Ask anyone who has lived in East Gwillimbury for more than a decade and they will tell you the same thing: this is not the sleepy farming township it once was. New subdivisions, a GO station, and quick access to Highway 404 have turned what used to be a well-kept secret into a high- demand address, drawing buyers in from other parts of York Region and beyond. That's good news for anyone selling here, since real estate activity tends to stay healthier in community people are actively moving toward rather than away from. But growth like this is also a good problem to have in another sense: the roads, pipes, wires, and rail schedules built for a much smaller population have some catching up to do. The encouraging part is that the catching up is genuinely underway.

Take water and sewer service. Because East Gwillimbury grew up as a rural community, its infrastructure grew in patches rather than all at once, and that patchwork is still visible today. In Sharon, for instance, brand new homes are being built with full municipal water and sewer service, while many long-time homes in the same village have Town water but are still on a private septic system. Head out into the Town's rural pockets and it's private well and private septic from end to end. Wells and septic systems, looked after properly, serve households well for decades, and plenty of East Gwillimbury's most desirable properties run on exactly that setup. If you're buying, it's worth making sure you know exactly what a property has: municipal or private water, municipal or private sewer, when the septic system was last pumped or inspected, and whether it falls within one of the areas where the province requires an inspection every five years. If you're selling, having those details ready and easy to share tends to make for a smoother transaction and a more confident buyer.

High-speed internet has followed a similar arc, moving from a long-running talking point into something residents can finally start to see and use. It has come up in nearly every municipal election for the better part of a decade, and for good reason: reliable internet is now as basic a need as water or hydro for anyone working from home, helping kids with schoolwork, or running a small business. The good news is real progress has arrived. York Region's own YorkNet network has been extending high-speed fibre through East Gwillimbury, and a new partnership with independent provider Galaxy Fibre has already started connecting some of the Town's previously underserved homes, with construction continuing over the next year or two. It matters at the negotiating table too. Sellers, especially of rural or semi-rural properties, shouldn't be surprised if buyers delay making an offer until they've researched what internet is actually available at the address, and in some cases, particularly where there's more urgency involved, an offer might even come with a condition specifically about confirming that service.

Public transit rounds out the picture, and it is the piece most closely tied to how East Gwillimbury fits into the wider GTA commuter map. The East Gwillimbury GO station offers a solid run of southbound trains during the weekday morning rush, though the return service later in the day is lighter, a familiar trade-off for communities at the outer edge of the network. Metrolinx has committed to extending more frequent, two-way, all-day GO service further northalong the Barrie line as part of its broader GO Expansion program, which would be a meaningful upgrade once it arrives. In the meantime, Highway 404 continues to offer dependable access into the city, which is exactly why commute time is one of the first things buyers ask about when they start looking at East Gwillimbury. It also shows up directly in resale value, with homes an easy walk from the GO station or close to a 404 interchange routinely commanding a premium over otherwise similar properties further from either.

Put it all together and the story is a positive one. East Gwillimbury has grown from a farming community into a place people actively choose to move to, and the Town, the Region, and the province are all putting real investment behind the infrastructure needed to support that growth. Water and sewer service is expanding street by street, broadband is finally being built out after years of talk, and transit plans are moving through the pipeline. None of this happens overnight, and a fast-growing community will always have some infrastructure playing catch-up to the rooftops already in place. But knowing exactly what a property has today, and what is genuinely coming, gives buyers and sellers a real advantage at the negotiating table and at appraisal time — the kind of street-by-street knowledge that separates a general sense of "the market is good" from a confident offer or a well-priced listing. East Gwillimbury's long-term outlook remains strong, and the infrastructure story is very much part of why buying here, or simply staying put, continues to be a sound decision.

If you’ve been wondering “Is the market up, down, or just confusing?” — you’re not alone. The quick answer is

this: 2025 was calmer, slower, and more price-sensitive than the past several years, especially compared to the

record results of these past years that many people still have burned into their memory.

Since a lot of the public commentary uses a bunch of technical gobbledygook and tends to focus on the wider GTA

area, let’s break it down in plain language for those living (or wanting to live) specifically in East Gwillimbury.

In short, we have seen three very different years.

2023 was still riding the wave of earlier market highs. Prices were stronger, homes sold quickly, and buyers felt

more urgency. The first part of 2023 in particular delivered higher averages and shorter selling times. Even though

things had cooled from the extreme highs of 2021–2022, sellers still had momentum.

2024 was a bit busier than 2023, but not stronger. More homes sold (512 vs. 492) but average price went down to

$986K from $1.013M. Buyers were active, but cautious. Homes didn’t fly off the shelf the way they had before, and

pricing mistakes showed up quickly. This was the year where strategy started to matter again.

Perhaps 2025 was actually the most balanced — and the most honest and thoughtful — market of the three. The 436

sales were the lowest in 10 years, so prices softened again, and it generally took longer to sell. Buyers showed far

less urgency; they had options, asked more questions, and took their time making decisions. Sellers had to earn the

sale with presentation, condition, and realistic pricing.

This is not surprising given the supply side of the equation: during 2023 the average number of homes for sale each

month was 122. In 2024 this was 169 per month and in 2025 it jumped to 217. So with so many more homes for

buyers to choose from it makes sense that buyers could be much more selective and much less willing to open their

wallets as in previous years.

To summarize, sellers found out that 2025 rewarded preparation and punished overconfidence.

Digging a little deeper, we see that detached homes continue to dominate. In the last three years, 3 out of every 4 EG

sales were detached homes. They make up the majority of sales and still command the highest prices. That hasn’t

changed for years. But what did change in 2025 was how they sold.In 2023, well-located detached homes often sold quickly and confidently. And while not quite as on fire as the records set in 2022, on average they sold at about $1.4M. 

In 2024, more detached homes sold than the previous year (echoing the entire market noted above) but at roughly a 4.5% lower average price. In 2025, sales dropped by almost 14% from 2024, while prices were down by just over 6%. Keep in mind that while 2025’s average sale price was down about 15% from 2022’s record, it’s still a very respectable $1.3M.

In addition, it took a bit more time to sell in each successive year: from 26 days on average in 2023 to a month in

2024 to 33 days in 2025. So to some sellers it might have seemed like an eternity, it was really only about a week

longer over the three year period - not too huge.

The market had shifted and buyers had the luxury of time and choice. The detached homes that sold fastest were the

ones that felt “easy”: easy to live in, easy to maintain, and easy to justify financially.

But what about semi-detached & townhomes? These property-types are a more significant part of the recent new

development in the Town, and as these new neighbourhoods mature, these smaller and generally lower priced homes are weaving their way into the resale housing market, far more than any other time in the Town’s history.

Over the past few years sales volume followed similar patterns to larger, more expensive, detached homes. But the

average sale price followed a slightly different path. The drop in average sales price from 2023 to 2024 was less than

detached homes (only 2.6%) as the market started to show signs of slowing, but then the price sensitivity more

typical of buyers of these types of homes kicked into high gear for 2025, down 8.5% from the previous year.

Here we should acknowledge the reality of math/averages - the year over year price changes are not completely due

to market instability but rather the fact that with a relatively small number of transactions each one carries more

weight in the data.

In the end, 2025 highlighted that buyers of semi’s and townhomes are extremely payment-focused. Value mattered

more than ever, and homes that felt overpriced compared to similar options sat longer or required bigger price

adjustments.

What does all of this mean for sellers?

If you own a detached home, you’re still in a strong position — but only if you respect the market you’re in, not the

one you remember. Pricing ahead of the market instead of behind it is critical. Homes that are well-presented and

realistically priced are still selling. Homes chasing yesterday’s numbers are not.

If you own a semi or townhome, you’re competing directly on value. Buyers are comparing everything: fees,

condition, location, and monthly cost. The good news? There’s still demand. The reality? Strategy matters more than

ever.

What does all of this mean for buyers?

2025 gave buyers something they haven’t had in a long time: breathing room. More choice. Less pressure. Better

ability to negotiate — especially on homes that are overpriced or sitting longer. That doesn’t (or shouldn’t) mean

lowball chaos. It means smart buying, thoughtful decisions, and fewer emotional bidding wars will create great

outcomes.

East Gwillimbury remains a highly desirable place to live. What changed in the real estate market isn’t the

community — it’s the expectations.

Anyone who has been paying attention to real estate lately has probably noticed that the market feels harder to figure out than it did a few years ago. Not because nothing is happening, but because what is happening doesn’t look the way people remember. Over the last several years we have gone through one of the most unusual, and abnormal, stretches the market has seen in a long time. The extremely fast pace from 2020 through early 2022 created expectations that were never going to last forever. When the market slowed down after that, many homeowners started to wonder if something had gone completely wrong. In fact, the word “Crash” made it’s way into headlines as more than just a sensationalized prediction of the future.

Right now, almost every conversation about buying or selling boils down to the same two questions:

1)  Will my home sell if I list it now?

2) How can I possibly know what my home is really worth anymore?

Despite what it might feel like, here’s the (somewhat boring) reality: homes in every price range are still selling every week throughout East Gwillimbury. What has changed is not whether homes sell. What has changed is how they sell, and how long it takes. During the hot market years, buyers had very little choice. There were relatively fewer homes for sale so when something new came on the market buyers felt pressure to act quickly. Multiple offers were common, and sellers got used to the idea that once the sign went up they could sit back and count their piles of cash.

That is not how the market works right now. Over the past few years the number of homes being listed for sale has increased faster than the number of buyers entering the market, giving more options. This allows them to slow down, look at more homes, compare details more carefully, and ask more questions. They are also less willing to pay more than they think a home is worth. That frenzied FOMO (fear of missing out) simply does not exist. This doesn’t mean the market is weak. It means the market is balanced. In a balanced market, buyers have choices and sellers have competition.

This changes the way homes sell. Well-priced homes sell while overpriced homes sit. Homes in good condition sell faster than homes that need work. Most of the time, the issue is price. Not memories. Not emotion. Not what the market used to be. Price based on the market today. The market speaks very clearly in all conditions. If buyers are not responding, the market is telling you something. Even if the stated reason for hesitation is condition, size, or location, the unspoken end of the sentence is “for the price.”Given all that, is figuring out what homes are likely to be worth even possible? For several years prices were moving upwards so quickly it was easy to simply follow that trend and pick a number. Now that the pace has slowed down, it has become much harder to know what a home should sell for. But not impossible.

Buyers now pay much closer attention to differences between homes. The wear and tear condition, extent and quality of updates, layout, location, and how many homes are for sale at the same time, all have a direct impact on value. Because of that, two homes that seem similar from the MLS photos can sell for very different prices. 

For homeowners the hard part is taking the emotion out of it and realistically evaluating their home versus what has sold recently or is currently for sale. After all, that’s exactly what buyers will do. 

But whatever the case the idea is not to guess. Guessing (or perhaps more realistically - wishful thinking) usually results in over-estimating the value. If sellers want to attract the most amount of buyers, then the smartest course of action is to price based on a detailed, objective review of the market. 

Overall, East Gwillimbury continues to be a desirable place to live so there will always be demand for good homes at a fair price. In most market conditions these general rules apply: price too high and buyers wait, price right and buyers respond, price too low and buyers compete. Even more so right now. It has never been more important for sellers be precise in their pricing as there is way less wiggle room with these rules.

People still move for the same reasons they always have. Families grow, jobs change, people downsize, people relocate, and life keeps moving. Therefore homes in EG are still selling. Buyers are still buying. Prices are still pretty good in many areas. Crash? An overstatement. Pockets of price and expectation adjustment? A more accurate description.

Without a doubt the most puzzling and stress-inducing thing that consumes home sellers these days is why their home hasn’t sold yet. Understandably, they’re frustrated and anxious for some action. After all, it’s unlikely they put their home on the market so it wouldn’t sell.

Unfortunately, this is quite common these days. Similar to what followed the 2016-2017 frenzy, since 2023 East Gwillimbury has been experiencing a perhaps even greater and certainly longer- lasting easing compared to the first 3 years of the 2020s. Home sellers in 2024 and so far in 2025 are feeling the impact of this market change.

The reality is that there are many more homes available for sale (supply is up) and there are less active buyers (demand is down) leading to flat or even decreasing prices and longer sale times. The reasons for this are far too varied and complex to adequately cover here, so while it may be an interesting discussion at a party, it’s more practical to explore ways that sellers in the current market can still succeed.

Therefore, here are some things today’s sellers should keep in mind.

The MLS Listing QUALITY Matters

Incomplete, inaccurate, or sparsely populated MLS listings (of which there are a surprisingly high number) discourage buyers and their agents from bothering to book showings. In some cases they subconsciously project this lack of care and attention onto the home itself, as if the home itself will similarly have undefined shortcomings. In most cases, however, buyers have specific needs and wants, and they are more likely to focus on listings that specifically meet these requirements. If the detail isn’t there, they typically look elsewhere rather than waste their time on a long shot maybe.

For example, what if a seller had a 5 acre property but their listing neglected to specify the size in the appropriate spot (it’s a valuable but not required field). Anyone looking for acreage would not see this listing in their search results, and the seller misses out on these potential buyers.

The system allows for a multitude of data points, so don’t be shy with the details. But don’t just fill the space for the sake of doing so; MLS is most valuable when every detail is focused on accentuating the finer points of your home in order to appeal to the widest range of buyers.

Great Photos and Video Matter

It seems like technology improvements happen overnight. Thanks to the latest and greatest smartphones, it has never been easier to get good quality photos and video. Good at least for social media. But for maximum appeal, professional photos and video are an absolute must. There’s more buyer psychology here: compare two listings side by side, one where the seller or their agent has used their iPhone and the other with professionally planned, taken, and edited images, and the difference is immediately noticeable. One gives the impression the seller has likely just rushed into the market and perhaps isn’t totally committed to the process, while the other shows that the seller is seriously interested in showing off their home in its best light so that they attract the right buyers.

A professional photographer knows how to use proper technology and techniques to highlight the features of the home. What the seller ends up with is a polished online presence that gets buyers’ attention.

Showings Matter

Buyers want to see homes when they want, and yes, that could sometimes be inconvenient. If sellers routinely decline showing requests or place restrictions on available times, buyers will move on to the next home where the owner is more accommodating. Remember, there are a lot more homes to choose from these days, so it’s easy for buyers to move on.

First Impressions Matter

We’ve all heard the phrase you only have one chance to make a first impression. The MLS and professional photography has got potential buyers excited, so don’t disappoint them. Sellers need to make sure their home is kept “show-ready” inside and out so when potential buyers arrive they’ll be anxious to stay longer and see everything. Usually they know within a few brief moments if they are interested or not, and often this first impression has less to do with a home’s design or location and more to do with its state of cleanliness and repair/disrepair. Most buyers only see what’s in front of them and have a really hard time recognizing the potential laying underneath the worn and dirty surface of a tired looking home.

PRICE Matters! It Matters a Lot.

Be assured that the market speaks loudly - in ALL market conditions. Therefore a seller who ignores the evidence and sets too high an asking price will not sell their home until they become more realistic. Often sellers believe there is something so unique or special about their home that the wider market reality doesn’t apply to them. They are wrong. It’s that simple.

In any event, the sooner the seller accepts the pricing according to current conditions, the better chance they have of making progress towards the ultimate goal of a sale.

Sometimes the argument from sellers is that they will lose out if they underprice their home. Indeed while this is possible, it’s highly unlikely and here’s why: reiterating the above about the market speaking loudly in all conditions, if a seller guesses wrong and their price is lower than what buyers out there would otherwise expect, there will be enough interest in the home that pricing will get pushed upward. And yes…aggressively priced homes have been known to get multiple offers even in this market.

So, price too high and all the seller will end up getting is what they deem is a lowball offer, if they get anything at all. Eventually the home will become stale in the market and the seller will have lost out on any brand new listing momentum they might have otherwise had. 

A common theme throughout is this idea of buyer psychology. During the hot markets of a few years ago, the predominant buyer motivation was to offer more money in order to beat the other interested buyer(s) and not lose out in yet another bidding war. Now, however, there are other much more subtle and deeply subconscious powers for sellers to consider. Successfully recognizing this “new” buyer mindset will help smart sellers position their home more strategically so that, despite challenging market conditions, they can still achieve the successful sale they are after.

Well here we are.

Over the past 10 years the real estate market has either favoured seller’s (79 months) or been considered balanced (20 months) over 82% of the time based on monthly sales activity. Therefore it should come as no surprise that now that the market is trending towards favouring buyers that the headlines are screaming market collapse.

But is the panic warranted, or as we head into the Fall 2025 selling season, can home sellers still find success?

In short - YES.

Even though buyers right now are sitting in the catbird seat, sellers can go a long way to accomplishing a satisfactory sale by getting back to basics and focusing on how well they position their home in the market. Proper pricing and presentation can still draw serious buyers, particularly in family-friendly areas like Holland Landing, Sharon, Queensville, and Mount Albert, where demand tends to stay a little more resilient.

Pricing: The Key to Standing Out

In a buyer’s market, pricing is everything. There were almost 40% more homes on the market during May, June, and July this year vs last year, so with more choice and less urgency, buyers will simply pass on overpriced homes. So it won’t matter how pretty your home is or how great the backyard is, or anything else for that matter, if pricing is perceived to be out to lunch.

Therefore, hard as it might be considering the past few years, be realistic with your price expectations. Base your price on actual sales results, not on unsold listings. Remember this is what buyers will do. (And perhaps more importantly, this is what appraisers will do when you eventually get a deal and the buyer needs a mortgage.)

Avoid the “start high and reduce” approach. Current buyers are typically serious and ready to move if they find the right home, but as noted above, they won’t bite if they feel the price is inflated. If you try the higher price “just to see” the only thing that happens is your home will sit on the market with no serious interest for weeks and weeks, losing out on the momentum normally seen in the first few weeks on the market.

Get educated on local market variations. Given the wide range of property types, the multitude of new subdivision developments, and the many small estate home enclaves located throughout East Gwillimbury, the value of 2 homes of similar size and features can vary greatly depending on exactly where within the Town it is located. Also be aware that EG has homes on municipal services and on well and septic, or a combination of the two. Sellers who arm themselves with this type of in depth local knowledge stand the best chance of maximizing their sale price when negotiating against buyers and their agents.

Prepping to Sell: Targeting Buyer Expectations

With more choice and less urgency, buyers can afford to be selective, focusing on their specific needs and wants. As we move into this time of year, many buyers want to close before winter or the holidays, which can work to a seller’s advantage if their home is ready to impress.

Staging should have a Fall flavour to it. Warm lighting, cozy textures, and a clutter-free layout help buyers imagine themselves settled in before the snow arrives. Small seasonal touches (like a tasteful fall wreath or neutral décor) can make homes feel inviting.

Professional photos and video matter more than ever. With fewer daylight hours and unpredictable weather, strong multimedia visuals are critical to helping buyers see what they are getting. A well-lit, high-quality set of photos and video will draw online buyers attention and increase their excitement.

Focus on high-impact updates: Fresh paint, clean landscaping, and minor touch-ups in kitchens and bathrooms can boost appeal without a full renovation. And don’t forget that if buyers see small things not cared for then, rightly or wrongly, they become fearful that there may be big problems that are more hidden.

So in light of all this, would-be sellers might be asking themselves if they should simply wait until the market shifts back a little. Perhaps, but waiting isn’t always the smarter play. 

More competition may come later. If interest rates drop over the coming months, Spring 2026 could bring a flood of new listings giving buyers even more homes to choose from, exaggerating many of the points made above. Selling this fall may actually give sellers a quieter playing field with less noise to distract potential buyers.

Also, life doesn’t wait for the perfect market so if a seller is motivated by life changes (downsizing, upsizing, or relocating), waiting for something that may or may not come about may not be an option. Luckily, a well-prepared listing now can still deliver the desired results.

And don’t forget, East Gwillimbury’s long-term outlook remains strong. Even with current price softness, values have more than doubled over the past decade. Infrastructure growth, great schools, and proximity to Toronto continue to support demand. 

Selling now isn’t about chasing the highest price; it’s about a seller positioning their home smartly for current conditions. And now more than ever a well thought out and executed strategy will get that seller the outcome they are looking for.

“What’s going on in the real estate market?”

This continues to be one of the most popular questions heard around office water coolers, watering holes, and seen in news reports and social media posts. Everywhere there is commentary from “experts” giving their opinions on the topic, and perhaps not surprisingly their tone ranges from glass-half-full to glass-half-empty, with everything in between.

However, does it really matter, beyond general interest, what’s happening across Canada, in Ontario, or even in the GTA? Perhaps, but what’s happening in East Gwillimbury’s market is likely much more useful to those that live here.

Therefore, in order to see if our local glass is half full or half empty, let's look at the actual results. (Note that unless otherwise specified, all numbers are from TRREB’s MLS data.)

After an 8.2% drop between 2022 and 2023 sales activity rebounded somewhat in 2024. The 513 homes were sold at an average price of $1.27M, which is lower than 2023’s $1.33M - a 4.4% drop. Initially you might think that increased market activity would have spurred pricing upward, but that’s not what the results show.

So what happened?

In previous years, we have seen quite a variation in how many of each property type are sold during the year, which, from a math (weighted average) perspective, has had a noticeable impact on the overall average sales price. For example, if typically higher priced detached homes make up most of the total activity, then we would expect to see a higher overall average sale price. Conversely, if lesser priced property types like semi-detached or town homes make up a great percentage of the total sales then the average price would be lower.

But we can rule this out in the 2023-2024 comparison as the property type mix was almost identical year over year. So we must look a little deeper…

The first place we can look is supply and demand. Could it be that consumers are experiencingnpricing fatigue from a prolonged period of inflation that seems to have hit them from every angle? These days most consumers are very likely to give every purchase, especially high ticket items like homes, increased scrutiny in the current economic environment. In early 2024 it looks like some of the consumers that stayed away in 2023 were lured back into the market in anticipation of interest rate drops as indicated by 50 sales/month average in the first 6 months. But as 2024 progressed the number of new listings each month increased as more and more sellers came into the market each month trying to grab a piece of that higher demand. With many more homes to choose from however, buyers could be a little more aggressive in their negotiating forcing sellers to accept lower sales prices.

In addition, let’s look way beyond the real estate market itself. National and international socio-political influences/events have been on the rise throughout 2024, and indeed into early 2025. Perhaps this caused enough economic uncertainty that potential home buyers decided to wait and see how things panned out. Indeed during the last 6 months of 2024 activity slowed to an average of only 36 sales/month.

But what does it all mean to EG’s real estate market? And more specifically, what does this mean for homeowners and the value of their homes? Should they be worried?

Quite simply - No.

According to TRREB, their total MLS sales activity was down from 2022 to 2023 about 8.6%, which is roughly the same as the market in EG. A year later they reported a slight 2.6% increase in MLS activity year over year, while at the same time the local market went up a much stronger 4.3%. This suggests buyers wanted to be in EG more than the average community across the entire GTA as a whole.

But more importantly let’s think about things from a calm, rational, and realistic place of real estate awareness. Given the high level of complexity and dollar amounts involved in buying and selling a home, it’s typically not something done on an impulse without much consideration. Indeed according to Statscan, Canadian homeowners move every 7-10 years on average. But let’s say it’s even just 5 years - how have local homeowners fared? The average sale price in 2019 was a little over $799K compared to 2024’s $1.27M. This is almost 59% more so it would seem that buying a home and living in East Gwillimbury is a slam dunk no-brainer.

The subject of the last Realty-Wise was the significant real estate regulation changes introduced in Dec 2023. We discussed the overall objectives and guiding principles of the new legislation as well as digging a bit deeper into one of the higher profile changes: allowing “open” offers. But there are other, and perhaps more impactful, changes, governing how sellers and buyers formally interact with brokerages and agents.

As previously noted the government’s stated objective was to “strengthen consumer protection, better educate home buyers and sellers, and enhance professionalism within the real estate services sector.” Buying or selling a home is a complex combination of moving parts and legal doctrines, so a large portion of the new legislation aims to reduce the ambiguity and legal mumbo-jumbo that makes it difficult for most people to truly understand. By incorporating plain language in describing the nature of the relationship between industry practitioners and sellers and buyers, it’s hoped that there will be added clarity for everyone involved.

To start with, buyers can now designate themselves as “self-represented” meaning they have not engaged the service of an Agent to help them with a purchase. As such, they formally acknowledge that they alone are responsible for protecting their own interests and that the listing Agent can not provide them with any guidance or advice unless it specifically serves the interests of their client - the home seller. The related documentation goes on to detail examples of the information that a self represented party must determine on their own.

The paperwork also makes it clear that anything a self-represented party discloses to an Agent will be relayed to, and used by, the Agent’s home selling client to their own advantage.

So what? Why is this a big deal? Well before this new legislation there were 2 types of agreements that a brokerage/agent could sign with buyers. The first is a Client Service Agreement which provides the highest level of protection and prioritizes their interests. The second is a Customer Service Agreement where an Agent provides buyers with essentially administrative-type support (paperwork preparation) and only a limited amount of additional information and advice. The legal distinction between each of these two scenarios is significant  and very hard to describe, and the paperwork involved usually just muddied the waters further.

By getting rid of this 2 tier approach to the potential relationships that can exist, the new rules definitely make it much more black and white: either you are or you aren’t - there’s no sort of.

The other main change to the way brokerage’s/agent’s interact with sellers and buyers is establishing Designated vs. Brokerage Representation. Previously when an Agent signed an agreement with a seller or buyer, the Brokerage and all of it’s other registered Agents were by default also automatically bound by that agreement. With the new rules, this situation - Brokerage Representation - is still an option. But now agents and their sellers and buyers also have the option to choose Designated Representation meaning it is ONLY the Agent who is solely and legally responsible for the relationship with the seller or buyer.

(Note: don’t be alarmed that it sounds like Brokerages are totally absolved of legal obligations towards clients under a Designated Representative relationship. There is other legislation in place that governs how brokerages must behave in their daily operations regardless of the individual client agreements. Brokerage vs. Designated Representation applies more at the individual property/transaction level.)

Again, so what? Why does this matter? It’s all about clarity and making it much easier for consumers to understand exactly who is on their side protecting their interests. This is particularly important with multiple representation situations. This is where the seller and the buyer are represented by the same Brokerage (or Agent) in the same transaction. Under the old rules and also now under Brokerage Representation this could very well be a regular occurrence. Consider that most brokerages have 100’s of agents and there are even some with 1,000’s making it quite possible that an Agent has a buyer for a home listed by another Agent from the same brokerage. In this case, a “Multiple Representation” relationship exists even if the two agents don’t even know each other. Not only does this not make a lot of sense, but it leads to a pile of extra legal restrictions and documentation, that for buyers and sellers is about as clear as mud to understand.

Under Designated Representation the above scenario does not result in Multiple Representation because only each Agent is solely responsible for the relationship with their client. Accordingly each agent can then clearly and easily provide the highest level of service to their respective clients free of restriction.

Whatever the case, what this does is define who is responsible for maintaining confidentialities and prioritizing a client’s interests, regardless of whether it’s only the Agent, or the Brokerage and it’s entire line up of registered agents. The new rules also tighten what is expected of brokerages and agents and give additional disciplinary powers to the provincial regulator when dealing with violations.

In the end, the new rules have gone a long way to making it easier for the industry to know exactly what their obligations are, or aren’t, and to explain to the consuming public what their options and obligations are. It’s not perfect, and may never be given the complexity of the subject matter, but it’s moving in the right direction.

Lee Lander is the Owner & Broker of Record of Lander Realty Inc. and has lived in East Gwillimbury for over 25 years. She’s become the go-to local market expert: nobody knows EG Real Estate like Lee because nobody buys and sells more homes in EG as Lee. Reach out at Lee@LeeLander.com.

Now that we are almost a year after the implementation of the much-publicized (and much-commented on) changes to Ontario’s real estate transaction rules, perhaps it would be a good time to take a brief look to see what kind of impact they’ve had on day-to-day, boots on the ground activity.

The government’s stated objective was to “strengthen consumer protection, better educate home buyers and sellers, and enhance professionalism within the real estate services sector.” They should be commended for recognizing and trying to address some of the obvious shortcomings of industry rules and practices.

But regardless of government intentions, the fact is each and every transaction is a high-dollar, unique, and complex legal scenario with lots of moving parts. Therefore, it is simply not possible to specifically define and dictate each detail of each instance. This makes improvements to the entire thing no small task indeed. 

Before breaking down some of the individual changes and indeed to help place them into context, it would be helpful to recognize the overall direction the government was going with this legislative update. To start with look no further than the name of the legislation itself: the previous Real Estate and Business Brokers Act will now be called the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA). 

Big deal you say - it’s only a name change. Perhaps, but consider the specific words used: Trust and Services. This is a signal that the focus of the legislation going forward will be less mechanical and administrative (ie. boring and uncaring) and more about enhancing the public’s confidence in the process and the people entrusted to help them navigate through it.

Along these lines there is a more robust Code of Ethics section that specifically requires practitioners to act at all times with integrity, commit to providing quality of service, and actively address any potential conflicts of interest. Furthermore there is very strong and specific language about inducing or participating in fraud and other unlawful behaviours. It’s actually quite shameful that being honest, dealing in good faith, and not doing anything illegal, actually needs to be legislated but unfortunately too much shady stuff has crept into the industry in recent years.

So now that we understand the guiding principles that set the tone for how industry participants must govern themselves in their daily activities, what about those daily activities? What has changed and how has it helped? 

There are several notable items aimed at providing additional clarity and transparency that are important for home buyers and sellers to understand. Responsibilities related to Self-Represented Parties, Brokerage or Designated Representation, and Multiple Representation have been more clearly defined so it’s easier for buyers and sellers to understand the implications of how they interact with industry participants. As you can no doubt imagine however, it is not possible to adequately dig into each of them in one go. So for now we will start with one of the big headline grabbers: Open Bidding.

We’ve all seen those real estate shows from other parts of the world where there’s a fast talking professional auctioneer standing at the front of the room soliciting bids out loud from a collection of potential buyers. Like your typical local farm auction, it turns into a high intensity, fast-paced, frenzied situation where buyers get caught up in the emotion of winning. 

Fun and exciting right? Indeed. And it’s great entertainment. But the theory is that buyers will only pay enough to win, instead of blindly pushing up their offer well beyond what is needed. The problem is we see that bids still often get pushed well beyond initial expectations so an automatic dampening of upward price pressure does not necessarily occur. Which is the exact problem this change was intended to address. 

Closer to home, Agents in Ontario used to be prohibited by law from disclosing the terms of offers to anyone. Now however Agents can provide some or all of the other offer details to any or all of the other offerees when explicitly authorized to do so by their Seller. Theoretically this could turn into an open offer situation like on TV, but practically speaking Sellers very well could end up getting a lower sale price for their home. What happens is buyers don’t necessarily have to submit their best offer but rather one that is just good enough.

There are two key problems with this change. As noted above, the choice rests solely with the seller whether to disclose or not. If there’s a strong risk that they will ultimately get less money then why in the world would the opt for this strategy? It’s rare to come across a seller who is not first and foremost interested in the most money possible.

Furthermore this change is intended to address only a certain portion of constantly changing market conditions. During the super hot market periods of late 2016/early 2017, and 2021/2022 there were multiple offers on many of the homes for sale; there was simply that much demand combined with the low cost of money (interest rates.) The assertion was that buyers felt like they had no choice but to overpay for homes. 

But over time as the market naturally moves away from an over heated seller friendly environment to one that is more balanced or favourable to buyers, multiple offers and bidding wars are so rare that the problem went away making the legislation change unnecessary.

So genuine and admirable intentions aside, this particular change does not appear to have made much difference to how the industry works day in and day out. That said perhaps it’s too early to tell, and we’ll have wait until the next hot market frenzy to properly evaluate.

In the next edition of Realty-Wise we’ll explore how some of the other changes are impacting home buyers and sellers.

Lee Lander is the Owner & Broker of Record of Lander Realty Inc. and has lived in East Gwillimbury for over 25 years. She’s become the go-to local market expert: nobody knows EG Real Estate like Lee because nobody buys and sells more homes in EG as Lee. Reach out at Lee@LeeLander.com.