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Toronto’s new condo developments 2007-10-14 05:11:17 Condos now on the real estate market the Etobicoke area of Toronto. Parking and storage space are not included in price unless indicated. 1. BLOOR VILLAGE: On Bering Ave., west of Islington Ave., south of Bloor St. Builder: Dunpar Homes. 77 three-storey all-brick townhouses. Prices (double-car garage included): from $509,000 for 1,950 sq. ft. to $629,000 for an end unit with 2,200 sq. ft. Fees: $100 per month, plus head and hydro. Amenities: park. Sales: 22 per cent sold. Status: under construction. Occupancy: March 2008. Sales centre: on site, 416-253-5888; dunparhomes.com. 2. THE ESSENCE KINGSWAY: 25 Earlington Ave. at the southeast corner of Dundas St. W. and Earlington Ave. Builder: Cityzen Urban Lifestyle and Sky Development Group. A six-storey, 130-unit brick building. Prices (parking and locker included): from $235,900 for 670 sq. ft. to $729,900 for 1,600 sq. ft. Fees: 45 cents per sq. ft., plus hydro. Amenities: 24-hour concierge, spa with fitness room, steam rooms, party roo ...

Toronto’s new property search 2007-10-14 04:35:01 realestateplus.ca vs mls.ca A new website, RealEstatePlus, is now publishing the TorontoMLS listings. The listings on the web site come from the Toronto Real Estate Board MLS database. The listings are updated once every few hours with information provided by all Toronto real estate agents. This information includes the listing description, photographs, interactive maps, demographic data and contact information. The web site is not the Toronto MLS system, and does not display all of the listing information associated with a property in the Toronto Real Estate Board’s database. But unlike mls.ca it does display recently sold properties. RealEstatePlus is intended to be an advertising vehicle that helps real estate prodessionals market property to literally a world wide market. If you’re buying a property, use the RealEstatePlus web site as a resource, but remember your Realtor can provide local market expertise or market conditions, along with the additional data available ...

Town of Penhold Hosts Oktoberfest Festivities 2007-10-13 15:52:00 October, or should I say Oktober? Well it is October and yes there are many communities hosting Oktoberfest celebrations. The Town of Penhold also got in on the fun. Saturday Morning October 13th, began with a Harvest Market, photo contest, chili cook off, and baking contest. Following that was a Beer fest, dinner and dance. Being somewhat of a photo bug I decided to get a few pictures developed and enter them into the photo contest. Hazel from Hazel’s cameras was the official judge for the three categories. Those were “Our Community”, “Family and Pets”, and “Landscape”. Below are my entries, one of which garnered the1st place ribbon for “our community” photo. This was the winning photo:Bridge over Waskasoo Creek on Northern end of Coronation Park, Red Deer Proceeds from the fun were going towards Town Recreation and Events Committee. They host dances like the upcoming Sooktacular talk to Leanne Worr at 886-5464 for details ...

Big Banks Lining Up to Stop Sell Off of Subprime Related Securities 2007-10-13 15:40:38 The New York Times is reporting on the efforts of some of the largest banks in the world to establish a $75 billion super-fund to purchase distressed structured investment vehicles backed by poorly performing subprime mortgages. The fund, which would be comprised solely of bank money would be used in the event that mortgage-backed investments are sold off in large numbers. From the New York Times: Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, along with several other financial institutions, have been meeting to come up with a plan to create a fund that could prevent a sharp sell-off in securities owned by bank-affiliated investment vehicles. … While there are signs that the broader credit markets have begun to stabilize after the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates last month, a pocket of the commercial paper market remains under siege: structured investment vehicles, known as SIVs. The fear is that problems with these vehicles could infect the broader economy. SIVs, which ...

Journey to the 8th Continent with the San Francisco Zoo and Earthwatch 2007-10-13 14:38:04 Please join Co-Chairs, Barry R. Lipman andMerrill L. Magowan “under the canopy” as we… Journey to the 8th Continent October 18, 20076:30 PMThe Lipman Family Lemur Forest at the San Francisco Zoo1 Zoo Road - San Francisco, CA Presented by Earthwatch Institute and the San Francisco Zoological Society Purchase tickets and sponsorshipsInformation on the event ——————————————————————————– 5:30 PM VIP Reception6:30 PM The Journey Begins…7:00 PM Welcome, Special Guests, Silent Auction and more! ——————————————————————————– Manuel A. Mollinedo, Executive Director and President, San Francisco Zoological SocietyEdward Wilson, President and CEO, Earthwat ...

Get Your Thoughts OUT of the GUTTER! 2007-10-13 08:12:00 Until recently, it was always true that what a home buyer saw the instant they first drove up upon a property could make or break its sale. If the home was appealing, from the gutter, it was said to have “Curb Appeal”. But times have changed, and while “Curb Appeal” still matters… today it matters in a different place and way. Watch this 30 second Curb Appeal Quiz Show to find learn just where Curb Appeal ACTUALLY now begins… the final conclusion might challenge your way of thinking. CURB APPEAL QUIZ SHOW 30 Seconds Long(If you can not see the show above… Click Here.) Home sellers need to know that with the vast amount of inventory in the market today, home buyers are now first prescreening homes online to help them decide just what they want to tour in person. Because online prescreening (or should I say pre-shopping) is now so prevelent, it is my opinion that with today’s easy to use digital technology, Realtors have the obligation t ...

It’s alive”¦..it’s alive”¦.. 2007-10-12 08:07:28     Sorry for the lack of postings lately.  I haven't abandoned the blog, I've just been traveling.  Alot.  There hasn't been a week in the last 4 that I haven't been on the road.  My easiest week happens to be this week where I am only traveling for one day.  It will be a long day at around 19 hours but still a one day trip.  Next week I'll be gone for 5 days starting my traveling on Sunday and returning home on Thursday.  After that I should have one more one day trip then a break for a week or two to try and get back on track with life in general.     An update.  I have a bunch of information to continue the “Honest Company or Scammers” article.  I haven't had the time to assemble all the different pieces together to form an article, possibly two, from the information.  This is really taking shape.       Update on Condo #1, I received a call last week to let me know that the rent was going to be late.  In case anyone for ...

Thinking of moving? See How Far your salary will go in another city 2007-10-12 07:46:58 Fizber.com Partners with SalaryExpert.com to Introduce Salary Calculator for FSBO Buyers MIAMI BEACH, Fl (PRWEB) October 15, 2007 - One of the biggest factors in relocating is employment. What salary and cost of living can one expect in a new city, and how do those numbers compare to the buyer’s current hometown? Now, thanks to a new partnership between SalaryExpert.com and leading real estate for sale by owner (FSBO) company Fizber.com ( http://www.Fizber.com), those questions can be answered quickly–and accurately. That’s because Fizber.com today rolled out its new Fizber.com Salary Calculator. Any prospective homebuyer can visit Fizber.com, browse or search through the site’s nearly 300,000 FSBO listings, and, once they find their dream home, get a detailed salary report for their chosen job and ZIP code–all for free. By giving sellers the ability to create robust listings through p ...

Of All FSBO Sites, Fizber.com Loads Quickest 2007-10-12 07:44:36 Faster loading time is the key in Web 2.0 world. Miami Beach, FL (PRWEB) October 12, 2007 — According to the download time analysis tool at WebSiteOptimization.com, for sale by owner site Fizber.com loads more quickly than any other leading real estate for sale by owner (FSBO) site. “At a T1 connection rate, Fizber.com loads in just 4.34 seconds,” explained Fizber.com PR manager Julia Foster. “For our users, that means home listings and photos are downloaded faster at Fizber.com, allowing buyers to see more listings in a given period of time and even find their dream homes faster.” From exclusive FSBO seller blogs to climate data and YouTube virtual home tour video creation, Fizber.com includes the most sought-after next-generation selling tools with every seller package That’s a plus for buyers trying to search for their next home while juggling work and ...

Fizber.com Launches Drive Score 2007-10-12 05:23:06 Fizber.com announces the addition of a Drive Score to their for-sale-by-owner home listings. Similar to Walk Score, Drive Score shows a map of what establishments are in a property’s neighborhood and calculates a Drive Score based on the number of places within a convenient driving distance. The greater number of businesses nearby, the higher the Drive Score. This option will enable home buyers make searches with much more confidence.Walk Score shows what is within walking distance of a home, but not all homes are located in an area where your feet can get you to the local grocery or pharmacy comfortably. Antony Fizber, CEO of Fizber.com, felt that affordable homes in more secluded - and yet still desirable - areas were being overlooked. The fact is, some homes are simply located in an area where restaurants, libraries, grocery stores, hospitals and other businesses are easier to get to by car “The fact is, some homes are ...

Toronto must impose its new taxes 2007-10-12 02:38:43 Toronto’s Mayor Miller said yesterday the Liberals’ success in Toronto on election night (taking 18 of 22 seats) was a barometer of the public mood on new taxes, despite the rhetoric of his opponents and an anti-tax campaign run by the Toronto Real Estate Board and other groups. See the full story. ...

Take a Bite Out of Crime in Your SF Neighborhood 2007-10-12 01:20:45 San Francisco is an urban city, so to pretend that crime doesn’t exist would just be silly. But last week, my neighbor’s house was broken into and burglarized, and I was still somehow surprised. I’m not sure exactly what they took, it was listed as a petty theft, but frankly, it has me, and the rest of my neighbors on edge. Luckily, no one was home, and no one was hurt. But it got me thinking just a little more about protecting my home from a break-in, and it made me more aware of crime activity in my neighborhood (you can check on your neighborhood my looking on SF CrimeMaps) and the steps that I (or you) can take to not become a potential victim. Read on for some tips and suggestions on what you can do to protect your home. Security Alarms - Security alarms come in all shapes and sizes and have all sorts of bells and whistles. That doesn’t mean that you need a fancy alarm to protect your home, but it probably doesn’t hurt either. Some alarms ...

How to Save a Buck on Your Title Insurance 2007-10-11 23:36:20 I just discovered a new web site that let’s you shop for (drumroll please) title insurance. I know! This is probably the most excitement title insurance companies have seen since, well, probably ever, really. CLTA TitleWizard(tm) lets you search title insurance rates. This new service is being brought to consumers and real estate professionals by from Closing.com and the California Land Title Association. You might be wondering that exactly title insurance does for you. Well, unlike most types of insurance that protect you from events that might happen in the future, title insurance protects you from what may have happened in the past. Specifically, it ensures that the title to your property really is free and clear and there are no liens, claims or encumberances that affect the ownership of your home. There are two types of title insurance policies - CLTA and ALTA. CLTA provides basic coverage, ALTA provides more. That’s the description of the two policies in a ...

Choosing a Pre-Payment Penalty? 2007-10-11 23:02:34 Over the years lenders have developed numerous products and loan modifications which provide the opportunity for you, the borrower, to get the lowest rate possible in exchange for some type of offset such as security (as in short-term adjustable rate mortgages) freedom (2-5 year pre-payment penalties) or deferred expense (negative amortization loans, short-term teaser rate loans and interest only periods). These trade-offs that you make for that lower rate have varying levels of impact on your overall financial well being and your flexibility as a homeowner to respond to changing market conditions as well as changes in your life. In this series we are going to look at the mostly cons of choosing some of these loan modifications when deciding on new financing; as well as look at some real costs behind these choices to help you better decide which financing option is right for you when shopping for a home loan. To kick off this consumer help series we are going to look at pre-payment p ...

Moody’s Downgrades $33 Billion in Subprime Mortgage Securities 2007-10-11 11:51:26 Moody’s downgraded another $33 billion in subprime mortgage backed securities, including a substantial amount of AAA and AA rated issuances from the 2006 vintage. That represents nearly 8% of all mortgages the agency rated for the year. It clearly shows that loan quality (these are first lien issuances) was terrible through 2006; which will surely pressure the market in terms of defaults as those loans reset in 2008 and 2009. From the release: Moody’s Investors Service said on Thursday that it cut ratings on $33.4 billion of securities backed by subprime residential mortgages because the underlying home loans are steadily deteriorating in the face of falling home prices and a tight lending environment. The downgraded securities are backed by subprime first-lien mortgages originated in 2006 and represent 7.8% of the original dollar volume of securities that Moody’s rated from that year. A further $3.8 billion may be downgraded later. Moody’s also said that ano ...