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Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

Team approach is more than simply selling homes

Monday, June 20th, 2011 by Dan Cooper

The Dan Cooper Team

A good real estate broker offers superior service and a proven track record for selling homes quickly and for top dollar or helping to negotiate a sound investment purchase. An outstanding broker, however, takes your real estate experience to a whole new level – offering a team of professionals who will help you achieve your goals with confidence and peace of mind.

The Dan Cooper Team is such a brokerage. If you go to http://www.dancooper.com/partners.php or simply visit my website and click on Preferred Partners, you will find a valuable resource of professionals, government and community services, charitable organizations, local business connections and much, much more. After more than 20 years in the Oakville and Burlington markets, we have amassed an impressive network of key professionals who can help you sell your home for more money, build your dream home, design and furnish your new home or help you get settled into the community.

We are not simply in the business of selling homes – we work with our clients to get the very best deal they can. Whether that is securing a favourable mortgage, assisting with legal matters or staging your home to ensure it will sell quickly and for more money. The Team in Dan Cooper refers to more than experienced sales representatives and a professional and friendly administrative staff – our team includes architects, designers, mortgage brokers, lawyers, builders, furniture and lighting specialists and many more.

Occasionally a client will want to build a home. Approaching a real estate broker is often overlooked as a resource for securing an architect or a builder. And yet, why not? We know the market, we know the ideal locations, we know where good building lots are located and we can introduce you to the right architect and builder whose styles match your personal preferences. I sell a good deal of new and custom homes, so I have an excellent relationship with a number of award-winning architects and builders in this area.

When it comes to selling your home, first impressions count. That’s why it is critical that the small details be addressed to ensure you will get the most return on your home. We offer valuable complimentary tips based on our years of selling experience, but home stagers can work magic. They will suggest colour schemes and will bring in new furnishings and accessories if necessary. It’s important to remove as much of your personality so a potential buyer can see themselves in your home. Professional stagers can recreate a living space that you wouldn’t even recognize, and provide that needed “wow” factor.

Often, small home repairs and improvements are required. My resource catalogue includes a number of home repair and home improvement specialists who are reasonable and above all can be trusted. We also have an excellent relationship with a number of home inspectors, another trusted partner who will help you to confidently make informed decisions about a real estate purchase.

Our job is to help you make the best choices – with confidence, working with trusted professionals and securing the best deal possible.

And when it’s all done and you have successfully settled into your new home, treat yourself to dinner at one of the area’s many fine restaurants. Here again, you will find some of my personal favourites on my website.

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 Burlington, Oakville, Partners, Selling | No Comments »

Shaking up the roofing industry with an eco-friendly product

Friday, June 3rd, 2011 by Dan Cooper

Envirshake cedar shakes

I often come across interesting home products and when I do I like to share these finds with my clients – especially if I believe they can help a homeowner increase the pleasure or value of their home. These treasures can range from landscape products to home automation to furnishings and art.

An exciting product I discovered recently has great potential in the Oakville and Burlington areas. The Enviroshake is a composite roofing product that has the authentic look of cedar with lifetime performance. I say it fits right into the housing styles of our area because the cedar shake look is a popular choice here.

Traditional cedar shakes add beauty and rustic charm to a home’s exterior, but nature’s elements can exact a heavy toll, requiring a homeowner to replace the roof every 10 to 15 years. With Enviroshake, you can now get a lifetime of curb appeal with a cedar shake style and never have to invest in another roof again.

Enviroshake Inc. has been developing composite blends and formulations for more than a decade to create durable, attractive and premium-quality roofing products. Its signature line is the long-lasting alternative to cedar shakes – Enviroshake, which replicates the size and appearance of a natural cedar shingle. In fact, through special engineering, the shingle actually lightens to a grey colour in three to nine months just as a natural cedar shingle would. But while Enviroshake takes on an aged appearance, it stands the test of time. Guaranteed not to peel, separate, flake, rust or rot, the roof is warranted for the lifetime that the original purchaser resides in the home. If you sell, the warranty is transferable and non pro-rated to the new owner or owners for a 50-year period from the date of manufacture. How many other roof systems guarantee a lifetime or at the very minimum, 50 years?

What truly impresses me is that this incredible system can been installed for the same cost as cedar and yet it provides increased durability, UV protection and resistance to mould, mildew, rot and insects. Enviroshake is made with 95 percent reclaimed products, including post-industrial plastics, recycled rubber elastomers and cellulose fibres. Even the scrap materials in manufacturing are recycled back into the system. And the finished product itself is recyclable. For those of us who are ever-conscious about how we treat the environment and concerned about our carbon footprint, supporting recycled products and responsible manufacturers simply makes sense.

So next time you are looking to replace your roof and you want the wow factor of cedar shakes without the worry of rot or damage or the cost of replacing real cedar shakes, look into Enviroshake. The company has achieved a number of green certifications and has appeared in numerous publications for its innovative roofing solutions. You can find out more about the company and their products at www.enviroshake.com.

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 Burlington, Enviroshake, Enviroshake Inc., Oakville | No Comments »

A pleasant way to raise money for the community

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 by Dan Cooper

Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament 2011

Top row from left to right – Kevin Andrews, Matt Dunigan, Keith Costello, Kevin Smellie, Dan Ferrone
Bottom row from left to right – Dan Cooper, Brenden (Little Brother), Tim Scrinns (Grown-Up Little), Bill Demytruk (Big Brother)

I enjoy a good round of golf and when I can combine my passion for the game with a great community fundraiser, well, that’s just a perfect day. I had the pleasure of doing just that last month with the Oakville Community Foundation’s Marathon of Golf and the Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton.

Both these events raised thousands of desperately needed dollars to support the tremendous work they are doing in the community.

Despite inclement weather, 35 golfers came out to the OCF tournament, played 100 holes and raised over $188,000, which was $10,000 over the 2010 total. This money goes toward supporting the Foundation’s community initiatives. OCF plays a critical role as a conduit – matching necessity with resources, challenges with opportunities. Support from the Marathon of Golf annual fundraiser will allow the OCF to develop two new community initiatives in response to identified community needs: Poverty and Community Engagement and Awareness.

In its 12-year history, the Marathon has raised close to $2 million. That’s an incredible accomplishment and speaks volumes about the caring and giving community in which we live. It’s the kind of community I am proud to call my home.

I am also immensely proud to have been host to the second annual Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament at Glen Abbey on May 19th in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. Grassroots charities such as the BBBSH are preventative in focus, helping children in the early stages by providing mentorship that has a positive impact that lasts a lifetime with these kids of all ages. Our young people are our future leaders and it is critical that we provide all the support we can to ensure they develop into good citizens, business people and community leaders.

The person I need to acknowledge as the driving force and tireless organizer for this tournament is Jules Graham-Hood, who, as the Executive Director of BBBSH, was not only behind this event 100 percent, but did an absolutely brilliant job in helping to bring celebrities and sponsors together to make this fundraiser an outstanding success. Putting together a professional and successful golf tournament is no easy task, and Jules’ energy and connections were instrumental in creating one of the best local fundraising events of the season.

“Give where you live” is a slogan adopted by many charitable organizations across North America, but it really does sum up my own personal philanthropic objectives and the approach of The Dan Cooper Team when it comes to donations and giving back to the community

Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, Oakville Community Foundation, United Way, Salvation Army and a host of other charitable bodies help to build a strong community and a brighter future for all our citizens. I encourage you to get involved in your community – with your time, your money or both.

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 - Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Burlington, Charity, Glen Abbey Golf Club, Golf, Oakville, Oakville Community Foundation, Salvation Army, United Way of Oakville | No Comments »

Dan Cooper launches new homes and lifestyle magazine

Friday, May 6th, 2011 by Dan Cooper

Lakeshore Living Magazine cover

Some of you will have received my new magazine Lakeshore Living, a publication about fine homes and fine living. Our area is one of the most desirable locations in the country and Lakeshore Living explores some of the secrets that make this a great community.

The magazine allows us to feature exciting homes, spectacular interiors and some of the most talented professionals in our midst. I have been selling real estate in the Oakville and Burlington areas for more than 20 years and I am constantly amazed and energized by the creative people I have the pleasure of meeting. Their passion is inspiring and so I wanted to launch this magazine as a means of telling their stories, to introduce you to some of the influential and talented people who work and live in our community.

Our area has some of the most beautiful homes in the country and I’m excited by the prospect of giving you a peak into these gorgeous properties. While 30,000 of the printed magazine were delivered by Canada Post through south Mississauga, Oakville and Burlington, you can now view it online on my website www.dancooper.com.

Using the latest technology, this click-through online publication is one more example of how I am maximizing traditional and electronic marketing vehicles to sell homes. In addition to taking prime locations in carefully selected publications, I have maximized use of the web by posting our listings on dozens of websites and creating www.dancoopertv.com and the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on www.dailywebtv.com. Posting Lakeshore Living online is just another example of the innovative and proactive approach by The Dan Cooper Team.

In our inaugural issue we feature beautiful new exquisite multi-unit and condominium developments by Matas Homes, award-winning luxury developments in south-west Oakville by HUSH and a stunning interior design feature by Regina Sturrock Design, one of the area’s best known designers. There are also five pages of luxury home listings.

And last, but not least, a feature on Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada as we spent a day with him as he visited some of his favourite shops in Oakville.

I encourage you to visit my website to check out this new publication, I think you will like what you see.

And while you are on my site, take a look at some of the great homes we have listed. Spring has finally arrived and if you have thoughts of moving, there is no time like the present to browse some of the tremendous investment opportunities that are available today.

Sales have been soft in the past few weeks, mostly due to the dreary weather, according to the Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board. In their May release President Jack McCrudden said, “The unusually rainy spring has slowed the usual increase in listing, but the higher prices and good weather should bring more sellers into the market next month. Meanwhile, buyers attracted by historically low interest rates remain enthusiastic about homeownership, so spring could see in upswing in sales.”

If you are planning to sell or buy, turn to The Dan Cooper Team. We’re ready to help you with all your real estate needs.

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 Burlington, Burlington Real Estate, HUSH Homes, Lakeshore Living Magazine, Luxury Homes, Magazine Publications, Marketing, Matas Homes, Milton, Oakville, Oakville Real Estate, Regina Sturrock Design | No Comments »

International survey pegs Hamilton and Mississauga as prime for investment

Monday, May 2nd, 2011 by Dan Cooper

Mississauga City Hall

There is an interesting survey that is getting a fair bit of media attention these days – the Cities of the Future. It is a ranking that was released recently by Foreign Direct Investment Magazine. So, why is there such a buzz about it in our area? Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton have all made the top 10 in their categories.

For an area that has suffered through a long recession, this is good news. It means a spotlight has been placed on the Golden Horseshoe for potential domestic and foreign investment. The listing by British-based FDI Magazine has local leaders rubbing their hands and mapping out new strategies to gain the attention of global companies looking for promising new locations for their operations in North America.

The magazine, which is owned by the prestigious Financial Times Group, targets financial leaders around the world who have been credited with creating more than three million jobs in 2008. With that kind of pedigree, it is easy to see why our local leaders are giddy with anticipation.

This is what they had to say. “Mississauga is well positioned to foster international business growth and expansion. [We] will continue to build Mississauga’s international profile as a sound business decision and return on investment,” Larry Petovello, the city’s director of economic development, said in a news release issued last week. “This clearly calls for a new strategy to sell the city. We have a lot of potential to grow here, so I’m going to sit down with our economic development staff to work out a strategy to unleash that potential,” Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina told local media.

“This is just the kind of information that companies go looking for when they’re trying to judge an area. They’re looking for anything that will help make that decision and an independent survey like this helps to make them more accepting of the information,” according to Demetrius Tsafaridis, chairman of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

The ranking examined 405 cities throughout North and South America. Cities could score a maximum of 10 points under each individual criterion, which were weighted by importance to give the overall category scores. The infrastructure category, for example, looked at such factors as number of airports, port size and environmental performance. Toronto was in the Major Cities category, which was topped by New York City, and Hamilton ranked ninth in the Large Cities category.

Situated next to these targeted centres, Oakville and Burlington are bound to gain from the international attention. When you have economic growth there is also a demand for housing. Burlington and Oakville are among the best places in Canada in which to live, so there is little question any good fortune that besets Hamilton and Mississauga will have a spill over effect.

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 Business, Hamilton, Mississauga | No Comments »