Close to 87% of Realtors with the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) sell 6 properties or less a year and close to 57% sell one home or no home at all. If you work with an agent who doesn’t have experience with a wide array/amount of transactions and/or hasn’t been in the business for very long they have a much higher chance of not identifying red flags before they arise because they lack the knowledge they need. This will be extremely frustrating and cost you valuable time and money. At The Christine Cowern Team we have 52 years of combined experience, have helped hundreds of Buyers & Sellers and sell 10 times more properties than the majority of TREB agents.

Agents who are in the business part-time and/or are juggling other professions while trying to keep up to date with the ever-changing real estate and mortgage market markets will not be able to give you the expertise or time that you and your home sale/purchase deserve. At The Christine Cowern Team we are all full-time agents, actively working in the market 7 days a week. This is all that we do, everyday.

Having a specialist in the area and property type that you want to buy or sell in is crucial. What properties in the area are selling for, close by amenities and schools, zoning restrictions, transportation, etc. is going to be completely different in one area of the city versus another. If you don’t work with a specialist in your property type and area you risk mistakes being made and details being overlooked. The Christine Cowern Team is made up of a team of specialists. Based on the property type and areas that you’re buying or selling in you’ll be matched with the specialist that is the best fit for you and your needs.

One of the major misconceptions that Buyers have is that they’ll have an advantage if they work directly with the listing agent. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The listing agent’s goal isn’t to make sure you buy the right property, it’s to make sure you buy their property which is a major conflict of interest as they are legally representing the best interest of the seller not you. The result? You get the short end of the stick. When you work with us we’ll work hard until we find you the right property and 100% of our legal fiduciary duty is to you and your best interest.

Many agents get frustrated when you don’t list or buy a home quickly which can lead to you feeling pressured to move before you’re ready. At The Christine Cowern Team, we have a friendly, no pressure approach. You set the pace. We take the time you need to be 100% comfortable with your decision and will give you the same high level of service regardless of your budget. Your move is a big deal. When you work with an agent that honours this importance you can take the time you need to make the best decision for you.

Many agents will claim that they have sold a high number of homes or are the top in their market but they don’t/won’t provide the data to back up their claims. All of our team’s sales data is pulled from an independent real estate statistics company and comes directly from the Toronto Real Estate Board. You know that our sales statistics are real.

One of the most important skills that an agent should possess is the ability to negotiate successfully. Whether it involves the sale of an investment property or the purchase of a home for you to live in, a successful negotiation can mean the difference between overpaying for your new home or saving money, selling your home for top dollar or leaving money on the table. Not only do all of the agents at The Christine Cowern Team have a proven history of dozens of successful negotiations but we also apply one of the most time-tested negotiation techniques, known as BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). By asking the right questions and having a solid understanding of each parties BATNA we’re in a much stronger position to negotiate successfully for you.

Unless you were referred to your agent by someone that you really trust, you won’t have access to speaking with their past clients before hiring them. At The Christine Cowern Team, not only have our past clients posted reviews of our services online, but if you’d prefer to speak with someone in person we’ll happily provide you with references from some of our past clients so that you can hear about their experiences working with us directly from them.

With every property purchase or sale there are dozens of potential red flags that could be costly and frustrating for you if your agent isn’t aware of them and/ or doesn’t communicate them with you before you go onto the market. At The Christine Cowern Team, we don’t want you to have any nasty surprises. Because of our long-term experience and the number of properties that we’ve sold we have the knowledge we need to identify potential red flags (like termites, knob and tube, galvanized/Kitec plumbing, special assessments, zoning restrictions, etc) in advance so that we can mitigate any concerns before buying or selling.

Many agents take on too many clients at once which can lead to frustration as their service level inevitably drops because they’ve overextended themselves and can’t keep up with the countless tasks that they need to complete for every client. When you hire us you’ll be working with a specialist who has a maximum number of active clients so that you’ll never feel like a lower priority and they can give you all of their time and energy.

For a busy individual agent, it’s impossible not to drop the ball on the dozens of tasks that have to be performed for every client and transaction. We have a full-time administrative assistant on staff so that you will get more of our attention. Because we don’t have to spend time on administrative details and paperwork and will have the comfort of knowing that there’s a much lower chance that details will be missed.

If you don’t have access to the most highly skilled real estate & home professionals you increase your risk that a critical detail will be overlooked or the ball will be dropped in what could be a costly mistake for you. At The Christine Cowern Team we have a database of the most highly skilled mortgage brokers, real estate lawyers, home inspectors, and tradespeople in the business. This list is constantly vetted and the professionals are all hand picked by us so you never have to worry that you’ve chosen a weak resource who will cost you time, money and frustration.

Many agents are transactionally based, going from one deal to another without really caring about their clients or offering any post closing services, resources or the added value of an ongoing relationship. At The Christine Cowern Team, we pride ourselves in staying connected with you even after your sale and will continue to give you valuable information, resources and offer ongoing appreciation (through client appreciation events & more) for your past business.

The #1 complaint people have about their agents is lack of communication. That’s why we’re such sticklers for constant communication and availability. We’ll typically get back to you right away but definitely within the hour if we’re in a meeting. We’ll also communicate the way that you prefer. Not a big fan of talking on the phone but love texting? Then we’ll text away!

Many people who have worked with average or below average Realtors in the past feel that they’ve been locked into real estate contracts with them even though they end up being unhappy with their services. And they’re given the impression that they can’t cancel their contract, which is untrue. When you work with us you’re protected. If you aren’t happy with our services you can cancel your representation agreement with us at any time with no penalties and we’ll put that in writing. Your satisfaction is our #1 priority!

If it’s a seller’s market than the majority of homes in Toronto and the GTA will sell in multiple offers. If you aren’t given the right advice and direction you will lose out over and over again, being able to afford less and less house as the months go by. At The Christine Cowern Team we work in multiple offers 80-90% of the time and know what you need to do to ensure success.

In a market with homes selling at lightning speed, relying on a single agent’s availability to show you homes means you could miss out on the perfect property. At The Christine Cowern Team we have a team of agents so if your specialist isn’t available one of our other highly skilled agents will be. We’re set up to make sure that you never miss out on seeing a property before it sells.

Some homes need to be viewed in person to assess whether they’re the right fit for you. At The Christine Cowern Team one of the duties of your specialist is to preview properties in person for you upon request – this will save you hours of time not having to view homes that don’t meet your needs.

Because homes that are listed on the public market can sell quickly it can be a frustrating market for today’s Buyers. We will door knock and cold call your areas/building/streets of interest. By accessing off market properties for you we will eliminate the need for you to compete which will significantly increase your chance of a successful purchase and could save you from overpaying.

There are two types of property listing systems, the old Property Match system and the new Collab system. The majority of agents are still sending their clients listings through the old Property Match system which sends you listings the day after they are loaded into the system. This gives you a major time disadvantage because the most desirable homes are often selling within the first 1-2 days of hitting the market. At The Christine Cowern Team we have all of our clients set up on Collab which sends you listings the moment they are loaded, giving you a time advantage. With Collab you can also create your own search, favourite properties and add notes to properties which will help your specialist be able to hone in on your preferences, making your search more efficient.

If the current market is a seller’s market than the list and sold prices can be dramatically skewed which means if you’re only seeing the list price of properties through Realtor.ca, for example, you’ll have misleading information about market values and will possibly have unrealistic expectations about what your money can buy you and where. When you work with us we’ll send you weekly sale price information for the types of properties and areas that you’re interested in which will be crucial in navigating this market and successful purchasing a home.