There's no need for the Ontario government to hold public hearings on its plan to harmonize the provincial sales tax with the GST next July, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday, adding that voters can pass judgment on the issue in the 2011 provincial election.
Basically, McGuinty is telling the public he plans to ram this tax down your throat whether you like it or not and it doesn't matter what you think about it either because he's not interested in listening. He goes on to belittle the public by stating that the topic can be discussed at election time in 2011. The interesting piece of that comment is the new tax is slated to take effect in July 2010. Once again, we can talk all we want, but McGuinty won't listen to your concerns until after he has pushed the new tax through.
"There has been, and there will continue to be, all kinds of opportunities for people to have conversations on this, whether you're talking about talk radio, letters to the editor, blogs, water cooler conversations (or) kitchen table conversations," said McGuinty. "I would be very surprised if this was not an issue up for consideration at the time of the next election. People will have an opportunity to pass judgment on us in connection with the HST."
"It's going to be a long November and December for Mr. McGuinty and his Liberals if they think they're going to ram the HST legislation through without public consultations," warned Progressive Conservative critic Lisa MacLeod.
McGuinty should agree to hold public hearings on the largest tax changes in Ontario history, and hear the concerns people have about paying eight per cent more for goods and services currently exempt from the provincial sales tax, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. "He needs to be talking to the people and hearing what they have to say about the fear they have about the impact of this tax," said Horwath.
This tax is likely to pass, but what should be concerning to the Ontario public is that your elected official plans on pushing through the largest tax change in Ontario's history, yet he isn't even interested in what you have to say about it. For more information on this topic, please follow my blog posts at www.seankavanagh.ca
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
When people decide to sell their home, often they are uncertain if they should update their home. If so, what upgrades would bring the greatest return and most importantly, how much money should be spent on those upgrades. Upgrading before you sell can get out of hand, so set a budget and stick to it or you won’t be able to get that money back on the sale of the home. Consider giving your home any of these 10 upgrades when looking to sell.
If you're preparing your home for sale, there are certain improvements that are definitely worth their cost by helping to attract more buyers, by selling your home faster, by making back most (if not all!) of your investment, or even by increasing the value of your home. It is also wise to check with the government programs that currently offer rebates and grants. Not only can you apply for the tax rebate program for upgrades up to $10,000, but both levels of government are currently offering ecoEnergy grants for upgrades that make your home more energy efficient. There is a lot of money to be given out, why don’t you go out and get it!
1 Kitchen
An updated kitchen is one of the most popular renovations to add value to your home. Certain upgrades --granite counter tops, hardwood or ceramic floors, premium appliances (especially stainless steel), islands and undermount sinks are all desireable upgrades and will add significant value to your home. Many buyers want to walk into a home and have the kitchen done for them. Outdated kitchens will have a lot of buyers heading for the exit before they even see the rest of the house.
2 Hardwood floors
These days, hardwood flooring is a feature many people are looking for in a new home. Often people will take money off of the asking price because they know they will incur the cost of ripping out the carpeting and installing hardwood. Older homes with original hardwood may have to be sanded down and refinished, but it is well worth the investment. The time and money you will spend will come back to you ten fold when the offers start coming in.
3 Neutral paint job It is inexpensive but adds significant value to a home. Just the freshness of a new paint job is often enough to leave buyers with a favourable impression. Neutral colours will appeal to more buyers as they can see the house without having to fight through the colours. The colour of the walls shouldn’t distract the buyer from the rest of the house.
4 Master ensuite
If your ensuite is a bit tired, it's worth upgrading, especially if you can afford a few luxuries such as a whirlpool or air jet tub, separate shower with a rainshower head, double sinks and/or heated floors. If you don't have an ensuite, perhaps you can install one by stealing space from the master bedroom or a room next to it.
5 Bathrooms
It's a simple carpentry job, but makes almost any older home seem more gracious. After kitchens, bathrooms are the next most important rooms in the home. By updating your bathrooms, you increase the amount of potential buyers. If you don’t have a lot of money, changing a light fixture, updating the faucet or changing the cabinetry hardware can add significant value to the room.
6 Upgraded lighting
Old-fashioned "can" track lighting can be easily replaced with more contemporary styles such as smaller cans or halogen track lights. Updated and modern fixtures don’t have to be expensive, but can add great value to a home.
7 A finished basement
After kitchens and bathrooms, a stylishly finished basement is high on many buyers' wish lists. Often an unfinished basement will kill a potential deal. If you have the money to do it, you will get most of it back and your home will sell quicker.
8 Landscaping
A well-maintained garden with attractive plantings, hardscaping such as brick or flagstone, and features such as urns or paths, add an elegant look to even a smaller home.
9 Front Porch/Back Deck
Two or three decades ago, tearing off front porches became fashionable in some Canadian cities, but now they're back in a big way. If you can, add a full front porch (or replace/repair the one you have if it isn't in top condition); if not, a portico (a smaller porch that shelters the front door) can be a worthy substitute. If the front isn’t where you want to update, look at the back of the home to add your value.
10 Adding a bedroom
A four-bedroom house will command a higher price than a three-bedroom, even if they're both the same size. Consider dividing a large bedroom into two small ones (as long as they're not too small, or it can have the opposite effect), or alternatively, consider converting an upstairs den or sitting room.
For more information on buying or selling real estate in Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville, or Toronto Ontario, or if you have questions about current market trends, mortgages or interest rate information, please visit the Sean Kavanagh Real Estate Resource Centre at www.seankavanagh.ca or follow me on TWITTER or FACEBOOK!
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sean Kavanagh
Building Lasting Relationships and Exceeding Expectations
Real estate statistics for October remain strong and show we are blasting out of the recession. Toronto, Oakville, Milton, Burlington and Hamilton markets are all showing significant increases in both units sold and average prices. Also, houses are staying on the market for shorter periods of time and sellers are getting close to their asking prices. Looking at the rate of which houses are selling, it is clear the market has now balanced and whether you are a seller or a buyer, now is a great time to get into real estate.
Toronto Real Estate Board - Units sold are up 28% and average prices are up 10%.
Hamilton/Burlington Board - Units sold are up 20% and average prices up 2.6%
Oakville/Milton Board - Units sold are up 22% and average prices are up 14%
Burlington Market - Units sold are up 20% and average prices are up 5%
Oakville Market - Units sold are up 36% and average prices are up 16%
Milton Market - Units sold are up 29% and average prices are up 7%
Remember! It is important to look at your specific neighbourhood to see how your local market is moving. For more information, Click Here. For a complete and detailed report on real estate stats in your neighbourhood, please send me a brief message letting me know the neighbourhood in which you live and I will be sure to get you a report sent out right away!
FREE HOME EVALUATIONS!
If you are thinking about selling, but just aren’t sure what you could list your home for, give me a call and I can come over and provide you and your family with a free home and neighbourhood evaluation.
For more information on buying or selling real estate in Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville, or Toronto Ontario, or if you have questions about current market trends, mortgages or interest rate information, please visit the Sean Kavanagh Real Estate Resource Centre at www.seansells.ca, or at www.seankavanagh.ca I'd be happy to answer any questions to accommodate all of your real estate needs. Follow me on TWITTER or FACEBOOK! You can also contact me at 905-220-9198 or at www.realestatechat.ca as I am now a moderator on the Ontario Real Estate chat forum as well as the Burlington, Ontario sub-forum.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sean Kavanagh
Building Lasting Relationships and Exceeding Expectations
Now that you have bought a home and are in need of an inspection, how do you decide on who you are going to hire? Here is a list of questions that should be asked before you decide on your home inspector. You want to do everything you can to ensure you hire the best person for the job. A person that you are confident will be able to identify all of the deficiencies in the home so you have a clear picture of the condition of your home.
How long have you been conducting home inspections?
Someone may tell you they have been in the business for 10 years, but how many inspections were conducted in those 10 years.
What qualifications do you have?
As home inspection is still unregulated in Canada, consumers should ensure they are hiring an inspector who know what they are doing. CMHC now recommends that you hire a "Registered Home Inspector" or RHI who is a member in good standing with a Provincial Association.
Can you supply me with a sample report? And will I receive a written report?
Verbal reports offer no recourse for the home buyer. Always insist on a written report. If one isn’t going to be provided, find another inspector. A good report should contain comments specific to the subject property and should offer both observations and recommendations. The inspector should also be able to provide you with estimates as to what expenses will be incurred when the deficiencies will be addressed.
How much time will it take?
A home 1800-2500 sq. ft in size should take about 2-3 hours. If the inspection takes less than 2 hours, you should be concerned.
Can I attend the inspection?
If the answer is NO, you should look for another inspector. Not only is the inspection used to identify deficiencies in the home, it is an education on the home. You will learn about your home as you walk through the property (e.g. shut offs, furnace operation, etc.)
Do you use state of the art tools to inspect the home?
Are state of the art home inspection tools such as moisture meters, gas detectors, laser thermometers, thermal imaging camera, & telephoto lenses used to reduce the risk of an error.
What will be inspected?
The inspection should include the Roof, Exterior, Structure, Electrical, Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, Insulation and Interior. The goal is to identify any existing major problems that would affect a typical purchasers buying decision.
How much will the service cost?
A typical home inspection should cost $400. Cost of the inspection should not be a factor in deciding which inspector you choose. This is one of the most important parts of the process, so you should base your decision on who will do the best job.
Can I see a list of references or people to call who you have previously done inspections for?
If they can’t or won’t provide you with a list of past clients, walk away.
Do you carry errors and omissions and general liability insurance?
Inspectors are human and humans make mistakes. If the inspector misses something significant, you want to be assured you are covered.
For more information on hiring a home inspector, click this link "How to Hire a Home Inspector"
For more information on buying or selling real estate in Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville, or Toronto Ontario, or if you have questions about current market trends, mortgages or interest rate information, please visit the Sean Kavanagh Real Estate Resource Centre at www.seansells.ca, or at www.seankavanagh.ca I'd be happy to answer any questions to accommodate all of your real estate needs. Follow me on TWITTER or FACEBOOK! You can also contact me at 905-220-9198 or at www.realestatechat.ca as I am now a moderator on the Ontario Real Estate chat forum as well as the Burlington, Ontario sub-forum.
Sean Kavanagh
Building Lasting Relationships and Exceeding Expectations
Source: AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service and Your First Home Buyers Guide
Home buyers hire home inspectors to help discover deficiencies in the home they are hoping to purchase. This inspection should reveal all major issues in the home so the buyer understands the condition of the home before they purchase it. Problems arise when buyers choose to go with the cheapest inspector they can find, don’t interview inspectors before they are hired or don’t investigate the experience of the inspector they are planning to use. As home inspectors come from various backgrounds and there isn’t any standardization in the industry, without a proper background check, you never can be sure that the person you hire can properly assess all aspects of a home.
Here are a few examples of inspections gone wrong:
Couple A hired an inspector without interviewing any others because he came recommended from a trusted colleague and a discount was offered to the couple. The inspector was the father of that work colleague who made the recommendation. He claimed to have extensive experience in the field, so references were not called and a background check was not conducted. Based on the inspection report, Couple A decided to purchase the home. Less than 6 months later, the roof was leaking. “Excellent Condition” was written in the inspection report under the roofing category. When the client went into the attic to examine the roof from the inside, he could see a beam of light coming through the roof into the attic. $7,000-$10,000 was the estimate for the reparation to the roof.
Client B purchased an old home for what she thought was ‘a great deal’ because of certain deficiencies (knob and tube, older windows, etc). When it came time to sell the home less than 2 years later, a more thorough home inspection report conducted by the new buyers revealed 2 major issues that lead to them walking away from the deal. 1) When new duct work was intstalled (before my client bought the home), the contractor, rather than using elbow joints to go around the main floor joists, decided to cut large parts out of the joists to run the duct work compromising the integrity of the entire first floor. 2) An extension was put onto the house without proper permits (once again before she had bought the home). The inspection report didn’t mention anything about the extension. The first spring saw significant volumes of water fill the basement. When the extension was put on, it wasn’t damp proofed or sealed properly. This may have been over looked by any inspector, but it should have been mentioned in the report so she could seek out more specialized information. What the inspector should have noticed was how the exterior foundation was knocked out and not properly restored. The entire back of the house will continue to sink into the ground until the foundation is repaired. She still hasn’t been able to sell her home.
These clients learned the hard way how important it is to do a bit of homework and ask a lot of questions when hiring a home inspector. Never hire the cheapest person to inspect your largest investment and be sure to request and, more importantly, check references. This is not a slight against all home inspectors, as there are plenty of great home inspectors that will provide you with the best possible inspection. I am just hoping that you do your research and look into the experience of the inspector before you hire him. Also, be sure to ask your inspector for his insurance and what that policy covers.
For more information on buying or selling real estate in Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville, or Toronto Ontario, or if you have questions about current market trends, mortgages or interest rate information, please visit the Sean Kavanagh Real Estate Resource Centre at www.seansells.ca, or at www.seankavanagh.ca I'd be happy to answer any questions to accommodate all of your real estate needs. Follow me on TWITTER or FACEBOOK! You can also contact me at 905-220-9198 or at www.realestatechat.ca as I am now a moderator on the Ontario Real Estate chat forum as well as the Burlington, Ontario sub-forum.
Sean Kavanagh
Building Lasting Relationships and Exceeding Expectations
Source: AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service and Your First Home Buyers Guide
Building lasting relationships and exceeding expectations.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
