6 new homes from Habitat for Humanity

I was privileged last Sunday to attend the dedication ceremony and handover of the keys to 6 families who were taking possession of their new homes built by  Habitat for Humanity. 

My Grandson and I worked on this project in the spring.  It was an amazing experience for him, not only the volunteering part, but learning how to install drywall and build decks.
Check out the following TREB release.

TREB Habitat Sponsor Home Dedication Ceremony
June 19, 2012 -- On behalf of all Greater Toronto REALTORS®, President-Elect Ann Hannah presented the Khemraj family with the keys to their new TREB-sponsored Habitat for Humanity home on June 17.

The presentation took place at the site of six newly constructed townhouses at Macey Avenue and St. Dunstan in Toronto. Habitat for Humanity Chief Executive Officer Neil Hetherington welcomed sponsors, local dignitaries from all levels of government, and the six families who received the keys to their new homes.


Lillwatie Khemraj immigrated to Canada from Guyana in 1982 in search of a better life. Her husband Tajipaul (Clement) Khemraj followed in 1989, with a goal of furthering his education. He worked to earn a degree in Business Administration and thereafter completed a Masters degree.


The couple and their three sons, age 22, 18 and 16, were living in a two-bedroom apartment in Scarborough in order to be close to Clement’s work, when they applied for a Habitat for Humanity home in an effort to give their sons a more positive environment.

Upon being approved, they completed the required 500 sweat equity hours in just five weeks, working seven days a week.

Their new home has been custom-designed to accommodate the needs of their eldest son, who was born with cerebral palsy.

The family is very grateful for the hand-up and Clement, who wants to be able to help others in turn, hopes to establish an e-commerce, non-profit organization to assist the disabled and the elderly.
TREB’s Habitat for Humanity sponsorship was made possible as a result of Members’ support of the REALTORS Care Foundation. At a General Meeting, held in conjunction with TREB’s annual REALTOR® QUEST conference in May, Members voted in favour of continuing, for the fifth consecutive year, participation in the REALTORS Care Foundation’s Every REALTOR® campaign. This authorizes TREB to make a contribution of $1 per Member per month for a year to the Foundation in support of shelter-related charities.

In addition to their contribution of 500 volunteer hours to Habitat for Humanity, sponsor families are required to repay a zero-down payment, interest free mortgage over an average of 25 years.
Habitat for Humanity Toronto has constructed more than 225 simple, decent and affordable homes with partner families throughout the city, and has set a goal to build 50 new homes each year by 2015.

The Khemraj’s home marked TREB’s fifth Habitat for Humanity title sponsorship in recent years.

June 2012 Market Newsletter

June 2012

I was very pleased to attend the key handover ceremony this week for six families who have just moved into their new homes. These were built by Hanitat for Humanity and I was one of many volunteers who had the priviledge of helping to build these homes over the past winter. Habitat builds affordable homes for families who would otherwise nevr have the opportuniy of home ownership. It was a great feeling to meet these families and share in their joy. In this issue, we talk about how smart homes are making our lives easier, safer and more comfortable. This month we highlight how innovative networking technology provides the homeowner greater convenience and control over their daily lives. We also discuss why it's important to have your air conditioner serviced on a regular basis. Also, please have a look at two beautiful properties that we are featuring this month. Thanks so much for checking out this month's newsletter. Let us know if you have any questions or comments regarding the articles or real estate in general -- it would be great to hear from you! Sincerely, Armand Strong Toronto Sales and Price Growth in May Fabulous Opportunity in relaxing Niagara-on-the-Lake Wonderful Waterfront Home is Where the Hard Drive Is Don't Get Left Out In the Heat Strong Toronto Sales and Price Growth in May There were 10,850 homes sold through the Toronto MLS System in May 2012, an 11 per cent increase over the 9,766 sales in May 2011. Sales growth was strongest in the ‘905’ regions surrounding the City of Toronto. This pattern continued in the first half of June. Total GTA sales were flat while sales in the 416 area code were -8% vs a very strong performance in June 2011. By comparison, 905 area sales were +6% in the 1st half of June. “Sales growth in the ‘905’ area code was stronger than growth in the City of Toronto across all major home types. While lower average prices are certainly one factor that has contributed to this trend, recent polling also suggests that the City of Toronto’s land transfer tax has also prompted many households to look outside of the City for their ownership housing needs,” said Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Richard Silver. Prices continue to remain very solid, +8% on average over the the May /June period. The average selling price in the GTA is now $516,834. Please conatct me if you would like to have a detailed report for your neighborhood. Fabulous Opportunity in relaxing Niagara-on-the-Lake Live in a beautiful home -- on your own private vineyard -- and make money! Exquisite House: This is a beautiful, custom built, 3600 sq. ft. home featuring excellent architecture and superb workmanship. Have a look at the video tour and feature sheet for a more detailed description. Click on the links below. Just sit back and relax: Entertain while the expert vineyard staff looks after all of the day to day details for you. Great Income from the Vineyard: The property includes17.43 acres of vineyard that grows exceptional quality Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Gamay Noir grapes. All planting stock was imported from France. Income from the sale of the grapes is significant. Contact me for full details. Click here for Feature Sheets Click here for Video Tour Please contact Armand Gilks for more details. Offered at $2,225,000 Wonderful Waterfront 100 Ft Of Waterfront On The Most Pristine Boating Bay On Lake Simcoe. One Hour From Toronto. Private dock & boathouse. Updated & renovated brick ranch bungalow features a wrap around deck with plate glass railings overlooking the water. Beautifully landscaped including a new 7 foot cedar hedge along the front property line. Open concept living, dining room & kitchen. Large family eating area off the kitchen that opens to the deck. 3 bedrooms on main level, plus a 4th bedroom and 2nd kitchen on lower level. Fam Room With Gas F/P Opens To 4 Season Garden Room With Lakeview. Ample parking plus an oversized heated double car garage. Boathouse with boat storage, marine railway & cradle system. Sleeping quarters above with rough In for 4-piece bath. Gas fireplace & walkout to the deck overlooking the water. There is also a large concrete sunning pad and a 30 ft cedar dock, new in 2010. Please click here for more information and pictures. Offered at $1,250,000 Home is Where the Hard Drive Is Imagine arriving home after a hard day's work and instead of agonizing over what to cook for dinner, your refrigerator offers you an array of delicious recipes based on what's inside! Then just for good measure, it detects food that's about to expire! Smart homes allow devices to communicate with one another in order to complement your daily routines. You can program your blinds to slowly open in the morning while at the same time the bathroom floor warms up and when you're done in the shower, your coffee will be ready and waiting! Smart features such as voice command systems help support independent living for the elderly and disabled. Having the know-how to sense scenarios such as the homeowner falling means help will arrive quickly as it automatically calls emergency services as well as other emergency contacts. This provides peace of mind for both the homeowner and their family members. Intelligent homes also provide exceptional security as lights and blinds can be enabled remotely and your smartphone can even notify you if someone's lurking around your property! These features are especially beneficial for those who own vacation properties. Keyless entry systems that use fingerprint sensors can also trigger certain home appliances and devices depending on who enters. Intelligent climate and light control saves energy and lowers bills so your home will be both the smartest and eco-friendliest on the block. The heating and cooling system can even create climate zones specific to individual family members preferences and can monitor how much electricity homeowners use in order to find ways to save even more energy. A smart home is like a personal assistant who handles all the odds and ends such as preheating your oven for your arrival home! You can now relax if you're not sure whether or not you set the alarm as you know it'll be taken care of. This type of technology is no longer for just the rich and famous. It's a major selling point and the higher your home's IQ, the higher the resale value will be! Don't Get Left Out In the Heat If something's going to go wrong with your A/C, it'll likely happen at the beginning of a heat wave. You'll roast for days until a technician’s able to come out and when they do, the repair cost will make your blood boil! A neglected air conditioner isn't as efficient or reliable so it's important to have it serviced every so often in order to ensure optimum performance. The service check will include cleaning the unit coils, checking the amp draw of the compressor, adjusting the belts and topping up the fluid. Regularly servicing your air conditioner will prevent wear and tear plus it will increase the efficiency of your unit which in turn will reduce your electricity bills. Don't let it slide again this year! Schedule your check-up today and avoid being left out in the heat.

Are you tired of scouring the paper and MLS sites looking for homes? Tired of playing telephone tag with agents only to hear the home's already sold? Sit back, relax and let me do the work for you! Just visit my website and check off the features you're looking for. Whenever a home matching your criteria hits the market, it'll be automatically flagged and emailed to you so you'll never have to worry about missing your dream home. This service is free and there's no obligation! Click here to get started. Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage 290 Merton St., Toronto ON M4S1A9 416 322 8000 View Previous Issues [Subscribe] - [Disclaimer] - [Unsubscribe] Created by RealEstateWord.com

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Mortgage Rule Changes

Mortgage Rule Changes will mostly affect 1st time buyers and homes over 41mm.
June 21, 2012 -- The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, announced four measures for new government-backed insured mortgages with loan-to-value ratios of more than 80 per cent:

1. Reduce the maximum amortization period to 25 years from 30 years.
2. Lower the maximum amount Canadians can borrow when refinancing to 80 per cent from 85 per cent of the value of their homes.
3. Fix the maximum gross debt service ratio at 39 per cent and the maximum total debt service ratio at 44 per cent.
4. Limit the availability of government-backed insured mortgages to homes with a purchase price of less than $1 million.

The new rules will take effect on July 9, 2012.
For more detailed information, please visit www.fin.gc.ca