| Capture The Magnificent Sunrises And Sunsets From The Gazebo Or Balcony Of This Lakefront Property. Grand Kitchen Opens To The Living And Dining Areas. Wall Of Windows Across Across Back Of The Home Offering Unobstructed Views Of The Lake. Within One Kilometre To Brant Street Allowing For Convienence Of Walking To Restaurants, Shopping, Galleries And Local Festivals. Great Opportunity! |
| Extras: *Second Floor Bedrooms Have Electric
Baseboard Heating* Alarm System, Auto Garage Door Opener, Fridge, Gas Stove, B/I
Dishwasher, B/I Microwave, Clothes Washer/Dryer. OPEN HOUSE: Thursday November 8th 2012: 10am-12pm OPEN HOUSE: Sunday November 11th 2012: 2-4pm Please contact the Cocoran Team for more details.        |
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Just Listed: Fabulous Home on the water: $1,949,900
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Unique Decorating Tips for Halloween
Stuck on ideas for how to decorate your home for Halloween in a unique way?
Best to turn to the experts at Better Homes and Gardens for their advice and guidance on to achieve a truly unique look for this Halloween.
One more weekend left, so start looking at these pictures for inspiration and turn your home into a spooky House of Horror! (with a unique a tasteful flair of course).
Which ones do you like the best for your home?
http://www.bhg.com/halloween/indoor-decorating/
Best to turn to the experts at Better Homes and Gardens for their advice and guidance on to achieve a truly unique look for this Halloween.
One more weekend left, so start looking at these pictures for inspiration and turn your home into a spooky House of Horror! (with a unique a tasteful flair of course).
Which ones do you like the best for your home?
http://www.bhg.com/halloween/indoor-decorating/
Friday, October 19, 2012
Fun with Pumpkins - not your same old Jack-O-Lanterns
Looking for some fresh ideas for your pumpkins?
Check out Pumpkin Planters and Jack-O-Lanterns with Hair!
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Just Listed: 20 Cambrai Ave $299,888
Open House Saturday October 6th and Sunday October 7th from 2 pm until 4 pm.
Opportunity awaits you here with this detached home! Features include
large lot, private drive and double car garage. If you are a handyman,
contractor, builder or designer,
this is the property you've been looking
for.
For more information contact Dan Corcoran at 416.465.4545
www.TheCorcoranTeam.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Just Listed: 84 Hertle Avenue in Toronto
Open
House Saturday & Sunday 2 pm until 4pm
Intelligently
and thoughtfully renovated home in Leslieville/Beaches. Gorgeous gourmet
kitchen with granite countertops. Open concept living room and dining room with
oversized french doors walking out to west facing deck and garden oasis. This house is a true find!
Second
tiered flagstone upper deck with separate hobby room (or Man Cave) with Hydro.
Separate entrance to basement with working kitchen and bathroom. (Previously
Rented)
Extras include: Stainless Steel Fridge, Stove, Built In Dishwasher, Built In Microwave, Clothes Washer And Dryer.
This
property features many upgrades including upgraded water service, new furnace
in 2009, landscaped back yard, new driveway in 2011, new eaves troughs in 2011,
all the hardwood was replaced or refinished and so much more.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Fences: Urban Looks and Fence Design Ideas
Thinking about replacing your fence? There are so many fabulous design ideas that can transform a boring fence into a feature that enhances your out door spaces.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Curb Appeal Ideas
It's what’s outside that counts! Check
out these 11 exterior upgrades that’ll give your home simple but effective curb
appeal.
Your home’s curb appeal sets the tone for
what potential buyers expect of the home they’re walking into, explains Darren
Brand, owner and lead stager at designedtosell.ca. “Since most people’s buying
decisions are based on an emotional response, the curb appeal starts the love
affair, or terminates it immediately,” he says.
But you don’t have to completely overhaul the exterior of your home in order to sell. Just pick and choose what you think will have the most impact and go from there. No matter what state the economy is in, dealing with curb appeal issues are important since even in good times, you could be leaving money on the table by not doing needed work, Darren says. When times are tough, there are also a lot less potential purchasers and a lot more competition, so you have to make your home stand out in a crowd.
Darren provides 11 simple ways to improve your home’s curb appeal for maximum impact.
1 Start with the most obvious things
If you can only do a few things to spruce up the exterior of your home, start with the most glaringly obvious. For example, if your garden is overrun with weeds, the front lawn hasn’t been cut in so long that you need a machete to get to the door and remnants of last spring’s garage sale still adorn the front porch, mow the lawn, pull the weeds and get rid of the mess. A messy front yard will be the first thing a potential buyer sees and it might tell them not to look any further. You don’t have to have a prize-winning rose garden to attract potential buyers, just a yard that looks tidy and well cared for.
2 Add planters
Adding planters (even store bought, ready-made ones) can go a long way toward creating the perception of a well loved home. They not only add colour to a porch or patio, they’re eye-catching and give the impression you spend time improving your surroundings.
3 Ensure consistent window treatments
Matched blinds and curtains can add a lot to the perception of quality and thought put into a home, says Darren. “A lot of people don’t even think about how this interior element affects the look of the exterior.” He also stresses the importance of washing your windows; this is also something that has an impact on the inside as well as outside of your home.
4 Wake up your driveway
Since the driveway is one of the first things prospective buyers will notice, it’s a good idea to freshen it up. Adding a sealer can refresh a tired driveway. This is an inexpensive makeover that can be accomplished in a short time by almost anyone, Darren says.
5 Add cedar mulch
Adding red cedar mulch goes a long way to freshening up flowerbeds even in early
spring when plants are small or non-existent. The mulch can be any shade but
Darren suggests red to add a nice punch of colour.
6 Create a welcoming porch
An empty porch can look stark and cold. If you have a porch large enough to accommodate furniture, set up a welcoming grouping such as two exterior club chairs and a table or a bistro set for dining. It’s also a good idea to add some colour with plants in containers.
7 Put down new sod
A lawn in poor condition does not create a good first impression and is something you should consider replacing if you’re trying to sell your home. It’s a lot faster to put down new sod instead of seeding and waiting, Darren says.
8 Add mature plants
When working on flowerbeds, adding larger mature plants is a lot easier (and in some cases, less expensive) than buying several flats of annuals, says Darren. Larger, more mature plants also tend to have a greater impact.
9 Spring for new accoutrements
Adding a new mailbox, house light and house number is a cheap and cheerful way of updating your home’s exterior. Big box stores like Home Depot and Rona usually stock simple yet stylish, well-priced options for these items.
10 Repaint
Giving the exterior of your home a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for curb appeal. Darren suggests painting your house in the colour of homes in a more expensive neighbourhood as a great way to create the perception of quality while doing something you probably already need to do.
11 Replace windows
Replacing windows is expensive but has a definite impact on curb appeal, says Darren. It can make your home look polished and give the impression you’ve upgraded more than just the windows.
6 Create a welcoming porch
An empty porch can look stark and cold. If you have a porch large enough to accommodate furniture, set up a welcoming grouping such as two exterior club chairs and a table or a bistro set for dining. It’s also a good idea to add some colour with plants in containers.
7 Put down new sod
A lawn in poor condition does not create a good first impression and is something you should consider replacing if you’re trying to sell your home. It’s a lot faster to put down new sod instead of seeding and waiting, Darren says.
8 Add mature plants
When working on flowerbeds, adding larger mature plants is a lot easier (and in some cases, less expensive) than buying several flats of annuals, says Darren. Larger, more mature plants also tend to have a greater impact.
9 Spring for new accoutrements
Adding a new mailbox, house light and house number is a cheap and cheerful way of updating your home’s exterior. Big box stores like Home Depot and Rona usually stock simple yet stylish, well-priced options for these items.
10 Repaint
Giving the exterior of your home a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for curb appeal. Darren suggests painting your house in the colour of homes in a more expensive neighbourhood as a great way to create the perception of quality while doing something you probably already need to do.
11 Replace windows
Replacing windows is expensive but has a definite impact on curb appeal, says Darren. It can make your home look polished and give the impression you’ve upgraded more than just the windows.
Thanks to Style at Home for the article!
Thursday, July 05, 2012
If you love Withrow Park...
We came across this artist who captures the seasons and Withrow Park in Toronto...very fun!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
July 9th Mortgage Rules will be changed but what is the impact?
According to an article from the Huffington Post, up to 5% of Canadians may be impacted by the changes. Here is Toronto, if you are thinking of buying over $1 million, they increased the percentage down required.
Yes, the amortization can pinch the bank account but interest rates could be the big gotcha if they go up.
These are interesting times as the government continues to try and slow the housing market.
Only time will tell.....
_______________________________________________________________________________
OTTAWA - Buying a first home or taking out a loan against an existing residence will be more difficult for Canadians under new rules announced Thursday, but Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says it's for their own good.
For the fourth time in as many years, the finance minister moved to tighten the mortgage and lending landscape — changes that mean up to five per cent of Canadians who might be considering buying a new home will likely no longer qualify.
This time Flaherty's cutting the maximum amortization period for government insured homes to 25 years from the current 30 years, and limiting how much homeowners can borrow on the value of their homes to 80 per cent from 85 per cent.
Those are not the only changes the government is making.
It will no longer be in the business of insuring homes that are worth more than $1 million — meaning buyers will need to put up at least a 20 per cent down payment or seek private insurance.
As well, it will insist that prospective buyers have the means to afford mortgage payments, property taxes and heating costs on their home. It will do so by setting cost ratios based on household income — a kind of affordability ratio — of 39 per cent for gross debt service and 44 per cent for total debt service.
"It's a question of trying to moderate behaviour and I hope Canadians will reflect before they jump into a market at the high end," Flaherty said.
"It will mean that some people will not buy into the market, it will also mean that some people will buy less into the market, they'll buy a less expensive home or less expensive condominium.
"Good. I consider that desirable."
The changes go into effect July 9.
The most significant change is the reduction to the amortization period, bringing it back to the level it had stood historically before rising to as high as 40 years during the heady pre-recession days of 2006.
The government said on a $350,000 mortgage with three per cent interest, it will increase monthly payments by $184 over what they would have been with a 30-year amortization. Over the lifetime of the mortgage, however, the homeowner will save $33,052 in total interest payments because the home would have been paid off five years earlier.
Economists generally backed the changes, with some reservations.
CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal said he wondered about the timing of the announcement, given that house prices were already receding. He estimated it could reduce new sales on homes by between three and five per cent.
That's not an insignificant hit to a fragile economy that's been riding the coattails of a strong housing and building boom, which supports construction activity and jobs.
"It will not derail the housing market, but it will be felt," Tal said. "(The housing market is) already slowing and if you push too much when we are already slowing, you could fall."
Canadian Real Estate Association president Wayne Moen called the new rules "measured," but also reminded the government that it is courting danger.
"The re-sale housing market makes a significant contribution to the economy, adding an estimated $20 billion in spin-off spending and over 165,000 jobs in 2012," he said in a statement.
"The impact of measures like those announced today must be closely monitored to ensure they have the anticipated impact and don't create a spillover effect and slow the economy."
The latest move is part of a series of initiatives undertaken recently by the federal government to slow the accumulation of debt by Canadian households, which reached a record 152 per cent of income in the fourth quarter of last year.
Also on Thursday, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions published new rules on financial institutions designed to discourage lending to marginal borrowers. They call for timely assessments on borrower capacity to service debt obligations and effective institutional risk management and even insurance against risky loans.
Flaherty conceded the mortgage rule changes will likely have some impact on Canada's economy, but would not reveal his department's calculations of the anticipated hit to growth.
In a speech in Halifax, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said the changes would reduce the risk of household debt, calling them "prudent" and "timely."
On the impact to the economy, Carney said: "The housing market is an important component of the Canadian economy, but it's about seven per cent of the Canadian economy, and we take that into account in analyzing the overall economy activity in Canada."
Economist Jimmy Jean of Desjardins Capital Markets speculated Flaherty and Carney had been working in tandem on the announcement, and that the finance minister needed to act because the bank governor couldn't. That suggests historically low interest rates are here to stay for some time, he said.
"There may have been a growing understanding that the Bank of Canada will not be able to hike any time soon," he said.
"I imagine that they were waiting to see what the (U.S. Federal Reserve) would come up with yesterday and with what was offered, they figured that the appropriate strategy was to tighten mortgages in lieu of being able to hike rates in the foreseeable future."
With the Fed moving to increase monetary stimulus, it makes it even harder than before for Carney to head in the opposite direct. As well, most of the economic indicators from Europe, China, other emerging countries and the United States point to slowing economic momentum and rising risk — hardly conditions to pull on monetary levers.
Under these circumstances, economists say Carney is poorly placed to deal with the housing market, since hiking interest rates would also damage the overall economy by discouraging business investment and boosting the dollar, thereby undercutting exports. That put the onus on Flaherty, who had the regulatory tools to specifically target housing and borrowing.
Flaherty said he could not speak on the issue of interest rates, but suggested he understood Carney's predicament.
"I'm very mindful of the world situation and this is a challenge for us," Flaherty said. "I'm concerned obviously that we may get a shock from Europe.
"We encouraged, the prime minister did and I did, we encouraged our European colleagues to act with some alacrity, and I hope they do. If they don't, it's going to be a very difficult summer."
Flaherty said his decision to act was a "judgment call" based on observations of the housing market by both himself and his officials, saying his biggest concern is with the condominium situation in Toronto, and to a lesser degree Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City.
"In Toronto in particular, what I've observed and heard about is continuous building without restriction because of persistent demand. This concerns me because it is distorting the market," he said.
While the announcement on mortgages, leaked Wednesday night, took many by surprise, it does not come out of the blue.
Carney has been warning for several years that some Canadians are getting in over their heads with debt and that they could face problems once interest rates — which sit at historic lows — start rising or if there is a second economic crisis. He has called household debt the number one risk to the domestic economy.
Recently, the Bank of Canada estimated that the number of households in arrears could almost triple to 1.3 per cent if the unemployment rate were to rise by three per cent, about the same as occurred in the 2008-09 slump.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/21/canada-mortgage-rules-cha_n_1614622.html
Yes, the amortization can pinch the bank account but interest rates could be the big gotcha if they go up.
These are interesting times as the government continues to try and slow the housing market.
Only time will tell.....
_______________________________________________________________________________
OTTAWA - Buying a first home or taking out a loan against an existing residence will be more difficult for Canadians under new rules announced Thursday, but Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says it's for their own good.
For the fourth time in as many years, the finance minister moved to tighten the mortgage and lending landscape — changes that mean up to five per cent of Canadians who might be considering buying a new home will likely no longer qualify.
This time Flaherty's cutting the maximum amortization period for government insured homes to 25 years from the current 30 years, and limiting how much homeowners can borrow on the value of their homes to 80 per cent from 85 per cent.
Those are not the only changes the government is making.
It will no longer be in the business of insuring homes that are worth more than $1 million — meaning buyers will need to put up at least a 20 per cent down payment or seek private insurance.
As well, it will insist that prospective buyers have the means to afford mortgage payments, property taxes and heating costs on their home. It will do so by setting cost ratios based on household income — a kind of affordability ratio — of 39 per cent for gross debt service and 44 per cent for total debt service.
"It's a question of trying to moderate behaviour and I hope Canadians will reflect before they jump into a market at the high end," Flaherty said.
"It will mean that some people will not buy into the market, it will also mean that some people will buy less into the market, they'll buy a less expensive home or less expensive condominium.
"Good. I consider that desirable."
The changes go into effect July 9.
The most significant change is the reduction to the amortization period, bringing it back to the level it had stood historically before rising to as high as 40 years during the heady pre-recession days of 2006.
The government said on a $350,000 mortgage with three per cent interest, it will increase monthly payments by $184 over what they would have been with a 30-year amortization. Over the lifetime of the mortgage, however, the homeowner will save $33,052 in total interest payments because the home would have been paid off five years earlier.
Economists generally backed the changes, with some reservations.
CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal said he wondered about the timing of the announcement, given that house prices were already receding. He estimated it could reduce new sales on homes by between three and five per cent.
That's not an insignificant hit to a fragile economy that's been riding the coattails of a strong housing and building boom, which supports construction activity and jobs.
"It will not derail the housing market, but it will be felt," Tal said. "(The housing market is) already slowing and if you push too much when we are already slowing, you could fall."
Canadian Real Estate Association president Wayne Moen called the new rules "measured," but also reminded the government that it is courting danger.
"The re-sale housing market makes a significant contribution to the economy, adding an estimated $20 billion in spin-off spending and over 165,000 jobs in 2012," he said in a statement.
"The impact of measures like those announced today must be closely monitored to ensure they have the anticipated impact and don't create a spillover effect and slow the economy."
The latest move is part of a series of initiatives undertaken recently by the federal government to slow the accumulation of debt by Canadian households, which reached a record 152 per cent of income in the fourth quarter of last year.
Also on Thursday, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions published new rules on financial institutions designed to discourage lending to marginal borrowers. They call for timely assessments on borrower capacity to service debt obligations and effective institutional risk management and even insurance against risky loans.
Flaherty conceded the mortgage rule changes will likely have some impact on Canada's economy, but would not reveal his department's calculations of the anticipated hit to growth.
In a speech in Halifax, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said the changes would reduce the risk of household debt, calling them "prudent" and "timely."
On the impact to the economy, Carney said: "The housing market is an important component of the Canadian economy, but it's about seven per cent of the Canadian economy, and we take that into account in analyzing the overall economy activity in Canada."
Economist Jimmy Jean of Desjardins Capital Markets speculated Flaherty and Carney had been working in tandem on the announcement, and that the finance minister needed to act because the bank governor couldn't. That suggests historically low interest rates are here to stay for some time, he said.
"There may have been a growing understanding that the Bank of Canada will not be able to hike any time soon," he said.
"I imagine that they were waiting to see what the (U.S. Federal Reserve) would come up with yesterday and with what was offered, they figured that the appropriate strategy was to tighten mortgages in lieu of being able to hike rates in the foreseeable future."
With the Fed moving to increase monetary stimulus, it makes it even harder than before for Carney to head in the opposite direct. As well, most of the economic indicators from Europe, China, other emerging countries and the United States point to slowing economic momentum and rising risk — hardly conditions to pull on monetary levers.
Under these circumstances, economists say Carney is poorly placed to deal with the housing market, since hiking interest rates would also damage the overall economy by discouraging business investment and boosting the dollar, thereby undercutting exports. That put the onus on Flaherty, who had the regulatory tools to specifically target housing and borrowing.
Flaherty said he could not speak on the issue of interest rates, but suggested he understood Carney's predicament.
"I'm very mindful of the world situation and this is a challenge for us," Flaherty said. "I'm concerned obviously that we may get a shock from Europe.
"We encouraged, the prime minister did and I did, we encouraged our European colleagues to act with some alacrity, and I hope they do. If they don't, it's going to be a very difficult summer."
Flaherty said his decision to act was a "judgment call" based on observations of the housing market by both himself and his officials, saying his biggest concern is with the condominium situation in Toronto, and to a lesser degree Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City.
"In Toronto in particular, what I've observed and heard about is continuous building without restriction because of persistent demand. This concerns me because it is distorting the market," he said.
While the announcement on mortgages, leaked Wednesday night, took many by surprise, it does not come out of the blue.
Carney has been warning for several years that some Canadians are getting in over their heads with debt and that they could face problems once interest rates — which sit at historic lows — start rising or if there is a second economic crisis. He has called household debt the number one risk to the domestic economy.
Recently, the Bank of Canada estimated that the number of households in arrears could almost triple to 1.3 per cent if the unemployment rate were to rise by three per cent, about the same as occurred in the 2008-09 slump.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/21/canada-mortgage-rules-cha_n_1614622.html
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Strong Sales and Price Growth for Toronto in May
“Sales growth in the ‘905’ area code was stronger than growth in the City of Toronto across all major home types. While lower average prices are certainly one factor that has contributed to this trend, recent polling also suggests that the City of Toronto’s land transfer tax has also prompted many households to look outside of the City for their ownership housing needs,” said Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Richard Silver.
New listings were up substantially on a year-over-year basis in May – rising by more than 20 per cent to 19,177.
The average price for May 2012 sales was $516,787, representing an annual increase of 6.5 per cent compared to $485,362 in May 2011. Price growth continued to be driven by the low-rise market segment.
“Strong competition between buyers seeking to purchase low-rise home types drove strong price growth in May. However, if new listings continue to grow at the pace they did in May for the remainder of 2012, the annual rate of price growth should begin to moderate on a sustained basis,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.
http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/market_news/market_watch/index.htm
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