Suzanne Hodgson - Blog

THE ADVANTAGES OF PURCHASING A RESALE HOME

suzanne.hodgson@century21.ca — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

IF YOU WERE GOING TO BUY A CAR, WOULD YOU BUY IT BY LOOKING AT PICTURES ONLY? I wouldn't recommend it. You would probably want to take it for a test drive, see how it handles, inspect the finishes, kick the tires and check the trunk space. This is because most of us use many senses when we make a major purchase.

This is much the same when purchasing a home. A resale home allows you to use your senses to experience the home and determine if it is the house you want. When you buy a resale home, you can inspect exactly what you are buying, including intangible aspects not found on a plan. Features such as the view from all windows, the flow of the floor plan and the overall ambiance the finishes provide. Additionally, you are moving into an established community and can inspect the recreational facilities, transportation links, support services, schools and the shopping centres.

In contrast, purchasing a new home it is a far more difficult decision because you have to visualize a home and all of its' finishes from a plan alone.

Young parents are always concerned about school standards. Schools in established areas have their EQAO standing published on the internet and the purchasers know exactly how far their children will be traveling to school each day.. New schools may be promised in a newly developed area but often are not built right away. This may mean extended travel time to schools in other nearby neighbourhoods. The promised school sites are sometimes reclaimed by the builder and the schools are not opened.

Many believe they are getting BETTER VALUE buying a resale home, as many improvements such as upgraded light fixtures, fences, paved driveways, finished basements and landscaping are included in the price. Often window coverings, which can be expensive, are part of the purchase price.

HST is only paid once on a home. Resale homes do not trigger HST as part of the purchase price because this has already been paid by a previous owner.

If you would like to discuss the differences between buying new and buying resale in greater depth, please contact us.

TIPS TO WINTERIZE YOUR HOME

suzanne.hodgson@century21.ca — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Before the first snowfall here is a checklist of some things you should plan to do to get your house ready for winter.

Inspect all of your windows and make sure the caulking is in place and make sure all weather stripping around doors is intact. This will save on your winter heating costs.

If you haven't done so already, have your yearly maintenance done on your furnace. Make sure that all permanent filters are thoroughly vacuumed, and remember to replace disposable filters in a forced air furnace system every three months.

Consider improving insulation in your attic, basement or any other heat loss areas before winter arrives.

After all the leaves have fallen, clean out your eaves troughs and downspouts to allow for water drainage in the spring.

Insulate any long stretches of hot water pipe that run through cold areas of your house such as a basement.

Installing a fence now instead of waiting for spring will provide a wind brake and help lower your energy consumption this winter.

Replace outdoor light bulbs now to avoid doing the job when it's really cold.

Clean the ducts of your central vacuuming system.

Check your roof for any necessary repairs such as missing shingles.

Trim any tree branches growing close to your home or driveway so they don't cause damage during the winter.

Cover the top of the condenser of your air conditioning unit. A board and brick will do. This will prevent melting snow from dripping into the unit, but allow air flow to the lower area.

Turn off the water to the outside taps.

Do a final weeding of the flower beds so that your spring bulbs will present themselves beautifully when spring 2011 arrives. Now is the time to add any extra bulbs so that your garden looks lush as the warm weather approaches.

THE BEST KEPT SECRET WHEN WORKING WITH A CENTURY 21 AGENT – YOU CAN GET AN AMAZING DEAL WITH UNITED VAN LINES FOR YOUR MOVE!

suzanne.hodgson@century21.ca — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Our clients have benefited from this excellent arrangement between Century 21 and United Van Lines.

One of our clients who is moving a large household mentioned that this offer was substantially less than any other quote they received from competing moving companies. We decided to use this offer recently when we were arranging staging for one of our listings. We were able to move 3 rooms of furniture HST included for under $400.00!

The overall offer from United Van Lines is as follows:

10 % off local/UCAN moving rates
30% discount on packing services
65% discount on long distance in the peak season and 70% discount on long distance in the off season
30 days free container storage

We find the free container storage is useful when the close on both properties does not occur on the same day.

If you would like further information on this useful offer contact us.

When does the Sprint Real Estate Market Really Start? Don’t Wait Too Long!

suzanne.hodgson@century21.ca — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Most people presume that the spring market occurs when the flowers are in bloom and the backyard looks there finest. If this were true, the spring market would not peak until May and June. However; in the Toronto/York Region real estate industry we find that the spring market actually starts by the middle of February. This is likely the result of residents in the Greater Toronto Area feeling house bound and stir crazy as a result of being trapped indoors for the last two and a half months because of the winter weather. As soon as the slightest indication appears of a change in weather, people get out on the house hunt.

Young families also find this to be the ideal time to get out searching because they are looking to have their deals close while their kids are out of school in July and August. This is a very important selling feature for young family purchasers as it provides their children the opportunity to finish the school year at one school and start fresh in their new school the next September. With an average closing time of a real estate deal being 60 to 90 days, many of these consumers are seriously looking and making their purchase decisions in March.

If you are considering a move and are waiting for the active “Spring Market”, we recommend getting started on it now. Call us and we will guide you through the process of being totally prepared for the spring market. The Time is NOW!