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HomeOwner's View - Past Issues
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| Turn Off Your Pop Up Blocker to See the Images - It returns to "ON" by itself. Or click on square below (spring flowers) to read newsletter from my website. | |
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| HomeOwner's View Timely News & Views | May, 2005 |
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| Dear Reader, Spring is finally here! Just ignore the snow storms here and there. The important thing is that our tax returns are history and we can look forward to barbeques, picnics and warm evening strolls with Rover. That's our dog Brandy, to the right, master of his domain. This issue is a mixed bag of articles (as usual) including both good news and not so good news. The good news is about how our homes have appreciated over the last ten years and are expected to continue to appreciate for this year at least. There is no so called bubble to worry about. The bad news is about mortgage fraud. I urge you to read the two articles about this serious threat to all homeowners: See Mortgage Matters (the threat) and Legal Issues (the solution). Please use the "Send to A Friend" link at the very bottom to share this issue with anyone who might benefit from the information. As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions and questions. Please email me or call me at (416) 494-7653 (pager) or 416- 399-5832 (cell).
Dennis Paradis, Sales Representative RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. 416-399-5832
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| TopView Housing Bubble? No Worries Mate TD released an excellent report, dated April 27, entitled: Bursting Aspects of the Housing Bubble Myth. Read the details if you like, but the bottom line is that unlike the last bubble experienced in early 1990's, today's market is based on solid growth factors not on speculators flipping through properties. TD also says we need not worry about three other issues that seem to be on homeowner's minds these days: 1. Will rising interest rates be a major problem for homeowners? 2. Is the condo market overbuilt? 3. House prices will eventually collapse as boomers retire? Full story |
| Market Report Home Prices double in Last Ten Years A report released April 26, by ReMax Ontario Atlantic Canada looks at the housing market returns in major Canadian centres and shows that houses prices have more than doubled since 1995. The Toronto area was only the 10th best in the country for housing-price appreciation with a 60.3 per cent increase sice 1995. Toronto, as with all Centres, had neighbourhoods that did better and worse than this average. Topping the list was Montreal (85.9%) and Calgary (81.7%). Surprizingly, Vancouver was last of the 16 major centres surveyed at a mere 19.1% (but from a very high price level in 1995). Full story |
| Mortgage Matters Mortgage Fraud - Fraudsters Can Steal Your Home. Mortgage scam probed: Law society investigation involves hundreds of complaints. Questions raised about security of privatized registry system (Toronto Star, April 7, 2005) See Full Story, below I have added a few extra links and a recommended solution in Legal Issues, below Stealing Homes - CTV.ca - March 25/2005 Report - Law Society - March 24,2005 Red Flags - Indicators of Possible Fraud Full story |
| Reno & Fluff Renovation and Planning More and more Canadians are choosing to renovate their homes rather than move. CMHC information can help you plan a successful renovation, provide helpful tips for choosing a contractor, and offer advice to make your project easier. Full story |
| Green Thinking Asian Longhorned Beetle Ontario Nature encourages the public to examine any trees on your property for the destructive beetle, particularly if you have maple trees. Familiarize yourself with signs and symptoms by checking the CFIA website www.inspection. gc.ca. Full Story |
| Legal Issues Mortgage Fraud - Solutions TitlePLUS insures against unpredictable and undetectable issues that could affect the ownership or marketability of a property - issues such as errors in information (such as that provided by a municipality or in a survey), forgery and fraud. See Full Story below First Canadian Title is another excellent choice for Title Insurance and has good information on their website including a great video that every existing homeowner should take the time to watch. For $200 (one-time fee) you can protect your biggest investment. Link to First Canadian Title Full story |
| Technology Tips Recalling Sent Email There isn't an email user on the planet that hasn't sent an email they wanted to recall. Okay, so you are the only person who hasn't, but the day isn't over yet. Full Story |
| Referrals Help Everyone About Referrals ... Most people understand that given or getting a referral from a trusted friend is an appreciated gesture but few appreciate how it can work on an international basis. People often restrict their referrals to their real estate agent's immediate selling area. We call it our "farm" area, usually a reasonable driving distance from our office or whatever. What is not widely known, is that you can refer your friends who may be selling or buying anywhere in the world to your favourite agent regardless of your agent's immediate farm location. For example, if you know someone moving to Hawaii, you could refer to me. I would then introduce myself to your friend, determine their needs and timeframe, etc. and determine who could best serve them. There is no cost or obligation for using this servcie. I have relationships with agents all over the world and would be happy to find a reliable, professional agent for you or a friend. Keep in mind that RE/MAX has 5.300 offices in 52 countries with over 100,000 agents! I can reach any of them on your behalf. For a a list of my current relocation partners, go to my website "relocation page". See link below. Relocation/Referrals |
| Special Feature - For Home-Based Entrepreneurs Constant Contact Are you, like me, working for yourself, perhaps out of your home? Do you like to hear about low-cost, effective marketing tools? If so, read on ... Full story |
| Did You Know? Mowing Tips No matter how carefully you choose your new lawn mower or how much you spend on turbo power, all will be for naught if you don't practise proper cutting techniques. Keri Thomas-Seto of Green Thumb Landscaping in Ontario's Golden Horseshoe offers these professional tips. Full story |
| Share this Newsletter See Send to a Friend link on the very bottom of this newsletter |
| | About Us RE/MAX Hallmark Realty is an exceptional real estate company. It is an independendly owned and operated RE/MAX franchise. I am proud to be associated with them. Visit these websites to get more information about RE/MAX and RE/MAX Hallmark in particular: RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Website About RE/MAX Note to readers: Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of all information contained in this article it is not guaranteed. We accept no responsibility for any loss arising from any use or reliance on the information that is contained herein. Email: dennisparadis@rogers.com Phone: 416-494-7653 Website: http://www.dennisparadis.com |
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| | | Save $25.00 | Debra Gould would like to help you "fluff" your home. See the article and look at her website for more great ideas about how you can make your home "feel right" and sell for the full potential. Just mention this coupon offer to Debra - no need to print and cut it out. Check it out now... |
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National Home Show | National Trade Centre Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario April 8-17, 2005 8:00AM-5:00PM $13.00 Adults - Sponsored Again! by RE/MAX More details |
| HomeOwner's View Timely News & Views | April 2005 |
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| Greetings! This newsletter's first issue last month was well received and now has over  300 subscribers. As with most inaugural events, there were a few glitches, but thankfully in our case, only small ones. One worth mentioning is that some of you (20%) could not see the images on the newsletter. This has been determined to be caused by "pop- up/image blockers". Pop-up/Image Blocker can be turned off and on easily and usually appears as an option somewhere on the screen when images have been blocked. Tip: If you want to permit a single window to pop-up in a site that has pop-ups blocked, you can always hold the Ctrl key down before clicking the link which triggers the pop-up. About this Issue: I have added three new sections; Energy Matters, Technology and a Special Feature plus extra Quick Links. The number of click-throughs (how many of you go on to read the "Full Story") will determine whether these sections are retained. You, in effect, have voting rights on this newsletter's content and focus. A big surprize to me was that one of the most heavily used links was My Credentials. I have added this as a permanent link in the Quick Link section - see below, left margin. As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions and questions. Please email me or call me at (416) 494-7653.
Dennis Paradis, RE/MAX Realtor
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| TopView Toronto Going To Pot
In the next few years, thousands more illegal indoor hydroponic farms will spring up across Greater Toronto unless something "absolutely dramatic" is done to stop them, warns Prof. Darryl Plecas, a criminologist with the University College of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.
"Toronto is in for a rough ride ... you ain't seen nothing yet," Plecas said. As reported Nov,2004 in the Toronto Sun - 6 part series Full story |
| Market Report Real Estate Returns Surge Across Canada Private institutional investors enjoyed a total return on direct investment in Canadian property of 12.9% in 2004, up sharply from 8.4% in 2003, according to an Index published today by The Institute of Canadian Real Estate Investment Managers (ICREIM) and Investment Property Databank (IPD) of the UK. Full story |
| Mortgage Matters Mortgages Are Improving, But Are Canadian Borrowers? Canadian residential mortgage credit should surpass C$600 billion in 2005, after a solid single-digit increase in growth this year, according to our national housing agency, Canada Mortage and Housing Corporation. Continued economic growth, job creation, positive demographic factors, and low mortgage rates should sustain ownership demand in both new and resale housing markets. Where's the concern ... read on ... Full story |
| Reno & Fluff Renovation and Decor - Great Ideas Here! The Must-Read Magazine for Anyone Interested in Renovating and Decorating Their Home Full story |
| Energy Matters EnerGuide for Houses EnerGuide for Houses was created by the Government of Canada to foster energy efficiency, reduce green house gas emissions and to provide homeowners with reliable advice so they can make informed choices when renovating or retrofitting their homes. The black and white EnerGuide label on an appliance is well known to most Canadians. But the EnerGuide for Houses program is much more than a rating. It is about having an energy expert right there in your home. It is about using the latest housing-science not myths or assumptions about ways to improve your home. It is about coming up with a plan to save you money through energy efficiency. It is about independent advice without a sales pitch. HV Editor's Note: Why mention this now with the warmer weather on the way (we hope!)? The fact is that the Spring & Summer are a good time to contract for furnace upgrades - contractors are not as busy and are more likely to offer better deals. One other note: Grants are given (up to $3,348) for improvements made that increase your energy rating. See the full story for a handy grant calculator. Full Story |
| Legal Issues Home Inspections, Defects and Disclosure No home is perfect. Realizing this, buyers today are encouraged to have a home inspection done by a qualified professional prior to finalizing the sale.
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