From a Woman's Perspective: February 24th, 2024

“Show me the Money!”

Hard to believe, Marilyn, that it was more than 25 years ago that Tom Cruise’s character, Jerry Maguire, famously screamed, “Show me the money!” in the movie that bore his name. 

Today, Marilyn, I want to make an unusual offer to your listeners. I am going to show them the money, the money that they are sitting on, or rather, sitting in,  that is tied up in the real estate they own. So many of my downsizing clients are genuinely shocked at housing values right now. In the GTA, the average property was worth over a million dollars in January of 2024!  There are a lot of your listeners, Marilyn, who are millionaires and might not even realise it. Imagine Ed McMahon coming to your door with a giant cheque from the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. Okay, not really, but it is a fun mental picture.

Why is knowing the value of your home important? The first reason is that it allows you to know what your options are for funding your future health and wellness care. As we age, our costs just to maintain the same lifestyle can increase. Knowing what assets we can draw upon gives peace of mind. 

The second reason to know your home’s value is to supplement your retirement income. I’m not an investment expert, but I do know that all that money tied up in bricks and mortar does nothing for your income unless you access it by selling the property. Then you can work with a financial advisor to invest the proceeds to create income that will carry you through retirement.

The final reason to know your home’s value is to plan for your legacy. Once you’re confident that your lifestyle needs have been taken care of, it’s a natural step to be thinking about what will be left for family and loved ones. It’s just prudent estate planning to have a fuller understanding of your net worth. For most people, real estate is their biggest investment. 

So back to my offer to show the money. As a Realtor with the Toronto Region Real Estate Board, I have access to statistics on past sales, current listings, and forecasted trends. With just a bit of background information, things like whether the basement is finished, or if there’s been big renovations done recently, we can email a report estimating the real-time value of a listener’s home. It’s easy, convenient, and best of all completely free of charge or obligation. 

Simply reach out to me, Sharon Parenteau, of SMART Realty Solutions, to get started. 416-460-5636 or at www.smartrealtysolution.com 

Here’s a second offer I’d like to extend, Marilyn. Perhaps your listeners aren’t quite ready for a home evaluation of their property, but they do want to watch what’s going on in their neighbourhood. We can set them up to automatically receive notice when houses are listed for sale. They’ll see the list price and access interior photos to be able to compare with their own properties. We like to call this the “nosey neighbour report.” There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying in the know! As a matter of fact, I recommend it. 

So whether it’s a property evaluation report or our nosey neighbours report, there is only one name you need to remember, SMART Realty Solutions. I am Sharon Parenteau, and I look forward to hearing from you soon. 416-460-5636. Thank you, Marilyn.

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