January 24, 2012 Mortgage rates are at a record low putting tremendous pressure on pricing .(2.99%) New First Time Buyers are stretching to get preapproved. There was a time a small condo was $ 150 M now first time buyers are looking more often than not in the low 200's. ( Hamilton Burlington Market) As in the past I stress people to look at their whole mortgage and not get tricked on these rates where many rates that are low have HIGH PENALTY FEES. Realtors are embracing the internet to extremes. Many including myself are relying on syndication to distribute listings to maximize exposure. Staging has become the required method to get top dollar. Our inventorys are at a all time low. ( in my 11 years I have never seen them this low) People are asking when is the bubble popping ? Its like everyone knows it will come one day but when. ???? Interest rates do have to go up and they would not have to go up much to slow things down quickly. One or two Percent would have a significant impact.The government is predicting they will be staying low for quite some time. There has been hardly any snow so far and we have had a easy January. Media reports consumers have been restraining excessive spending and many are starting to pay down debt. Which is a good thing. The market is still very active and yes bidding wars are still happening out there. Any inquiry on mortgage specials, preapprovals or general real estate questions you can email anytime carl@carlstars.com. Carl

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO  INITIATE A ENERGY SAVING PROGRAM. OUR HOUSE DOES HAVE ELECTRIC HOT WATER.  TWO ADULTS NO CHILDREN. WE IMPLEMENTED LAUNDRY ON WEEKENDS. UNPLUGGED ALL PHANTOM POWER. WE ALSO GOT IN THE HABIT IF YOUR NOT IN THE ROOM TURN THE LIGHTS OFF. AFTER A FEW WEEKS IT BECAME THE NORMAL. IT WAS VERY ANNOYING AT FIRST.  OUR HYDRO PLAN WAS 153.00 A MONTH. SINCE WE STARTED WHAT I CALL CARL'S ENERGY PLAN  OUR LATEST  BILL CAME IN UNDER 200.00 THATS LESS THAN 100.00 A MONTH. I AGREE TIME OF USE BILLING IS A PAIN IN THE BUTT AND I THINK IT IS UNFAIR TO PUNISH SHIFT WORKERS. NONE THE LESS IT CAUSED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR CONSUMPTION. MY COUSIN CAME OVER AND CALLED OUR HOUSE THE BAT CAVE BECAUSE IT WAS SO DARK. I IMAGINE SAVING $ 53.00 A MONTH IS NOT THAT SIGNIFICANT TO SOME PEOPLE BUT A FAMILY OF FOUR WITH YOUNG CHILDREN I THINK IT IS SUBSTANSIAL. WHATEVER YOUR OPINION ON THE HYDRO ISSUE HERE ARE THE RESULTS.

In a forced-air heating system, uneven heat distribution is sometimes a problem. It can result in the inability to heat some rooms in the house, such as upstairs bedrooms. This can be due to the leakage of warm air through joints in the heating ducts or to heat loss from ductwork passing through the basement or, even worse, through unheated areas such as a crawl space, an attic or a garage.

Sealing all joints in the ductwork with a special water-based duct mastic (sealant) will reduce or eliminate warm air leaks. Look in the Yellow Pages™ under “Furnaces – Heating.” High-temperature duct tape may work, although it tends to degrade or permit air leakage over time.

When the circulating fan is running, heat loss can increase significantly if leaky ducts are located in an exterior wall, an attic or a crawl space, allowing the heated air to escape. This is one more good reason to keep all ducts well sealed. Read the rest of this entry »

one pound of Lentils, 8 cups of cold water with one large onion, Olive Oil garlic to taste. 2 to 3 cans

8 oz  ( tomato sause ) , fresh parsley, black Peppers and one pound of turkey sausage.

Wash Lentils simmer to 45 minutes.

Add all ingrediants , ( brown sausage before adding to soup )  simmer.

Freezes very well and great for lunches.  

MIAMI, FL) — Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, has just made a significant move to open up Cuba's real estate market.

Since 1959, Cubans have had to go through months, if not years, of wading through local government bureaucracies, mountains of paperwork and even corruption in the forms of pay-offs to get approval to buy or sell a piece of property in Cuba.

Cubans who moved abroad also had their homes confiscated by the Cuban government as well.

But all that is about to change.

Cuba's new home ownership rules state that the purchase, sale, donation or trading of homes in Cuba would be recognized and allowed without government approval in cases of divorce, death or permanent departure from Cuba.

These home ownership changes were approved by Cuba's National Assembly back in April, and are about to go into effect November 10, 2011.

It is believed by many that Cubans living abroad in the US, mainly in Miami, who have remitted as much as $1 billion a year back into Cuba to help relatives, will start investing in Cuba's housing market via their relatives, which will stimulate Cuba's property markets over the next few years.

Reaction to Cuba's property policy move was swift in Miami.

David Pearson

Veteran Caribbean and Latin American real estate consultant David Pearson tells the World Property Channel, "Of course the unanswered 'million-dollar' question that is most critical to those of us in South Florida is what happens to all the private property that Castro expropriated in 1959?  That includes not only thousands of residences, but also sugar mills, textile factories, ranches and farms all over Cuba.  International law calls for just compensation to the owner when a government expropriates his property.  If the Cuban government is serious in its apparent intent to put real estate back into the free market, it will embark on a plan to identify and compensate those whose land it confiscated."

Pearson further states, "Another unanswered question is, will the Cuban property owners be able to sell their land to foreigners, i.e., non-Cubans?  Until now, foreign developers like the Spanish resort hotels in Varadero Beach have always had to have the government as a partner."

Democratic Party (NDP) plans on introducing a private member’s bill to take the provincial portion of the HST off home heating as soon as the Legislature resumes.

The bill will be brought forward by newly elected MPP Michael Mantha (Algoma-Manitoulin), who said it could save families $100 a year, removing the provincial portion of the HST off home heating only if you heat your house with natural gas or oil. There would be no break if a home is heated with electricity.

While Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said he personally supports the idea of taking the provincial portion — or 8 per cent of the 13 per cent harmonized sales tax — off home heating and hydro, the Liberals are not warm to the idea.

The NDP proposal would cut provincial revenues by nearly $350 million a year, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said in a statement.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the party did not include removing the HST off of hydro on this private member’s bill because she thought just taking it off heating was a “first practical step” in making a difference in people’s lives.

During the fall election, the PCs along with the New Democrats campaigned on removing the tax from heating and hydro.

Mr. Hudak would not whip the vote or get all his 37 MPPs to support the bill. The NDP have 17 seats in the 107-seat Legislature and the Liberals have 53, one shy of a majority.

To learn more read the NDP press release.

The Canadian Real Estate Association has made a small revision to its forecast for home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations for 2011 and 2012.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has made a small revision to its forecast for home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations for 2011 and 2012.

Activity came in broadly in line with expectations across much of the country in the third quarter of 2011 with the exception of Ontario. Sales there came in stronger than anticipated in a number of regions over the summer, but were held aloft mostly by Toronto activity as the third quarter ended. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a article explaining TFSA's. Source : National Post

Jonathan Chevreau  Nov 15, 2011 – 1:50 PM ET | Last Updated: Nov 15, 2011 3:57 PM ET

ivey.uwo.ca

ING Direct CEO Peter Aceto

The headline on today’s blog is a variant of a similar question posed in a press release issued Tuesday by ING Direct: WHY have Canadians forgotten about TFSAs? [my emphasis on the "Why."]

I’m not sure I agree Canadians have forgotten TFSAs, since many didn’t know them long enough to forget them in the first place. I’d argue that those who immediately saw the benefits maxed out their $5,000 contribution in January 2009 and did so again early in 2010 and 2011. This group has likely already put money put aside to make a fourth contribution the moment January 1st, 2012 arrives.

According to a perception survey by ING, 13% of Canadians still don’t know what a TFSA is. For the record, TFSA stands for Tax Free Savings Accounts and they let you save or invest money with none of the normal tax liability on interest, dividends or capital gains.

Another 37% are still unclear how a TFSA works. Not surprisingly, older Canadians (defined as 55 or older) say they “fully understand” what a TFSA is, compared to only around 30% of those aged 18 to 54. That’s not a surprise either. We older folk have been filing tax returns for three or four decades and are only too well aware how much tax we pay on simple bank accounts, Canada Savings Bonds, or dividend-paying stocks if they are held outside tax shelters like the RRSP, or now the TFSA.

The ING survey also found 70% view TFSAs as a long-term savings vehicle, although only 24% use it primarily for retirement savings. Personally, that’s how I view it: the TFSA makes a nice complement to the RRSP. The difference is that the RRSP will eventually subject you to future tax liability when it becomes a RRIF (Registered Retirement Income Fund) and is subject to forced annual taxable withdrawals — whether or not you need the money.

The beauty of the TFSA is that won’t happen after age 71: any investment income spun out of it is yours to keep, tax-free. And also unlike an RRSP, you’ll be able to keep adding another $5,000 every year no matter how old you get.

A “no-brainer” tax shelter if ever there was one

That’s why I call the TFSA a “no-brainer,” and I mean that in the positive sense of a win-win vehicle that you don’t have to think too long and hard about before deciding to use. I honestly can’t think of any drawbacks* to it while the alternative — saving in taxable accounts — subjects all interest income to the highest marginal tax: 46% for many Canadians. (* See PS for one drawback)