“At age 42, I feel like I am just getting started!” says Michelle Raymond of being honoured with a recent RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award.
Michelle is a heart-centred realtor with a strong work ethic and incredible track record in her Real Estate dealings. Born and raised in Vancouver, she comes from a family of Realtors and specializes in both Vancouver and the North Shore.
“Buying a home is a special experience,” says Michelle. “It’s likely to be one of the largest purchases you will make, but it also extends far beyond that; it is where you live, where you raise your family, where you entertain and truly it is an extension of yourself.”
Michelle goes on to say that her primary role is to ensure that her clients not only find a wonderful place to call home, but also one that is a sound investment. “I dive pretty deep with my clients in our first consultation to talk about their dreams, visions and goals, and then together, we create a pretty awesome roadmap to get us there.”
She feels blessed to have had incredible mentors in Real Estate and among them her family members.
“It is an absolute gift to work closely with my Mom, Pamela Hooper, who I mastermind with on the daily. This family feeling extends to my clients and they know they will be treated as such.”
“My Dad, Mark Raymond, now retired, was a luxury Condo specialist downtown. He taught me both strength and integrity in negotiating. Both him and my mom have been wonderful role models to me over the years.”
Michelle’s brother Brent has also joined the family legacy as a licensed Realtor.
Michelle is committed to upholding a sense of a family-run business with a warm and approachable feeling that extends onto her clients.
“What is important to me is that I deliver an elegant Real Estate experience that brings forth results in a smooth and seamless way and one that is aligned with the client’s intentions and vision,” continues Michelle. “That is what gives me the goosebumps.”
Michelle understands that conscientious research goes a long way to help her clients feel safe and confident in their decision making. “Everything sells in a good market” says Michelle, ‘“the key to buying right is to ensure that the home you purchase has the fundamental components that make it salable in any market; that way your future success is not dependent on what the market is doing.”
Clearly her business style works for her loyal clients, who appreciate the two rules she lives by. “Number 1 – I would never let a client purchase a home I would not buy myself. Number 2 – It does not matter when a client buys, so long as they buy right. And I am here to ensure they do just that!”
So far, this patient and protective caring approach has worked wonders for the Realtor and her clients.
“When a client is looking to sell, before I even set foot into the home, I have a tradition of sending a special gift to them. For me it’s an opportunity to genuinely thank the clients for welcoming me into their home; it also represents the comfort and peace of mind I intend for them to feel and experience throughout the process,” she says.
Michelle is deeply appreciative of every relationship she has built over the years. She has sat on the RE/MAX of Western Canada advertising committee, was past President of a high end, Business Networking International group in Vancouver, and has championed many successful charity events. Michelle was inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and is often found in the top 100 list of RE/MAX Realtors across Canada.
Compassionate, heart-centred, with over 20 years experience makes this a winning combination for both Michelle and her clients!
TORONTO – One expert predicts Ottawa‘s changes to mortgage rules will help spur demand among potential homebuyers but says policies aimed at driving new supply are needed to address the “core issues” facing the market.
The federal government’s changes, set to come into force mid-December, include a higher price cap for insured mortgages to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.
The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.
CIBC Capital Markets deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal calls it a “significant” move likely to accelerate the recovery of the housing market, a process already underway as interest rates have begun to fall.
However, he says in a note that policymakers should aim to “prevent that from becoming too much of a good thing” through policies geared toward the supply side.
Tal says the main issue is the lack of supply available to respond to Canada’s rapidly increasing population, particularly in major cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17,2024.
OTTAWA – The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down.
The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year.
On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July.
CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.”
The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.
The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Two Quebec real estate brokers are facing fines and years-long suspensions for submitting bogus offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christine Girouard has been suspended for 14 years and her business partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, has been suspended for nine years after Quebec’s authority of real estate brokerage found they used fake bids to get buyers to raise their offers.
Girouard is a well-known broker who previously starred on a Quebec reality show that follows top real estate agents in the province.
She is facing a fine of $50,000, while Dauphinais-Fortin has been fined $10,000.
The two brokers were suspended in May 2023 after La Presse published an article about their practices.
One buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than his initial offer in 2022 after Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin concocted a second bid on the house he wanted to buy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
