Monday, May 30, 2011

2011 Summer Events -Free Access Days

2011 Summer Events




Casa Loma wants you to see our fabulous gardens and we offer you the opportunity to do so for free.

The Gardens are free* from May through October on the following dates only:


Six Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.:

May 9, June 13, July 11, August 8,

September 12 and October 3
Tuesday evenings from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.(to 7:00 p.m. from Sept. 12 on): May through October.

*Free access to gardens, does not include entrance to Estate Buildings.


All Events are subject to change without notice. http://www.casaloma.org/

Skip the lines and buy your tickets online!


THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSUEM DISCOUNT and FREE ACCESS Opportunities.



http://www.rom.on.ca/
Receive half price general admission on Fridays starting at 4:30 pm. General admission to the Museum is free on Wednesdays after 3:30 pm.

Groups of 20 or more paid guests receive discounted rates and can customize their visit with special add-ons. Learn more!

The Royal Ontario Museum’s Community Access Network (ROM CAN) provides free tickets to communities and individuals who may not otherwise visit the Museum.




Art Gallery of Ontario AGO- Special Discounts

http://www.ago.net/


FREE Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8:30 pm (Permanent Collection only. Excludes surcharged exhibitions.)



FREE for Ontario teachers with valid ID from the Ontario College of Teachers (Permanent Collection only. Excludes surcharged exhibitions.)



FREE AFTER 3 for Ontario high school students with valid student ID, Tuesday to Friday after 3 pm (Permanent Collection only. Excludes surcharged exhibitions.)



SAVE on groups of 15 or more!



......Please email me with  more summer saviing ideas for fun things to do in Toronto and Mississauga and other Surrounding areas.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

New condo Buying

New Condo Buying


Like all markets, real estate experiences fluctuations in activity. One constant in the Greater Toronto Area though, is the growing number of condominium transactions.



Combining affordability with carefree living and the latest amenities, condominiums are attracting more buyers than ever before. In June 2010 for example, condominiums comprised nearly 33 per cent of all sales. By contrast, at the same time a year ago they comprised nearly 29 per cent of transactions.



While many buyers retain the services of a real estate professional when buying a resale condominium, some aren’t aware that it is equally important to consult a REALTOR® when considering new construction developments as well.



When choosing a new condominium suite there are a number of variables of which you should be aware, and your REALTOR® can guide help you steer clear of any potential pitfalls.



Your purchase agreement may for example, allow your builder to substitute the gleaming stainless appliances you expect with black or white alternatives. It goes without saying that finishing features may not be the same as those displayed in the presentation office but you should also be aware that even room sizes and ceiling heights can be altered to make model suites more attractive. Even parking facilities might not be what you expect.



While every agreement should, of course, be reviewed by your legal counsel, your REALTOR® can help you identify features that are most important to you, so that your agreement provides for those specifics.



If your priority is a spectacular view, your REALTOR® can advise on zoning in the surrounding area that could affect sightlines in future.



Given that REALTORS® have many contacts in the community, they might even be able to give you insight into current owners’ experiences with your chosen developer.



Using their access to RealNet, a database that includes 99 per cent of all developments greater than 15 units in size in the GTA, your REALTOR® can also help you compare a developer’s value proposition to others currently available in the market.



While a provision to withdraw an offer does not apply to resale condominium transactions, the purchase of a new condo allows, through legislation, for a 10-day cooling off period in which you are entitled to rescind your offer should you decide to explore other options.



Given that many new condominium purchases involve buying into nothing more than a concept and that emotions are heightened when the majority of your financial resources are involved, it’s wise to have a REALTOR® on your side who is familiar with the many variables and can safeguard your interests throughout the process.



For more information on how a REALTOR® can help you find a condo that is perfectly suited to your needs, talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com where you will find neighbourhood profiles, GTA open house listings, information on government programs for homebuyers and more.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Re-Districting Toronto MLS – Coming July 5

Re-Districting TorontoMLS – Coming July 5


July 5 will see the fulfillment of a major objective: the replacement of our old MLS® districts with easier to understand community names.
 
Our 86 alpha-numeric districts are not only arbitrary, they’re out of date.
 
Many of them were drawn when places like Markham and Vaughan were mostly rural and not the bustling communities that they are today. Not only do the current district names not make sense to your clients, you can’t use them to accurately target what your clients want.
 
It is almost impossible to target a search in our MLS® system to a specific neighbourhood, which means that many of your search results are not what your client is after. Re-Districting will solve these problems, replacing the code numbers with true geographic areas, giving your searches greater clarity and a tighter focus.
 
On July 5, community, or neighbourhood names, are replacing the districts. Their names and their boundaries were provided by government bodies with REALTOR® input.
In this way, the names will make sense to the people who live in the area and REALTORS® who work in the field.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Greater Toronto Area Real Estate Market Update and Victoria Day!

I want to keep you updated with the Greater Toronto Area Real Estate Market. After reviewing the latest sales figures from the Toronto Real Estate Board, it looks like:

THIS MARKET IS SIZZLING!!!! INVENTORY NUMBERS ARE VERY LOW!

So far in May 2011 there were already 4,812 sales for the month! At this rate we should hit approx. 10,000 total sales in TREB for May. We will meet or exceed the number we hit in May 2010.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. Currently there are only 18,430 homes for sale on the Toronto Real Estate Board, compared to 25,414 at the end of May 2010. That’s about a 35% drop! What does that mean? Well, in many areas it’s getting even more frustrating for buyers and prices are still climbing. Although there are many areas experiencing more normal conditions, some of the hottest areas in the Toronto area include The Beach, Bloor West Village, North Toronto and Milton.

The question I get asked most often is, “What do you think will happen this year?” We made it thru a federal election and the wheels didn’t fall off the economy. This market had been going straight up for over 10 years now. When will it stop? Doesn’t look like it will be this year! There are 3 main conditions that will cause our market to remain strong while other areas seem to stagger.

1. Our inventory levels are very low and should remain low. We won’t have a huge influx of new listings or see anything close to other areas around the world as far as “distressed properties” coming on the market. Buyers won’t be able to sit back to pick and choose.

2. Mortgage interest rates are very low and should remain low for quite some time. Although we may see marginal increases over the next while, home ownership will remain very affordable.

3. Our economy is very strong and seems to be improving. Canada is a shining star in the world economy.

Please feel free to share this information with your clients and friends. We all know that an educated consumer is our best customer.

Have an awesome fun and safe Victoria Day Long Weekend. For my readers South of the border, this is a holiday about a Queen. The Queen Mum. She was recently portrayed in the fantastic movie "THE KINGS SPEECH"

What are your plans this weekend? Camping, BBQ/Cookout, house cleaning or just lazing around the house.

Whatever your plan, if you are a in Canada, you will have an extra day. Victoria Day or May 2-4 weekend is this coming weekend. This weekend to me is the official start of summer. Time to take the Christmas lights down! :) ....


This weekend I plan on taking it easy. I have two open houses scheduled that I am really looking forward to.

I normally like to either go to a cottage or camping.   In terms of working on Victoria Day, I find that if the weather is nice, people like to go out and look at houses so it could be a busy work weekend for me as well. I hope so, I love what I do.
I think the drive-in would be a good thing to do on a long weekend like this. I will post some other suggestions for you later in the week of things going on in Mississauga, Brampton, Etobicoke and Toronto.

Until next time, have a good one!



Lisa Portolese, Sales Representative
Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty, Brokerage
30 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Bus (905) 568-2121
Res (905) 238-3434
Cel (416) 953-9714

LisaMovesYouNow@Rogers.com
http://www.lisamovesyounow.com/ (new website being updated this week)

Monday, May 2, 2011

One Minute for Madeleine-4 year anniversary of her kidnapping.




One Minute for Madeleine-4 year anniversary of her kidnapping.  Please help find Madeleine McCann and other missing children around the world

Why does the search continue?

•There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Madeleine has been harmed.

•Madeleine is still missing and someone needs to be looking for her.

•She is very young and vulnerable and needs our help.

Her best chance of being found, is by being remembered. Please take a moment to review her picture and what she may look like today.

Please join this facebook group http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=2736840716

http://www.findmadeleine.com/