Deirdre Dunne - RE/MAX Icon, Brokerage

06/10/2026

Condos are more than the sq.ft. and the price...
Before you buy a condo consider these 6 things.

1️⃣ You’re Buying Into a Corporation — Not Just a Unit
When you buy a condo, you’re buying into a financial structure with a board, a budget and long-term obligations. You don’t control everything anymore — decisions are collective. That shift matters a lot more in retirement than people think.

2️⃣ Condo Fees Don’t Go Down
In all my years in real estate, I’ve never seen condo fees decrease. They cover real expenses — roofs, elevators, windows, insurance, snow removal. The key isn’t “are fees high?” — it’s “are they well-managed and predictable?”

3️⃣ The Reserve Fund Is Everything
Every Ontario condo must complete a reserve fund study every three years. That tells you whether the building is saving properly for big future repairs. A healthy reserve can mean higher fees — and that’s often a good sign.

4️⃣ Special Assessments Can Be Expensive
If the reserve fund falls short, owners pay the difference. I’ve seen small units hit with $40,000 assessments just to replace windows. In retirement, that’s not an inconvenience — that’s a financial event.

5️⃣ You Give Up Full Control
In a house, you decide when to fix the roof or paint the door. In a condo, approvals, budgets and timelines are shared decisions. For some retirees that feels freeing. For others, it feels restrictive — be honest about your personality.

6️⃣ Storage & Layout Matter More Than You Think
Newer condos are efficient — which often means minimal storage. No basement, no attic, no “extra room.” Before you buy, ask: where will your seasonal items, paperwork and luggage actually go?
When considering a condo think of these 6 things.. 💛

Deirdre Dunne
Re/Max Icon Realty Brokerage

05/25/2026

When we downsized, I had 2 things sitting in our crawl space I’d held onto for years.

A set of chairs that belonged to my grandmother. And a box of crystal glasses that were my Mum’s.

I told myself I was keeping them because they mattered. And they did.

But here’s what I finally had to admit. Those chairs were in a crawl space. Those glasses were in a box. Nobody was seeing them. Nobody was enjoying them.

Sitting in the dark wasn’t honouring either of those women.
What I was actually holding onto wasn’t the objects. It was the people. The connection to them.

Naming that was what finally made it possible to move through it.
If you’re stuck right now, that might be worth sitting with.

What are you actually holding on to? 💛

05/22/2026

Being ready on paper and being ready in your heart are two different things.

I’ve sat with people who had everything sorted — the finances, the plan, the timing — and still couldn’t move forward. Not because anything was wrong. But because nobody had helped them name what was actually making it hard.

That’s what this video is about.

I work with people across Guelph and Waterloo Region at every stage of this.

Some are just starting to educate themselves and aren’t ready to do anything yet.

Others have already made the decision and are feeling that mix of happiness and real relief that comes with finally moving forward.

When they came to me, they knew something needed to change but felt stuck on where to begin. Together we slow it down and look at the full picture.

Because the goal isn’t just a smaller home. The goal is a life that feels easier and more like what you actually want right now.

If you’re a downsizer or empty nester in Guelph or Waterloo Region, follow me for more.dunne.realestate 💛

05/15/2026

Most people think downsizing is a real estate decision.
It’s not. Not really.

It’s a life decision that happens to involve real estate.
And the families I’ve worked with who felt good about it afterward — who look back and say that went so much better than I expected — they all had one thing in common.

They didn’t wait until something forced their hand.

Because here’s what I see on the other side of that:
a fall,
a health scare,
stairs that suddenly feel impossible,
a house that’s become more burden than home.

And now there’s pressure. And pressure makes everything harder.

When a client comes to me having already spent time thinking about what they actually want their life to look like next — not just what home they need, but how they want to feel day to day — the whole process is different.

There’s more clarity. Fewer regrets. And a lot less stress.

That’s why I never start with “so, when are you thinking of listing?”

I start with questions like:
• What would feel easier about your daily life?
• What do you love about where you are now that you’d want to carry forward?
• What would you actually do with the time you’re no longer spending on maintaining the house?
• What does the house mean to you now, compared to 10 or 15 years ago?

Those conversations matter. They’re what makes Your Next Chapter actually feel like yours.

If you or someone you know is starting to think about this — even just at the “gathering information” stage — I’d love to chat.
No pressure, no rush.

That’s exactly where good decisions start.💛

05/14/2026

I went to REALTORQuest yesterday mainly because I’d never been.

For those who don’t know, REALTORQuest is a real estate tradeshow — mostly booths, networking, and industry sessions.

Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker. To tell you the truth wasn’t the least bit interested in hearing her talk.

I’ve heard Michelle Obama speak plenty of times on TV, so I wasn’t rushing to get a seat.

People waited in line for over 1.5 hrs hoping to get into the room where she was speaking.

I Ended up watching on a screen in the overflow room. What was she going to say to a bunch of realtors?
But a few things she said stuck with me.

She talked about how people don’t connect with your resume or awards or accolades. They connect with your story.

That we’re all more alike than different — we just want to do our best and leave something a little better for our kids.

The one that hit hardest: people trust you more when you’re honest about what’s hard, not less.

Vulnerability doesn’t lose deals. Pretending does.

That’s the job. Not the awards. Not the titles. Not the polished presentation.

Just showing up real and genuinely interested in helping someone else & making it better for them.💛

05/13/2026