![[OPEN HOUSE] 11 Malkin Ave, Fort Erie — Sat, Aug 24 @ 2 PM](https://buywithbrent.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FB-Events-1024x536.png)
I’ve got a great new listing here in Fort Erie and I’d love to show it to you this Saturday, August 24, 2019, between 2 and 4 PM.
Charity Car Wash in Support of Big Brothers Big Sisters
Today, Holly Johnston and I (and our awesome team of volunteers) raised $208.25 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Niagara by hosting a charity car wash in the RE/MAX Niagara parking lot.
Fort Erie Free Ice Cream Giveaway
This week, between appointments, I gave away 48 Popsicles and 48 ice cream sandwiches at various locations around Fort Erie.
Are realtors in Ontario a bunch of greedy pigs?
Earlier this week, I met with a potential seller client to discuss listing his home for sale.
We had a conversation about commission and it went a little something like this:
Seller: What’s your fee?
Me: Six percent, if I thought your home would be difficult to sell. But, since I’m pretty confident I can sell your home relatively fast, I’ll only take five percent.
Seller: Five? (taps his fingers on the kitchen table, thinking) So, if you sell my house for $400,000, you get $20,000?
Me: I don’t get to keep all of it, but you’ve got the right idea.
Seller: That seems a bit…steep. Can you do any better, Brent?
Any better? Part of me wanted to reply with, “Better? Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what selling your home involves?”
But, of course, I was polite. I simply grabbed a pen and paper and began to break down for him exactly what a typical real estate transaction (in my market) looks like.Continue Reading
5 Things to Look for When Viewing an Older Home
It almost goes without saying that, when viewing a property of any age or condition, a home inspection is an excellent idea.
This will help to uncover latent defects — the type of defects that may not be obvious based on a cursory glance, especially to an untrained eye.
The cost of having a home inspection done — often between $300 and $500 — pales in comparison to the cost of repairing a cracked, sinking foundation, or gutting the house to replace old knob and tube wiring.
For the purposes of this post, however, I want to address what are referred to as patent defects. In other words, defects anyone could see with an untrained eye, but might not.
A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.
—James N. Watkins
Entrepreneurs are the only people who will work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week.
—Lori Greiner
Fort Erie SPCA Fundraiser BBQ
Today, my wife and I (and two awesome volunteers) raised $560.55 for the Fort Erie SPCA by hosting a fundraiser BBQ in the RE/MAX Niagara parking lot.
The Top Restaurants & Bars in Fort Erie, Ontario
When you’re new in town, it usually doesn’t take long to start picking favorites. And by favorites, of course, I’m referring to where to grab breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even a few drinks in between.
Since moving to town in 2014, my wife and I have tried eating (and drinking) just about everywhere we can. In part, because we love to support local businesses, but mostly because we really like to eat (and drink).
If you happen to enjoy a particular restaurant or bar and it doesn’t appear on this list, it might be because I either…
- haven’t been there enough to form an opinion, or
- I’ve been there and didn’t have a great experience.
In all likelihood, however, I simply forgot to include it. What can I say? For a small town, Fort Erie has a lot of options to choose from.
Here are my top picks (in no particular order).
Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
—Publilius Syrus