I am often asked “What does MLS® stand for?”, or “Why should I list my property on the MLS®?” and “What is the difference between an ‘exclusive’ listing and an ‘MLS® listing’?”I advise my Sellers it is almost always to their benefit to list their property on the MLS® because of the vast exposure their listing will get in the open real estate market as opposed to an ‘exclusive’ listing. What ...

Think city homes are the only properties that benefit from staging? Think again. Staging can take your cottage from available to enticing in the eyes of a prospective buyer. Many of the same pieces of advice for staging any home apply to cottages, but there are a couple of unique considerations for cottage-sellers that might help nudge offers upward. Tip 1 Clean the place. This is probably ...

I was recently asked this question by one of my Buyers last month about  Home Inspections: Q/ My Offer is conditional on a Home Inspection:   What happens if a home inspection finds some things in the house  that are not up to today’s Ontario Building Code?  Do we renegotiate the offer price ? A/ The short answer is “probably not”.   A home inspection is really more to find out if there are ...

There are few treats more appealing than maple taffy on a plain old popsicle stick. Made by pouring hot maple syrup on half-melted snow, maple taffy is just one of the countless sweets that can be made from the sap of (arguably) our most Canadian tree: the sugar maple.     The season for “sugaring off” – the process of taking freshly running sap from maples and boiling it down into amber m ...

The view from a Muskoka home is often one of its most valuable and cherished qualities. With hundreds of gorgeous lakes, rivers and creeks, and countless vistas of forest, field and marsh, you’re almost guaranteed to find a property with a perfect vantage point for daydreaming. Of course, along with these beautiful settings come the complications of maintaining some of the very features th ...

It matters with whom you do business. And when buying or selling a high-end recreational property, you want to know that you are working with a real estate brand that is superior. You want them to meet and even exceed your expectations. Chestnut Park Real Estate is that company. Their agents have the best tools, training, and support to bring clients the best service excellence in the recreat ...

Are you a shutterbug? Do you love to document the beauty that you see all around you in Muskoka? Then perhaps joining the Muskoka Photography Club is something you should consider. Three years ago, self-taught professional photographer Paul Bennett founded The Muskoka Photography Club with a mandate to bring photo lovers together to celebrate their dual passion for photography and the Muskok ...

It’s one of the last things many of us look forward to before hunkering down to the reality of the upcoming winter: Autumn. The crisp air, the sweaters we wrap ourselves in, and the colours that surround us make this time of year a favourite. And Muskoka in the fall is quite simply spectacular. Any road you travel will be bursting with colour, but why not really envelop yourself in nature’s f ...

For some families, the closing of the summer cottage is a tradition marked by routine and a gathering of family and friends. Some choose the Thanksgiving weekend to close up, but others wait until the snow starts to fly before saying goodbye. Whenever you choose to do it, having a checklist is always a good idea. Here are 5 things to do when closing up the cottage: 1. Turn Off and Unplug ...

A rare opportunity exists to own a piece of Muskoka history just south of downtown Huntsville. This charming house by the locks has a history filled with pioneering adventure and entrepreneurial spirit.   The property is now home to a successful hobby antiques business and a charming guest cottage B&B, but it was once the setting for the longest operating watermill in Muskoka. On land ...