It's hard to believe that summer is already
winding down and that we're preparing for
the fall and all it has to offer.
From our Team’s perspective, we want
to let you know that we have appreciated
your referrals to friends and associates
this year and, believe it or not, we're
getting busy once again. As you will see
below, we like to give back to our clients
through opportunities to win goodies such
as an iPad2, local theatre performances,
etc. For those who no longer live in the
area, we will certainly ship the iPad to
you or deliver any tickets you may win to
someone local if you'd like. Don’t
forget we are still offering two hours of
handyman labour or staging to our buying
and selling clients.
With regards to the market ... believe it
or not, October of 2010 was the fourth busiest
month for real estate sales last year. It
would appear that this fall may also be
a good one, with mortgage rates being held
down and Canada continuing to lead the way
in the global economy. In Quinte, we have
not seen the large upswings that hot markets
like Vancouver and Toronto have experienced
but we will not see the large downturns
either ... if they actually do happen. In
other words, there is still time to buy
before the interest rates go up (possibly
early 2012) and, if you are selling (and
are priced properly), there are buyers out
there looking right now. For more thoughts
about the upcoming fall real estate season,
check out my latest blog
posting.
2011
2010
%
CHANGE
Total
# of Listings in July
636
615
3.0%
Total
# of Listings to end-July
4,958
5,167
-4.0%
Total
# of Sales in July
261
283
-8%
Total
# of Sales to end-July
1,747
1,885
-7%
Total
Sales Dollar Volume [July]
$53,725,642
$60,969,140
-12%
Total Sales Dollar
Volume to end-July
$376,687,884
$384,892,717
-2%
Finally, before you scroll
down and find out how many Timmies there
are in Canada, let me reiterate that we
appreciate your business and referrals.
We know this is a very competitive industry
and that you could choose one of many REALTORS®
in the area. As always, we continue to provide
the best service possible and strive to
make your real estate experience as stress-free
and profitable as possible.
Don't forget to follow us
on Twitter
and Facebook
for updates on the national and local real
estate markets. Be sure to give us the thumbs
up if you 'Like' what you see and you'll automatically be entered in our
iPad draw!
As the Host of America’s Got Talent,
the Emmy nominated Deal or No Deal and his
impressive acting career in the Emmy award
winning television series St. Elsewhere, Howie
Mandel has been in the forefront of the entertainment
scene for over 30 years. Howie has appeared
on the Jay Leno and Live with Regis and Kelly
shows numerous times and he continues to perform
as many as 200 concerts a year throughout
the U.S. and Canada. Send Donna an email
with your name and contact information for
a chance to win 2 tickets to this memorable
night of unpredictable comedy! on Thursday,
6 October at 8:00 PM.
WIN
AN iPAD
As announced in our
February Newsletter, we are offering
our clients the chance to win an
iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G. Email Donna
and she will enter you in the draw
which will take place in January.
Don't delay .... 2011 is rapidly
coming to a close. Good luck!
DIGITAL CAMERA
We invite all Buyers and Sellers of
Team David Weir to let us know how
we're doing. Take a minute of your
time to fill out our client satisfaction
survey
and you'll be entered in our draw
to win a digital camera at the end
of the year.
Service Ontario is making it easier for
your to access government services. Visit
www.ServiceOntario.ca
to:
• renew your licence plate sticker
for passenger and light commercial vehicles,
motorcycles and snowmobiles
• purchase and receive an electronic
driver or vehicle abstract
• order a personalized plate for a
passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, or
motorcycle
• order a Used Vehicle Information
Package (UVIP)
Return
to Top ONTARIO'S
DRINKING & DRIVING LAWS HAVE CHANGED!
Any driver aged 21 and under, regardless
of licence class, or a novice driver caught
with any alcohol in their system will receive
an immediate 24-hour roadside driver's licence
suspension and, if convicted, will face
a fine of $500 and receive at least a 30-day
licence suspension. All drivers who register
a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from
0.05 to 0.08 (known as the 'warn range')
will lose their licence at roadside for
3 to 30 days. Drivers caught more than once
face mandatory alcohol education or treatment
programs and ignition interlock.
Other than the occasional cleaning, windows
are not usually something that homeowners
pay much attention to. But you should. Windows
don't last forever, and they could be costing
you real money. To see if it may be time
to replace your windows, take this easy
7-question test:
1. Are some of your windows difficult to
open or shut, or don't quite "fit"
when closed?
2. Can you feel drafts coming through your
rooms?
3. Is there ever condensation or icing on
your windows?
4. Do your windows ever rattle in the wind?
5. Is your house cold in winter and hot
in summer?
6. Would you like to reduce your home heating
and cooling bill?
7. Do your windows look tired and show signs
of deterioration and wear?
The bottom line is, even a few "yes"
answers mean that it's worth looking into
replacement windows. New windows will pay
for themselves in a variety of ways:
•
Reduced energy bills (on average, energy
savings pay for 80 percent of any new
home window over its lifetime)
•
Increased
home value (new windows add to your
home's appeal and worth, helping complete
the payback)
•
More satisfaction (new windows brighten
any room, add an exciting new touch,
and make you happy)
The best way to start on the road to window
replacement is getting in touch with several
contractors and obtaining comparative bids. Compliments of RealEstateabc.com
With just a few small changes in your daily
routine, you can easily take advantage of
off-peak hydro hours to shave dollars from
your bill. Off-peak hours vary with the
season and weekends are also considered
'off-peak'. For complete details check out
Hydro One's Time
of Use Prices.
Similarly, you can make several small but
easy changes to keep your hydro bill as
low as possible. Jennifer Stewart provides
some hard money facts in her Moneyville.ca
article
but here it is in a nutshell:
1. Unplug electronics and appliances when
not in use to reduce the use of 'phantom
power'. Using a programmable power bar to
charge electonics during off-peak hours
can cut those costs in half.
2. Change your lights to ENERGY STAR qualified
CFL bulbs.
3. Use a programmable thermostat ... for
heat and air conditioning purposes!
4. Use fans or ceiling fans instead of
air conditioning.
5. Run your dishwasher during off-peak
hours and only when it's full. Use the air-dry
setting as well.
6. Natural gas stoves or BBQs use less
energy than electric stoves.
7. Use your clothes dryer during off-peak
hours and make sure the lint trap is clean.
8. Forego the dryer and use clothes lines
in the summer or a drying rack during the
winter.
9. Your refrigerator can be one of the
biggest energy users in your home. If you're
in the market for a new fridge, look for
the energy star symbol which means it's
at least 15% more energy efficient than
the minimum federal standard.
10. Set your freezer at -18°C. A full
freezer operates more efficiently than a
near-empty one. Keep 5 cm of space around
your freezer so heat can circulate away.
11. Having a shower in the morning is about
half the cost of having a bath.
12. Microwaves use up to 50 per cent less
electricity than an electric stove.
13. Window treatments can reduce heat loss
in the winter and keep out the heat of the
summer.
14. Weather-strip your home around doors,
fireplace dampers, attic hatches and air
conditioners.
The annual ritual of raking up tree leaves
and bagging them for recycling takes place
in our neighborhoods every fall. But have
you considered gathering as many leaves
as you can from the lawn, driveway and front
walk and raking them into your gardens?
Autumn leaves are one of the best soil conditioners
and mulches available—and they’re
free.
Tree leaves contain up to 50 percent of
the nutrients that the tree absorbed during
the growing season and, as they break down,
the nutrients are re-released back into
the soil. In addition, leaves help to insulate
the soil in winter and add important organic
matter.
All tree leaves (except black walnut) can
be used: leaves from small trees, such as
honeylocust and birch, can be raked directly
onto beds, while larger leaves like maple
and catalpa should be raked onto the lawn
and run over several times with the lawnmower
to shred them before using them as mulch.
Don’t be too concerned about covering
up your shade-loving plants with autumn
leaves: they expect it. In spring, any areas
that are heavily covered can be raked to
fluff up the leaves, but as long as the
leaf mulch is less than five centimetres
thick, the plants will push right through.
Do make sure leaves are healthy before
using them as mulch.
Don't use leaves covered with powdery
mildew, rust or tar spot.
Don't add mulch to rock garden plants
like lavender and dianthus, as wet leaves
against their stems will cause them to
rot.
Return
to Top HOW
TO WINTERIZE YOUR ABOVE-GROUND POOL
The main purpose in winterizing
your above ground swimming pool is to protect
it from damage due to freezing water. Closing
your swim pool properly can save you a lot
of work when it comes time to open your
pool again next summer.
Make
sure the water chemistry is balanced.
Don't
use floaters or pucks (chlorine or bromine)
as they may stain or damage your pool liner.
Lower
the water level to below the mouth of the
skimmer. Another option is to put an Aquador
over the mouth of the skimmer. This is a plastic
dam which holds out the water from the skimmer,
allowing you to leave the water level up for
the winter.
Drain all the water from your filter equipment
and hoses
• start by putting a plug in your return
fitting
• disconnect your hoses from the return
and skimmer or at the filter system and
drain them
• the filter should have a plug at
the bottom that will allow it to drain
• put the multiport valve in the closed
or "winterize" position and remove
the pressure gauge
• drain the pump by removing the drain
plug(s)
• after draining the pump, turn it
on for a brief second to get the water out
of the impeller veins
Ensure
the chemicals (chlorine/bromine tablets) have
run out of your chemical feeder & drain
it.
Do
not put plugs back on the equipment in case
water gets into it. Store what you can inside.
Cover
your above ground swim pool with a solid cover
to keep out debris and sunlight. This will
keep the pool totally clean and prevent most
algae growth. Use air pillows to hold the
cover up like a dome so that water and debris
fall off instead of puddling on the top.
Of the 3,169 Canadian Tim Horton's locations,
1,942 feature a drive-thru window. And
right now, there’s probably a long
line of cars at every one of them!
•
If
you say "good night, sleep tight"
you are referring to a time when people
slept on a bed supported by ropes. Each
night before they retired, they had
to make sure the ropes were pulled tight
before climbing into bed.
•
Barnacles can stick to boats because
they secrete a cement-like formula
that 'glues' them to the side of watercraft.
This natural glue does not dissolve
in water.
•
Although
today's Egyptian pyramids have a brown
colour, they were originally built with
white stones. They remained that way
until Arabs invaded Egypt in approximately
500 AD. They took the white stones and
used them to build mosques and palaces
in Cairo.
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Someone Who May Be In Need of Real Estate
Services?
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