Nisha Muire

If you have been thinking of getting into the Toronto housing market you will have noticed that what you can get for your money varies tremendously from neighbourhood -to-neighbourhood. First-time buyers are always at a disadvantages when it comes to getting their feet wet in real estate when the market is high because being able to afford something that suits their needs can be tricky. There are a few tried and true tricks to getting into an overvalued market that you should definitely keep in mind if you are gearing up for your first foray into real estate.

Having a good down payment is essential to finding a property that you can afford. If you are not quite there yet with your finances, consulting a financial planner to help you meet your down payment goals is key to success. If you are currently renting a place, a good rule of thumb would be to put away whatever extra per month you would have to pay for a mortgage, insurance and taxes. That extra portion will not only show you whether you can feasibly afford to buy a home and maintain it, but it will also give you that extra push towards reaching your savings goal.

The best first step into a heated real estate market in Toronto is to purchase a condo. Condos will have a decent resale value as there will always be someone wanting to either get into the game or to downsize. If the condos in your preferred areas are still out of your price range, then consider buying a new build place off-plan. Once it is built it will appreciate significantly enough to make your deposit worth it. Once the first tenants move in, the appreciation rate drops-off but by the time you are ready to sell to move up the ladder, you will have earned back everything you put into your condo.

If you are not willing to go the condo route to get into the market, then choosing a neighbourhood you can afford is the other best method of breaking into real estate. You will have to trade-in proximity to the city and perhaps endure a longer commute in to work every day, but once you have a foothold in the market, it is always easier to move up.

Investing in real estate in Toronto remains a good investment despite the market starting to slow down. Regardless of current market conditions real estate is always a solid investment because property will appreciate over a 10-year cycle. However, that said – real estate is definitely not for the faint of heart as there are many costs associated with housing that can make a huge dent in a budget if you are not properly prepared for it.

If you are looking to buy your principal place of residence a slow market is actually beneficial to you as pricing levels off and you are better able to get what you want at a price that is within your budget. Buying and holding on long-term will nearly always result in a positive investment. Where you run into potential risks is when you buy as a quick investment.

Many people buy believing that they can renovate the property and sell it again for a profit. Such an investment does require a fair bit of knowledge about the home renovations, relationships with contractors who are ready and willing to work on your project quickly and it also requires the funds to float the property and the renovations while also supporting the carrying costs of the home including the mortgage, taxes and utilities. In fact, this is where many novice real estate investors lose their footing. They miscalculate just how much it will cost to renovate and carry the property they have purchased. They also forget that there are tax implications in flipping homes in Canada.

If you sell a property within 2 years, the government will count the profit as business revenue and tax it as such and will also expect the HST to be added to it.

Those who are considering the purchase of investment property for rental purposes should make sure to structure their finances in such as way that they are able to support the mortgage and tax costs should they fail to find a suitable tenant for a month or more. Since real estate is not easily divested, it is important to consider all facets of the situations before jumping in. You must be prepared to ride the waves of the market and to understand that it might not always be smooth sailing. If you are ready for this, then you will certainly be able to walk away richer from a Toronto real estate purchase.

Welcome to 2019 Toronto real estate shoppers! We hope that you all enjoyed your holidays and are ready for whatever the new year brings.

Let’s kick off the new season by taking a look at what the real estate market might hold in store for Toronto buyers in the near to short term.

It is only naturally that Toronto home buyers might be a little cautious about the state of the real estate market right now. All indicators over the last year have pointed to a softening of the market and a slow down in the rise of prices. According to yorkregion.com, the York area saw a decrease in home sales of 23% in 2018 while the cbc.ca reports that home sales in the GTA were down overall by 16% last year. Furthermore the Globe and Mail reported that the slow down in the market would cost Toronto almost $100 million dollars in tax revenue.

So, while 2018 ended on a more sombre note when it comes to Toronto real estate, there are bright spots. The Toronto Star reports that Canadian realtors predict modest price gains in in re-sale home prices in 2019. Instead of the runaway double digit rise in prices we have grown accustomed to over the past decade or more, single digit growth is what we can expect. The basis for this prediction is simple – Toronto is still among the most attractive Canadian cities for new immigrants, and they all need housing. Since the rental market is so expensive, many people would rather put their money into their own place instead of renting.

So, whether you were looking to buy or sell in 2019, there is room for positivity in the market and when you are ready, Imaginahome will be ready to help you meet your goals!

Happy New Year!

Canadian winters can be harsh and Toronto winters are no exception. Sealing your home’s doors and winters for the cold season is one of the best ways to prevent energy costs from going through the roof. Even a small draft can greatly impact your heating bill over the course of a winter. There are many ways to seal your doors and windows and all of them are quite simple and can easily be done by yourself.
 
Weathersrtipping is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of getting rid of drafts. You can purchase a weatherstripping kit from any home hardware store that will give you everything needed. There are even handy tutorials online that will guide a novice through the process of properly using the materials.
 
Getting new door sweeps is another very effective way of keeping out the cold. You can buy new sweeps and cut them down to the correct size easily. Something else you can add to your doors to keep the cold out is foam tape. It can be cut and applied to your doors wherever the doors are warped to seal them properly.
 
A great product for sealing your windows is interior window film. Similar to shrink wrap, window film looks like saran wrap, but shrinks to fit when heated with a blow dryer. It is an easy and economical way of keeping the cold air out and the warm air in.
 
Another easy trick for your windows is to hang insulated, thermal curtains. The thick and light-and-air-blocking curtains are highly effective at keeping out the cold and also at keeping out sunlight during the winter, which would heat up your home and increase your air conditioning costs. However, in order for them to work, the curtains have to be drawn. If you like to let in the light, then this might not be the best solution for you.

A super simple way of preventing cold air from coming in from under doors is to use a door snake. These nifty craft snakes are made of weighted fabric and absorb the chill. You can either make them yourself or simply roll up a towel and place it at the foot of your door or window.
 
Lastly, every fall you should get yourself a tube or two of exterior caulking and walk around your home resealing the doors and windows.
 
Keeping your home well sealed is not hard and requires minimal effort on your part, but will make a world of difference during the winter.

Fall leaves in Toronto are just spectacular – when seen on the trees before they hit the ground! One the peak fall season has past homeowners are faced with raking and disposing of those beautiful fall colours. However, getting rid of your leaves doesn’t have to be the chore that it normally is! There are a slew of uses to which those leaves can be put. If you have ever wondered if there was a better way of getting rid of your leaves other than lining them up in brown bags along the curb for the city to pick-up, you have come to the right place.
 
Instead of raking up, bagging and getting rid of your leaves, some of the best things you can do is to keep them and use them in your garden. That’s right – leaves are very versatile and can be used as an insulating layer on top of your perennials or root vegetables to protect them during the winter.
 
You can use your leaves as mulch. Leaves are a terrific mulch as they trap moisture effectively and because they don’t have any weed seeds in them, so they reduce the spread of weeds among your plants.
 
Using your leaves for composting is another great way to get rid of them. Mixing them with grass clipping and vegetable scraps (no meat!) will produce a fantastic compost pile. In fact, English gardeners go one step further and collect all of their leaves in plastic bags and keep them moist and tucked away for a couple of years. The natural fungi break the leaves down into a rich mold that is perfect fertilizer for your garden.
 
If you really don’t want to put in any extra effort, just mow right over the fallen leaves. By chopping them up, they will more quickly break down in the spring and boost your lawn with all of the much needed nutrition it needs to thrive.
 
Leaves are also great for storing root vegetables or fruits like apples during the cold season. Layer the leaves and fruit or vegetables in a cardboard box and store in a cool, dry place to help keep the fruits/vegetables fresh for months.
 
Leaves don’t have to be seen as something that must be cleaned up – they are a gift from nature that can be used to keep your lawn, flowers and garden healthy year after year.

The Holidays in Toronto are an exciting, cheerful time where neighbourhoods get into the festive spirit by decorating. As soon as the first snow falls holiday decorations can add to the excitement and anticipation and if you are looking to participate in this annual display of joy, you are in luck – there are hundreds of ways to spruce up your home at this time of year – and they don’t all involve a lot of money!
 
Draw inspiration from the great outdoors when it comes to simple and cost-effective holiday decorating. You can collect pine cones, spray them in gold or silver and cover them in glitter. These can then be used in a decorative tray as a centrepiece, they can be strung together to make eye-catching garlands and they can be used in floral arrangements. Spruce or fir boughs can be used to create temporary trees by sticking them into floral foam and putting them in decorative pots. You can further enhance them by spraying them with fake snow or hanging small ornaments from them.
 
If you want to spruce up your exterior with lights, try the new solar powered LED versions that are now widely available in stores. Not only do they save on electricity, they are easy to install and are a more efficient way of lighting up your home for the holidays.
 
A fun project you can try with kids is to build a colourful holiday fort using blocks of colour ice. All you would need are some old, plastic containers that you fill with water and food coloring in your favourite festive colours. Let them freeze and then use the frozen blocks to create a fun sculpture on your front lawn.
 
Want to create a fun snowman that will last indoors? You will need a few balloons, some string or twine, glue and glitter. You will also need as many disposable containers as you have balloons. Mix the glue and glitter together in a disposable container. Then pass one end of the string or twine through the glue/glitter mixture and begin winding it around one of the balloons. Wrap the string around the balloon in random patterns – it doesn’t need to be fully covered. As long as the balloon is fairly well covered your project will turn out fine! Repeat with the other balloons. Place the string entwined balloons on the disposable containers to dry completely. Once they are dry, pop the balloons and remove any remaining rubber from the inside of your spheres. Next, glue the spheres together. Add black pom-poms for the eyes and mouth and some orange felt for the nose. You can also add a hat if you wish and, voila! You’ll have a snowman that will last for years to come.
 
Preparing for the holidays on a budget needn’t be hard or too time-consuming. With just a bit of creativity, you can turn your home into a festive wonderland to keep the spirit alive.

With winter nipping at Toronto’s heels, it is natural that thoughts turn to fireplace – specifically gas fireplaces. Although wood burning fireplaces used to be the gold standard when it came to cachet and mood enhancement, they are now banned in many municipalities and most new construction will only include gas fireplaces. The reasoning is simple: wood is very polluting and much less efficient than gas.
 
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between the classic wood fireplace and the contemporary gas ones.
 
Wood fireplaces, aside from their charm release far more pollutant emissions particulate per MMBtus than gas. They lose a lot of heat up the chimney and if not vented properly will actually suck the air out of a room instead of warming it up. Wood fireplaces will also require an annual cleaning of your chimney to clear it of creosote and other undesirable residue. Such cleanings are essential as any build is a fire hazard. On the pro side, wood burning fireplaces can be very fragrant depending on the type of wood you use.
 
Gas fireplaces are far more efficient and much easier to maintain that wood burning ones and even cost less in the long run. A gas service will fill your tank up as needed and service it as well ensuring that you are always stocked for winter. They also lose far less heat up a chimney and can include fans that blow heat directly into the room thereby increasing their effectiveness.
 
Fireplaces will always have plenty of appeal and are consistently ranked among the top three features that home buyers look for. Regardless of the kind you have in your home, you will certainly get years of enjoyment out of it.

Exterior lighting can really enhance your Toronto home, your land and your lifestyle. A good lighting design will take into consideration how you use your space and whether you like to entertain. If your family is very active and use the yard after dark to play sports you will require very different lighting needs than if you simply want to relax and enjoy the view.
 
The first thing to do is look at your layout and plan your lighting design accordingly. You will need lights to help you navigate pathways, you will need them to highlight interesting features in your yard and to accent your overall landscaping.
 
A few things to keep in mind are:
What the view from inside the house is like. While it might not sound relevant, you definitely want to look outside from any window and see a pleasing scene.
Determine what your focal points are going to be – things that you want to highlight such as a water feature or mature trees.
Creating atmosphere – this is one of the biggest considerations as you will want to create the kind of ambiance that will draw people outside and make them want to spend time in the yard.
 
There are three main ways of lighting something outside – downlighting, uplighting and crosslighting. Downlighting is great for spaces where you want people to mingle and converse – such as patios, under trees, etc… Uplighting is used to create drama and bring attention to something while crosslighting eliminates all shadows and is good for outdoor kitchen areas and for focal points in a landscape.
 
Not sure what to light? Well, there are some areas that are typically good to light-up. They include: pathways, patios, trees, water features, architectural elements and driveways.
 
Lighting is great for creating a wonderful mood for your landscaping, but it also offers security and keeps pathways safe in the dark.

If you love the look of pavers for your Toronto home, then you will probably be wondering whether you need to seal them. The short answer: yes! Pavers are made out of concrete, which is a porous material. If you don’t seal them they are more prone to staining and fading. A good sealer will help stains wash right off and will help to preserve the colour of your pavers.
 
There are different sealers that you can use depending on the look and level of protection that you want. The two basic types are filming forming and non-film forming. The filming forming sealers provide the best protection as they create a physical barrier on the paver while the non-film forming sealers are still very good and also last longer.
 
Within the two types of sealers you can also choose between having a Wet or Clear look and having Natural or Colour boost product. The Wet and Clear looks are obtained from film-forming sealers.
 
If you are using non-film forming sealers you should wait for a week before sealing your pavers – and you should wait for at least a month if you want to use a film-forming sealer. Prior to sealing your pavers, you must be sure to clean them thoroughly with one of the many products available for this purpose. It will not only remove dust and debris but will open the pores up to the sealer providing better protection in the process. Be sure to let the pavers dry sufficiently before sealing them! If it’s sunny out, then a few hours should be enough, but if it’s overcast and rainy, then you should definitely wait for at least 24 hours.
 
Once done you can rest comfortable for the next 3-5 years before having to worry about sealing them again.