Ajax Pickering Real Estate Blog

Archive for October, 2007

By The Canadian Press

Real estate prices in major Canadian cities continued rising strongly through the summer, it was reported Thursday.

The third-quarter survey of the resale housing market found that on a national basis the average condominium price increased 15.7% from a year earlier to $241,818, while standard two-storey properties gained 13.4% to $407,613 and bungalow prices were up 14.3% to $340,941.

“Much like the Canadian dollar, the Canadian real estate market is charting its own course, quite independent from the United States and its currency and housing climate,” declared Phil Soper, chief executive of the national realty operator.

“The strength of the Canadian dollar, and the fact that the country is adjusting well to its value, will continue to keep interest rates at their existing low-to-moderate levels, boding well for buyers looking to enter the market.”

Saskatoon had the most dramatic year-over-year price appreciation – over 60% – while a typical two-storey house appreciated 55% in Saint John, N.B., 27% in Fredericton, 26% in Edmonton, 17.5% in Calgary, 17% in Regina, 15 per cent in Winnipeg and 11% in Vancouver.

The Royal LePage survey of 250 neighbourhoods in 16 cities found that the Alberta real estate market is easing from its recent intense activity, while “Central and Eastern Canada are now rising alongside their western counterparts as their local commodity industries receive increased attention.”

It also noted increasing home ownership in Montreal, traditionally a city of renters.

The Toronto area real estate market “continued to set records throughout the summer,” with a typical two-storey house rising nine per cent to $523,320. The country’s biggest city “is poised for continued activity and rising average house prices as the city continues to attract both buyers relocating to the city centre from the suburbs, and newcomers to the country.”

In Atlantic Canada, “the past few months have seen both Saint John (N.B.) and St. John’s (N.L.) become the ‘Calgarys’ of the East, as several energy-related projects in New Brunswick and Newfoundland gain attention,” said the report.

“While Halifax is not directly related to the oil industry, the city is experiencing a spill-over effect.”

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960

A Few Tips for Turning ‘Maybe’ to ‘Yes’

By Courtney Ronan

During a recent tour of a townhome for sale, I was struck at the owner’s apparent apathy for increasing her odds. My real estate agent and I tripped over a pile of tennis shoes in the front entryway. Newspapers were littered about the living room floor. A pile of shirts drooped over the recliner. The morning’s breakfast dishes were still on the table, being hungrily eyed by a pair of vicious Pugs confined to another section of the kitchen behind a baby gate. We walked out to the backyard to discover overgrown grass, chipped and peeling paint, and dog toys strewn about the lawn.

The truth is that the townhome had potential, but after being met with this display, I had little interest in heading upstairs to view the bedrooms. It didn’t dawn on me until that moment that how owners display their homes during showings is critical.

Even in hot markets like Pickering, buyers are savvy enough to know that they have plenty of other options – homes which have been well-maintained and convey the owner’s sense of pride. It may sound like a stretch, but it isn’t… a prospective buyer, when met with a messy home like this one, can’t help but wonder: If the owner has such little regard for the part of the home I can see, how has he maintained the part I can’t see? There’s a distinct possibility that, upon inspection, you could find some serious and costly flaws in need of repair – termite infestation and heating and air conditioning units in poor condition, to name but two possibilities.

Your real estate agent will probably tell you the basics: Pick up your clothes, bake cookies, anything to butter up those buyers. Actually, however, those tips are just the beginning of the checklist you should follow prior to showing your home. Many nooks and crannies of your home – spots about which you’ve never given a passing thought – can make the difference if you swipe a dust rag or polishing cloth over them. Many aspects of a home which appeal to prospective buyers aren’t even in their conscious awareness. All of your home’s aesthetic elements combine to create an impression which could very well lead to a contract.

Before you begin showing your home, complete as many of the following tasks as you can:

* Clean behind your appliances, removing dust bunnies.

* Clean your carpets, either yourself or professionally, if you’re willing to assume the expense.

* Dust and/or clean your light fixtures.

* Clean your windows and window coverings.

* Wash baseboards and walls and touch up scuffs with extra paint.

* Clean your furniture.

* Clean your closets. Unless you bolt them shut, those prospective buyers will open every door. And besides, you want those closets to be inspected; extra storage space is what helps sell your home.

* Clean your kitchen pantry and any cabinet space. Buyers and Realtors open those doors, too.

* Dust and vacuum your home thoroughly before each showing.

* Purchase soap scum and mildew removers for your bathrooms, and use them liberally to help your bathrooms shine. Don’t clean them right before a showing, however; you don’t want your prospective buyers to be overwhelmed by chemical odors. Put an air freshener in a discreet place in each bathroom, and add a decorative element to each vanity. If you don’t have presentable towels to drape over the rods in your bathrooms, purchase some inexpensive but coordinating hand towels.

* Clear as much clutter as you can from every counter surface; for example, in the bathroom, remove personal items (toothbrushes, combs and grooming supplies, all of which are turn-offs) from vanities. Store appliances you typically keep out on the kitchen counter. De-cluttering creates the illusion of more space (i.e., more counter space).

* If you have excess furniture in any room, either sell it or store it. Your goal should be to create as much open space as possible, throughout every room in your house.

* If you’d painted your walls in an “experimental” color (deep burgundy, for example), paint them white or neutral. Those two shades not only open up rooms and make them appear larger; they also appeal to prospective buyers for their versatility.

* Open up drapes and blinds to invite natural light into your home. If a room tends to be dark, purchase light bulbs with brighter wattage (not too bright, however).

I can’t help but wonder if that seller whose unkempt townhome I viewed ever received an offer. It’s as true in real estate as it is in any other facet of life: Humans make instant judgments. The impression a home makes in the first few seconds after a prospective buyer’s entry will determine the likelihood of an offer.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960

From New Home and Condos

You rely on many appliances and systems in your home for your health, comfort and security. Most depend completely on utility-supplied electricity. It makes sense to have a backup system that will keep your family comfortable and your home safe in a power failure.

These Top Ten Tips are a brief guide to backup systems.

1. Plan
Careful preparation is essential to select, buy and install a backup system. Don’t leave it to the last minute – you and your family have to learn how to use the system. And during a power failure, you may not be able to find suitable, reasonably priced equipment, or have it installed properly. Keep the system simple so you and your family can operate and maintain it. Your emergency system must work reliably when needed.

2. Keep the Heat In
In most of Canada, the main purpose of a backup system is to keep the house warm (and sometimes to keep the basement dry). You have to be able to keep heat in, prevent unnecessary air infiltration, and prevent pipes from freezing. The starting point is proper insulation and air sealing, before you consider your backup power needs. To obtain information on energy efficiency contact: Energy Publications Office of Energy Efficiency c/o Canada Communication Group Ottawa ON K1A 0S9

3. Change to Efficient Appliances
Your backup system will do the most good if it is powering efficient appliances. Use an electrician’s ammeter to find out how much power each appliance uses – its current draw in amps. The energy requirements of some appliances will surprise you. Replace the inefficient appliances with efficient appliances. Change to energy-efficient light bulbs like compact fluorescents. When buying new equipment, get the most efficient possible – for example, an energy-efficient refrigerator or a lower-volume, smaller horsepower well pump or sump pump. Make sure your furnace fan motor is the most efficient available. When you use a backup system you must manage your electrical load. You will have to operate even your most efficient appliances as little as possible so that you have essential power as long as possible.

4. If Your House Is All-Electric…
Don’t use a backup generator to heat your house if it is all-electric, or to power resistance heaters, such as baseboards and fan heaters (a very poor choice – only 20 per cent efficiency). Install a wood, oil, natural gas, or propane stove that uses a chimney. Or install a pellet, oil, natural gas or propane stove that vents through the wall. Fan-assisted air circulation makes auxiliary heating devices more effective. You may need backup power for a fan, stove motors and pumps. You must install a hearth and chimney for a wood stove, and have a supply of dry wood. You will need backup power for a pellet stove – but a pellet stove uses a less-costly through-the-wall chimney. Propane, natural gas heaters and oil heaters use through-the-wall chimneys, and need a reliable fuel source. Check delivery with your local fuel supplier Some oil-fired furnaces and space heaters can provide both hot water and space heat. Some of these appliances are suitable for cooking and keeping food warm. Most fireplaces are not very effective. They may heat you and one room. But they suck air from other rooms and actually cool the rest of the house. Many fireplaces are not built for continuous use, or are in poor condition, and can be a real fire hazard.

5. Decide What Needs Power
Your backup must provide power for the circuits you depend on for comfort, safety and security. Decide what you must keep running in the event of a power outage. You may find you don’t need an elaborate backup. If you only need your sump pump, a small gasoline-powered pump could be simpler and cheaper than a full backup system. Critical loads are the essential loads. They might include lights, refrigerator-freezer, microwave, sump pump, furnace, well pump, garage door opener, and the home office. Your backup power system’s capacity is the maximum power draw (in kilowatts) of all the fixtures and appliances that have to be served at one time, including higher startup loads. Remember: ventilation and fresh air supply can also be important loads.

To determine the size of your backup power system:
- Identify the critical loads that you really need, and check whether they can be safely served by alternatives that don’t require electricity. For example, a properly vented stove fuelled by wood, oil, or gas could substitute for your furnace.
- Total the wattage of the lights and appliances on the circuits you’d like to power
- Check the labels or owner’s manuals for each appliance’s rating
- Add about 25 per cent as a reserve for the startup power needed for most electrical devices. This may not be enough for some furnaces and well pumps. Motor startups can draw as much as three to five times more power, especially from cold – making a 2,500- watt generator borderline for starting an 800 watt furnace motor (ask about “slow start” motor options that draw less startup current.) The total will probably be between 1,500 and 5,000 watts. However a basic system for efficient lights and a radio will require much less, say 100-300 watts.

6. Choose a Backup System
Some of the systems include battery storage and a battery charger and an inverter. The inverter converts 12 volt DC battery power to standard 110 or 220 volt AC power. These systems can also recharge the batteries using solar panels, a generator and your vehicle, or your vehicle alone (but remember that unless you have an RV your car battery is not a deep cycle type and should not be allowed to go flat). The more expensive systems can power an entire, energy-efficient house.

7. Hire an Electrician
An electrician or electrical-contractor should install and prepare your backup system to make sure it is safe for your family and your home. You will need a manual transfer switch to send electricity from either the municipal power supply or your backup to the vital circuits. The switches cost from $100 to $230. Some residential uninterruptible power systems are pre-assembled on wall mounting boards, with all the necessary safety disconnects and code-approved wiring already done. More sophisticated inverter power panels that automatically flip the transfer switch and start the backup can cost $3,000 just for the panel with the breakers and an inverter. It is a good idea for an electrician to check wiring and grounding, and determine if you need spike protection. In rural areas, voltage fluctuations and even over-voltages that can damage sensitive equipment are not uncommon. Never connect a backup power system without a transfer switch that disconnects your home from the municipal power supply. This is to protect electric utility crews working on your lines.

8. Don’t Use Unvented Appliances Indoors
Don’t use unvented combustion appliances, such as barbecues, cook stoves, fondues, propane or kerosene heaters and lamps inside your house. They burn up available oxygen. They produce CO2 (carbon dioxide) and other combustion gases and fumes. Some produce huge quantities of colourless, odourless and deadly carbon monoxide. Sterno cookers, fondues, and charcoal-burning devices are especially dangerous. Never use them indoors. Room ventilation won’t get rid of fumes from unvented appliances. Never use them inside your house. Use portable propane or naphtha cookstoves, heaters and lamps outside only. There is a very real risk of fire, explosion, asphyxiation or poisoning from fumes.

9. Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Install battery-powered smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. They are inexpensive and reliable and they can save your life. Do you have spare batteries?

10. Test Your System Regularly
Regularly test your backup system to make sure it can start your critical loads and keep them running. Remember to disconnect your main breaker before starting your backup system, or you can use an auxiliary circuit panel. Auxiliary panels for backup power prevent electrical utility field crews from being electrocuted by your home power systems. They should be activated by a transfer switch and wired by an electrician. Note that modern inverters can make it possible to use variable speed DC generators which charge batteries directly and use half as much fuel as a constant-speed AC generator. They can produce very high quality AC power, which is crucial for sensitive electronic controls, provided that the inverter is manufactured by an established company and produces sine wave or modified sine wave outputs. To protect sensitive equipment, such as computers, from power surges generator owners should run these loads with a pure sine wave inverter instead of directly through the generator. If you are counting on your generator or inverter to power critical house systems during a power failure, test beforehand to make sure that the quantity and quality of power produced will handle the appliances you need to run.

New Homes & Condos Magazine is an excellent source of housing information for those looking for information on new homes in Ontario, Canada. We offer the most up-to-date information on new communities across the Greater Toronto Area.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960