Summer Home Maintenance

Summer is the best time to do a lot of work in and around the house.


You'll obviously be doing gardening and landscape maintenance, and there are a number of things you'll want to do while windows and doors can be left open and there are things you'll need to do that are specific to this season. Plan your projects. Because our summer days and weekends are busy with fun things, you might want to save some for the fall, when we often have surprisingly warm days.

Painting, work on windows and doors, driveways and walkways,  roof repairs, and carpet cleaning are all things that are best done while the weather is good.

Keep your investment in top shape during the summer. Here's a checklist to inspire you:

  

Summer  Home Maintenance

Taking Care of Your Investment

(adapted from CMHC by Harry Naghavi, Your Friendly Realtor)

• Use a dehumidifier to maintain relative humidity below 60 per cent in basement.
• Clean or replace air-conditioning filter, and clean or replace ventilation system filters if necessary.
• Inspect basement pipes for condensation or dripping and, if necessary, take corrective action; for example, reduce humidity and/or insulate cold water pipes.
• Check the basement floor drain to ensure the trap contains water; refill with water if necessary.
• If you have a plumbing fixture that is not used frequently, for example, a laundry tub or spare bathroom sink, tub or shower stall, run some water briefly to keep water in the trap.
• Deep clean carpets and rugs.
• Disconnect the duct connected to your clothes dryer, and vacuum lint from duct, the areas surrounding your dryer and your dryer’s vent hood outside.
• Check smooth functioning of all windows, and lubricate as required.
• Inspect window putty on outside of glass panes of older houses, and replace if needed.
• Sand and touch up paint on windows and doors.
• Lubricate door hinges, and tighten screws as needed.
• Check for and replace damaged caulking and weatherstripping around mechanical and electrical services, windows and doorways, including the doorway between the garage and the house. 
• Lubricate garage door hardware, and ensure it is operating properly.
• Lubricate automatic garage door opener motor, chain and other moving parts, and ensure that the auto-reverse mechanism is properly adjusted.
• Repair any damaged steps
• Check all guardrails and handrails.
• Repair driveway and walkways as needed.
• Check exterior wood siding and trim for signs of deterioration; clean, replace or refinish as needed.
• Remove any plants that contact — and roots that penetrate — the siding or brick.
• From the ground, check the general condition of the roof and note any sagging that could indicate structural problems requiring further investigation from inside the attic. Note the condition of shingles for possible repair or replacement, and examine roof flashings, such as at chimney and roof joints, for any signs of cracking or leakage.
• Check the chimney cap and the caulking between the cap and the chimney.

Harry Naghavi, Your Friendly Realtor, is one of the best Realtors in Newmarket, in York Region, and in the GTA. Check out his website www.harrynaghavi.com to find this list and other important information about buying and selling homes, and try out the interactive property search feature!

Tired Features Mean You Can Customize

Sometimes, I'll look at a house with clients and we'll notice that the place is looking tired. It's not always a bad thing. I can ask for a discount to compensate for the cost of necessary upgrades, and then the buyers can update the house exactly the way they want. 

If you're handy or have handy friends that like to help with projects, a perfect home may not be one that's fully upgraded, mint condition, ready to move in to. You'll be paying a premium for another family's favourite colours and styles. Why not look for a fixer-upper or a house that's been a bit neglected. 

A tired house isn't the same as a fixer-upper. It might just be paint and wallpaper that make it look old, or kitchen cupboards that need some attention. Maybe you'll want to tear out some carpeting. Flooring isn't so bad to do before you move in, and you can go to town with paint too. Often it's the bathroom that's in need of renovation. Kitchens and bathrooms are notoriously expensive to renovate, but if you're handy, you can save a lot of money. And, if you get a good enough discount, you can spend it all on creating your dream kitchen, or a luxurious bathroom retreat.

A fixer-upper can be a perfect opportunity. If you can get a good deal on a bad house in a great location, you might be able to gut the house or tear it down and build your dream home. It takes a lot of planning in terms of cash flow and could mean two moves instead of one. You'll have to have a good sense of how much the tear-down and the construction is going to cost, and maybe the costs of a rental (or living with your mom) while you're building.

Think of all the possibilities. There are so many things to consider when you're buying a house. Make sure you have a professional Realtor on your side and don't be shy to share your dreams with your Realtor. The best Realtors always ask a ton of questions to get to know you and to find out what your dreams are. They can help make them come true!

Location? Price? Size? What's most important?

There's that old Real Estate story that everyone knows: When asked to state the top 3 factors in determining the value of Real Estate, a British tycoon said: "Location, location, location!"

I think it might be different when you're in the market for a family home. Sure, it's an investment. But, it's your home. Home is a powerful thing. Home is a powerful word. It conjures up all kinds of feelings, emotions, memories, associations that have nothing to do with dollar value. Location is a big factor, but I don't think that it's related to dollar value when it's considered. It's more likely to be in relation to other family members or work or school. If it's thought of in terms of cost, then it's likely about cost of travel to work.

Here is one possible list of Top 3 Factors in Home Buying

Price:
What can you afford? What are you willing to pay? This is where you have to start, really. How much do you have and how much of that are you willing to pay for your home? Will spending more on a home mean fewer holidays? Will spending less on a home mean more travel time, or will it just mean more travel-to-work time, commuting? You'll have to look at your finances and you'll have to talk to your family to see what they value. First, you have to determine the bottom line.

Location: 
Where would you like to live? What has value for you? Do you want to be close to or far away from family, parks and schools, work, nature, urban amenities, fishing holes? How far are you willing to go from your workplace? How far from Mom do you want to be? You'll need to think about the cost of your commute in terms of time and dollars. It might be a question of space vs time. In any case, the bottom line will be the determining factor.

Size/ Fit:
How much space do you need? Is your family growing or shrinking? Do you need an in-law suite, rooms for the grand kids, a fenced-in yard for your dogs, spaces for entertaining, space for your car, space for storing your boat, a wine cellar or a man-cave? When you consider how much room you need, the easy measures are the number of bedrooms and parking spaces, lot-size, and square feet (or metres). The numbers alone can't measure how your family will fit into those spaces. You'll have to walk through and visualize yourselves using the space. In the end, the cost might make you change your mind about what you "need."

You can use these 3 factors, Price, Location, and Size, in your preliminary home search, on my website. You can indicate a price range, a location, and the number of bedrooms or square feet, for example.

Other variables available on the property search are: garage spaces, bathrooms, acres, year built, and number of stories. Variables you can't type in: style, colours, smell, landscaping, does it feel warm and homey, will you fall in love with it?

You don't have to do an online home search at all. You can call me (416-716-3112) or email me (harrynaghavi@gmail.com).

Call me and I'll make it easier for you. We'll meet and discuss your needs and your desires. We'll talk about all the things your family has to consider in your specific circumstances. And, then I will search for you and provide you with lists of possibilities. I'll send you emails of listings, and we can meet and look at listings too if you prefer. I'll make appointments to go and see the houses you like. When you choose, I'll get you the best deal possible!

I will save you time and money.

And, buying a home will be as stress-free as possible. 

We'll find you a house you'll love, a house to call  home. 

Focus on Kitchens and Bathrooms

Bathrooms and Kitchens: 

Keep these spaces up-to-date and clean to take care of your investment. 

Never underestimate the importance of bathrooms and kitchens. If they're tired and dirty, you'll turn buyers off. If you've been neglecting these areas in your home, you'll want to spend some time and money here before putting your house up for sale. 

At the very least, clean thoroughly and clear the counters and all surfaces of clutter. Pack away some of your stuff so that storage areas look organized and spacious. 

A weekend project can have a big impact. Some paint can do wonders, and there are tons of great ideas for fast fixes for kitchen cupboards and bathroom vanities. 

I love sitting around the kitchen table with my sellers figuring out what they can do to get the most for their homes. If you're thinking of selling. Give me a call. I'll come over and we can talk. 416-716-3112

Move your Family and your Business to York Region

I love living in York Region, and most of my family and friends are here too, mostly in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan. Newmarket is the centre of York Region, and my home.

If you're the kind of person who likes to see numbers, here are some impressive numbers for you to consider.

York Region has about 1.1 million residents. It’s the third largest municipality in Ontario and sixth largest in Canada. York Region is big; it covers 1,762 square kilometres from Lake Simcoe in the north to the city of Toronto in the south

The York Region Administrative Centre, on Yonge Steet in Newmarket

Here are some more facts about York Region from Invest in York, the region's business attraction program.

• 1st in population growth among Canada’s largest municipalities

• 42,000 Local Businesses - Ontario’s second largest business centre after the City of Toronto

• 528,000 Local Jobs - 0.8 million jobs projected by 2030

• 14 Fortune 100 Corporations have operations in York Region

• 3,700 ICT Firms - Canada’s second largest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry cluster

• 70 Employers with over 500 employees; 20 ¬firms with over $0.5 billion in revenue; 98% of businesses are Small-Medium size Enterprises (SMEs)

• 3rd largest residential construction market in Canada after Vancouver and Toronto

• 140M North American consumers within a day’s drive (500 mile radius)

The numbers add up nicely, don't they? So, come on! Give me a call and we'll work together to move your family and your business to York Region.

Buy Low - Sell High

It's the simplest, most logical statement in business: Buy Low - Sell High... Yet, most people only believe it in theory and act differently when making actual decisions!

When the price of something is increasing many rush to purchase it, and when it's decreasing they get anxious to sell it off quickly! They Buy High and Sell Low!!!

In Canada we have historically low interest rates right now and there are areas where you can still get very reasonable deals in real estate. However, I still meet "investors" who are too cautious to buy anything and tell me that they will wait for the conditions to correct themselves first. So they are hoping that prices will go down.

My mind goes back to 2002 and 2009 where I heard the same sentiments before - and what happened? Prices went UP and not down. If you are not selling your property cheaper, and I am not selling mine cheaper and none of your friends and neighbours are prepared to take a loss in their real estate values, then HOW are the prices coming down, eh?!

Smart investors, BUY LOW. If you factor in the thousands of Dollars saved in interest alone, then THIS is the time to BUY and reap the benefits in the next decade. History can only repeat itself.

Take advantage of great Interest Rates

So last month, again, they did the sensible thing and kept the interest rates low. It's a delightful thing to see the Government awake and smelling the coffee!

The Bank of Canada says it will need to keep interest rates at current, stimulative low levels for some time to come, although things weren't that bad in the first quarter of 2013.

As expected, the central bank kept their rate at one per cent, where it’s been since September 2010, helping bring about some of the most favourable borrowing conditions ever for Canadian consumers and businesses.

As well, the bank statement indicated that the current policy position will likely be needed for some additional time, after which Canadians should look for a modest increase in interest rates.

In essence, the bank is saying that the Canadian economy continues to require considerable monetary stimulus in order to keep its head above water. This is good for the BUYERS who want to buy a home soon, because they get a great mortgage rate, plus they can potentially purchase their ideal home for a slightly lower price!

If you are buying a home in 2013, don't miss this truly Golden Opportunity. Send me an email and tell me what you need, so I can keep an eye on the market for you!