Dying Without a Will
on Nov 20, 2009 in Legal Information wills By Martin K. I. Rumack Studies and surveys indicate approximately 40% of Canadian adults do not have a will.  I believe that number would drop significantly if people understood the significant consequences of dying without one. Consider what would...

It’s not too late!
on Nov 19, 2009 in General Information Market Information Toronto Real Estate Market By Shandel Chakalall Schedule your home improvement projects now to take advantage of the one-time Home Renovation Tax credit worth up to $1,350. The Federal Government’s tax incentive has created a huge demand for contractors in the renovation mar...

Reducing Water Consumption
on Nov 18, 2009 in General Information water According to The Harmony Foundation of Canada, each Canadian uses 260 litres of water each day. That is an incredibly high amount of water we all use each day. There are many ways to decrease the amount of water we use. You should first check for any...

Renovating Homes with Lead Paint
on Nov 17, 2009 in Home Inspection Information renovations home inspection lead Toronto Home Inspection By Heather Rose Lead paint is relatively common in older houses and the disturbances caused by renovation can be disastrous. Lead was primarily used as a pigmentation agent in most oil paints and a few latex paints until the early 1950’s and as...

NEW HST TAX WILL HURT CONDOS, CO-OWNERSHIPS, CO-OPERATIVES AND HOUSE OWNERS
on Nov 17, 2009 in Condominum Information Legal Information co-operatives condominums Toronto Condo Market By Martin K. I. Rumack New taxes are never a good thing.  The new harmonized sales tax (HST) which is effective July 1, 2010, will be tough on the housing industry and particularly on owners of condominiums, co-ownerships, co-operatives and houses.

Toronto’s Cavalcade of Lights
on Nov 15, 2009 in General Information Neighbourhood Information Calvacade of Lights toronto toronto events From Nov. 28, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009, Toronto’s 43rd annual Cavalcade of Lights will be hosted at Nathan Phillips Square. Nathan Phillips Square is named after the former Toronto mayor and opened in 1865.  It hosts concerts, a weekly farmer...

Make People Hate Your House
on Nov 13, 2009 in Staging Information staging Toronto Staging Information How could anyone hate my house?   Mess, pets, and other things that may impact the sale. When a buyer comes to see your house for the first time, they’ll be trying their darnedest to visualize themselves living there. They’ll see own furnit...

The Ins and Outs of Curb Appeal
on Nov 12, 2009 in Staging Information decorating staging Toronto Staging Information By Susan Eickmeier Many people might say you cannot judge a book by its cover, and that same cliché can be applied perfectly to curb appeal. Some houses cannot simply be adequate enough on the outside but be a perfect fit on the inside to those who...

Mortgage fraud may be out of the headlines, but watch out!
on Nov 12, 2009 in Mortgage Information mortgages Toronto Mortgage Information Mortgage fraud seemed rampant just a few years ago but much less lately having since died off after consumer awareness and systematic changes have made the crime more difficult. Down from an average five per month a couple of years ago, only 18 new i...

Muddy York Update – TREB Market Update – October 2009
on Nov 11, 2009 in Market Information Muddy York Quick Tip Real Estate Toronto Real Estate Market The Toronto Real Estate Board released the October 2009 statistics for the GTA. The number of sales for the month of October was 8,476 in the GTA compared to 5,155 in October of 2008, representing a 64% increase. The number of days on the market decr...