You’ve probably seen the news lately: real estate sales down by 50% compared to this time last year! Although there are many things to take into consideration like the changing economy and hesitation on behalf of Canadians while watching the real estate market in the states, there are still more sides of the story…
Take, for example, the effects of the Land Transfer Tax, a levy of up to 2% in addition to the province’s taxes, which took effect Feb. 1, 2008.
The C.D. Howe study, “Sand in the Gears”, reported a drop in the number of houses sold in Toronto from February, when the tax was implemented, until August, when the real estate market began to falter. Comparing Toronto sales with those in the suburbs, there has been a 16% decrease in sales and a 1.5% reduction in house prices.
City Councillor Shelley Carroll, the mayor's budget chief, is predicting that the effects felt by the land transfer tax should stabilize in a year or so, but added that the market was artificially inflated when some buyers hurried to purchase their property before it took effect.
None of us has a crystal ball to look into the future, but it will be interesting to see what the real estate numbers in February 2009 will look like. A little less askew?
Showing posts with label selling your home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label selling your home. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Save Money? And Help the Environment? Tell Me More!
Whether you have just bought a home and wish to upgrade appliances or you are looking to increase the value of your home before a sale or you simply wish to conserve water and reduce monthly bills…I have some good news for you!
On a daily basis each of the 2.9 million people living in Toronto require an average of 253 litres of residential water use per day…that’s about 77 million toilet flushes EVERY DAY! In an effort to curb water usage, the City of Toronto has a variety of programs and resources, from cash back rebates to retrofit packages, available to the public.
As an incentive to homeowners to replace inefficient models, the City is offering cash rebates on 2 water saving appliances. If you are thinking of replacing your toilet or washing machine you may be eligible to receive the rebate in addition to saving thousands of litres of water every year.
- Ultra low-flow toilets use only 6 litres of water per flush, where a typical model uses up to 20. They work just as efficiently, and savings will add up on your monthly water bills. Rebates of up to $75 are available.
- City-selected, high-efficiency front loading clothes washers use 40% less water and 60 % less energy. Washers are easily recognized by a sticker indicating they are approved by the City of Toronto and sold in local stores. Rebates of up to $60 are available.
Click here to find out if you qualify for these rebates or to find out more about the programs.
If you are not ready to make a large purchase, there are still many things you can do to help ease water usage, including picking up an indoor water efficiency retrofit kit. It costs only $10 and includes items such as a high efficiency shower head, kitchen swivel aerator, 2 bathroom aerators, installation instructions and more! Your water consumption and bills will both be reduced, and who doesn’t want to save a little? Click here to find out where these kits are available.
Money saving tips are always useful, but ones that benefit the environment as well? It’s a win/win situation!
On a daily basis each of the 2.9 million people living in Toronto require an average of 253 litres of residential water use per day…that’s about 77 million toilet flushes EVERY DAY! In an effort to curb water usage, the City of Toronto has a variety of programs and resources, from cash back rebates to retrofit packages, available to the public.
As an incentive to homeowners to replace inefficient models, the City is offering cash rebates on 2 water saving appliances. If you are thinking of replacing your toilet or washing machine you may be eligible to receive the rebate in addition to saving thousands of litres of water every year.
- Ultra low-flow toilets use only 6 litres of water per flush, where a typical model uses up to 20. They work just as efficiently, and savings will add up on your monthly water bills. Rebates of up to $75 are available.
- City-selected, high-efficiency front loading clothes washers use 40% less water and 60 % less energy. Washers are easily recognized by a sticker indicating they are approved by the City of Toronto and sold in local stores. Rebates of up to $60 are available.
Click here to find out if you qualify for these rebates or to find out more about the programs.
If you are not ready to make a large purchase, there are still many things you can do to help ease water usage, including picking up an indoor water efficiency retrofit kit. It costs only $10 and includes items such as a high efficiency shower head, kitchen swivel aerator, 2 bathroom aerators, installation instructions and more! Your water consumption and bills will both be reduced, and who doesn’t want to save a little? Click here to find out where these kits are available.
Money saving tips are always useful, but ones that benefit the environment as well? It’s a win/win situation!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
5 Tips on How To Make Your Home More Marketable
1. List the Pros – by viewing the home from a buyer’s perspective, you can easily make a list of the home’s positive features which will then allow your realtor to emphasize those qualities when listing your home.
2. Add curb appeal – the housing market tends to see an increase in sales usually during the spring and summer seasons. Therefore, cutting the grass and adding eye catching landscaping will not only boost your home’s visibility but add to the attractiveness of the home.
3. Make needed repairs – invest in fixing up the some of patches of worn out paint on the walls with a fresh coat. Don’t focus on the fixing the minor cracked tile, instead of waiting for potential buyers spot a problem take the initiative to make all necessary repairs. It will benefit you in the long run and reduces the chances of turning of a potential buyer.
4. Clean and organize your home – deodorize and steam clean your carpets. Put some extra elbow grease in and clean your windows. These “chores” help to make an impression on buyers who are coming to view the home. Organize the clutter and get rid of the junk that you maybe hiding in a closet or the basement. It is important to realize that clutter only makes the space in your home appear smaller. By clearing out the clutter, you give the illusion of a much more spacious liveable area.
5. Set the tone – with neutral and warm colours throughout the house. As much as you love the leopard print wallpaper that might not be your potential buyer’s style. Remember, they are picturing it as they would see themselves in the home and you wouldn’t want to be responsible for your home not being sold because of the hot pink walls.
Staging your home is very important and could mean the difference between your home being sold within two days versus two months. Professional stagers are available to come in and assist you with staging your home to make it stand out to the crowd.
Have a question? Post to the blog so that Elli can give you her feedback.
2. Add curb appeal – the housing market tends to see an increase in sales usually during the spring and summer seasons. Therefore, cutting the grass and adding eye catching landscaping will not only boost your home’s visibility but add to the attractiveness of the home.
3. Make needed repairs – invest in fixing up the some of patches of worn out paint on the walls with a fresh coat. Don’t focus on the fixing the minor cracked tile, instead of waiting for potential buyers spot a problem take the initiative to make all necessary repairs. It will benefit you in the long run and reduces the chances of turning of a potential buyer.
4. Clean and organize your home – deodorize and steam clean your carpets. Put some extra elbow grease in and clean your windows. These “chores” help to make an impression on buyers who are coming to view the home. Organize the clutter and get rid of the junk that you maybe hiding in a closet or the basement. It is important to realize that clutter only makes the space in your home appear smaller. By clearing out the clutter, you give the illusion of a much more spacious liveable area.
5. Set the tone – with neutral and warm colours throughout the house. As much as you love the leopard print wallpaper that might not be your potential buyer’s style. Remember, they are picturing it as they would see themselves in the home and you wouldn’t want to be responsible for your home not being sold because of the hot pink walls.
Staging your home is very important and could mean the difference between your home being sold within two days versus two months. Professional stagers are available to come in and assist you with staging your home to make it stand out to the crowd.
Have a question? Post to the blog so that Elli can give you her feedback.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
