The Cape Breton SPCA is launching a new campaign called Realtors to the Rescue, where local real estate agents commit a portion of their commission from each transaction to the Sydney-based shelter.
“Realtor to the Rescue is an initiative that allows local real estate agents to incorporate giving back to the SPCA into their work,” said Ryan Toomey, a development officer for the Cape Breton SPCA. The money will go toward improving both the shelter and the lives of the roughly 1,600 animals that it helps each year.
“It’s an initiative that’s happened in multiple places with multiple different humane societies and SPCAs,” said Toomey.
Ryan Toomey, development officer with the Cape Breton SPCA, holds Ice Cream the cat, who will be available for adoption soon. JESSICA SMITH/CAPE BRETON POST
They decided to do something similar on the island, then spoke with Leanne Martheleur, owner and broker at Coldwell Banker Boardwalk Realty on Charlotte Street in Sydney.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Cape Breton SPCA,” said Martheleur. “It has always been my belief that everyone, including animals, deserve to feel safe and at home.”
Toomey said that as of Thursday morning, they have seven agents signed on to take part in the initiative.
“That’s a big number. We haven’t seen that number anywhere else in the province with similar programs.”
Hannah the cat eats her breakfast at the Cape Breton SPCA. JESSICA SMITH • CAPE BRETON POST
Realtors to the Rescue will go on for as long as the agents signed on wish to participate, said Toomey.
Initiatives like this one are especially important now because the pandemic has impacted the shelter’s fundraising efforts. Animals frequently arrive at the SPCA after experiencing abuse and neglect and need plenty of one-on-one support or emergency medical care, which can be costly.
“The monetary funds that we’ll receive (from Realtors to the Rescue) will help us be flexible to take on these situations as they come to us, so that everyone gets help.”
Jeanine Bungay, animal care supervisor at the Cape Breton SPCA, said the shelter’s goal is to set all animals up for success so they can find their forever home.
Jeanine Bungay, animal care supervisor at Cape Breton SPCA, holds Ice Cream the cat. JESSICA SMITH • CAPE BRETON POST
Real estate agent Courtney Helps said she’s excited to be a part of the campaign.
“As an animal lover, and someone who owns a dog myself, I think this is a great opportunity to give back to my community and help contribute to all the wonderful work that the Cape Breton SPCA does.”
Helps said this is something clients can feel good about as well.
“When they use a real estate agent that is participating in the Realtors to the Rescue campaign, they are indirectly contributing to the SPCA as well. I am excited to see how far we can take this campaign.”
GusGus the cat poses for a photo at the Cape Breton SPCA in Sydney. JESSICA SMITH • CAPE BRETON POST
Toomey said those who want to learn more or find one of the realtors involved can check out the shelter’s Facebook page.
Jessica Smith is a reporter with the Cape Breton Post.
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.
