In the News

  • Real Estate Magazine - Dec. 3, 2021

    New Leadership: 2022 Durham Region Association of Realtors

    New additions to the DRAR board include Trevor Johnston, sales representative, Right At Home Realty Inc., Brokerage.

    Trevor is the newly elected Director-at-Large and hails from our Port Perry office - congratulations Trevor!

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  • Financial Post - Nov. 23, 2021

    The Liberal election promise that will increase Canadian home prices

    “Raising the max insured amount is just going to bring a few more potential first time buyers into the market, but isn’t necessarily going to have any impact on the struggles buyers are having,” says John Lusink, president of Right at Home Realty.

    What could improve affordability? Both Lusink and Fleming feel that the solution to Canada’s housing crunch must begin with the rapid building of new supply.

    “Remove red tape and improve the timeframes to bring new homes to market,” Lusink says. “The average timeline for new construction has more than doubled in the last two decades from an average of nine months to 21 months.”

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  • Storeys - Oct. 19, 2021

    Toronto’s Most Famous Laneway House Hits the Market with Full-Size Asking Price

    Toronto’s most celebrated laneway house has hit the market for the first time since its initial sale in 2005. Famously designed by Kohn Shnier Architects, the modern and compact three-bedroom, three-bathroom ‘Laneway House’ at 54 Croft Street sits on a quiet lane where the Annex meets Little Italy.

    Type: Single-family home
    Size: 1300 square feet
    Price: $3,250,000
    Taxes: $9,495 /yr
    Listing Brokerage: Right At Home Realty Inc., Brokerage

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  • The Globe and Mail - Oct. 6, 2021

    Outsized laneway home in Little Italy scoops record sale price

    24 Treford Place, Toronto
    Asking price: $4,985,000 (August, 2021)
    Selling price: $4,985,000 (August, 2021)
    Taxes: $14,316 (2021)
    Days on the market: 12
    Listing agent: Paul Johnston, Right at Home Realty

    This multi-use, laneway property on a 70-foot-by-103-foot lot appealed to creative professionals needing a work/live space. There were two offers and the sellers took the one that matched their $4.985-million asking price.
    “There’s an enormous amount of demand for lane house properties, and for a property of this size and significance,” agent Paul Johnston said.
    “A typical freehold home in that neighbourhood will range from roughly $1.2-million to about $2.6-million. This was the most expensive single-family freehold property to sell, so it’s a record breaker in the entire district.”

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  • MoneyWise via Financial Post - Sep. 9, 2021

    What does today’s Bank of Canada decision mean for consumers?

    John Lusink, president and broker of record at Right at Home Realty, doesn’t expect mortgage rates to be higher until “mid-to-late 2022.” With so many Canadians squeezing into mortgages in the last 18 months, a rapid rate rise could be catastrophic for those with little room in their budgets for higher housing costs.

    “Given the importance of the housing industry to the economy as a whole, I don’t foresee any dramatic changes in interest rate policy happening until the new year,” Lusink says.

    “I would stress that low-interest rates are truly only available for those borrowers who have good down payments, secure, stable and preferably long-term employment, and an excellent overall credit score,” Lusink says. If that describes you, Lusink says not to give up on your home search.

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  • Canadian Real Estate Wealth Magazine - Sep. 9, 2021

    Are cash offers for your home risky?

    Homeowners should beware of buyers soliciting them with cash offers, says John Lusink, President & Broker of Record at Right at Home Realty.

    “Unfortunately, it’s one of those things where there’s nothing stopping an unlicensed individual from approaching anybody to buy their house, and unfortunately some of these things are quite predatory,” said John Lusink

    “It’s problematic for all-too-trusting homeowners or people in bad situations who need to sell, because they can get taken advantage of. If a realtor does this, there’s a resource—you could go to the regulator and file a complaint.”

    Completing the transaction without the guidance of a realtor could leave the homeowner vulnerable, says Lusink.

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