About Hamilton's Ancaster

August sales continue trend

(September 3, 2009 - Hamilton, Ontario) The Hamilton-Burlington area resale market reported a total of 1,133 units sold in August, indicating an increase of 16 per cent over the same month last year. The total unit sales for the first eight months of 2009 are being reported at 4.5 per cent lower for the same period last year, while new units listed are 8.6 per cent lower for the year-to-date, according to Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) statistics released by the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB).

"With summer coming to a close, it is a good time to reflect on the local resale market," said Bruce King, RAHB President. "The August numbers continued the positive trend set in July, with sales and average price up, year over year. 2009 has thus far continued to surprise market watchers."

Residential properties sold during August totalled 1,090 which included 846 freehold properties and 244 condominiums. Commercial sales for August, including industrial, farm, vacant land and business, totalled 43 units.

The average price of freehold residential properties sold in the month of August was $313,356, an increase of 2.7 per cent over August last year. The average sale price reflects the dollar volume of residential sales divided by the number of total residential units sold.

In the condominium market the average price of condominiums in August was $215,154, an increase of 1.3 per cent over August 2008.

The total number of units listed for sale during August was 1,535, which is 2.8 per cent fewer than were listed in the same period in 2008.

"Last week CREA revised their annual forecast to accommodate the strong sales we saw in the second quarter and are now seeing in the third," added King. "Their revision represents a change in the predicted annual decline in activity to 0.4 per cent compared to levels set in 2008, and is a significant upward adjustment from the previously forecast decline of 14.7 per cent issued last May."

Unit sales reflect "all property types" including residential, condominiums, commercial property, farmland and sale of businesses.

courtesy of: RAHB Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington

Visit www.LisaTollis.ca for more information about Real Estate & Listings in the Ancaster-Hamilton-Burlington Ontario and All of the Surrounding Areas.

Lisa Tollis SRES.
Sales Representative
Seniors Real Estate Specialist
Royal LePage State Realty, Brokerage.
Hamilton Ontario
Office: 905 574 4600
Toll Free: 1 877 574 4601

www.LisaTollis.ca

Net-zero homes are on the horizon

Construction News:

By J.C. Carroll

(NC)-Home construction is turning 'green' at such a rapid pace, it is expected that very soon, you will be able to build a house to be so energy efficient there will be no need to tap the public supply. In mathematical terms: the energy a home is able to generate, subtract the energy required by the occupants, would be zero.

"Three main elements must co-exist for it to work cost-efficiently," says Todd Blyth at Nudura, a manufacturer of advanced concrete wall forms. "Those components are: the ability to generate a constant energy supply; a building envelope with maximum strength and insulation; and an inside operation with reduced energy usage.

"If, at the outset, energy-impact decisions are made carefully regarding the walls, windows, roofing, ventilation and indoor climate control, you are well on your way to completely offsetting energy consumption. Once the building is erected, it's a matter of smaller incremental decisions that add into the energy savings."

This vision is already a reality. In 2010, the first 'net-zero' school building will open in the United States, where it will not only showcase an important Canadian design element, this building will also push the efficiency benchmarks beyond all expectations.

• A roof designed with solar panels and electricity grid.

• Geothermal heating and cooling for environmentally responsible efficiency.

• Walls of concrete. The Nudura system is comprised of stay-in-place, pre-assembled blocks, steel reinforced, and then filled with concrete. It replaces traditional building methods. The durability and energy efficiency of concrete has shown to reduce energy costs up to 70 percent. Better still, the entire structure (www.nudura.com) is reported to be up to nine times stronger, with far more fire protection and with far more sound insulation.

• Ventilation includes a CO2 monitoring system to keep good air quality indoors and allow no more outdoor air than necessary.

• Positioning is north-south allowing for effective day lighting (without glare) so that all artificial lighting can be off during 70 percent of school hours.

• Computers are wireless. Five carts, each loaded with 30 laptops save energy, wiring and construction of a computer lab. Laptops use a fraction of the energy used to run a typical desktop computer.

• Kitchen staff is trained in energy-efficient food preparation. Typically, kitchens account for 25 percent of a school's energy drain.

courtesy of - News Canada

Visit www.LisaTollis.ca for more Information about Real Estate & Listings In the Ancaster-Hamilton-Burlington Ontario & Surrounding Areas.

Lisa Tollis SRES.
Sales Representative
Seniors Real Estate Specialist
Royal LePage State Realty, Brokerage.
Hamilton Ontario
Office: 905 574 4600
Toll Free: 1 877 574 4601

www.LisaTollis.ca

Online Education Available for New Home Buyers

(NC)-Tarion Warranty Corporation is now offering New Home Buyer Education Seminars online to help consumers understand the warranty that comes with newly built homes in Ontario. Tarion regulates Ontario's home building industry and ensures purchasers receive the statutory warranty coverage that builders are required to provide.

'Understanding Warranty Coverage' is the first in what will be a series of online topics designed to help purchasers better understand the warranty process and coverages. It provides a broad range of information on topics such as deposit and delayed closing protection, what is and is not covered under the work and materials warranties and how homeowners can go about making a warranty claim to their builder.

Originally offered at the company's Customer Centres in Toronto, Ottawa and London, the seminar was well-attended and received positive feedback from participants so, the next logical step was to offer the information more broadly to new home buyers across the province. Additional seminar topics will be added over time.

The seminar can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week on tarion.com. Topics are arranged in manner that allows viewers to quickly move through the presentation to the areas that are of most interest.

"Offering educational seminars online will allow us to reach homeowners across Ontario so they can better educate themselves about their warranty rights and responsibilities," said Tarion President and CEO Howard Bogach. "Understanding not only the warranty process, but also the roles that builders and Tarion play will help ensure a successful new home experience - and that is our goal."

Online Education Seminars will allow home buyers to:

• view the presentation in their own time, starting and pausing at their convenience;

• select specific topics relevant to their individual needs; and

• print out a copy of the presentation for reference.

In addition, relevant documents such as the Homeowner Information Package and the Construction Performance Guidelines are readily available in the resources section.

In order to ensure continual improvement Tarion encourages viewers to provide comments through the feedback section. To watch the Understanding Warranty Coverage seminar go to www.tarion.com and select the link on the homepage.

To learn more about the mandatory new home warranty, visit www.tarion.com

courtesy of: News Canada www.newscanada.com

Visit www.LisaTollis.ca For more Information about Real Estate & Listings.

Lisa Tollis SRES.
Sales Representative
Seniors Real Estate Specialist
Royal LePage State Realty, Brokerage.
Hamilton Ontario
Office: 905 574 4600
Toll Free: 1 877 574 4601

www.LisaTollis.ca

The Hamilton-Burlington area resale market reported a total of 1,369 units sold in July, indicating an increase of 10.6 per cent over the same month last year. The total unit sales for the first seven months of 2009 are being reported at 7.4 per cent lower for the same period last year, while new units listed are 8.3 per cent lower for the year-to-date, according to Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) statistics released by the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB).

"The summer market has continued with the strength seen in the spring," said Bruce King, RAHB President. "July marked the second month where sales and average price were up, year over year. Consumers continue to see value and opportunity in the greater Hamilton-Burlington area."

Residential properties sold during July totalled 1,318 which included 1,060 freehold properties and 258 condominiums. Commercial sales for July, including industrial, farm, vacant land and business, totalled 51 units.

The average price of freehold residential properties sold in the month of July was $311,945, an increase of 3.3 per cent over July last year. The average sale price reflects the dollar volume of residential sales divided by the number of total residential units sold.

In the condominium market the average price of condominiums in July was $233,509, an increase of 6.4 per cent over July 2008.

The total number of units listed for sale during July was 1,764, which is 0.7 per cent fewer than were listed in the same period in 2008.

"With inventory low, and the number of new listings easing, buyers may have to be patient," added King. "Market trends differ between cities, and among areas and housing types within a city. For local market expertise and information, buyers and sellers should use the professional services provided by a REALTOR®."

Unit sales reflect "all property types" including residential, condominiums, commercial property, farmland and sale of businesses.

courtesy of: REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington

Visit www.LisaTollis.ca For More Information About Real Estate & Listings In Hamilton Ontario and Area.

Lisa Tollis SRES.
Sales Representative
Seniors Real Estate Specialist
Royal LePage State Realty, Brokerage.
Hamilton Ontario
905 574 4600
Toll Free: 1 877 574 4601
www.LisaTollis.ca