About Toronto's toronto

In 2012, Toronto will be commemorating the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. This war led to the transformation of the, then, town of York which progressed into a city, that it is today.

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and also the nation’s commercial and financial centre.

The two centuries of peaceful co-existence between the United States and Canada will be celebrated starting the week of June 15^th, 2012. The many events include an overnight vigil in honour of those who died in that war, and costumed actors talking with visitors to ‘Old Town Toronto’, relating the events that took place.

A series of events are planned for 2012 and 2013. The events and activities are being organized by the City of Toronto and many interested partners.

If you are in the market for a new townhome you should consider these luxurious townhomes on Dupont. These homes are a really good value for your money. First of all they are freehold so no pesky maintenance fees. (except laneway snow removal)

This is a small development of only 7 luxury townhomes in Toronto combining a historic Georgian exterior architecture with contemporary interior design. Open concept floor plan that is perfect for entertaining and a contemporary lifestyle. Finishes inside consist of hardwood flooring in walnut finish, oversized baseboards and trim.

The kitchen overlooks the living and dining room. The kitchen is outfitted premium with Stainless Steel Kitchenaid appliances, wall mounted oven, french door refrigerator and a gas cooktop finished off with granite counter tops. Lots of potlights. This a warm and inviting place to live.

From the living there a walk out to the patio complete with gas connection for BBQing. The living is a large bright room with hardwood floors and a fireplace to ease the chill of winter.

And to top it all all off there is your private roof top deck to lounge around and enjoy a hot sunny day or evening.

So if you are looking to buy a home you should consider this brand new townhouse in the heart of Toronto. Its affordable and you will be living in comfort and loving it.

Call me soon as there only 4 units remaining.

Some years it just seems easy to get into the Christmas spirit. Other years require a bit of a kickstart.

One of the methods that I employ to ease me into the Yule-tide frenzy is to make my annual pilgrimage to the Eaton Centre, right in the heart of the Canadian retail beast. This never fails to work. It's like a personal Haj for me. I come to pay homage to the rampant commercialism that drives our economy and inspires many Canadians to live beyond their means and spend sleepless nights worrying about credit card bills.

The Christmas tree at the Eaton Centre is pretty much like the Kaaba in Mecca. People tend to shuffle around it so they can get a view from all angles.

The tree is absolutely spectacular and well worth looking at. Every year the tree is decorated by Swarovski with over 10,000 of their beautiful crystals.

Photographs do not do justice to this tree. It is set up on a rotating platform, and the crystals reflect the light when it slowly turns so a still picture can't really capture the way the multi coloured lights dance all around the tree. It really is the centre piece at the Eaton Centre from mid November until January.

You can't get too close, there is a barrier in place. I suppose this discourages people from trying to nick the crystals. I do not have a clue how much all those crystals are worth, but I would imagine the value of them amounts to quite a pretty penny. I will have to look that up, so that I can inform everybody in next year's blog post.

I definitely do feel more Christmassy after looking at the tree for a while. Maybe it's the healing powers that crystals are said to contain, or maybe it's something else. Either way, if you happen to be in the Yonge-Dundas area for some Christmas shopping, why not duck inside at the Eaton Centre and have a gander at the tree. It might just give you that kickstart you need to get you in the Christmas spirit.

“I became aware that whatever I paid attention to grew. If I focused on the bad news and the awful, it seemed that the whole world was pointing its finger at me. If I focused on the amazing company we had created, I began to trust that I could do it again. I just had to brush myself off and get back on that entrepreneurial horse.” – from Cold Hard Truth

I’ve heard the same insight expressed in many ways from different people. James Arthur Ray from The Secret expressed it as “energy flows where attention goes”. Friedrich Nietzsche expressed the insight’s flipside: “if you gaze for long into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.”

It’s been called The Law Of Attraction by the hit movie The Secret and the concept has become recognized and espoused by more and more very, very successful people. That’s why your mindset is everything. We attract into our life what we focus on in our thoughts, emotions, and actions. If we’re positive people and focus on positive thinking and positive ways of being we’ll tend to experience mostly positive, uplifting situations. If we’re angry, critical, pessimistic, or any similarly negative emotion we’ll attract the same types of energy toward us. Just as positive experiences uplift and encourage and build self confidence and affirm our own viewpoint so can negative experiences deject and discourage and weaken self confidence and affirm our view that the world is a bad place. It’s all you!

O’Leary’s views of first impressions and how he experiences new people pitching a business are worth understanding. During his time on Dragon’s Den and the US version of the show called Shark’s Tank he’s seen over 1000 people pitching a business plan. So the people you pitch your listing presentations to are likely feeling similar things as O’Leary is:

“The first thirty seconds of a pitch are intuitive, visceral, from the point of view of the investor. I watch the way the pitcher enters the room. It could be the look in a pitcher’s eye, the spring in her step, the color of his tie, the style of her shoes, the tangibles and intangibles of personality that make me lean in closer or sit way back. Maybe the pitcher reminds me of someone from my past – someone I liked, or didn’t. But I can tell instantly whether I even want to hear this entrepreneur’s story.” – from Cold Hard Truth

How can you tell if a Toronto real estate agent is competent or the right one for you? It’s not always easy to find a good agent but knowing what questions to ask – so that you can separate the wheat from the chaff – is half the battle! We continue with part 2 of our series on questions you should be asking your real estate agent before deciding to work with them.

1. Can I see your references?

As with any job interview, it’s important to get a real estate agent’s references. In order to form an idea of how effective they are in the Toronto area, ask for references from their last five deals. Make sure you contact at least two of them, as this will give you a better idea about how the real estate agent works and their performance to date.

2. Can I see samples of the kinds of documents you want me to sign?

It’s not a strange thing to ask for and a good real estate agent will be happy to provide you with copies you can preview. As a buyer, ask for copies of the following:

• Buyer’s Broker Agreement (is it exclusive or non-exclusive?)
• Agency Disclosures
• Purchase Agreement
• Buyer Disclosures

As a seller, ask to see:

• Agency Disclosure
• Listing Agreement
• Seller Disclosures

3. Why should I choose you as my real estate agent?

To continue reading this article click 5 Questions To Ask Your Real Estate Agent, Part 2