by Shawn Lackie The Bank of Canada has resisted raising interest rates, over a number of announcements, in the last year or so, with good reason. I am not an expert on exactly how this impacts buyers, but I know someone who does. Brad Vokins, from Dominion Lending Centres, has been in the business for over 20 years and has accumulated a wealth of knowledge along the way. I have always deferred to the experts in this business, so I’m not going to stop now. Especially with a to

by Shawn Lackie In the late 60s/early 70s, a group of deep-thinking hockey minds got together and decided it was time for Port Perry to have a Junior Hockey Club. The C designation fit best, given the size of the town and the fact that their opposition, for the most part, would be communities of a similar size. So off they went. In 1971, the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey circuit was formed with six teams taking part. After Port Perry was granted admission to this group, the

by Shawn Lackie WOW!!! That went fast. Did 55 years just slip by without me knowing it? I had a call, asking if I would be part of the celebration of 50 years for the Scugog Arena and another tip of the hat to the first Junior “C” hockey club in Port Perry. It was 55 years for that one. Some great events were planned, for the weekend of September 19th and 20th, featuring the renowned Port Perry Flamingos. Named after one of the most amazing success stories in local business h

by Shawn Lackie You know the saying, yes? “The more they stay the same.” In 1988, I decided I needed a change from the Toronto rat race, especially in the television field. I was running Communications for CBC Sports and really wasn’t looking forward to spending 6 weeks in Korea, for the Olympic Games. So I packed it in and came back to Port, to hook up with my Father-In-Law in his business. That was around the time the economy was doing a bit of a dive (tank?), so it was fr

by Shawn Lackie Many years ago, when we first started our home-owning journey, we looked in a number of areas in Toronto. For us at the time, the main criterion was: could we afford this? Even if it meant living in what would now be called a scuzzy neighbourhood (is scuzzy even a word?). At any rate, we looked everywhere and settled on a place we could afford. That was the main thing. We could afford to buy the place, and that was all that mattered. Well, it seems that’s not

By Shawn Lackie Lately, I have been seeing more and more of AI (Artificial Intelligence) articles being posted. Note, I didn’t say written, as these travesties are far from written pieces of work. They are computer-driven cliched pieces of junk, with absolutely no soul and definitely no feel for the topic being discussed. Here’s a sample: “Allowing Canadians to reflect on the diverse and vibrant nation they call home. With its stunning array of four seasons and rich cultural.

by Shawn Lackie If you have been in this business, for any length of time as an agent, you probably get asked, “When is a good time to buy a number of times?” The answer? Who knows. Especially in the last three plus years. This whole market is like playing with stocks. The old adage used to be, 'Buy Low and Sell High' and to a certain extent that still carries some weight. The trick is in figuring out the timing. 2016- 2019 put an entirely different spin on things. When the p

by Shawn Lackie Every time I driver by the unfinished mess known as Kings Landing, it evokes memories of a certain movie that references Real Estate. That, in turn, led me to think about other films that have something to do with buying and selling properties. First things first. Glengarry Glen Ross features a soliloquy by Alec Baldwin which is really one for the ages. The film features an All-Star cast, but Baldwin steals the show. I will spare the details, but it's pretty h

by Shawn Lackie Have you ever heard the saying, “Old Habits die hard?” It still resonates to this day. Except, some old habits are making a comeback, especially in the Real Estate (RE) world and for some, these “old Habits” have never left. Take Dan Maundrell, for example. Dan has been a veteran of the RE wars for almost 35 years, and to this day, he still carries out some of the traditions which were his calling card all those years ago. The operative word is Calling. Dan is

by Shawn Lackie For the last few years, we have heard non-stop about the need for affordable housing. And with good reason. Developers roll into town and put forward a development plan for the local zoning people to approve. Almost all of them include some form of affordable housing. They get approval and start their build. But a funny thing happens between the planning stage and the actual implementation. All of a sudden, those affordable townhouses disappear and up pops mor

by Shawn Lackie The 100 Men of Scugog staged the third meeting of 2026, in fine fashion, on a Wednesday night. Hey, more snow. The group met at the Port Perry Legion, on July 15th. The Legion, with a huge amount of help from Doug Babcock, has been an amazing partner in facilitating these meetings. The group is more than grateful for their ongoing help. Presentations were made by Big Brothers/Big Sisters North Durham, North House and The Lake Scugog Historical Society. It was

by Shawn Lackie We have been hearing ad-nauseum, recently, about “housing affordability.” Ok folks, I get it. Times are strange for sure. When we bought our first house in Toronto it was for less than a deposit adds up to these days, and that was for the whole house. We couldn’t afford to move back to Toronto these days. The gap between the haves and have-nots has become very wide indeed. Sure, people will tell you, salaries these days are far ahead of what was being paid out

by Shawn Lackie Real Estate is a funny business. Funny ha ha and funny not so ha ha. Just ask anyone who has been at it for any length of time. As a full-time business, not some side hustle, all too prevalent these days. When things die off, like they have the last few years, it’s interesting watching all the wanabees scramble out of the madness. Speaking of madness, a lot of a sales persons reputation depends on their innate ability to satisfy a buyer (or seller’s) expectati

By Shawn Lackie Imagine, for a second, going into a fast food place and ordering a cheeseburger. You pay for it and they deliver it to you wrapped up. However, when you open the wrapper, there it sits, just the burger and whatever toppings you ordered. No bun. Nada. That’s kind of like what the condo market morphed into the last 20 years or so. It’s no wonder that market is in free-fall right now, and justifiably so. For years, the deck was stacked in favour of the condo deve

By Shawn Lackie That’s a question which seems pretty easy on the surface. However, once you start peeling back the layers like an onion, it might not be so straight forward. Most people start out in a simple way, renting an apartment or room, in the early stages of career advancement. There will be all sorts of exceptions to the rule, especially for those who are privileged to start out with more. I’m just talking in general terms here. I think many people never take the time

by Shawn Lackie This article could also be titled: Buyer quirks and quarks. Remember the old adage, if it’s too good to be true it probably is? That pretty much sums up some of the potential clients you meet in the wonderful wacky world of real estate. If they run in the door waving a check-book saying, “We’re buying a house today,” chances are you’ll never see them again. Any realtors reading this will be smiling and thinking, 'Ya pretty much.' That’s the nature of this busi

by Shawn Lackie There was a recent announcement which will have a lasting impact on the Real Estate trade, for many years to come. Real and Re/Max merged, in an $888 million deal. This has deep ramifications on a number of fronts. Real has only been around for 12 years, while Re/Max has been a major player in the trade for 50 years. Expect some other mergers to follow and maybe even some to eventually fold. Why, you might ask? A number of answers could be put forth, but the m

By Shawn Lackie If you looked up the term Market Correction in a reference book or online, you would see: “A market correction is a short-to-medium-term decline of 10 to 20 percent in a major stock index or individual stock from its most recent peak. These are considered normal, healthy market events that reduce overinflated prices and bring valuations back in line with economic fundamentals, usually lasting weeks or months.” Here are some key factors influencing market corre

by Shawn Lackie It’s a good time to dispel a few Real Estate myths. One of the largest and most oft quoted is, Open Houses only account for 2 per cent of all houses sold. Many agents pooh pooh the idea of even holding them, claiming they “Never do anything to sell the property.” Wow, there’s a real open minded ideology. I have lived by a handful of credos over the years, one of which is, to never pre-judge a situation. Expect the unexpected. That most definitely includes host

by Shawn Lackie Time to take a trip back in time. You know the saying, “What goes around comes around?” Well how about a return to old time advertising and the benefits which come with it? Since 1996 we have been taken over by, what was then referred to as, this new thing called, the Internet. Many said it was just a trend and wouldn’t last. Really? Here we are 30 years later looking at the newest trend called AI. Many are saying that won’t last either. I guess what I am tryi