Real Estate Canadian Real Estate Homes House Market Report |RealtyKitchen.com

Natural Lawns a Great Option

Heleen Jacobsen — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:38:35 +0000

With the official start of spring only about a week away, you might be thinking about your lawn. It probably need some tending to, and you are probably remembering how difficult it was to take care of: all of the weeding, watering and lawn cutting takes valuable time away from your relaxation time.

Image: Anthony Rossos / Flickr

But not only the lawns difficult to take care of, they are also not very environmentally friendly. It takes a lot of chemicals to maintain them, energy to mow them, and we have to perpetually pull out natural weeds from what is usually a non native grass type.

There are other options, however. There is Eco-Lawn, for starters. Eco-Lawn and similarly eco-friendly grasses grow so gradually that you don’t need to cut the grass very often – about every month or so – and it doesn’t need much watering. It is also resistant to weeds.

If you are looking for something a bit more colourful, there are also some local groundcovers and flowers that can add a splash of imagination without requiring a lot of maintenance. Some of the more common ones that grow naturally in Canada are wild strawberry, artemisia, and sweet woodruff. You do, however, want to avoid some of the non-native types like periwinkle – they are so aggressive that they may begin colonizing all of the lawns in your neighbourhood.

If you are thinking of going this route, make sure that you only buy commercial varieties. It may seem more environmentally friendly to just transplant flowers you find in the wild, but many of these flowers are weeds, and will spread throughout your neighbourhood.

Getting rid of your old lawn is also fairly easy. Cover your lawn with newspapers, pile some compost on top, and leave it be for six months. Since it requires a bit of time, the best time for doing this is in the fall. The compost and newspapers will slowly decompose, replenishing the soil’s nutrients. After you’ve waited six months, simply till the soil and plant your new lawn.

The benefits of getting a new natural lawn extend beyond the environmental ones. If you do it right, you’ll gain more time, and you can use that to spend more time enjoying your garden, rather than working on it.

Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com

February 24, 2010 -- A Guide to Environmentally Friendly Flooring Options
March 4, 2010 -- More Tips on Eco-Flooring for Your House
February 20, 2010 -- ReStores Offer Renovators an Environmentally Friendly and Charitable Option
February 12, 2010 -- Five Hot Tips for the Freecycler
January 25, 2010 -- New Energy Efficiency Regulations Provides Buyers with Money Saving Information
August 22, 2009 -- Medicine Hat Housing Project New Owners
July 27, 2009 -- How to Remove Mold from your Home
June 30, 2009 -- Tips for Staying Cool at Home and Save Money
June 23, 2009 -- Conserving Water while Keeping your Lawn Green
June 22, 2009 -- Decorating Outdoors – Creating A Space For Living and Entertaining

CREA Predicts Positive Market for Resales in 2010 and 2011

Heleen Jacobsen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:11:56 +0000

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) forecast, 2010 and 2011 look like they will be good years for the housing market.

Resale activity will rise 13% in 2010, to hit the record-breaking number of 527,300 units moved. They predict that the first half of the year will see the most strength, due to the low interest rate climate. British Columbia and Ontario will lead the pack.

Image: Yorkville / Flickr

However, some of this strength will fade in the second half of the year, particularly as the HST is instituted in British Columbia and Ontario and interest rates grow.

Higher interest rates will also weaken the sales picture in 2011. Sales will fall 7% to hit the levels seen in 2005 and 2006. This is weaker than 2010, but it is much stronger than the trough the market hit in the second half of 2008 and first half of 2009. It is also expected that although interest rates will rise, they will not rise very fast. CREA president Dale Ripplinger says, “Although interest rates are expected to rise, they will still be low enough to keep affordability within reach for many homebuyers requiring mortgage financing, and support overall housing demand.”

With the rebound of sales, the average home price is also expected to rise 5% in 2010. Toronto and Vancouver will continue to lead the upward trend in home prices. There will be some relief in 2011 with prices easing slightly – about 2% – due to the slower activity in BC and Ontario.

Some of this is due to the high-end of the price spectrum in Vancouver and Toronto, which has been driving a lot of the increased activity. Higher income buyers were least affected by the downturn, so they entered the market faster than more middle income buyers.

Chief Economist for the CREA, Gregory Klump, says, “The decline and subsequent rebound in sales activity for homes in the upper price spectrum in some of Canada’s priciest markets skewed average prices upward in the second half of 2009 and into 2010. This segment of housing activity in Ontario and British Columbia is expected to ease beginning in the second half of 2010, causing average prices to moderate in those provinces.”

With interest rates expected to rise at only a moderate rate, the overall well-balanced look of the Canadian housing market is expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com

February 23, 2010 -- 6 Things to Avoid When Posting Real Estate to Craigslist
February 11, 2010 -- Luxury Real Estate is Rising from the Ashes
February 1, 2010 -- Renovating to Sell: Five Important Points
January 28, 2010 -- When to Sell
January 23, 2010 -- Surge in Completed Condos in 2010 Could Ease Prices
December 16, 2009 -- Staging Tips: Rearranging and Removal
November 23, 2009 -- Greater Toronto Home Sales Continue to Surge October 2009
November 23, 2009 -- Sheridan Homelands Resale Housing Activity October 2009
October 26, 2009 -- What Decorating can do for House
September 28, 2009 -- Knowing Market Trends

Thinking of DIY? Make Sure You Consider these Tips

Heleen Jacobsen — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:43:27 +0000

With the recent home renovation tax credit, many people are undertaking renovations of their homes. In some cases, this is encouraging people who have never renovated their homes to take the plunge, and to take the plunge by themselves.

But sometimes taking the plunge is something new renovaters should not do by themselves. Although doing it yourself can help you save money, you need to make sure it’s the right decision. Today, I’m going to provide some pointers, particularly around safety, that you should keep in mind.

Image: Ingorrr / Flickr

Electricity

If you are thinking about fixing your home’s electrical system yourself, you should probably give up on the idea. The potential for electrocution is very high, and you can cause a fire hazard if you do it improperly.

Even simpler installations can cause problems. Many people install ceiling-fans by themselves, but the problem is that thousands of people are injured by fans that have not been mounted properly every year.

Gas lines

This is definitely an area for eager amateurs. Making a mistake with a gas line could create a gas leak. And gas leaks could cause explosions, or it could suffocate people from escaping carbon-monoxide.

Heights

Doing projects that involve you to be high off the ground can be a major source of injury. Cleaning leaves out of your gutter or painting a wall might be something you can (carefully) undertake yourself; refinishing your roof or pruning trees might be a task you need help with.

Power tools

Power tools are a leading cause of accidental self-injury: 30,000 Americans lose fingers every year from power tools and doors. Clearly, you should limit your use of big saws and nail guns to the bare minimum. But you can hurt yourself with any powered tool, and care always needs to be taken.

Make sure you follow all of the safety procedures when you are using a power tool. Plan ahead to ensure that you aren’t suddenly changing your mind halfway through the project, or that you aren’t put in a position where you feel pressured to do something quickly. And only use power tools when you have a clear mind. And don’t use them if you are tipsy, sick or tired. Many accidents happen when the user isn’t focusing on what they are doing.

Next week I’ll give some more pointers about the types of projects you should leave to the experts.

Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com

June 18, 2009 -- Reasons to Renovate
February 1, 2010 -- Renovating to Sell: Five Important Points
January 7, 2010 -- Future Home Value
January 4, 2010 -- Understanding Home Prices: Renovations and Upgrades
December 3, 2009 -- Buyers Beware Part 2
October 29, 2009 -- Canadian Renting Guide: Renting a Place to Live – Evaluating Your Options
October 22, 2009 -- RBC: Renovation Tax Credit Boosts Home Improvements Projects Across Canada
October 17, 2009 -- British Columbia Partnership for Social Housing Renovations
September 30, 2009 -- Northern Housing Building Demonstration Pushed Forward By Canada’s Economic Action Plan
September 21, 2009 -- Manitoba Recreational Infrastructure Receives Funding

Housing Activity Strong

Matt Goulart — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:28 +0000

Author: Dean Terry

Housing starts rebounded in the second half of 2009, and it is expected to strengthen in 2010 according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) first quarter Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition.

In 2009, there was a total of 149,081 units, housing starts are expected to be in the range of 152,000 to 189,300 units in 2010, with a point forecast of 171,250 units.

In 2011, housing starts will be in the range of 156,400 to 205,600 units, with a point forecast of 175,150 units.

Chief Economist for CMHC, Bob Dugan noted that the existing home market has shifted from a buyer’s market, at the beginning of 2009, to a seller’s market. With the relative lack of listings for existing homes has pushed some of the demand into the new home market, which can help explain the forecast made for higher housing starts activity in 2010.

The pace of the Multiple Listings Service (MLS) sales seen in the second to fourth quarters of 2009 reflects, in the activity that was delayed in the previous two quarters.

This pace is unlikely to be sustained as pent up demand, as it has exhausted and financing costs increase with anticipated higher interest rates later in 2010.

The results of this will be that existing home sales will be in the range of 455,350 to 509,900 units in 2010, with a point forecast of 486,700 units. It is expected to lower slightly in 2011, within the range of 426,300 to 494,600 units, with a point forecast of 469,950 units.

With the balance improving between supply and demand, the average MLS price is expected to remain close to the average of the last quarter of 2009, for most of 2010, and then rise modestly in 2011.

Jeff Markewich
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.imgrealestate.ca

March 11, 2010 -- Canadian Economy Due for a Major Rebound
February 22, 2010 -- Government of Canada Extends Financing for Student Housing
February 20, 2010 -- CMHC Improves Housing Affordability and Choice
February 20, 2010 -- December Housing Starts Increases
December 14, 2009 -- Edmonton Housing Starts Almost Triple in November
November 23, 2009 -- Greater Toronto Home Sales Continue to Surge October 2009
October 19, 2009 -- GTA Home Sales Higher in September
October 15, 2009 -- Supportive Housing Opens in Vancouver Downtown Eastside
October 14, 2009 -- Lethbridge Home Builders Have no Time to Rest
October 2, 2009 -- Construction Phase of Whitehorse Affordable Family Housing Project Launched

Canadian Economy Due for a Major Rebound

Matt Goulart — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:50:01 +0000

Author: Herman H. Cheung

A new forecast from RBC Economics says that Canada’s economy is set for real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.1% this year and 3.9% in 2011.

RBC has noted that a peak in stimulus investment, improved credit markets and a recovery in consumer spending are pushing the increase of GDP growth.

Craig Wright, chief economist has noted that recovery has taken a solid root in Canada, which is also due to low interest rates and improved credit markets. He has also gone as far as to say that the strength in the housing market and investment by private sector should provoke additional economic growth.

With the economy in for a major rebound, we can also expect to see that the housing market improving further on.

As it stands, we are already surpassing last year’s level, however the months so far were ones we were deep into the recession. We will truly be able to see how the market will fare once we reach April, which was around the time last year when we first began to see huge improvements in the housing market.

Until then nothing is certain, however I believe that with new mortgage rules and interest rates rising in mid 2010, we might see the housing market stabilize, but no records broken anytime soon.

Rita Baxter
Broker of Record with Town and Country Realty
www.lloydminsterrealestate.ca/

October 19, 2009 -- GTA Home Sales Higher in September
March 11, 2010 -- Housing Activity Strong
March 2, 2010 -- Bank of Canada Maintains Low Interest Rate
January 18, 2010 -- CIBC: Recovery will be Difficult
January 7, 2010 -- Future Home Value
January 6, 2010 -- Understanding Home Prices: The Economy
December 18, 2009 -- Canadian Housing Bubble Fears Decrease
December 15, 2009 -- Canadians in More Debt
December 8, 2009 -- Bank of Canada Keeps Low Rate
December 7, 2009 -- Bank of Canada Stands on RateBank of Canada Stands on Rate

5 Tips for Your West Coast Designed Homes

Heleen Jacobsen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:23:07 +0000

When you are thinking of redecorating your house, one look to consider is West Coast Design. West Coast interior designs are very hot right now because of their emphasis on the natural and environmentally-friendly living spaces. If you are planning on using this aesthetic as an inspiration, here are a few points to remember:

Image: La Citta Vita / Flickr

1. West Coast design, as mentioned, uses a lot of natural materials such as wood and stone, particularly unfinished materials of this type. They tend to be locally sourced, which helps tie interiors with the exteriors. The idea is that rooms in the West Coast design aesthetic do not try to create a formal barrier between the rest of the world and the home (like in an elegant New England sitting room).

2. This style also use a number of influences, such as Indigenous, East Asian and European. For instance, rooms might be designed to have the clean lines of a Japanese sitting room, but feature the more organic shapes and textures of an Aboriginal totem pole. The result is a wholly original style.

3. It embraces the future. West Coast designs aren’t stuck in the past. They often incorporate a lot of steel, concrete and unique lighting features. They are also accepting of new technology: plasma televisions and brushed steel appliances can work well in a West Coast designed-home.

4. The colour palettes are inspired by the natural environment of the West Coast, and involve the use of soft greys, blues and greens – as if the colours were seen through a mist. These colours also respond well to diffuse natural light, which is the most common light on the West Coast. To contrast with this, many designs use the deep, warm browns, reds and greens of the local redwoods.

5. To help emphasize the feeling that the West Coast-designed homes are integrated with their natural environment, rooms are designed to look and feel very spacious. This helps connect the interiors with the exteriors. This usually involves using large windows as the visual focal point of a room, and designing around that, rather than around a television or coffee table.

Hopefully, I’ve given you some ideas to help inspire your next interior decor renewal. Next week, I’ll give you some more pointers.

Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com

March 5, 2010 -- Part Two of the Homes and Gardens Survey
February 22, 2010 -- Hottest New Home Decorating Trend: Vintage Grain Sacks
March 4, 2010 -- More Tips on Eco-Flooring for Your House
March 3, 2010 -- Hot New Trend Alert: Urban Decay
February 23, 2010 -- Better Homes and Gardens Survey Says Consumers Want Houses to Be Green and Small
February 13, 2010 -- Decorating with Plasma Screen Televisions
January 28, 2010 -- Get Inspired by Scandinavian Design
January 23, 2010 -- Five Decorating Ideas That Will Last
June 26, 2009 -- Tips for Staging your Home

RBC Poll: Home Buying Intentions Gaining Momentum

Nelson Goulart — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:49:14 +0000

Author: zarak.khan2009

A recent Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) poll showed that homebuying momentum in Canada continues to gain momentum with the portion of Canadians who are likely to purchase a home within the next two years rising to 10%.

This data is according to the 17th Annual RBC Homeownership Study; it shows that younger Canadians, aged 18-24 will be leading this year, with those to buy almost doubling to 15% from 8% in 2009.

Ipsos Reid conducted the RBC study, and it was found that 91% of Canadian homeowners believe a home is a good investment, making this the highest level in 12 years.

We also have 26% of Canadians expecting their home to be their primary source of income when they retire.

With this information, people have to be ready to see buyers not stalling any further with their purchase. If you are a buyer on the market today, you should not waste too much time when you find the house of your dreams.

As we know, there will be new mortgage rules as of April 3rd, and by the middle of the year interest rates should start increasing.

If you want to purchase your home with a low mortgage attached, now is the time to be purchasing a home, however I cannot stress this enough, that you should not over extend yourself too thin.

Tips will be provided to help you your buying process on a later date.

Glen Chapman
Broker of Record with Club “100″ GMAC Real Estate
www.club100realestate.com

December 15, 2009 -- Lending Cost Going up in Late 2010
November 27, 2009 -- RBC Economics: Affordability Lowers in Quebec
November 25, 2009 -- RBC: Canadian Homeownership Becomes more Expensive
February 18, 2010 -- Inflation Rises, but Interest Expected to Stay the Aame
January 18, 2010 -- CIBC: Recovery will be Difficult
December 2, 2009 -- Consumers Not Big On Spending Large
October 22, 2009 -- RBC: Renovation Tax Credit Boosts Home Improvements Projects Across Canada
March 2, 2010 -- Bank of Canada Maintains Low Interest Rate
February 21, 2010 -- The Optimal Down Payment Amount
February 19, 2010 -- Dealing with Changes in the Housing Market

Buying Tips

Matt Goulart — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:36:10 +0000

Author: Okie Dan

When purchasing a home, you can find yourself in one of the most stressful periods of your life.

To help ease the stress of purchasing a home, I have a few tips you may want to consider following.

1. Lock in Mortgage Rate

When you apply for a mortgage, you will be able to lock in the rate. This is generally for a maximum of 120 days. This guarantee will let you have the rate you want despite any increases made during the time period.

2. Consider Future Possibilities

With rate increases bound to happen soon, and you are worried about affordability, take into account a 1 – 3% increase in your payments. By doing this you can have peace of mind knowing the whether or not you can afford a home now or in a few years.

3. Leave “Wiggle” Room

With a pre-approved mortgage, you will know what you can afford, however do not make any rash decisions. Take into account your current lifestyle, and consider any future changes. You should purchase a house within a comfort zone, which will help if any unexpected costs come up.

I will be providing further information on those who already own a home and may want to improve their mortgage later on.

Rita Baxter
Broker of Record with Town and Country Realty
www.lloydminsterrealestate.ca/

February 26, 2010 -- The Neighbourhood is an Extention of Your Home
February 17, 2010 -- Mortgage Changes Affect on Future of Real Estate
January 27, 2010 -- Economic Growth Strong in Cities in 2010
January 26, 2010 -- How Affordable is Your Market?
January 7, 2010 -- Saving for Your Home
December 9, 2009 -- Mortgage Rates Decreasing
December 1, 2009 -- Low Rates Will not be Around Forever
December 1, 2009 -- Affordabiltiy Increases, Now What?
November 27, 2009 -- RBC Economics: Atlantic Canada Ranks Among the Most Affordable
November 25, 2009 -- RBC: Canadian Homeownership Becomes more Expensive

Consumer Confidence in Real Estate Is Rising

Heleen Jacobsen — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:45:16 +0000

With so many stats released about how the market performed last month or last year, all of this information can obscure the fact that what matters to many potential homeowners is what will happen to the market in the future. Taking the pulse of current consumer confidence can help in this task.

Image: USACE Europe District / Flickr

RBC has released its annual Homeownership Study, and it shows that the housing market is not likely to cool off in the next few months. Ten percent of all of the people surveyed said they planned to buy a house in the next two years, compared to the seven percent the survey recorded in 2008. Younger respondents were the ones who showed the most eagerness to buy, with 15% expressing strong interest, compared to eight percent last year.

Undoubtedly, this is being driven by the increasingly stable market conditions and low interest rates. And many people think that now is the time to buy, as opposed to later: three-fifths of respondents said they think that average house prices will keep rising in 2010. This is a huge turnaround from 2009, when only a quarter thought house prices would rise.

Because of this optimistic view of house prices, and possibly because people are getting concerned about the volatility of the stock market, 91% of the survey respondents think that owning a home is a good way to invest your money, and a quarter think that their home will the main way they will pay for their retirement. This is the highest level for homeowner satisfaction that RBC has seen in 12 years.

A senior economist for RBC, Robert Hogue, says, “With the Canadian housing market showing continued vigour, it’s not surprising that Canadians feel more confident in the long-term value of owning a home.”

When they do buy a home, fixed-rate and combination fixed and variable rate mortgages are neck-in-neck in terms of popularity: fixed rate has 44%, and combination has 40% support. This supports the judgement that Canadians are optimistic about the future, but they are trying to be cautious as well, because not all of their questions are answered.

What should you take away from this survey? Essentially, that for buying and selling, now is a good time to take a leap into the market. With consumer confidence rising, there will be more people entering the market, and therefore, more opportunities to make the deal you want.

Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com

February 22, 2010 -- Home Sales in Toronto Are Strong
February 10, 2010 -- Is there a Housing Bubble?
October 19, 2009 -- GTA Home Sales Higher in September
October 6, 2009 -- GTA Home Sales Higher in September
September 16, 2009 -- Home Sales Rise 27% in GTA
March 7, 2010 -- Housing Industry Has Concerns with New Federal Budget
February 28, 2010 -- Pitfalls to Avoid when Adding a Rental Property
February 23, 2010 -- 6 Things to Avoid When Posting Real Estate to Craigslist
February 22, 2010 -- The Top 5 Points to Remember when Creating a Craigslist Real Estate Listing
February 18, 2010 -- Signs of a Cooling in the Canadian Real Estate Market?

Kitchen Renos on a Budget

Heleen Jacobsen — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:49:45 +0000

Even in times of economic hardship, we still sometimes want to make a change to our home’s decor. In fact, redecorating a room or refinishing the basement can not only make our home look nicer, it might make us feel better about our life in general. If you are stressed about finances, you can at least relax in your beautiful home.

Image: Serendigity / Flickr

The kitchen is usually one of the first places we look to redoing: we spend a lot of time in there, and fixing it up can make us feel better about all of the chores we have to do. But if you are looking to fix it up and you don’t have a lot of money, it can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to help you get it right.

1. Painting

It sounds boring, but painting is the best way to make the most of a small budget. Painting helps cover up all of that wear and tear. And because it usually covers a lot of wall space, it can make a big impact. The thing to avoid, however, is cute or crazy colours in your redo. You want the paint job to be noticeable (otherwise, why bother?), but you also want to choose a colour that complements your decorating scheme. Neutrals are always best, because they are the background for what you can change next.

2. Backsplashes

Adding a vibrant colour accent to your backsplash like royal blue or rich red can help add sparkle to your decorating scheme. Since the backsplashes are limited in size, the colour will not overwhelm your kitchen. And it will help pull together some of the different colours you might have throughout your kitchen.

3. Don’t move the sink

Moving anything around will cost a lot of money and take a lot of planning to undertake. However, consider changing the sink. Putting in a new sink can freshen up the appearance of your kitchen, and if you choose ones with water-saving features, your new look can double as an environmentally friendly feature.

Those tips will help you get started. Next week I’ll provide some more tips on how to continue your budget-friendly reno.

Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com

March 2, 2010 -- Three Suggestions for Investing in Real Estate
February 26, 2010 -- Don’t Use Your Mortgage to Top Up RRSPs
February 12, 2010 -- Five Hot Tips for the Freecycler
February 2, 2010 -- 5 Tips to Renovating on a Budget
January 27, 2010 -- Mortgage Brokers Can Potentially Save You Money
January 25, 2010 -- New Energy Efficiency Regulations Provides Buyers with Money Saving Information
August 14, 2009 -- Creating a Green Kitchen
July 29, 2009 -- 6 Mistake First Time Home Buyers Make
June 30, 2009 -- Tips for Staying Cool at Home and Save Money
June 16, 2009 -- Going Green in your Garden

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