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Archive for July, 2010

Get the best price for your home during a slowdown

Friday, July 30th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

Canada’s residential real estate market will start to slow in the second half of 2010 after two quarters of strong price increases and sales activity, according to the most recent Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast. While sales activity was strong in the first half of the year, it is expected to cool off for the third and fourth quarters with prices flattening.

This is how Phil Soper, President and CEO of Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage, explains the situation: “We have seen an unusual pattern of activity in the housing market over the past 12 months, with the market experiencing a surge of activity and price increases that peaked in the fall of 2009 rather than spring. Early 2010 followed a more typical seasonal pattern with prices and activity peaking in the second quarter. An expected increase in the supply of homes on the market will now bring stabilization in prices and in some cities we will see both prices and unit sales decline towards the end of the year. This should not be interpreted as a severe correction but rather a natural reaction to the market having peaked quite early this year.”

The surge of activity in the first half of 2010 in Ontario was prompted by a number of factors, including an increase in interest rates in the spring, tightening of mortgage lending rules for first-time homebuyers and investors, and the lead up to the introduction of the HST. In June, residential resales in Oakville were down by 34 per cent compared with June 2009, but on a positive note for sellers, the average price showed a healthy increase of 19 per cent – $616,907 compared with $516,681 in 2009. And the luxury market continued to heat up recording 28 sales over $1 million, with six of those sales surpassing $2 million in June.

The Burlington area resale market reported a decrease of 15 percent from the same month last year, and a decrease of 6 percent from May of this year. The total unit sales for the first six months of 2010 are being reported at 18.7 percent higher than the same period last year, while new units listed are 20.7 percent higher than last year at this time, according to the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington. A slower market brings increased inventory levels and fewer bidding wars, which creates opportunities for buyers who may not have been able to find what they wanted in the spring.

The key, especially during a slow market, is to deal with a broker who has a proven track record and is a consistent top performer – someone who you are confident will be able to sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Innovative marketing initiatives and investment, knowledge about the marketplace, commitment and exemplary service differentiate the Dan Cooper Real Estate Team. The result is that we are achieving accomplishments that illustrate the Dan Cooper difference. We are the Number 1 team in Canada for Royal LePage, which is a testament to our ability to sell homes fast in the Oakville and Burlington areas. In fact, we have been the Number 1 team for seven of the past 10 years. This is an accomplishment that does not happen by accident, but rather by design. Our dedication and commitment to selling your home, along with superior marketing strategies, have time and time again helped our clients sell their homes quickly and for top dollar.

We were also named Best Real Estate Agent and Best Real Estate Team in North Oakville Today’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. The Readers’ Choice Awards are as grassroots as you can get, and being named Number 1 for both agent and team are proof that we are having a significant impact right here in our own community.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Best Real Estate Agent in North Oakville, Best Real Estate Team in North Oakville, Burlington, Burlington Real Estate, Finances, Oakville, Oakville Real Estate, Reader's Choice Awards, Real Estate, Real Estate Market, Statistics, Taxes | No Comments »

Raising more than $1 million in support of cancer research

Monday, July 26th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

Joe's Team Triathlon

Two weeks ago I wrote about my intention to participate in the Joe’s Team Triathlon to raise money for the head and neck translational research program at The Princess Margaret. On July 10th, I joined about 550 other participants to swim, bike and run at Lake Joseph, Muskoka and together we raised more than $1 million to support critical cancer research funded by The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

The background of this event is that in 2004, Joe Finley began a difficult fight with cancer, a battle that he is very much fighting today. Despite the physical and emotional toll of an extremely aggressive cancer treatment, Joe fulfilled a life-long objective in August 2006 – he completed his first triathlon. Crossing the finish line was just the beginning for Joe. Teamed up with The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Joe created “Joe’s Team,” an innovative cancer fundraising initiative that has in four short years raised well over $3 million.

Today, this physically challenging triathlon stands as the community event that is far surpassing the expectations of everyone involved, a claim that can only be made because of the generous support of sponsors, participants and donors. I want to thank all of you who made generous donations to this worthy cause through my website DanCooper.com. My team was able to raise several thousands of dollars thanks to your generosity.

I am passionate about giving back to organizations that have a major impact to the quality of life of people we know and love. While most of my philanthropy is geared towards Oakville and Burlington organizations, cancer is an insidious disease that touches all of us. We all have a family member, or relative or friend who has been stricken with this horrible illness. And so, I was proud to be a participant in a triathlon to raise money for one of the most prevalent diseases of our lifetime.

The Dan Cooper Team is dedicated to giving back to the community and we support numerous causes, from youth sports teams to major fundraising events such as the Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament held last month at Glen Abbey for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, Comic Vision, the most successful evening of stand-up comedy and fundraiser for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Oakville Hospital Foundation’s fundraising campaign for the New Oakville Hospital, and the Oakville Centre of the Performing Arts, just to name a few. Being able to do something that will change the lives of others for the better is the best gift of all. And so, I encourage everyone to get involved, give what you can to help make the Oakville and Burlington area a great place to live.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charity, Comic Vision, Joe's Team Fundraising Campaign, Oakville Hospital Foundation | No Comments »

Helping to make our community a greener place

Monday, July 19th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

Recycle Logo

Have you got a corner of the basement where you’ve piled all your old televisions and computer equipment? And every time you pass it, you say to yourself you have to cart it all away some day. On Saturday, you can do just that. You can finally haul all that outdated technology away, have some fun, some lunch and help a great cause. It’s the second annual Environmental Awareness Day sponsored by Tim Hortons and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, in association with Kerr Village BIA and Home Depot Children’s Workshop.

The day again is this Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 111 Cross Avenue, Oakville (Trafalgar Village). You will be able to browse through green exhibits by local vendors, enjoy great entertainment by DJ Central and the Toronto Argonauts cheerleaders, and a barbecue lunch courtesy of M&M Meat Shops. Proceeds are going to one of my favourite charities – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. BBBSH continues to have a long waiting list of children who are looking for a positive mentoring relationship in their lives. Most of us, if we look back at our own successes, have had someone to guide us, offer advice, support and encouragement. However, mentoring is more than just that. Mentoring is also about the power of friendship; especially children who need someone to laugh with, share a dream with or just to hang out with.
Few of us may be aware that there are hundreds of youth at-risk here in our own community. Often, our comfortable and insular lives shield us from some very hard truths in our back yard. This reality, however, is only too clear to the great people and volunteers at BBBSH.

Saturday’s Environmental Awareness Day touches on two areas that I have become passionate about – supporting great local causes, especially organizations that are providing programs for our youth, and the green movement. As a real estate broker, I have become more and more involved in eco-friendly building and I am proud to be the broker of record for Halton’s first GreenHouse certified home built in Bronte Village by Greenbilt Homes. It’s exciting to be associated with the latest evolution in building and to be part of this critical movement of creating homes that will reduce our carbon footprint.

Achieving the GreenHouse Construction certification is a remarkable accomplishment and you can see what makes the home special by taking a virtual tour on DanCooperTV.com. Simply click on the video titled Oakville’s First Green Home. While you are on my website, also check out some of the video we shot at the Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament held last month at Glen Abbey Golf Club in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. It was a lot of fun, featured some great celebrities and raised money for a very worthy cause.

Again, this Saturday at Trafalgar Village. Bring your outdated monitors, towers, laptops and televisions and help us make our planet a greener place … and have some fun and help a great cause at the same time.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bronte Villiage, Community, Environment, Environmental Awareness Day, Golf, Greenbilt Homes, Oakville, Sports | No Comments »

Readers’ Choice Platinum winner for best agent and best team

Friday, July 9th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

Thank you to everyone who voted to make The Dan Cooper Team of Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage the Platinum winner for Best Real Estate Agent and Best Real Estate Team in North Oakville Today’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Of all the awards my team and I have won over the years, the most gratifying are those that are the result of the recognition we receive from people in our own community. The Readers’ Choice Awards are as grassroots as you can get, and being named Number 1 for both agent and team are proof that we are having a significant impact right here in our own community. I believe this recognition has been achieved for two reasons – our business success and community giving.

We are very active in Oakville and Burlington and that has provided us with a very high profile. In fact, earlier this year we were proud to have earned the distinction of being the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. This is our seventh top finish in the past 10 years and is a testament to a lot of hard work and a high degree of success for our clients. What it means for our clients is that they are with one of the best real estate firms in the country. Our creative marketing strategies are accomplishing two things – they are selling homes quickly and for top dollar.

So, the recognition by the Readers’ Choice Awards is in a large part due to the hard work we put into selling your home. We have developed innovative and carefully selected methods of showcasing your home for optimum exposure. These methods involve selecting the prime advertising spots in a variety of publications and using the Internet more creatively than any other broker. For example, my DanCooper.com website is bringing properties to life through a video-based platform. I’m proud to be one of the first to tap into this exciting form of marketing to provide you with a competitive edge when selling your home.

In fact, by June we had achieved a significant real estate milestone – we surpassed 100 homes sold this year. Reaching this level of sales so quickly is the primary reason we are the Number 1 Team in Canada for Royal LePage. The Readers’ Choice Awards reinforces the exposure we are gaining for your properties which also puts The Dan Cooper Team of Royal LePage in the spotlight.

Achieving a high community profile, however, requires more than simply being recognized for our business visibility. Being community minded is critical in today’s world. We have an obligation to give back to the community in which we work and live and I’m proud of the sponsorships and support we are able to provide to community causes and organizations – both large and small. These include the Oakville Hospital Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Comic Vision for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts just to name a few. Building a strong community requires support from all of us.

Again, thank you to all who voted to recognize the role my team and I have been able to play to help make our community vibrant and healthy.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Awards, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Burlington, Burlington Real Estate, Comic Vision, Community, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Oakville, Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, Oakville Hospital Foundation, Oakville Real Estate, Readers' Choice Platinum, Real Estate, Statistics | No Comments »

JOE’S TEAM FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Monday, July 5th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

JOE’S TEAM FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Featured in the photo from right to left:
Bruce Smith, Joe Finley (Joe’s Team), Dan Cooper

If you are a regular reader of my column, you know I’m a big supporter of some very worthwhile causes. I am passionate about giving back, not only to the local community, but also to organizations that have a major impact to the quality of life of people we know and love. Cancer is an insidious disease that touches all of us. We all have a family member, or relative or friend who has been stricken with this horrible illness. On July 10th, I’m proud to be a participant in a triathlon to raise money for one of the most prevalent diseases of our lifetime.

The triathlon is a key challenge in the Joe’s Team Fundraising Campaign, which raises money for The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. The background is that in 2004, Joe Finley began a difficult fight with cancer, a battle that he is very much fighting today. Despite the physical and emotional toll of an extremely aggressive cancer treatment (or perhaps, some say, because of it), Joe fulfilled a life-long objective in August 2006 – he completed his first triathlon.

Crossing the finish line was just the beginning for Joe. Teamed up with The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Joe has created “Joe’s Team,” an innovative cancer fundraising initiative that has in three short years already raised $2.1 million. The need to conquer cancer in our lifetime is urgent and important. Right now, 2 in 5 people will hear these words in their lifetime: “You have cancer.” Those words will transform their life and the lives of their loved ones forever. The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation at University Health Network raises funds for research, education and the enhancement of patient care at Canada’s leading cancer research hospital, the Princess Margaret and its research arm, the Ontario Cancer Institute. To learn more about The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation visit our website at www.pmhf.ca.

Where does your money go? Funds raised by Joe’s Team benefit The Joe’s Team Fund supporting The Princess Margaret Hospital Head & Neck Translational Research Program, a leading international research team of 28 dedicated clinicians and scientists whose vital research leads to potential new drugs, radiation and individualized treatment options that are more effective, less toxic, and will increase a patients quality and length of life. Our support helps researchers and clinical staff to have tremendous impact on the lives of patients and provide the basis for scientific breakthroughs in other human malignancies including head and neck, lung, breast and colorectal cancers. With the support of Joe’s Team, The Princess Margaret’s translational research program will significantly advance its understanding of the development and progression of head and neck cancer.

Yes, cancer can be beaten, and with your help, I would like to make a significant contribution to the fight. Please go to my website and make a pledge. Log onto DanCooper.com and simply follow the links to the Joe’s Team form. Even a small donation goes a long way. Collectively we can make a difference in someone’s life. So be generous, give what you can and together we can accomplish something significant and fulfilling. I can’t describe the feeling I get when I know I’ve done something that will change the lives of others for the better. That’s the best gift of all. Again, please visit my website and support a great cause.

Click here to make a donation

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Charity, Joe's Team Fundraising Campaign, Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Sports, Triathalon | No Comments »