Sophie Pipilas Real Estate

02/29/2024

Today’s the deadline. Go online and fill out the vacant home declaration if you haven’t already

Declare the 2023 occupancy status of your residential property. Owners of properties in Toronto that are classified within the residential property tax class are required to declare occupancy status every year. The deadline to declare is February 29, 2024. Submit Declaration Online If you wish to di...

07/24/2023

Changes in life may cause you to re-evaluate your home 🌻⭐️

• Your family is growing and you need extra living space; or

•You're working from home full-time and need office space.

Whatever the case may be, you've got a couple of options:

☝️ renovate 🔨
✌️ move 🚐

So, which one?

You love your neighbourhood and don't want to uproot your family. In this case renovating might be the better option.

Consider this…..

♨️ Can you afford to renovate?
♨️ Can your home and property accommodate the changes?
♨️ Will you be settling for a renovation that isn’t exactly what you want?

While renovating your home may work, you may find that moving is the best option for you 🧐

Here are some things to consider for moving…..

♨️ Can you afford to move?
♨️ Are you prepared to live in a new area?

If you find yourself uncertain about the path to take, that's where I come in to help. A straightforward conversation with a seasoned realtor can help clarify your thoughts and guide you in making the right decision for both you and your family.

Click the link in the comments for your free Move Up Guide to help you get started.

07/18/2023

Bathrooms are gross! 🤢 😩

Your partner has all their stuff laying around.

The toilet seat has been left up.….again. 🚽

Why you can't just move the curling iron if you need the space??!! 🤷‍♀️

One leaves hair in the sink and the other toothpaste.

Enough is enough!!! 💥💥💥

You NEED your own bathrooms.

You really thought you could work it out with 1 bathroom, and for the most part, you did. But certain things are just meant to remain a mystery. 🤫

By the time you’re done in the bathroom you're so frustrated at having to work around the other’s habits that all you can think of is strangling them. 🥊

All you wanted to do when you woke up was to take a shower and brush your teeth. Was that asking too much? 🤯

You have 2 options really:

1. Renovate and add a bathroom 🔨

2. Move up to a larger home/condo 🏠

Let's have a chat and see which one is right for you

Click the link in the comment section for your FREE Sellers Guide

06/12/2023

All Realtors are the same 🙄🙄

If I got a dollar every time I heard this.....😵‍💫

I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, we are absolutely NOT the same.

I’ve often heard homeowners say, before even interviewing me, “we’ve looked over your package and you’re both pretty much the same”

Ummmm HELL no we’re not. I can GUARANTEE you that we’re not.

We may deliver the same package on paper but how it all actually plays out in the coming months will be vastly different 🤩

✨ Our mannerism, communication, punctuality, and negotiating skills will be different. Just to name a few

✨ The quality of our contractors and our sales teams will be different.

And let me tell you, those things MATTER. 🤯

Those things make us....not the same.

So, interview your realtors before deciding from a piece of paper.

06/09/2023

Once you go GREEK…… 🇬🇷
Working in a Greek family business can best be described as functional dysfunctional. 😜
In our restaurant one minute you could be cleaning a table and the next minute you’d be yelling at each other from across the room. 🥊
And it wasn't always in English. 💥
I'm pretty confident that most of Richmond Hill could swear in Greek by the time we sold our restaurant.🤡
I remember getting so mad at my father one day that I grabbed the squeezable mustard and sprayed it all over him through the kitchen pass. 😱😱
He looked like a walking Po***ck. Fun times lol. 😂🤩
I mean, where else could you get a T-bone dinner and a show for $6.99??!! 🎭
But just as quickly as it started, it ended, and everyone was back to work as if nothing ever happened.
We laughed, we cried, and we worked hard. Those were some great years that made me who I am now as a person.
If you were fortunate enough to grow up in a family business, YOU KNOW....... ♥️

06/08/2023

!!Don’t make this single-worst mistake when hiring a realtor!

You hire someone you don’t trust!

And I don't mean trust that they're not lying or ethical (they should be that anyway).

I mean trust as in trusting their advice and expertise.

Part of the process of listing is your realtor giving you advice on prepping your home or on the marketing. They know the market, they know current buyer trends, and they know your neighbourhood.

But every now and then I will get push-back from a seller thinking that it’s not necessary or their way is better. Or the best.... "In this market the house will sell itself, we don't need to do any of that".

Umm no, the house sold itself because your realtor spent 100 hours prepping, advising, planning marketing, coordinating, and networking.

As a seller, you need to trust the person whose hands you’re placing the biggest asset of your life in. Enough to say "I'm not convinced but you're the professional and I'm going to trust you". And you do it.

Crazy, huh??!! I've had a few sellers use that line and then realize how important it was that we did what we did.

If you don't feel like you can trust them at the initial consultation then your gut is telling you something. It doesn't mean they're bad, it just means you are not the right fit for one another.

And believe it or not, it hurts you BOTH in the end.

You end up with a less than desirable outcome on your sale and/or a process you didn't enjoy.

The realtor ends up with an unhappy client telling their friends and family they didn't do a good job.

This is why I have the Initial Consultation in Step 1 of my Move Up Method, to ensure we're a good fit for each other.

Nobody wants an unpleasant experience.

Start your real estate journey on the right foot by booking a free call with me today!

06/06/2023

🍤🍪🍿 Get in ma’ belly!! 🍱🍔🍗🍝

I love food! 🤤

No, that isn't accurate, I don't love food.

I LOOOOVE food!! 😋

Not just any food, GOOD food. It doesn’t matter if it’s from a street cart or a 3 star Michelin restaurant. If it's good food, it's good food!

Just ask Antonio what it's like going for a walk down any street with me. It's like walking a dog that sees a squirrel every 5 seconds 😂😂

"mmm Descendants, let's have pizza tonight" 🍕

"Oh look, sushi, we haven't had sushi in a while" 🍣

"Mmmmmm Ed's Real Scoop, ice creeeaam" (said like Homer Simpson). 🍨

"That smells SOOO good, what's that smell, where's it coming from?" *as I look all around the origin of said smell*

"Oh look, Nodo, remember that truffle gnocchi we had?!" 🍝

Antonio kills himself laughing at me on our walks. He often says he has to protect me from myself 🤔

I think my love of food came from my dad. Growing up, he would always grab a new fruit or vegetable from the supermarket just to try it. That's something I do now. He was always willing to try something new and I picked up on that adventure for food.

My motto when it comes to food......I'll try anything once 💃

06/05/2023

What an amazing journey this was!

And a perfect reason to use a realtor that has systems and processes in place

Marija and Zoran wanted to move to BC and were looking for jobs before making the big move. We spoke about the present market and potential future. We went through all their options and then went our separate ways.

Months later I get the call....."We found jobs, mine starts in 2 months. I need to sell the house".

Ummm ok, LET'S DO THIS!!

The next few weeks were a WHIRLWIND.

My poor clients. I really don't think they understood the scope of what was about to happen. Especially with a move across the country.

- We had to pack up a moving pod for all their items going to BC, including a grandfather clock

- we had to sell off their remaining furniture prior to staging. Storage wasn't an option

- we had to prep and stage their current home

- we had to find her son a condo before she left.

Did I mention my client had to do all this by herself and with no car and was a registered nurse so hours were limited???!!

Well, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work! I had systems in place using my Move Up Method that helped us every step of the way.

Long story short, we got everything packed, sold, staged, and prepped. The house sold on time and at an amazing price. We even found her son an amazing condo.

I'm so very happy to have been a part of your journey Marija and Zoran and I wish you many many years of happiness on your new adventure........

“MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION: If you have not heard of Sophie Pipilas, you better listen over here.

After 22 years of living in our house, we decided to relocate to British Columbia. Choosing a realtor was not that easy. They all say the same thing, promise the same thing…etc. So, how do you know who to trust? How do you choose?

I chose Sophie because she was confident in her abilities. She was very patient, client-centred, and was willing to work hard. I respect those characteristics.

I had no idea what it took to list the house. Sophie supported me in selling furniture. She took a lot of stuff for donations. Took me places that I needed to go to given that I had no car! If I needed groceries, moving supplies, coffee. She even came with blankets, wraps, and help, for the POD and the result was that NOTHING BROKE in the transport.

I would recommend her to anyone who is in need of realtor service because she is a kick-ass lady and will do what it takes to deliver. She has a good sense of humour as well which was much appreciated.

Thank you so much, Sophie!”

06/04/2023

💥HELP I'm dying for more space!!💥

Have you ever wanted to run and hide far away from your house?? It happens! Like...get me out of here! I give up. 😤

I've lived in some pretty cramped spaces. I've even moved many times in my life and WOW does space make a difference to quality of life. 🌞

The home you fell in love with and made your own is now bursting at the seams with babies and furbabies! 🐶

You REALLY need more space!

These are people I mostly work with. Some of their main worries are:
🔹How can I afford a bigger space?
🔹Do I have time to even get into this and get the house ready for sale?
🔹Moving is the worst. Who needs it?!

SO - the good news is....that's what I'm here for!! I help people to overcome these worries!

That's what my 5 Step Move-Up Process is all about

1) There are now many ways we can get creative with financing options etc. Usually clients feel relieved and surprised at their financial options after looking into it with a good mortgage broker - YAY!🎉

2) We help clients from start to finish to organize, declutter, do fixes, pack, move and store whatever needs storing. As quickly as 2 weeks!!📦

3) YES, moving and transitioning is not the most fun...I GET IT, TRUST ME! --- BUT getting into a bigger space that you love and working for your family - totally worth it!! And total Game Changer!🤍

Book a call with me so that we can use the Move Up process to help you sell or find the home of your dreams! ♥️♥️