OTHER COLUMNISTS

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Buyer habits are changing

by Shawn Lackie I was sitting with some close friends, the other night, and we got to talking about needs in a home purchase. Now, I have always believed there is a vast difference between a need and a want. Most times buyers confuse those two, so called, priorities. A need is something you absolutely MUST have, based on necessity: number of bedrooms; good sized living area; large or small lot, depending on your needs; access to schools and transportation; and hospitals, if y

Ethics in real estate

by Shawn Lackie I know the title sounds like a bit of a joke, to many, but there ARE realtors out there who care, and they carry themselves and their business with honesty and integrity; really. However, too often we hear about the “bad apples,” and there are more than a few of those. Recently, a brokerage was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Their trust account was audited and there was a $10 million dollar shortfall. The case is still under investigation but may

Tell your Numbers To Shut Up

by Shawn Lackie The title of this week’s piece comes from a classic baseball book, written in 1970, by then Seattle Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton. It is a CLASSIC. If you have never read it, do yourself a favour and set aside some time to do so. What he was saying was loosely based on a line from a Peanuts comic strip which said, “Tell your statistics to shut up.” At any rate, it was credited to his manager, at the time, Joe Schultz. Now, there was a character. What this is all l

Movement for Life: Fear of Falling

by Lauren Walker Since Autumn is upon us, I thought it pertinent to talk about Fall. The leaves are falling and it got me thinking about Fall prevention! My clients have a varying range of mobility issues and a very realistic concern is falling. Fear of Falling Life is unpredictable, so its important to mention, I cannot necessarily prevent people from falling. Sometimes it just happens! Even those who do not have mobility issues can find themselves in these moments. The good

Why does society have difficulty seeing and appreciating the qualities possessed by seniors?

by Tina Y. Gerber - McCurley It's certainly been a challenging year for us. We both look forward to a fresh start with hope and anticipation. As believers, we focus our eyes on Jesus and his wonderful ways of coming through. Many see an older person as broken, as if somehow, they need to be fixed. I will admit, our bodies do change and so they suffer. Their parts no longer work like they once did. Most seniors begin to seem to disappear into the background, and this is a grow

When Agents aren’t doing their job properly

by Shawn Lackie I was perusing the listings, the other day, and came across something I have seen far too often in the last 20 years. An agent not doing their job properly and clients dictating what they feel the market should be doing. That, folks, is a recipe for disaster, no matter how you cut it. A good agent, or at least a semi-competent one, will do their homework, prior to going to a listing appointment. Armed with pages of data which are recent, the agent can pretty m