CENTURY 21 Heritage Group Ltd. - Blog

Market Watch – June 2013

john.siarkas@century21.ca — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Price Growth Across All Major House Types in May 2013

There is a lot of activity in the real estate market at this time of year and some buyers are having difficulty finding their perfect home due to shortage of supply. While inventory levels are rising they are still below traditional norms.

The demand for housing has buoyed up prices in some areas. Even with the slight decline in sales year-over-year, The Canadian real estate market continues to be the best investment on the long run.

Ontario - Price growth across all major home types in May

Toronto, June 5, 2013 -- Greater Toronto Area (GTA) REALTORS® reported 10,182 sales through the Toronto Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) system in May 2013, representing a dip of 3.4% compared to May 2012. Sales of single-detached homes in the GTA were up by almost 1.0% compared to the same period last year, including a 3.0% year-over-year increase in the City of Toronto.

“The sales picture in the GTA has improved markedly over the past two months. While the number of transactions in April and May remained below last year’s levels, the rate of decline has been much smaller. A growing number of households who put their decision to purchase on hold as a result of stricter lending guidelines are starting to become active again in the ownership market,” said Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Ann Hannah.

The average selling price for May 2013 sales was $542,174 – up by 5.4% in comparison to $514,567 in May 2012. The annual rate of price growth was driven by the tight low-rise segment of the market and particularly by single-detached and semi-detached home transactions in the City of Toronto. Average condominium apartment prices were also up slightly in comparison to last year.

The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 2.8% year-over-year.

“The annual rate of price growth in May was not surprising given the competition that still exists between buyers, particularly for low-rise home types such as single-detached and semi-detached houses. We remain on track for a three-and-a-half per cent increase in the average selling price for 2013 as a whole,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Hardwood Flooring Tips

john.siarkas@century21.ca — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Hardwood Flooring Tips

Wood floors come in a variety of flooring materials: Hardwood floors, Engineered / Floating floors, Laminate and Jatoba / Bamboo planks. When it comes to deciding what floor would suite your needs in the best way, you may consider what is the room would be used for; what subfloor or existing floor you have at the moment, preferable design and costs.
    Solid Hardwood floor lasts the longest – it might outlast your house since it can go through several refinishing cycles. Installation involves installation of underlayment and it also could be installed on the existing subfloor. Hardwood provides excellent design solution as it comes in many kinds of wood oak, maple and ash.
    Engineered floor provides all benefits of hardwood, it can be refinished as well but is easier to install and does not require underlayment subfloor and can be installed on any surface. Engineered hardwood flooring is made of wood, but it's not solid. Instead it is a laminated product like plywood, with a thin but tough veneer of real wood on top laminated to three to five layers of less expensive wood (or medium-density fiberboard) and bonded under pressure with strong glues.
   Laminate is completely synthetic, with a tough melamine wear coat over a kraft-paper (or medium-density fiberboard) core. The beauty of laminate flooring is that it can be made to look like any material-stone, ceramic tile, wood, and more-at a fraction of the cost of the real thing. The effect is achieved in the second layer, which contains a photographic representation of the real flooring material. It is easy to install and water resistant.
    Bamboo plank floor is an environmentally friendly material. Not only is bamboo a fast-growing and renewable crop, the companies that make bamboo flooring use binders with low emissions. Bamboo flooring is made by shredding stalks of the raw material, then pressing them together with a resin that holds the shreds in their finished shape. It can be installed as hardwood or snap-fit like floating / engineered floors.

Town of Richmond Hill Spring & Summer Guide Now Available!

pamela.prescott@century21.ca — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Spring & Summer Fun for Everyone!

The Spring & Summer 2013 Community Recreation Guide is now available at all Richmond Hill community centres and at the Town's main Municipal Offices (Community Services Department - 8th Floor). If you did not receive a copy of the Community Recreation Guide delivered to your home in The Liberal newspaper, please call The Liberal directly at 905-660-9887 to ensure that you are part of their delivery area.

To find out more about the Spring & Summer Guide or to access downloadable forms online click here.

Please contact Richmond Hill's main Municipal Offices at 905-771-8870 if you require any further assistance.

Summerlicious Toronto

pamela.prescott@century21.ca — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

American Express® presents Summerlicious 2013 in Toronto!

Summerlicious this year is taking place from July 5-21. This year in 2013, 196 of the city of Toronto's top restaurants are participating. These participating restaurants are offering three course meals (lunch or dinner) at a very reasonably priced menu-allowing you to try a variety of their food without braking the bank. If you are interested in participating in Summerlicious and trying a new restaurant, it's a good idea to book a reservation in advance. Restaurants will be taking reservations starting June 20, 2013. American Express® Cardmembers are able to book advance reservations on June 18 & 19, 2013 (some conditions may apply). To share Summerlicious photos or tag photos through Twitter use the hashtag #LiciousTO.

Prices listed are per person. Beverages, taxes and gratuity additional. Lunch and dinner menus include starter, entrée and dessert. Some restrictions apply. (source)

To find out if your favourite restaurant is participating, or to choose a restaurant click here