Attention Homeowners: - Pricing your home properly is the single most important thing a homeowner can do.   This video is pretty well the exact same video that you’d watch right after you logged in for a Free Over The Net Home Evaluation.   There was no link back to the video after you closed the page so I’ve posted it on my blog for anyone who wants to view it again.   Roughly, 90% of that entire video was on the importance of you pricing your home properly if you want to sell it.  The other 10% was on why I did the video and what you’ll get next.   Also, if you happen to stumble across this video on my blog and didn’t get an evaluation yet simply go to www.WindsorPricing.com for a FREE Over-The-Net Home Evaluation. 04/13/2009

Usually the "man" is taking money out of your pocket, not offering to help you put more into it. In this tough economy everyone is looking to save money, and very few are looking at how spending it can benefit them. However there may be no better time to make that house a mansion. The government is currently entertaining so many grant programs it's a small wonder more people aren't cashing in on the money train, and buying a ticket to a nicer property or a spruced up house. There are currently grants for everything from replacing that furnace that older then your grandfather, that water tank that leaks all over your basement, or that roof that is now equipped with a sky light, just not the good kind. There are grants for purchasing your property, like first time home ownership programs ... 02/28/2009

Here is one of my New Years resolutions that I would like to share: Enough: stop watching news (particularly CNN) and reading my local news paper (the Windsor star); ITS TOO DEPRESSING AND NEGATIVE; like 95% of the time! It only helps to sell TV advertising & to sell newspapers..things are NEVER that bad I think. The 'automotive industry is going to make it/the automotive industry is not going to make it'; 'Stocks are up/stocks are down'; 'People dying here/people are killing there'; the economy is in a recession or in a possible depression';...and on, and on...it never stops.. I feel we (myself) rely too much on these newscasters, their negative captions (and their storys), and so called professional people (and their deeds/misdeeds) to run our daily psyche into the clouds/or into the ... 01/23/2009

Now is the time to Invest in Realestate in the Windsor and Surrounding Area.The Windsor Essex County market offers Duplexes ,Tri-plexes and Multi unit buildings as well as Condominiums and Single Family homes at great low prices.With interest rates historically low and prices dropping down to what once was in the 1980's. As well, Power of Sale and Foreclosure opportunities are many, what are you waiting for. As well the affordability of Real estate here in the Windsor area make it a great place to retire to. Sell your current home take the equity from that home to buy a similar home for considerably less and the rest can be socked away to assist you in your retirement living. Has the market bottomed out? Who knows! Besides when you can see the bottom ,it's too late you've missed the boa... 01/13/2009

Headlines in several Canadian newspapers report that consumers are nervous buying a condo out of fear that what they contracted for will not be built.  A more substantial fear is that due to current oversupply, condominiums are getting harder to sell.  In Toronto, 22,654 condos were sold in 2007, but only 16,000 are expected to be sold this year.  While the long term outlook for the condo market is good, building starts are expected to decline by 6% as prices decline.  For current owners in Ontario, this news should be only mildly upsetting as prices will actually increase by 3-5%.  Western markets in Calgary and Vancouver, where housing is somewhat overvalued, may not only see an end to double digit inflation in condo prices but a 3-5% decrease. Condominiums are popular in Canada becau... 11/18/2008

Everyone loves a bargain, especially in housing where a few percent off adds up to thousands of dollars.  In a buyers' market, where some sellers who need to move their homes are facing the prospect so of having their time in the market longer and ultimately selling for less, it's tempting for buyers to overestimate how far down sellers will go. So, as a buyer, what's the best way to get the best price? Dream a little but be reasonable.  Even in a buyers' market, it's unlikely that you will get a $500,000 home for $250,000.  Doing a little neighborhood research will reveal what other comparable homes in the area have sold for.  This should tip you off that you may get the home for $50,000 less.  If a $450,000 is out of your pricing comfort zone, it's time to start looking at more afford... 11/13/2008

If the economy makes you want to run to Fantasyland, now you can at discounted prices. With stock prices dropping 6.1%, income off 13%, and hotel bookings down, Disney amusement parks announced discounts on vacation packages to any of its parks.  For vacations booked by December 20, a 7 day vacation is available for the price of a 4 day vacation - a 34% discount.  Vacationers who visit between January - March, 2009 will also get a free $200 gift card redeemable for food and souvenirs.  (All trips must be taken in 2009, with blackout periods around Easter vacation and part of the summer.) Thirty percent discounts are also available on hotels rooms  (without tickets) for those who don't want to stay the whole week. Discounts at Disney are unprecedented.  Though the discounts do not affect... 11/11/2008

Recent good news reported here about the thriving Canadian auto industry is threatened by bad news from Detroit: the US auto is in such bad shape that the big three automakers are lobbying  for a $25 billion low interest loan from the government.  Without aid, predicts the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, MI, the US economy would lose over 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs plus $100-150 billion in taxes. Over the past few years, the Canadian auto industry has regrouped through job cuts and increased efficiency  measures.  The cost reduction efforts are expected to result s in a $155 million profit this year - even though production is likely to be down by 4.6% and revenues down 10% due to falling demand.  Improved efficiencies and cooperation from labor unions have brough... 11/09/2008

For the 92,999 cars and 22,300 trucks that cross the US-Canadian border each day, crossing the border will be more difficult once the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative takes effect in June, 2009.  A response to homeland security concerns, the US is installing scanners and radio frequency identification cards at each customs lane at the 39 ports of entry. These units will be operational by December, 2008 at most ports and by April at Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie. Those travelers who have NEXUS cards or enhanced driver's licenses embedded with a radio-frequency chip will present the card for scanning and the customs inspectors will know the citizenship, residency, biographical information, and photo of the driver before he reaches the booth.  Other citizens will need to provide passport... 11/06/2008

Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit organization that offers  handmade items from artisan co-operatives in developing countries, has a great store in Windsor, right at 3225 Sandwich Street.  In addition to handicrafts, the selection also includes Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate, dried fruit, and sugar, and have recently added jams and preserves from Swaziland in South Africa. The concept behind the project developed in 1946 when a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker Edna Ruth Byler brought home some beautiful embroidery from Puerto Rica.  The pieces were made in sewing classes by women who helped to learn a trade to bring their families out of poverty. Byler found the pieces so popular among friends and neighbors that she sought items and agricultural products from other develop... 11/04/2008

The housing inflation that has characterized the housing market in the United States has drifted northward, it seems, according to a report by Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.  In a study of nine Canadian cities, seven of them have housing stock that is overvalued by $32,000-87,000.  Housing prices were compared to what they would be in a market where home prices and rents would be in balance.   Other factors taken into account include mortgage rates, costs of home ownership, and long term price appreciation. While Toronto prices are in balance and those in Edmonton below by 8%, prices in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, and Winnipeg are at least 20% too high.  The housing prices in these cities rose 87% between 1997-2006. During the same time ... 11/02/2008

While it is not official yet, all signs are pointing toward Windsor as the location for Nissan's next improvement.  Nissan and Chrysler have recently announced an assembly partnership that involves each company doing what they do best. Nissan will be building the Dodge Hornet for Chrysler and Chrysler has agreed to build the 2011 Titan pickup truck for Nissan. This expansion seems to pave the way for Chrysler to build the 2010 Nissan Quest or its replacement at the Windsor Assembly Plant. This would be a win-win situation for all involved, especially the 4,600 members of the CAW Local 444 at the Windsor plant. Due to the decline in sales of minivans, there has been a worry that the plant would lose its third shift and along with it hundreds of jobs, but if Chrysler takes on the Nissan m... 10/31/2008

  Windsor is home to Coulter's, "Ontario's largest furniture store" which boasts 80,000 square feet of showroom, a quality stock of North America's best furniture manufacturers, and a colorful history. Coulter's started as a family business in Essex in1863, when James Coulter started a lumber business and then, after relocating to Windsor, a coal business in hopes of supplying entrepreneurs in Detroit. Later generations of Coulters replaced coal sales with fuel deliveries to business and residential customers in the 1950's when the demand for coal dropped.  Always ahead of marketing trends, Coulter used its location on Windsor Avenue, a block east of Windsor's main thoroughfare Quinlette St,. to open a small retail outlet that sold custom fireplaces, equipment, and screens to the public... 10/29/2008

Thinking of buying or selling your home?  Here's some interesting data from August, 2008 from  the Windsor-Essex Board of Realtors. Compared to a year ago.... Market Activity is down 3.44% YTD and 11.94% in August. 7880 homes have been listed this year vs. 8161 last year. Sales are down 6.58% YTD and 18.18% in August. 3404 home have been sold this year vs. 3181 last year. For the 389 homes sold, the average price is down 1.35% YTD and 5.10%.  Average selling price YTD was $164,280 vs. $165,068 last year, while the average selling price in August was $166,099 vs. $170,018 last year. In terms of home sold by price category, $ 60,000 - $99,999            73 $100,000 - $119,999         45 $120,000 - $139.999         52 $160,000 - $199,999         71 $200,000.- $299,999         83 $300,000 -... 10/26/2008

It's a week before Halloween, a popular holiday that in modern times means donning costumes, decorating your home in orange and black, carving a pumpkin, and trick or treating - maybe for UNICEF or maybe for a stock of candy that children hoard and parents raid for their favorite chocolate bar. Though it's generally considered a fun time, it's also a great time to start a new tradition in your household or in your life.  Take a look at this link to blog posted by Ann Arbor, MI realtor Kathy Toth: http://activerain.com/blogsview/750995/Ghosting-It-Forward-Pay-It-Forward-for-Ann-Arbor-NeighborsFriends-before-Halloween In the spirit of the movie Pay It Forward, the Ghost It Forward project promotes anonymous acts of kindness to friends, neighbors, and total strangers.  For more information... 10/23/2008

Giant Tiger is Canada's favorite discount store. Founded in Ottawa in 1961 with a $15,000, investment, it has grown to over 184 locations across Canada, with 106 locations in Ontario alone. Some stores are company owned, but the majority are franchised operations, a reflection of company philosophy that customers are better served by local owners. Giant Tiger carries fashions, home accessories, toys, specialty foods, and housewares.  Just as Oprah Winfrey boosted Target's fashion appeal by softening the "t" at the end so it sounds French ("Tar-gay"), Giant Tiger fashion customers refer to the store as "GT Boutique."  The company responded by printing bags with this name for fashion purchase. Employing over 6,500 people in Canada, the chain has undertaken a major expansion in the Greater... 10/23/2008

Stunning, modern approx. 6 yr. old east end home situated on a quiet, residential street. Completely updated in the last year. Main floor features custom kitchen with breakfast bar, open concept living/dining area, 4pc bath and 3 bdrms including MB with 4pc ensuite and walk-in closet. Lower level features large family room with gas fireplace, 3pc bath, 2 additional bdrms or office/library/workout room and laundry room. Freshly painted in neutral tones. Many upgrades incl: finished/painted garage, central vac, oversized basement windows, built-in speaker system throughout, porcelain tile, alarm system, infra-red doggie door. Must see to appreciate all the extras. Backyard is your own personal paradise! Immaculate. Maintenance free living at it's best! To arrange a personal viewing call K... 10/23/2008

Windsor's Holland Consignment Shoppe & Auction House is the perfect place for finding treasures for your new home or selling items that you prefer not to take to your next home. They have a showroom that is over 11,000 square feet filled with an assortment of unique, antique, and nearly new items.  As Southern Ontario's largest personal property liquidation company, they not only have retail consignment sales, they also provide auction services, eBay sales, and appraisals by an accredited appraiser. Visit Holland Consignment Shoppe & Auction House on the web and then head over to their showroom at 1407 Ottawa St, at the corner of Ottawa and Moy, behind the TD Bank. Parking is along the side of the building. The store is open Monday through Saturday. Need a new home to put those treasure... 10/22/2008

Over 60 years ago, Erie Street and the St. Angela Merici Church was a haven for Windsor's Italian immigrants.  An assortment of Italian family-run restaurants and shops sprang up around the church, and Erie Street became the center for Windsor's Italian culture.  Nowadays, this one-mile strip of Erie Street is known as Via Italia and it attracts visitors from across Canada, the U.S., and around the world.  Via Italia draws on its Italian roots and provides over 100 small, family-run businesses with an Italian flair.  You will find Italian-style clothing boutiques, shoe stores, kitchenware shops, linen stores, grocery stores, and more.  Additionally, you can partake in some of the best Italian food Windsor has to offer, from intimate espresso and cappuccino shops to exquisite Ristorantes... 10/20/2008

Hybrid and diesel-powered minivans are hot items on the market now.  Although there has been a recent shift to smaller cars, there will always be a demand for vehicles that seat five to seven people and are capable of lugging baby gear.  With gas price at recent all time highs, space  AND 20 mpg city, 30 mpg highway  are a desirable combination. The Dodge Grand Caravan, built in Windsor since 2007, could be the first hybrid minivan to make it to market.  It certainly won't be the last, though.  Toyota plans to offer a hybrid Sienna by 2010.  And Volkswagen and Honda are expected to offer diesel versions of their minivans to meet the demand for more fuel efficient vehicles.  VW just began assembling the Routan van in Windsor via a contract with Chrysler's van assembly plant. J.D. Power r... 10/20/2008