Ottawa, ON

It's Environment Week again in the City of Ottawa. This year's theme is "Living Green". To encourage people to think green, the city is running a number of interesting programs:

• Plant a tree! Green your own corner of the city by registering for a free tree to plant on your property. One tree per household is available on a first-come, first-served basis, while quantities last. To register for your tree, send an e-mail to TREE@ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1.

• Household Hazardous Waste - The City of Ottawa is hosting a one-day household hazardous waste collection depot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 7 at the Waste Services Inc. (WSI) facility, 3354 Navan Road, south of Innes Road. This depot provides a convenient way for you to help keep the environment free of hazardous household waste. Only household waste will be accepted (maximum 100 litres) at the depot. No commercial waste accepted. For a complete listing of acceptable household hazardous waste, visit ottawa.ca/hhw.

• Take it Back! - To safely dispose of products used in your home you can often Take it Back!, including non-rechargeable batteries that can now be returned at many City facilities. For product return information and a list of over 500 partner retailers visit ottawa.ca/takeitback. Did you know you could return paint products and batteries to various Ottawa hardware retailers? Visit dowhatyoucan.ca for a location near you.

• The 2009 Spring Give Away Weekend will take place at the end of Environment Week, Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2009. One person's trash is another person's treasure. So don't put your unwanted items in the garbage, set them out at the curb on Give Away Weekend. Treasures could include:

• Old furniture and small appliances
• Construction materials - including drywall and hardware such as nails, bolts and screws
• Kitchen gadgets, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans
• Unwanted gifts.
• Books, CDs and DVDs

Good luck searching for those treasures! For more information visit ottawa.ca/giveawayweekend.

Putting in a deposit for a home that has not yet been built can certainly cause headaches. New constructions often seem to end up taking much longer than anticipated. In a recent edition of the Ottawa Citizen, Les Vandor answered a question posed by a couple who's condo finish date was pushed back by over a year. They had paid their deposit on the home in September 2007 with the expectation that it would be built by July 2008. However, the ready date was postponed to August 2009 and then again to December 2009. Clearly frustrated, the couple was wondering if they could ask for their deposit back or sell the condo before it was completed.

The options available to the couple, according to Mr. Vandor, really depend on the original terms of the agreement signed by the couple when purchasing the home. The contract may or may not allow for cancellation on payment of a penalty and it again may or may not allow for a sale before completion. Either way the couple is bound to the terms of the agreement. One option they may have is to negotiate a separate deal with the developer, if the developer is willing. Ultimately, this will likely involve the loss of some or all of the deposit (especially given the market slowdown).

This is just another reason to carefully examine contracts before you sign them, so that you understand the consequences as much as possible. Legal advice, while expensive, may also be helpful in saving you hassle and large sums of money down the line.

As we mentioned earlier this week, the resale housing market in Ottawa is staying strong. The Ottawa Citizen gave us more evidence of this with an article that talked about how homes are selling for as much as 15% over provincial assessments. MPAC - the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, an independent agency that evaluates all Ontario homes for property tax purposes, recently produce estimates for what they believed homes were worth as of January 2008. It turns out, however, that the property valuations may have been a bit on the low side, at least in Ottawa.

Lower priced homes were on average selling for 4% more than assessed value, while mid priced homes ($400,000 to $500,000) had a 10% gap. Luxury homes (those $600,000 and up) were on average selling for 15% above appraised value, at least according to the Ottawa Citizen. MPAC's vice president of property values notes that higher priced homes are probably being under-assessed as they likely have upgrades that have not yet been taken into account by the property evaluators.

So what does this all mean? Well if you own a home in the Ottawa area, you can make a pretty safe bet that your house is worth more than what's stated on your MPAC statement. What's more your property tax bill may be a little lower than you might expected given the actual value of your home.

Well, This coming weekend (May 1,2,3) is Capital Home Staging & Design's FIRST tradeshow event! Sooo many things are running though my head do i have all my pamplets & post cards, will my decor be as planed or will i have a pre show emergency?

Even though there are many factors that are scary.....not being apart of the event is even more scary! I am extremely excited to meet local people and other local businesses. I am apart of about 3 business networking goups and this seems to be like a ginormous group for all to see! I have only been to the ottawa home and garden show never the ottawa women's show. I'm sure the event will be similar but with the main main attendies being women.

So. i've got my booth location, my plan that i've drawn out about a billion times, my inventory waiting nicely in boxes at my door and even my 3 different outfits i'll be wearing. Growing up as a girl guide having the motto "BE PREPARED" burned into my mind has served me well though out life i'm sure it will serve me just as well for this event!

So if your in the Ottawa Area we would LOVE to see you there!

For those of you who love learning about all things green, you should find plenty of opportunity to discover the latest and greatest this weekend! There are two major green events this weekend, both of which will be filled with activities and exhibitors. This Saturday the 5th annual Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair is being held at the RA Centre on Riverside Dr. This celebration of Green Living ideas, products and services will feature:

• Free give-aways and door prize;
• Cooking Demonstrations & Tastings;
• a Children's Eco-Carnival;
• Speakers giving presentation on everything from vermicomposting to solar water heating;
• Local volunteer organizations;
• Dozens of Green Businesses.

Admission and Parking are FREE and doors are open from 10 am to 5 pm. Make sure to come by The Mortgage Group booth and say hi! To find out more, please visit www.OttawaEcoFair.ca