Ideas To Take The Pain Out Of Spring Cleaning

Here’s another post taken from my ‘News You Can Use’ Preferred Client publication. ____________________________________________________________________________________

If spring-cleaning isn’t your idea of fun, don’t distress. These quick fixes should help you have your home looking its best with plenty of time to spare.

Recycle Every home has those little corners or cupboards filled with unwanted gifts, outgrown clothing, or worn-out toys that take up space. What about the garage? Is it so full of ’stuff’ that your vehicle sat on the driveway all winter?

Collect everything that hasn’t been used in the past year and either donate it to organizations that can use it or take it to your local recycling centre. Do your best to avoid sending items to the local landfill.

Maintenance Now is the time to perform those small repairs and other routine maintenance tasks before they become major annoyances. Replace bulbs and batteries in hard-to-reach fixtures and fire alarms, repair leaking faucets, and replace filters for the furnace.

Next, get out the rakes, garden hoes, and shears and tackle the yard.  Remember to check your window wells for anything Mother Nature may have deposited over the winter. Don’t be afraid to hire a handyman for anything outside your ordinary skill set. You’ll be surprised to find how much better your home feels to you without these minor annoyances.

Clean Once you have cleared the clutter and made much-needed repairs, it’s time to get down and dirty by scouring the house from top to bottom.

Hire a company or rent a machine to clean the carpets, upholstery, air ducts, windows, and other surfaces. Use environmentally friendly enzymatic cleaners to disinfect and deodorize at the same time. Once everything is clean and disinfected, consider purchasing a HEPA air filtration system to help improve and maintain air quality in your home.

///…CP

Mortgage Insurance Your Loved Ones Will Value

Here’s some information provided by my financial advisor, Janet Shygera. Janet’s contact information and a link to her website appear at the end of this post. Be sure to contact her if you have any questions or wish to discuss your insurance and/ or financial needs in greater detail — I know she’d love to hear from you.

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Before you say ‘yes’ to mortgage insurance from your lending institution, you should know that you have other options that better protect you and your family. Most banks offer life insurance for protecting your mortgage however, traditional mortgage insurance isn’t always the best solution for your protection. The fact is, you do not have to take the mortgage insurance offered by your bank.

The facts:

TRADITIONAL MORTGAGE INSURANCE		PERSONALLY OWNED POLICY
Decreasing Benefit- Decreasing insurance where premiums remain level while mortgage reduces.		Coverage remains level. Does not decrease as the mortgage is paid down.
May be required to re-qualify upon renewal of mortgage or if you change lenders.		Never have to re-qualify for coverage.
Unable to name a beneficiary – the lending institution is the beneficiary.		You decide who is the beneficiary.
Coverage is not convertible to permanent insurance.		Coverage is convertible to permanent insurance.
No distinction between smokers and non-smokers.		Non-smokers receive lower rates.
Generally a group policy that is owned and controlled by the lender. May be cancelled by the lender or insurer at any time.		An individual policy cannot be cancelled, except by you. You have complete control over it.

 

Consider owning your own personal life insurance policy… it’s probably less costly, puts you in the driver’s seat, and you name your beneficiary — the lending institution isn’t automatically your beneficiary.

Janet Shygera  EPC
Financial Advisor
Integrity Insurance & Financial Services Inc.
305, 85 Cranford Way
Sherwood Park, AB  T8H 0H9
P| 780.640.8228
F| 780.665.7174 
E| janet@integrityins.ca
W| www.integrityins.ca

 

///…CP

 

Housing Activity Stronger In 2010

News Release from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation:

Housing starts rebounded in the second half of 2009 and will strengthen in 2010, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s first quarter Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition*.

Following a total of 149,081 units in 2009, 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.

“Canadian housing markets will benefit from improving economic conditions and low mortgage rates,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist for CMHC. “As well, measures recently announced by the Government of Canada to support the long-term stability of Canada’s housing market will help moderate housing activity as some potential buyers will have to save a larger down payment or consider a less expensive home.”

Mr. Dugan also noted that the existing home market has shifted from a buyers’ market, at the beginning of 2009, to a sellers’ market. The relative lack of new listings for existing homes has pushed some of the demand into the new home market, which helps explain the forecast for higher housing starts activity in 2010.

The strong pace of MLS®1 sales seen in the second to fourth quarters of 2009 reflects, in part, activity that was delayed in the previous two quarters. The pace is not likely to be sustained as pent-up demand is exhausted and financing costs increase with anticipated higher interest rates later in 2010. As a result, 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, and then move slightly lower in 2011 to be in the range of 426,300 to 494,600 units, with a point forecast of 469,950 units.

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

As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable homes. CMHC also provides reliable, impartial and up-to-date housing market reports, analysis and knowledge to support and assist consumers and the housing industry in making vital decisions.

* The forecasts included in the Housing Market Outlook are based on information available as of February 16, 2010. Where applicable, forecast ranges are also presented in order to reflect economic uncertainty.

Information on this release:

Charles Sauriol
CMHC Media Relations
613-748-2799
csauriol@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

///…CP

February Numbers — Market Stability Persists

Every month I review, modify/ adapt, and post the MLS® data for Edmonton and area real estate activity. The information is adapted from the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Monthly MLS® Report and Press Release. You can view the original report in its entirety by visiting theREALTORS® Association of Edmonton website. Click HERE for a graphical representation of Edmonton’s average price over the course of the calendar year. Click HERE for a graphical representation of Edmonton’s actual month-to-month price over the course of the calendar year.
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Prices for residential property sold through the Edmonton Multiple Listing Service® changed marginally through February, despite a dramatic increase in sales activity compared to last month or the same month last year. 

The average*** single family dwelling price was up 1.4% from January to $369,573 — a 5.6% increase from a year ago. Condominium prices dipped 3.8% to $231,530 and duplex and rowhouse prices were up 3.3% to $315,390. The average days-on-market was down 10 to just 47 days.

“While prices remained stable through February the increase in sales activity indicates that there is a demand for housing in the Edmonton area,” said Larry Westergard, president of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. “Listings also increased in February leading to a bigger month end inventory of homes and relaxing concerns that inventory may be too low to handle the spring buying season.”

In February, housing sales were up 33.9% compared to January with 1,184 residential sales. Total residential sales were also up 7.6% from last February. There were 2,505 residential listings added during the month resulting in a 47% sales-to-listing ratio and a month-end inventory of 5,449 homes. Total sales through the Edmonton MLS® System (including residential, commercial and rural properties) in February were valued at $416 million (up 10.5% from last year).

“The upcoming changes to mortgage qualification rules and impending mortgage rate increases may prompt some buyers to enter the market earlier and cause some additional slowdown in the third quarter,” said Westergard. “As usual, REALTORS® will be challenged to be a voice of reason in the real estate transaction and work to meet the needs of their eager clients without putting their financial health at risk.”

A new and improved MLS® System statistics package is available to consumers at ereb.com with year-to-year comparisons and expanded reporting of the condominium market and new sub-market reports. The public will also find median prices in addition to the typical average price statistics.

***Average prices indicate market trends only. They do not reflect actual prices, which vary from house to house and area to area. For information on a specific area, contact me directly***
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February 2010 Activity	Record for the Month *	Percent Change from February 2009	Change From January
Total MLS® sales this month	1,312	10.3%	UP
Value of total MLS® sales – month	$417 million	10.5%	UP
Value of total MLS® sales – year	$750 million	14.1%	UP
Residential¹ sales this month	1,184	7.60%	UP
Residential average price	$316,765	2.00%	UP
SFD² average selling price – month	$369,573	2.00%	UP
SFD² median³ selling price	$355,000	5.90%	DOWN
Condo average selling price	$231,530	0.80%	DOWN

1. Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses.
2. Single Family Dwelling
3. The middle figure in a list of all sales prices

 ///…CP

Come Home To: 1412 Cambridge Lofts

MLS# E3212707 — Click the MLS Number at left to view images. Note you will be re-directed to the REALTOR.ca website.

Located in Cambridge Lofts, this prime one-bedroom loft style condominium is perfectly located in the heart of downtown. With private LRT and pedway system access from the building, this unit is ideal for students, first-time buyers, or investors.

The unit features a granite counter top, laminate and tile flooring, 10′ exposed ceilings and insuite laundry.

This 14th floor unit is south facing with views of the river valley and the Hotel Mac. The units on the south side of this building (facing Jasper Avenue) are the most desirable because of the view they offer. Cambridge Lofts is the only residential building in downtown Edmonton that has direct secured access to the LRT (Central Station) and the downtown indoor pedway system.

Come home!

 

///…CP