IT HAPPENED IN OUR FAIR CITY LAST NIGHT All was quiet in our fair little city of Brampton, Ontario, Canada for a Saturday night, maybe a little breezy, when all of a sudden at 7:00 pm the winds kicked up! The skies opened up and torrential rains poured down, poured down and poured down! But, as they say, there is always a silver lining and last night there definetly was. Shortly after there was the most amazing sight in the sky. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!    Out looking for our pot of gold!    Al and Peggy Cunningham http://www/TheHousePeople.com      05/31/2009

Brampton, ON, Canada Buyer's take notice, have you missed the best opportunity to secure the lowest mortgage rates in over 50 years.  We received the message below and wanted you to take a look.   Paul MeredithCityCan Financial   With bond yields having been on the rise since the beginning of April, there has been continued upward pressure on fixed mortgage rates.   Bond yields are up 0.21 yesterday which was a HUGE jump and it is up 0.57 from four weeks ago.   This also happened on a day where the TSX was down 143.76 points and usually when the stock market is down, so are the bond yields, but yesterday, they went the opposite direction.   One 'A' lender put their rates up to 4.29% yesterday, and we will likely see other lenders also putting their rates up later today or tomorrow.   If... 05/31/2009

Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,561 transactions in the first half of May - an increase of three per cent compared to May 2008. "Members reported a rise in buying activity this month," said TREB President Maureen O'Neill. "Many home buyers who were undecided about purchasing a home during the winter months are now proceeding with confidence as a result of the GTA housing market's affordability." The average price for MLS® sales was in line with last year, down by less than one-half of one per cent at $399,811. "More sales and fewer listings resulted in tighter market conditions which pushed the average selling price back up to last year's level," according to Jason Mercer, TREB's Senior Manager of Market Analysis. "Look for new listings to increase as home owners react to the posit... 05/22/2009

A home owner painting his garage doors.  Big deal, you say?  Ahhh, but you should see the crazy colors on this particular street.  Thankfully, he had chosen a beautiful blue / gray shade that complemented the brick tone perfectly.  Could he have had professional help?  I'm not sure but was glad to see a normal color among the lime green and sunshine yellow and yes ... even hot pink ... of the neighboring homes. When choosing a color for garage doors, people should look to the "Heritage" pallett or "Traditional" tones rather than buying what was on sale or left over from the baby's room. Anyway, this has long been a pet peeve of mine.  So now I got it off my chest ... and it made me smile to see that someone had some common sense. 05/21/2009

  CANADIANS CELEBRATE QUEEN VICTORIA'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!  Queen Victoria was born May 24, 1819 and is our longest reigning queen to date. (Will Queen Elizabeth surpass her tenure?) http://www.inglewoodcarecentre.com/history/victoria.htm This feisty queen was targeted for assassination many times during her long reign and as reported in the Toronto Sun this week, may be targeted again.  http://www.torontosun.com/news/2009/05/16/9476431-sun.html   Apparently certain groups would like to forget this Queen's birthday altogether.   Many people already commonly refer to this holiday weekend as the May 2-4 weekend. Is that because it usually fell on a weekend with a 2-4 in it or because it is commonly a weekend of barbequing, friends and a 2-4 case of beer?  Even though it appears to come a litt... 05/18/2009

We just became "RainMakers", it was very easy and painless.  Want to try it.  Just log into your Active Rain account and click on "UpGrade to RainMaker" If like us you had already set up a campaign in "Hit Router", the system already had your credit card number.  There was this little button "UpGrade", I clicked it, in a flash we were RainMakers. Going to Wal Mart in the morning to get a big umbrella, we want to make it rain. Al and Peggy 05/14/2009

The Bank of Canada today announced another cut to the key lending rate.  The Bank reduced the overnight rate by one-quarter of a percentage point to 0.25%. Here is an interesting article by James Cowan of the National Post providing insight on the bank rates.  The Bank of Canada Tuesday cut its key interest rate to 0.25%. What does that mean?The country's central bank, the Bank of Canada is responsible for improving the performance of the economy by managing the supply of money and availability of credit. The bank uses a small number of tools to accomplish this big goal. Perhaps most important tool is the target it sets for the "overnight rate," which is the interest rate that banks pay to borrow money from each other for single day. The target for the overnight bank rate is considered ... 04/21/2009

In March 2009, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 6,171 sales - down seven per cent from March 2008, representing the smallest year-over-year decline in the last five months. The average price for March transactions was $362,052 - down less than five per cent from the same month last year. "The Greater Toronto housing market has stood up very well given the challenging economic times the world has experienced in recent months," commented TREB President Maureen O'Neill. "In fact, over the past two months, the situation in the housing market has improved." The seasonally-adjusted annual rate of sales increased to 65,600 in March - up 36 per cent from the ten-year low reached in January. "Sales in March increased at a rate over and above what would be expected from the normal spring-time b... 04/16/2009

The Vales of Castlemore is a beautiful Brampton community built by Mattamy Homes.  These beautiful homes are surrounded by ravines, parks, playgrounds, and walking/biking trails.  This established Brampton community is conveniently located close to all amenities - schools, hospital, transit, major highways, shopping malls and plazas. The prestigious Vales of Castlemore community provides an assortment of Bungalows and two-storey homes to accommodate your lifestyle.  They range from 2 bedrooms to 5 bedrooms.    The Vales of Castlemore consists of the following streets: ALLANHURST CRES APPLECREST COURT BALMY WAY BANKS DRIVE BINNERY DRIVE BLAKETON COURT BOWSFIELD DRIVE BRAYDON BLVD BRIDGEND CRES BROCK DRIVE CASA LANE COGSWELL CRES COLE COURT COLT LANE COSMO COURT CROCKER DRIVE CUPID DRIVE ... 04/08/2009

Going GREEN is very popular these days, with everyone having a different spin on it.  Interestingly enough, when I started my business in 2004 I was very GREEN (and I don't just mean "new at it").  My website, business cards, brochures and promo cards were a lovely shade of sage GREEN.  When I look back at it now ... ugh !!  It just doesn't appeal to me anymore.  Funny how our color preferences change over time.  But of course, my GREEN hue was very timely in that REDESIGN is the ultimate recycling concept for home decor ... we simply re-use what you already have.  RE-USE REFRESH RENEW REJUVENATE REDESIGN ... they all amount to RECYCLING 03/21/2009

Home Renovation Tax Credit The proposed Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) will provide a temporary 15 per cent income tax credit on eligible home renovation expenditures for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010. The credit may be claimed for the 2009 taxation year on the portion of eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000, but not more than $10,000, and will provide up to $1,350 in tax relief. For more information on all of the home ownership and housing related stimulus in Budget 2009, go to http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/plan/bpa5a-eng.asp#Personal or to the Canada Revenue Agency Web site at www.cra-arc.gc.ca and search for "Home Buyers Plan." What's eligible and what's not for the Home Renovation Tax Credit?The federal government hopes the... 03/07/2009

Are you an empty-nester looking to down-size your present home?  Are you looking for a safe place to call home, a place that allows you the freedom to enjoy the lifestyle you want with the amenities you desire? Nestled in Brampton, Rosedale Village Golf & Country Club is a private, secure, gated community that caters to adults 50+.  It's located close to shopping malls, hospital, biking trails, parks, conservation areas, GO and public transit, and major Highways 410, 407, and 401.  Rosedale Village offers homes that compliment your lifestyle...Detached Homes, Semi-Detached, Townhomes, and low-rise Condominiums featuring fantastic layouts and architectural design.    Rosedale Village Golf & Country Club has the facilities that cater to your desired lifestyle...as relaxed or as active as... 03/06/2009

TORONTO, March 5, 2009 - Toronto Real Estate Board Members reported 4,120 sales in February 2009 compared to 6,015 sales recorded in February 2008. The average home price was $361,305 last month compared to $382,048 during the same month last year. "A considerable number of transactions continued to take place in February 2009. Motivated buyers and sellers, who were aware that market conditions changed over the past few months, were able to negotiate transactions acceptable to both parties," said Toronto Real Estate Board President Maureen O'Neill. To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp 03/05/2009

March 3, 2009 - The Bank of Canada announced this morning that it is cutting interest rates by 0.50%. This take the target for the overnight rate to just 0.50% This takes the total easing to 4.00% since December 2007. The bank said in it's release that the global economic outlook has worsened since January with slower growth than expected in the major economies and the US recession with the weak car and housing growth is a big challenge for Canada. Q4 2008 also showed a sharp decline in Canadian economic activity. To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp 03/05/2009

Please be sure to participate in the second annual, worldwide EARTH HOUR on March 28 @ 8:30 pm.  Simply switch off all your lights, electronics and as much power as you can live without for one hour.  Light a candle, snuggle up and have a sip of wine.  It's so easy to do your part ... let's make it more effective than last year. http://www.earthhour.org/   03/01/2009

There is a new Canadian magazine in the home decor genre, entitled CANADIAN HOME TRENDS (formerly known as Canadian Homestead Magazine).  You can get your first issue FREE by signing up online.  Here's the link to do so - http://canadianhometrends.ca/subscribe-today/gift-subscriptions/subscription-promotions/ This premier issue features a kitchen design article and everyone's favorite renovator, Mike Holmes, of HGTV fame.  Why not check it out?  I'm going to ... 03/01/2009

The provincial government has introduced legislation, Bill 150, the Green Energy Act, which, if passed, would require mandatory home energy audits prior to the sale of a home. This legislation has not yet been passed and is not yet in effect. Under the proposed Green Energy Act, home owners would be required to provide information regarding the home's energy efficiency prior to the sale or lease of the property. Energy efficiency information about the property would have to be determined and provided by standardized methods established by the provincial government. The Province has not yet provided information on these details. The legislation, if passed, would allow the provincial government to prescribe: · what energy efficiency information has to be provided and in what manner; · the... 02/25/2009

The Lampe Berger (http://en.lampeberger.ca/home) has become increasingly popular over the past 2 years.  Many home decor stores now carry them in a wide variety of styles, and in varying price points. They are extremely effective in eliminating household odors such as cooking, pet and stinky shoes ! Makes me wonder why I don't own one yet (for the stinky dog!) ... 02/25/2009

Owning a home is an important goal for most Canadian families, and a valuable investment in their future financial security. For newcomers to the country, it's also an important step in becoming established here. But with home prices typically several times higher than a person's annual salary, few people have the cash to purchase a home outright. To buy your home, you'll probably need a mortgage - a long-term loan that uses the home itself as security. According to government statistics, 34% of all Canadian families currently have a mortgage (Statistics Canada December 2006) and almost all first-time home buyers will need a mortgage to make their purchase. From where to start? To know more about mortgage and financing first time buyers can conact me. To know more mortageg terms please ... 02/16/2009

Between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008, Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) Members reported 3,433 rented condominium apartments and townhouses in the Greater Toronto Area. This represented a 30 per cent increase over the 2,635 transactions recorded during the same time frame in 2007. A good part of this increase likely came from rental listings in newly completed condominium apartment buildings containing investor-owned units. "The increasing strength of the rental market combined with low interest rates and reasonable home prices mean that now could be an excellent time to purchase an investment property," said Maureen O'Neill, President, Toronto Real Estate Board. To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp   02/11/2009