene says.

At Tapestry, we want all of our residents to have a smooth move-in experience and to feel at home, which is why our move-in advisors are here to help. They can assist you with downsizing, floorplans and coordination of your move. Once you have moved in, maintenance is taken care of, as is weekly housekeeping, and our restaurant and pub are downstairs if you don’t feel like cooking. Your time can be spent doing the things you want to do, instead of doing home maintenance.

If you are considering making the move to independent retirement living, please contact us. We would be pleased to host you for lunch and a tour. Be sure to ask our Sales Advisors about our Spring promotion valued up to $5,000 when signing a lease prior to May 31, 2023.