Kim Micallef - Broker

I was reading an article in the local newspaper about a resident who was a victim of internet fraud. This home owner is out about $30,000.00 after being a victim of an on-line property fraud. The owner was trying to sell the property privately on the internet. The owner was contacted by a person saying they were interested in the property. The person claimed they lived in another country, but a financial advisor from Canada was assisting in the purchase. The process was moving slowly, but eventually the buyer sent the seller a $45,000.00 cheque. The seller cashed the cheque, but shortly after-wards the buyer said they had run into financial difficulty and needed most of the money back. Before the initial cheque cleared, the seller sent the buyer $30,000.00 back. The buyer later mailed back another cheque for the remainder owing on the purchase. When the seller tried to cash it, the bank told the seller that both cheques were frauds. In the end the transaction never took place, but the seller is out $30,000.00. the police have not been able to identify the alleged con artists, and are not sure if they ever will.

This would have never happened had the seller used a Realtor to sell their property. We have practices in place to safe guard from these types of problems. We know what we are doing.

Interested in making your home an energy saver, and getting paid to do it? The Canadian government has a program you'll want to hear about.

Last year, the Canadian government launched the ecoENERGY retrofit program. It provides tax-free cash incentives to Canadian homeowners who commit to making their home more eco-friendly and energy efficient. The money is granted at a flat rate determined by the government for each individual upgrade you perform on your house.

The grant money is only the first part of your windfall though. The average homeowner with a $2,000/year heating bill can expect to reduce that annual bill by up to $700 as a result of the energy savings alone!

The process is very simple. There is a network of licensed energy advisors across the country; call to set up an assessment. Following the assessment, your advisor will instruct you on how to go about making the necessary improvements and will give you an idea of what size grant you are eligible for. The advisor will be your liaison with the government and will complete the application process for you.

5 STEPS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR ENERGY ADVISOR ASSESSMENT

Make your energy evaluation safe, quick and easy by following these five steps:

1 - Ensure the advisor has access to your attic, crawl space or other hard-to-reach areas.

2 - Ensure a responsible person able to make household decisions is present.

3 - Make sure you have proof of any recent upgrades to the house to help the advisor understand the home's history.

4 - Prepare a list of any drafts, cold spots, or energy related "leaks" in the home.

5 - Be as cooperative as possible....together, you and the advisor can create a retrofit strategy that may save you thousands of dollars.

Of course, if you're more interested in relocating than renovating, please call me for the latest real estate news in your area.