The builder’s reps aren’t going to tell you what’s being built next door… and good luck if your agent is coming from out of town… so protect yourself.

Besides that, we’ve got a list of 19 homes today, including one on one of my favourite streets in Milton, and a gorgeous townhouse we’re selling on Raftis.  Totally upgraded, really quiet street and the Energy Star certification means lower bills.  Check out the full information here.  Finally don’t forget about this weekend’s Buyer Class on Saturday at 10 AM… sign up on the right side of the site.

Plus, I’ll give my formula to get over $800,000 in today’s market, and I’ll share a valuable tool to help you compare a home with condo fees to a home without condo fees.  It’s all about the cash flow!

And if you want to learn how to buy homes with zero down, how to get up to $10,000 or more of free government money to buy your first house, what to look for at a home inspection, and how to guarantee your agent is protecting your interests instead of their own… you don’t want to miss the Milton Buyer Class on Saturday.  Sign up here or by using the link on the right side >>>

Plus we discuss the pros and cons of having tasteful (yet bold) paint colours, and one of today’s properties seems to think that three shots of the pool and no inside shots is enough to sell their home.

It’s a big list with more than 30 properties, so buckle your seatbelt… this one may take a little while.

The best part?  It probably only costs about fifty cents.

For more fantastic tips and tricks about how to get your home ready, here’s a link to get a copy of our book, “How To Sell Your Home For Top Dollar Fast” — you’ll love it.

Plus, we’ll showcase the awesome new listing at 385 Commercial Street, we see our first ever “metallic” California shutters, and I’ll show you why putting an off-season photo in your listing can hurt your marketing.  Enjoy today’s list of 15 homes!

Plus, we’ve got the lowest priced 2-storey townhouse (freehold) available in town, and there’s a 2600 square foot home for less than $550k.

Finally, check out this link to see our newest listing at 385 Commercial Street.  I haven’t even written the description yet (the photos just came in), but it backs onto 16-Mile Creek, it’s got a renovated kitchen, 4-bedrooms, plus an addition with a basement suite (rented for $875/month) to help with the bills.  It’s such a unique and awesome house, and it’s listed for $594,900.  You have a 24-hour head start on all the other buyers!

Some home sellers believe market value is a rock solid number, and sometimes it is.  But more often than not, we see worse homes selling for more money, and good homes selling for less, and it’s up to us to help figure out a strategy to get the best price for the client.  I’ve spent hours going over research to try to give clients a tiny edge, or to formulate an argument as to why a home is worth what we’re asking.  It’s an art, and like most things in life, a little bit more effort can mean huge financial benefit to a seller.

Either way, it will be an interesting one to watch, because it’s either going to solidify a new benchmark with a sale over asking, or it will return the numbers back to a more conservative range.  I’ll be keeping a close eye on it.  A few good double garage homes in today’s list, and the triplets on Farmstead don’t do anything for me.  And if you need seven or more bedrooms for less than $700k, check out Dolby.  Enjoy!

Anyway, some decent stuff today.  I’ll give a nod to Prosser for the Pick of the Day, and if you want one of Milton’s most desirable streets (at least in my eyes), head over to Given Lane.  But overall, if you feel like playing outside instead, you aren’t missing too much.  And the weather is SO nice.  Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you again on Monday!

When things go back to a more normal pace, busy streets and bad locations will become more of an issue, agents who take photos with their Blackberry will be in big trouble, and the cream will rise to the top.

Anyway, wait for the photos on Baylis, it looks pretty amazing!  And the Chuck Pick of the Day is our listing on Bowring, a wonderful semi-detached with a finished basement on a super quiet street.

It also happens to have one of the funniest spelling errors of the year (shout outs to Jessica Boyes for spotting it first!).

Also, the listing on Dymott is almost too aggressively priced.  If they don’t get multiple offers, then they might be leaving money on the table.  Hard to say without seeing it in person, but it seems like a steal.

Here’s your test to get Top Dollar… “Would you expect to see ______ in a model home?”  If the answer is no (which it would be with laminate), then that’s a little clue to help with your decision… especially if you’re over the $500k mark.

Anyways, watch as I burn another bridge with the front/back homes, and then keep checking the link below for the photos on Victoria.  If it’s as good as it sounds, this might be one of the best listings of 2012 so far.