Darryl Bandoro

The Ottawa Glebe Community Association (GCA) is hosting an event this Saturday (November 7) that should of interest to anyone who is looking to "Green" their homes.

Here is a description of the Envirofair from the GCA website:

This latest iteration of the EnviroFair is intended to give you solutions to keep at least some of all that expensive heat in your home this winter. Be sure to put the "Greening Your Home" edition of the EnviroFair on your Saturday, November 7, 2009 calendar. The EnviroFair takes place at St. Giles Church, corner Bank and First.

Councilor Clive Doucet opens the EnviroFair at 9:00. Keynote speaker is David Chernushenko. always thought-provoking, David's latest film, "Powerful: Energy for Everyone" will be shown. Throughout the day we will run 45 minute seminars on solar hot water, geothermal installation, photovoltaic installation, demand water heating, the Ontario Green Energy Act and wind power. The early afternoon features a panel of MPP Yasir Naqvi who will speak about Ontario's Green Energy Act, David Miller, City of Ottawa, who will discuss the implications of the Green Energy Act in equipping inner city houses with new technologies. Franklin Menendez will walk you through the application of energy audits, and a local resident who will talk about his experience refitting his house. There will be time for questions. This October Glebe Report includes a take-with-you programme to help you plan which seminars to attend.

We will have Bridgehead coffee and local caterer Graham Beecroft will sell lunch goodies to keep the hunger at bay as you digest the information at 30 display tables. Many local businesses will show you ways to significantly reduce your environmental footprint. The City will have information on its refit programs as well as the new green bin programme to be rolled out later this year. Ottawa based companies will show and answer questions about solar panels, demand water heaters, heating solutions suited to smaller lots and insulation for the stone foundations of older homes.

Click here for a detailed agenda of the day's events.

Enjoy the show!

With interest rates still at record lows, many of our clients are finding that it's the perfect time to purchase a home, or refinance and unlock built-in equity.

Starting November 1st, we've made doing business with The Mortgage Group even better! How?

Upon closing we'll give you our $500 gift. But HURRY! We must close everything by December 31st for you to be eligible for the gift.

Do you know a friend or family member who is looking at purchasing a home, or refinancing? Refinancing can be a great way of unlocking equity if you're looking to:

• Lower your monthly payments
• Go on a dream vacation
• Do home renovations
• Pay for your children's education
• Get cash for Christmas
• ...and much more

To see how refinancing can save you cash, click here.

HURRY! THIS IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER! We will give these bonuses to the first ten clients who close before December 31st.

Here are the details of our Visa Gift Card promotion: We are offering these incentives for mortgage transactions that are at least $150,000 in size. To qualify for the $500 Visa gift card, your mortgage transaction must be fully closed and complete by the end of 2009. To qualify for the $100 Visa Gift Card, your referrals must be new clients to our company, and must complete their mortgage transaction by the end of 2009. Incentive will be paid to the first ten customers who complete their transactions with us by December 31st, 2009.



Find out more about this promotion by clicking here!.

According to a recent article in mortgagebrokernews.ca, nine out of 10 homebuyers in Ontario continue to value energy efficiency when making home purchases and a bigger number are willing to pay extra for it. These were some of the findings of the fourth annual EnerQuality survey released today.

"Purchasers paid an average of $3,707 for energy efficient features in new homes, up $500 from 2008, despite the tough economy," said Corey McBurney president of EnerQuality, which provides the Energy Star and R-2000 building certifications, among other initiatives. "Part of the reason for this is that energy efficient features provide a net decrease in the cost of owning a home to the tune of hundreds of dollars per year."

The survey, based on more than 1,600 responses from recent homebuyers in the GTA and Ottawa-Carleton area, found 40 per cent of buyers were willing to pay an extra $10,000 for a green home in 2009 compared to only 22 per cent last year. Respondents were also willing to pay an average of $13,183 in extra costs for a greener home.

As the Toronto Star reported, there are a number of initiatives on the way to encourage green homeownership, including new rules proposed under Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy act to allow anyone making an offer on a new home to demand or waive the requirement of a home energy audit from the seller. Another interesting point in the Star article was that there are plans to include home energy efficiency ratings in MLS listings. I think this would be a fantastic step forward, and would allow home shoppers to better compare the energy efficiency of homes.

You may have heard recently about how “tight” the Ottawa re-sale housing market is. When you look at the figures provided by the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), you know that the fall market will continue to be a challenge for those who are looking to buy.

There were 1,220 residential properties sold this September compared to 1,204 from last year. 272 were condos with the balance being residential.

September was another record-breaking month, continuing a “busy and active summer for Ottawa Real Estate members,” according to Rick Snell, President of OREB. Further, he noted “Inventory levels rose from last month but remain lower than in September 2008, and that low supply coupled with continued strong demand for resale housing helped nudge selling prices higher.”

The average resale price of a home in Ottawa has risen to $304,789 which is an increase of 5.7% over last year. Condos are averaging $241,458, up a whopping 17.3% over September 2008! This means that residential properties are actually selling for an average of $322,960, up 4.1% in their own class.

What does this all mean? Buyers are anxious to get into a home while interest rates are still low. The Government of Canada has said they will keep those rates down until June of 2010 but with the continued news of an economic recovery slowly but surely making it’s way through the world markets, people may be worried that interest rates will rise, along with housing prices, and make it a little more difficult to get started on the property ladder.

If you’ve been delaying your search for a home, now is the time to get going! Speak to your mortgage broker who can lock you in to those good interest rates and get you started.

Looking to beautify your home or neighourhood? The City of Ottawa has a Trees, Reforestation and Environmental Enhancement (TREE) Program a tree planting program that you can take advantage of. Started in 2007, the City hopes to plant 100,000 trees by 2010.

To reach the City’s goal, Ottawa residents are eligible to register for a tree to plant on their property, which will be delivered right to your door at no cost. As this is the last year of the TREE program, residents may be eligible to receive a second tree if they already received one in the past. Trees come delivered in a pot, with instructions, compost and mulch. See this link to find out what kinds of tree species are available.

The City of Ottawa is looking to recruit volunteers for this program. Volunteers can plant trees, find a location for a tree, learn about the Grant opportunities or take part in the National Challenge. Individual volunteers are welcome, as are groups such as communities, schools, businesses or churches.

Why not help out a good cause and join forces to make the environment a better place? Registration can be completed online or you can also call 3-1-1. Help exceed the City of Ottawa’s expectations and become a TREE volunteer. To register online please visit the following site: http://www.ottawa.ca/survey/tree/delivery_en.html.