Ajax Pickering Real Estate Blog

Archive for the ‘General Real Estate’ Category

Local author shares positive energy tips

Kristen Calis – DurhamRegion.com

Ajax resident Margaret Cecconet had become so overwhelmed by all of the different schools of thought surrounding feng shui that she chose to write a book on the topic.

The Pickering Public Library arranged for the author of A Homeowner’s Guide to Feng Shui to hold a seminar at the Petticoat Creek branch to give library users the lowdown on the traditional Chinese discipline. The author is also a real estate agent who incorporates feng shui for her clients.

Feng shui is an ancient art and science that uses nature to create balance and harmony in any given space. The five feng shui elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal play large roles in the philosophy.

“Everything that’s around us has energy (‘chi’),” Ms. Cecconet explained.

Since the subject is very complex, she chose to focus on landscape or site selection and room arrangement, explaining much of the reasoning behind feng shui is both traditional and practical.

“Sometimes you have to be very careful about what location you want to move into,” she told the group.

Ms. Cecconet said it’s more important to choose the correct site location for a home than to focus on the interior immediately since the inside can be changed.

For example, choosing a home below street level, such as at the bottom of a ravine, is not ideal.

“The positive ‘chi’ can’t find you,” she said.

Cul-de-sacs are also a no-no, since the ‘chi’ has nowhere to move.

The foot of a T-intersection is not ideal for a home since chances of cars crashing into the home are greater.

Walkways to the front door shouldn’t be straight.

“You want to have a meandering path so the ‘chi’ can slowly flow in,” Ms. Cecconet said.

Inside, it’s best to place sofas against a wall because they offer support and “you have a clear view of what’s going on in front of you.”

In the dining room, mirrors reflect food on the table and create abundance. However, mirrors are no good in the bedroom, especially at the foot of the bed.

“When you wake up you don’t want to scare the hell out of yourself,” she said, adding if a mirror is necessary, it’s best to have one that can flip over, or be put inside a walk-in closet.

Computers and televisions are not ideal for bedrooms either because they disturb rest.

In the kitchen, the cook should always be facing the entrance so they don’t become frightened when someone enters. Bathrooms should have at least a small window and be open and simple.

Room locations, bed alignment and other factors get more specific as feng shui gets more complicated. Each person has a specific number, or is deemed to be an ‘east, west, north or south’ person based on their date of birth and gender.

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

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CBC News

Residents of Ontario and B.C. are unsure about how the harmonized sales tax (HST) affects real estate transactions, a new study finds, and the confusion is being blamed for a slide in home sales.

Home sales in Toronto fell 34% in July, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board.

TREB reported that there were 6,564 sales last month, down from 9,967 in the same month in 2009. Home sales were at the lowest level since 2002.

“The level of July sales remained below the expected long-term trend. The market has become more balanced following record monthly sales through most of the winter and early spring,” said board president Bill Johnston, in a release.

Vancouver too has seen a sharp decline in home sales. According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, home sales dropped 45.2% in July, with 2,255 homes sold in July 2010 versus 4,114 homes sold in July 2009.

Confusion around how HST applies to homes sales could be to blame. A new survey of realtors released Thursday by Royal LePage finds that 43.9% feel the tax is playing a part in cooling the housing market.

“According to our realtors who work in B.C. and Ontario communities every day, misconceptions about the HST are having an effect on the market in both provinces,” said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services, in Toronto.

According to the brokers, 46.7% of comments from buyers and sellers indicate confusion about how the new tax affects home sales. And 57.1% of realtors say they get “many” questions about how the tax works.

The study was conducted via email at the end of July with Royal LePage’s 765 realtors in Ontario and B.C.

The harmonized sales tax took effect on July 1 in Ontario and B.C. It applies to the sale price of a newly built home — not a resale home — and fees for services and commissions incurred during the real estate transaction.

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

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Bill Johnston – Yourhome.ca

According to the most recent census, more Canadians are homeowners than ever before. While financial advisors may tout the gains offered through stocks and bonds, there’s only one investment in which you can live as it appreciates. One common denominator that both routes to wealth share is the advantage that can be gained by obtaining professional guidance along the way.

Regardless of whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned homebuyer, by working with a realtor, you’ll gain important information and advice to help achieve an accepted offer at a reasonable price.

As a first step in the house-hunting process, you will be asked to sign a Buyer Agency Agreement. It outlines your realtor’s commitment to represent your best interests by working exclusively on your behalf for a designated period of time.

After obtaining a list of your must-haves, your realtor can begin searching for available properties on the Multiple Listing Service. Information on the MLS is displayed instantly, giving your realtor up-to-the minute access to data that can affect your decisions. You can also regularly receive email notifications of listings that match your criteria.

Using the MLS, your realtor can compare asking prices to recent sold prices in the area and explore a number of other variables as well, like the number of days a property has been on the market and any price changes that have been undertaken.

Greater Toronto realtors also have access to an important tool called the Buyer Registry Service (BRS), a password-protected database in which your realtor can register your housing criteria. As a privacy precaution, your personal information is only accessible to your realtor, whose name is displayed for making contact.

Realtors who represent sellers can check the BRS to determine whether buyers’ preferences match their clients’ properties. While you can still depend on a regular email of homes that match your criteria, communication between realtors using the BRS can occur even faster.

Be sure to visit www.BRAFirst.ca for more information on the Buyer Representation Agreement.

Given your realtor’s extensive network of contacts in the community, they may even be aware of a home’s availability prior to it being listed on MLS.

If you’re interested in exploring new home options, your realtor can also search RealNet Canada’s extensive database of construction developments by housing type, location, price range and many other specific criteria.

After these avenues have helped you identify a preferred property, your realtor can use his or her direct access to even more databases to help you arrive at an appropriate offer.

Teranet’s land registry system for example, offers key data like neighbourhood demographic profiles, aerial views and land surveys. It can even provide information on the sold prices of properties not listed on MLS.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) database also provides information, on a property’s value, square footage, year of construction and more.

Equipped with all of this information, sound advice and professional negotiating skills at your side, you’ll soon be placing they keys in the door of your perfect home.

For more information on the home buying process and regardless of whether you choose new or resale, every market is different be sure to contact a realtor. Their skills and expertise can give you a winning advantage.

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

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