The City of Mississauga, in partnership with Enersource and Tim Hortons, is encouraging residents and businesses to join the fight against climate change by participating in
Earth Hour
Saturday, March 27, 2010
From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Residents and businesses can participate by turning off all non-essential lights and electrical appliances in the home and office. Last year, the City saw a 9% reduction in energy consumption during Earth Hour. This year we are challenging the community to double that and help us reach 20 per cent. We are encouraging everyone to get involved and to think about what more they can do for Earth Hour this year.
For the first time ever, the City of Mississauga will be holding an event to celebrate Earth Hour. The event will feature many great youth oriented performances all leading up to the grand finale, which will be a performance by Canada’s latest breakthrough country star, Marshall Dane. Light refreshments will be served at this free event. All are welcome!!
Event Details: Date:Saturday, March 27, 2010 Time:7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Location:Mississauga Civic Centre, Great Hall (Duke of York Blvd. & Burnhamthorpe Rd)
Regards,
Zeenia Kola
Sales Representative with Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage
Add: 2691 Credit Valley Road, Mississauga, L5M 7A1
Purchasing a new home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. Before making an offer, make sure you’re ready to take on all the financial and emotional responsibilities. To help you make an informed decision, ask yourself the following questions (Courtesy of CMHC):
Are you Financially Ready? To avoid unpleasant surprises down the road, take time now to calculate your net worth, current household budget and monthly debt payments. This information can help you assess your current financial situation and decide how much house you can afford. As a general rule, your monthly housing costs (including mortgage principal and interest, taxes and heating) shouldn’t add up to more than 32% of your gross household monthly income. In addition, your entire monthly debt load shouldn’t be more than 40% of your monthly income.
How much will your home actually cost? You need to take into account all the costs related with home ownership, including up-front costs like mortgage loan insurance premiums, appraisal and home inspection fees, legal fees, moving expenses and a down payment, as well as ongoing costs like maintenance and repairs, emergency savings, and condo or strata fees.
What Kind of Mortgage is Right for you? Depending on the size of your down payment, you may have either a conventional or high ratio mortgage. You also need to choose the term and amortization period for your mortgage, work out a payment schedule, decide whether you prefer a closed or open mortgage, and choose between a fixed, variable or adjustable interest rate. To make these decisions easier, it’s a good idea to select a lender and get pre-approved for a mortgage before you begin your home hunt.
Warm Regards, Zeenia Kola Sales Representative with Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage 2691 Credit Valley Road, Mississauag, L5M 7A1 Ph: 905-828-3434 Email: zeenia@zeeniakola.com Website: www.zeeniakola.com
Gorgeous Bayview Hill Home On a Premium Lot On A Child Friendly Crescent Bright and Spacious Maintained well by Original Owners 5 Bedrooms $$$ Spent On Upgrades New Kitchen Granite Counterops New Renovated Washrooms New Energy Saving Faucets Gleaming Hardwood and Laminated Flooring Throughout Except 1 Bedroom Has Broadloom Freshly Painted 2 Master bedrooms with Ensuite Bath Jacuzzi Beautiful Backyard With Upgraded Large Cedar Deck Facing Park Extra Space On 2nd Level Can Be Used As Office Space Direct Entrance From Garage Beautiful Landscaping with Interlocked Driveway and Sidewalk Close to all amenities Professionally finished Basement apartment with Seperate Entrance, Bath, Kitchen and Bedroom Lots of Storage Space
The Greater Toronto Area’s spring real estate market is just weeks away and many analysts anticipate that it will be a busy one.
It is expected that the number of properties available for sale will increase as homeowners react favourably to recent months’ activity. It’s also likely that the market will have more homebuyers, prompted to make a purchase before the added costs of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) take effect on July 1st.
If you’re planning on making a venture into the market this year, now could be the time to undertake improvements, which if carefully planned, can increase the value of your home considerably.
Most of us know that kitchens, bathrooms and a fresh coat of paint inside and out, offer the best return on investment. According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, you can expect to get back 75 to 100 per cent of what you put into kitchens and bathrooms. Painting can return 50 to 100 per cent of your investment.
While these are typically low risk investments, a number of factors can influence the gains you achieve with other types of renovations. Location is one such consideration. The completion of a basement recreation room for example, can generally return 50 to 75 per cent of expenses, depending on the preferences of future buyers in your area. In a predominantly seniors community its value could be considerably limited.
It’s also important to consider your home’s most crucial needs. Window and door replacement may offer a return of 50 to 75 per cent, but if your existing units are broken, this home improvement should take priority on your project list. Where glaring needs are concerned, the value associated with your home’s overall impression outweighs specific project returns.
When deciding whether to continue with functional renovations though, it’s also important to consider that significant government rebates are available for many energy efficiency improvements.
There are some improvements that we undertake simply for our own enjoyment, like a swimming pool, from which you can get back up to 40 per cent of your investment or landscaping, which is likely to offer a 25 to 50 per cent return. Despite the limited gains they may offer individually, these types of improvements can also make an important contribution to your property’s overall image.
Consider as well that not all of your renovations need to be sizable. Even minor improvements like new light fixtures; cabinet hardware or faucets can give your home a contemporary look.
Am doing a Public Open House on March 6th, 2010 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 3503 Orion Crescent, Mississauga.
COME JOIN ME!!!
Description: Credit Woodlands!!Lovingly Maintained Detached Home Backing Onto Park With Separate Entrance In-Law Suite! Hardwood Floors, Updated Kitchens, Fireplace, Huge Driveway & No Sidewalk! New Roof, Chimney, Breaker Panel, High Efficiency Furnace & Central Air Conditioning in 2007!
This is the latest report from our Toronto Real Estate Market and shows that our market is very strong.
March 3, 2010 -- Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 7,291 sales through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in February, representing a 77 per cent increase over February 2009. The average price for these transactions was up 19 per cent year-over-year to $431,509. Sales and average price increases represent both increased demand for ownership housing and the base year effect, which involves a comparison of economic recovery this year to a period of economic decline last year.
“Increases in existing home sales and average price were noted across the GTA in low-rise and high-rise home types. Similar rates of growth were experienced in the City of Toronto and surrounding 905 regions,” said TREB President Tom Lebour. “This suggests that first time, move-up and down sizing buyers are all active in the existing home marketplace.”
New listings also increased in February, climbing 24 per cent compared to the same month last year.
“Annual growth in new listings is expected to continue. New listings growth will start to outstrip sales growth as we move through 2010,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis. “As the market becomes better supplied, we will see more sustainable single-digit rates of price growth.”
If you want the statistics or the chart for the February Month, please don't hesitate to contact me.
When it comes to character, you just can’t beat the charisma of an older home. Newly constructed homes however, come with their own unique assets, one of the most remarkable of which is energy efficiency.
From the roof to the foundation, a number of innovative building practices often go into constructing today’s greenest homes.
Roof shingles for example, are now available in recycled materials. Environmentally friendly spray foam insulation, which can help prevent dampness, keep out pollutants and contribute to structural strength, is even partially made with recycled materials.
Roofs, walls and floors can be insulated as well with special structural panels that consist of two layers of board with insulating foam in between them. The forms that are used to mould a home’s poured concrete foundation can now also be found with insulating ability, and barriers that prevent dampness from rising into the foundation can be used at this stage of construction as well. Even exterior cladding is now insulated to offer greater energy efficiency.
If you prefer an older home though, there are many simple ways to make it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Start with an Energy Star programmable thermostat that will save on heating and cooling costs when you’re not home. You can take this approach a step further by investing in a new high efficiency furnace or air conditioner. Adding insulation to the attic of your home will offer reduced energy costs for years to come as well.
A tank-less water heater will also save on energy costs by providing only the amount of heated water that you need rather than maintaining it in a cylinder.
Even making minor changes can have an impact, like choosing energy efficient light bulbs - Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are good and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are even better.
If you’re planning to make cosmetic changes to your home you can do your part for the environment by choosing wood flooring, and even carpet, made with recycled content. Look for low VOC paints and stains as well, which reduce the number of unstable, carbon-containing compounds that enter the air and react with other elements.
In the bathroom, you can keep more money in your pocket by installing low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets.
Replacing old windows with low-E argon-filled units that have the Energy Star symbol can make a dramatic difference to your home’s energy efficiency as well.
Changing your old appliances with new Energy Star machines is also a great way to reduce energy consumption while enhancing the overall appeal of your home.
Beyond enjoying the aesthetics, cost savings and fulfillment associated with helping the environment, you can also consider getting an energy audit to take full benefit of a number of government rebates for energy-saving home improvements.
Regardless of the approach you choose, remember that nothing can substitute for good-old fashioned conservation. Remember that the energy you save today may well be the energy that is needed tomorrow.
