President's Newspaper/Magazine Columns
Toronto SUN Column (as it appears each Friday in the Toronto Sun)
January 28, 2011 -- It's said that the more things change, the more they stay the same and this is certainly true with respect to Torontonians' interest in real estate.
Our passion for real estate stems from the fact that as a world city, Toronto property values hold tremendous long-term promise. The process of buying and selling a home though has become increasingly more sophisticated in recent years, requiring knowledge of economic trends, regulatory requirements and the latest marketing techniques. It's therefore more important than ever to use the professional services of a REALTOR®.
In Ontario, REALTORS® acquire their knowledge through a challenging education program followed by a supervised training period as required by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. They're also required to upgrade their education on a continual basis, obtaining at least 24 Continuing Education course credits every two years.
Naturally, a vast amount of skills and knowledge is acquired along this educational path. Your REALTOR® will for example, learn how to use the Multiple Listing Service® which can generate information on sales volumes, average prices, and days on market, by housing type and neighbourhood, that will help you determine a suitable offer or listing price.
They'll gather all of the details on our home's features to be displayed on the MLS®, which along with the Buyer Registry Service, is used to match buyers' preferences with properties available for sale.
To confirm a number of specifics that are important to every transaction like current taxes on individual properties, ownership histories and lot size details, your REALTOR® can also access the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's database.
They may extend their information gathering even further, retrieving data like streetscape imagery, mapped neighbourhood sales and average local incomes from Teranet's GeoWarehouse.
Your Greater Toronto REALTOR® may even advise you on new home construction options using RealNet Canada's database.
You can count on a REALTOR® to help you interpret the considerable range of data they retrieve and to offer insight into a number of other key areas as well.
They can for example, advise on features that are in demand in today's housing market, and offer an objective perspective on improvements that will achieve the best return on investment for your specific home.
They have an unmatched depth of understanding when it comes to individual atmospheres, school ratings and neighbourhood amenities.
Your REALTOR® may also offer insight into government programs that may be suited to your individual situation.
For more information on the many ways their professional expertise can benefit you, talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com
Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.
Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREB_Official, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard and www.youtube.com/TREBChannel
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Prime East York Builder's Special
Land value only. Detached bungalow, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, existing appliances. Builders or renovators opportunity to build or expand to 2-3 storey home in the East York area.
New construction of houses around the neighborhood. Close to schools, bus stops, minutes to the subway, near DVP, close to Civic Centre, East York Hospital. Please call Evelyn Radam Orjalo, Sales Representative, Tel. 416-284-5555, Red Carpet Royal Realty Ltd., Brokerage. Seller highly motivated. Won't last!
King Edward Ave. at Woodbine
New construction of houses around the neighborhood. Close to schools, bus stops, minutes to the subway, near DVP, close to Civic Centre, East York Hospital. Please call Evelyn Radam Orjalo, Sales Representative, Tel. 416-284-5555, Red Carpet Royal Realty Ltd., Brokerage. Seller highly motivated. Won't last!
King Edward Ave. at Woodbine
11 Big Ideas for 2011
2011 will be the year inflation—as well as our confidence and ability to prosper—comes back, says MoneyShow chairman and founder Charles Githler.
A profitable year awaits the prepared as markets continue to adjust to reflation and an improving economic outlook, according to the views of MoneyShow.com’s leading experts, who also warn that more frequent corrections are likely during the second half as markets sense potential overheating.
Here are their detailed predictions for 2011:
No. 1: Inflation returns
Sam StovallEven this anemic, half-speed economic recovery, forecast by Standard & Poor’s chief investment strategist Sam Stovall and others, will decisively terminate the 28-year era of declining inflation and interest rates in the United States this year. However, despite three years of warnings, many investors and traders will be caught by surprise.
As economic recovery finally catches a foothold in the developed world, global money supply growth will strengthen the case for an out-on-a-limb prediction of a decade-long commodities bull market made in 2009 at The World MoneyShow Hong Kong by keynote speaker Jim Rogers, who co-founded the Quantum Fund with billionaire George Soros.
Interest rates will rise—perhaps dramatically—strengthening the dollar against most currencies. While no one can rule out a 1970s-style price spike, long-range forecasts predict an average annual increase of 2.5% for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the next ten years. This would impact market psychology significantly, because investors are now accustomed to the steady decline of inflation that we experienced in the US during the past 30 years, which culminated in actual deflation, a rate of -0.3%, in 2009.
MoneyShow.com’s senior markets editor Jim Jubak doesn’t mind so much. Read his “Ten Reasons to Love Rising Prices.”
No. 2: The Stock Markets Boom
As fear of another economic downturn subsides and corporate earnings surprise to the upside, stock markets will move higher. Standard & Poor’s analysts forecast earnings per share growth will exceed 25% in Canada, Mexico, and South Africa.
In the US, Standard & Poor’s predicts operating earnings will approach $95 on their 500 index, compared with $84 in 2010. Even if the price-to-earnings multiple remains at 15 times earnings, the S&P 500 will rise to 1,425, which would equate to a 20% total return, including dividends. Bullish enough?
Blackstone’s Byron Wein also predicts that the S&P 500 "rises close to its old high of 1,500, as individual investors return to equities for the first time since the financial crises." (However, among Wein’s other “Ten Surprises for 2011” is that, at some point after June, the economy and stock market at least temporarily will become victims of their own success, with rising interest rates finally cooling the big rally and frenzied M&A activity.)
Another MoneyShow.com expert, senior editor Igor Greenwald, points out that if the market trades at its 2005 multiple of 16.5 times earnings this year, that would take it up to 1,520. (See “Mr. Market’s Not Done With You.”)
Standard & Poor’s sector expert Stovall advises continuing to "overweight" positions in materials, industrials, and technology.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Next
A profitable year awaits the prepared as markets continue to adjust to reflation and an improving economic outlook, according to the views of MoneyShow.com’s leading experts, who also warn that more frequent corrections are likely during the second half as markets sense potential overheating.
Here are their detailed predictions for 2011:
No. 1: Inflation returns
Sam StovallEven this anemic, half-speed economic recovery, forecast by Standard & Poor’s chief investment strategist Sam Stovall and others, will decisively terminate the 28-year era of declining inflation and interest rates in the United States this year. However, despite three years of warnings, many investors and traders will be caught by surprise.
As economic recovery finally catches a foothold in the developed world, global money supply growth will strengthen the case for an out-on-a-limb prediction of a decade-long commodities bull market made in 2009 at The World MoneyShow Hong Kong by keynote speaker Jim Rogers, who co-founded the Quantum Fund with billionaire George Soros.
Interest rates will rise—perhaps dramatically—strengthening the dollar against most currencies. While no one can rule out a 1970s-style price spike, long-range forecasts predict an average annual increase of 2.5% for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the next ten years. This would impact market psychology significantly, because investors are now accustomed to the steady decline of inflation that we experienced in the US during the past 30 years, which culminated in actual deflation, a rate of -0.3%, in 2009.
MoneyShow.com’s senior markets editor Jim Jubak doesn’t mind so much. Read his “Ten Reasons to Love Rising Prices.”
No. 2: The Stock Markets Boom
As fear of another economic downturn subsides and corporate earnings surprise to the upside, stock markets will move higher. Standard & Poor’s analysts forecast earnings per share growth will exceed 25% in Canada, Mexico, and South Africa.
In the US, Standard & Poor’s predicts operating earnings will approach $95 on their 500 index, compared with $84 in 2010. Even if the price-to-earnings multiple remains at 15 times earnings, the S&P 500 will rise to 1,425, which would equate to a 20% total return, including dividends. Bullish enough?
Blackstone’s Byron Wein also predicts that the S&P 500 "rises close to its old high of 1,500, as individual investors return to equities for the first time since the financial crises." (However, among Wein’s other “Ten Surprises for 2011” is that, at some point after June, the economy and stock market at least temporarily will become victims of their own success, with rising interest rates finally cooling the big rally and frenzied M&A activity.)
Another MoneyShow.com expert, senior editor Igor Greenwald, points out that if the market trades at its 2005 multiple of 16.5 times earnings this year, that would take it up to 1,520. (See “Mr. Market’s Not Done With You.”)
Standard & Poor’s sector expert Stovall advises continuing to "overweight" positions in materials, industrials, and technology.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Next
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Federal Government Changes Mortgage Financing Rules
January 17, 2011 -- The federal government has announced changes to mortgage financing rules for government-backed (insured) mortgages (less than 20 per cent down payment), which will affect maximum amortization periods, mortgage refinancing, and home equity lines of credit.
Details
The changes announced by the federal government include:
Reducing maximum amortization period to 30 years, from 35 years.
Lower the maximum amount Canadians can borrow in refinancing their mortgages to 85 percent, from 90 percent, of the value of their homes.
Withdraw government insurance backing on lines of credit secured by homes, such as home equity lines of credit. This change would apply to Home Equity Lines of Credit that do not amortize over time (i.e. borrowers are not required to make regular payments on the principal amount of the loan). However, with established scheduled principal and interest payments, a loan will continue to be eligible for government-backed insurance, provided it meets the underwriting standards set by the mortgage insurer.
The changes to amortization periods and refinancing rules will come into force on March 18, 2011. The withdrawal of government insurance backing on home equity lines of credit will come into force on April 18, 2011. Exceptions would be allowed after the new measures come into force where they are needed to satisfy a binding purchase and sale, financing or refinancing agreement entered into before the corresponding coming into force dates.
Details
The changes announced by the federal government include:
Reducing maximum amortization period to 30 years, from 35 years.
Lower the maximum amount Canadians can borrow in refinancing their mortgages to 85 percent, from 90 percent, of the value of their homes.
Withdraw government insurance backing on lines of credit secured by homes, such as home equity lines of credit. This change would apply to Home Equity Lines of Credit that do not amortize over time (i.e. borrowers are not required to make regular payments on the principal amount of the loan). However, with established scheduled principal and interest payments, a loan will continue to be eligible for government-backed insurance, provided it meets the underwriting standards set by the mortgage insurer.
The changes to amortization periods and refinancing rules will come into force on March 18, 2011. The withdrawal of government insurance backing on home equity lines of credit will come into force on April 18, 2011. Exceptions would be allowed after the new measures come into force where they are needed to satisfy a binding purchase and sale, financing or refinancing agreement entered into before the corresponding coming into force dates.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Beware of strange area codes!
Don’t call any long distance number beginning with these area code
Aaagghh!!
New Area Code - PLEASE READ this and pass it on. I am forwarding this just to be on the safe side. You can check the web sites below to verify.
809 Area Code
We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you- get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809.We did not respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail:
Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 809, 284, AND 876 from the U.S. or Canada .
This one is being distributed all over the US ... This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.
Be sure you read this and pass it on.
They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc..
In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.
If you call from the U.S or Canada , you will apparently be charged a minimum of
$2425 per-minute.
And you'll also get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.
WHY IT WORKS:
The 809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic ..
The charges afterward can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.
Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam.
AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045
SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE:http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809..asp
Aaagghh!!
New Area Code - PLEASE READ this and pass it on. I am forwarding this just to be on the safe side. You can check the web sites below to verify.
809 Area Code
We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you- get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809.We did not respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail:
Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 809, 284, AND 876 from the U.S. or Canada .
This one is being distributed all over the US ... This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.
Be sure you read this and pass it on.
They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc..
In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.
If you call from the U.S or Canada , you will apparently be charged a minimum of
$2425 per-minute.
And you'll also get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.
WHY IT WORKS:
The 809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic ..
The charges afterward can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.
Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam.
AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045
SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE:http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809..asp
Friday, January 7, 2011
Best companion! A smart dog anyone?
Smart US dog learns more than 1,000 words
By by Kerry Sheridan |
She just might be the smartest pooch ever.
A border collie has learned more than 1,000 words, showing US researchers that her memory is not only better than theirs, but that she understands quite a bit about how language works.
Chaser learned the names for 1,022 toys, so many that her human handlers had to write on them in marker so that they wouldn't forget, said study co-author Alliston Reid, a psychology professor at Wofford College in South Carolina.
With that repertoire, Chaser has far outpaced another dog, Rico, found by German researchers to be able to grasp about 200 words, according to a study published in 2004 in the journal Science.
As a border collie, Chaser comes from a breed of herding dog known for its intelligence, energy and strong work ethic.
Reid said she might be able to learn even more words, but her keepers stopped at 1,022 after three years of training simply because of time constraints.
But identifying objects by name was just the beginning of the research, conducted by a pair of American psychology professors who became curious about the upper limits of a dog's learning abilities after seeing the German study.
Study co-author John Pilley was also a master animal trainer and just happened to be getting a young border collie as a pet at about the same time as the research on Rico came out.
By the time the pup was five months old, language training began in earnest.
"John Pilley and I would go to second-hand stores and just buy huge numbers of stuffed animals and balls and children's toys and so forth," said Reid.
"And we would give each one a name and write down the name on each item in permanent marker so that we could remember what the name of it was and use it systematically with Chaser."
Over the course of three years, in sessions of four to five hours per day, Pilley and other trainers found that Chaser could identify every stuffed animal, frisbee and ball out of a colorful and growing pile of fun doggie toys.
She could also differentiate toys by categories, such as her 116 balls, and she could perform specific commands with select playthings, such as touching her paw to a certain ball, or fetching a particular frisbee.
And they trained her to do all this without offering any tasty treats.
"Chaser really, really likes playing with her toys and the social interaction of one of us taking one of her toys and throwing it up in the air and having her catch it," said Reid.
"It is much more rewarding for her than a morsel of food."
The study, which appeared this week in the journal Behavioural Processes, published by the Amsterdam-based company Elsevier, shows Chaser has abilities that were left in doubt by the earlier work with Rico, such as the ability to discern commands from nouns and how to identify toys versus non-toys.
"Her learning and retention of more than 1,000 proper nouns revealed clear evidence of several capacities necessary for learning receptive human language: the ability to discriminate many nouns phonetically, the ability to discriminate many objects visually, a sizable vocabulary, and a sufficient memory system," it said.
"Chaser understood that names refer to particular objects, independent of the activity requested involving that object. Thus, (the) concern that Rico may not have understood the difference between 'sock' and 'fetch-the-sock' is ruled out in this study."
Scientists who raised questions about the earlier studies on Rico and the extent of his abilities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the study involving Chaser.
Meanwhile, Reid said that he and Pilley are continuing to study Chaser, who is now six and a half years old.
"We would like to know for example, does she really understand syntax, the order of words in a sentence? One experiment has to do with if we asked Chaser to pick up one object and place it on top of another object, will she always get that correct?"
But for Reid, who has no dog at home since his daughter took their Labrador-mix off to graduate school, a bursting-with-energy border collie is not in his future.
"They are high maintenance dogs," he said with a laugh. "John Pilley often says that he goes to bed really early at night just to get away from his dog."
By by Kerry Sheridan |
She just might be the smartest pooch ever.
A border collie has learned more than 1,000 words, showing US researchers that her memory is not only better than theirs, but that she understands quite a bit about how language works.
Chaser learned the names for 1,022 toys, so many that her human handlers had to write on them in marker so that they wouldn't forget, said study co-author Alliston Reid, a psychology professor at Wofford College in South Carolina.
With that repertoire, Chaser has far outpaced another dog, Rico, found by German researchers to be able to grasp about 200 words, according to a study published in 2004 in the journal Science.
As a border collie, Chaser comes from a breed of herding dog known for its intelligence, energy and strong work ethic.
Reid said she might be able to learn even more words, but her keepers stopped at 1,022 after three years of training simply because of time constraints.
But identifying objects by name was just the beginning of the research, conducted by a pair of American psychology professors who became curious about the upper limits of a dog's learning abilities after seeing the German study.
Study co-author John Pilley was also a master animal trainer and just happened to be getting a young border collie as a pet at about the same time as the research on Rico came out.
By the time the pup was five months old, language training began in earnest.
"John Pilley and I would go to second-hand stores and just buy huge numbers of stuffed animals and balls and children's toys and so forth," said Reid.
"And we would give each one a name and write down the name on each item in permanent marker so that we could remember what the name of it was and use it systematically with Chaser."
Over the course of three years, in sessions of four to five hours per day, Pilley and other trainers found that Chaser could identify every stuffed animal, frisbee and ball out of a colorful and growing pile of fun doggie toys.
She could also differentiate toys by categories, such as her 116 balls, and she could perform specific commands with select playthings, such as touching her paw to a certain ball, or fetching a particular frisbee.
And they trained her to do all this without offering any tasty treats.
"Chaser really, really likes playing with her toys and the social interaction of one of us taking one of her toys and throwing it up in the air and having her catch it," said Reid.
"It is much more rewarding for her than a morsel of food."
The study, which appeared this week in the journal Behavioural Processes, published by the Amsterdam-based company Elsevier, shows Chaser has abilities that were left in doubt by the earlier work with Rico, such as the ability to discern commands from nouns and how to identify toys versus non-toys.
"Her learning and retention of more than 1,000 proper nouns revealed clear evidence of several capacities necessary for learning receptive human language: the ability to discriminate many nouns phonetically, the ability to discriminate many objects visually, a sizable vocabulary, and a sufficient memory system," it said.
"Chaser understood that names refer to particular objects, independent of the activity requested involving that object. Thus, (the) concern that Rico may not have understood the difference between 'sock' and 'fetch-the-sock' is ruled out in this study."
Scientists who raised questions about the earlier studies on Rico and the extent of his abilities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the study involving Chaser.
Meanwhile, Reid said that he and Pilley are continuing to study Chaser, who is now six and a half years old.
"We would like to know for example, does she really understand syntax, the order of words in a sentence? One experiment has to do with if we asked Chaser to pick up one object and place it on top of another object, will she always get that correct?"
But for Reid, who has no dog at home since his daughter took their Labrador-mix off to graduate school, a bursting-with-energy border collie is not in his future.
"They are high maintenance dogs," he said with a laugh. "John Pilley often says that he goes to bed really early at night just to get away from his dog."
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Facebook users-Please beware from scams!!!!
Sophisticated scam artists are raiding blackberries, I-phones and personal computers and are using sites like Facebook to steal identities and money by fooling friends, Halifax police warn.
Det. Const. Dana Drover said Wednesday the best way to protect yourself at home — or using public Wi-Fi — is to use a complex password and change it often.
"There are individuals who make it their business to try and capture, or harvest, electronic data using devices that can capture wireless internet information," he said.
That point was driven home over the Christmas holiday when Radio-Canada producer Paul Emile d'Entremont checked his Facebook and one of his Facebook friends started chatting with him.
"She started off, 'How are you doing, Paul?' I said, 'Fine.' And she says, 'I'm not doing so well. I'm in London, England, and yesterday I was the victim of a brutal attack, and my face is swollen and they also stole all of my credit cards,'" d'Entremont said Wednesday.
But as soon his so-called friend asked for money — about $1,900 — he realized it was a scam, and shut it down.
It was an imposter pretending to be Zahra Sethna, of Halifax, who had been nowhere near London.
"Most of my friends realized very quickly that it was a scam," Sethna said Wednesday
She thinks her Facebook account was hijacked at Pearson International Airport in Toronto when she forgot to log off after using the Wi-Fi in the terminal.
"He's [the imposter] tried to chat with several people. A friend of mine who works in Yemen was chatting away with this scammer," Sethna said.
"I guess through Facebook, because you can make all those connections, they know the name of my husband. So they actually used his name in the chat which made it seem more authentic."
In this case the scammer failed to con anyone out of any money, and Facebook immediately disabled Sethna's account after learning it had been compromised.
Det. Const. Dana Drover said Wednesday the best way to protect yourself at home — or using public Wi-Fi — is to use a complex password and change it often.
"There are individuals who make it their business to try and capture, or harvest, electronic data using devices that can capture wireless internet information," he said.
That point was driven home over the Christmas holiday when Radio-Canada producer Paul Emile d'Entremont checked his Facebook and one of his Facebook friends started chatting with him.
"She started off, 'How are you doing, Paul?' I said, 'Fine.' And she says, 'I'm not doing so well. I'm in London, England, and yesterday I was the victim of a brutal attack, and my face is swollen and they also stole all of my credit cards,'" d'Entremont said Wednesday.
But as soon his so-called friend asked for money — about $1,900 — he realized it was a scam, and shut it down.
It was an imposter pretending to be Zahra Sethna, of Halifax, who had been nowhere near London.
"Most of my friends realized very quickly that it was a scam," Sethna said Wednesday
She thinks her Facebook account was hijacked at Pearson International Airport in Toronto when she forgot to log off after using the Wi-Fi in the terminal.
"He's [the imposter] tried to chat with several people. A friend of mine who works in Yemen was chatting away with this scammer," Sethna said.
"I guess through Facebook, because you can make all those connections, they know the name of my husband. So they actually used his name in the chat which made it seem more authentic."
In this case the scammer failed to con anyone out of any money, and Facebook immediately disabled Sethna's account after learning it had been compromised.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
