JULY 18th to the 27th, 2008 - The Beaches International Jazz Festival THE BEACHES (or The Beach as they now call it), is just 15 minutes from downtown Toronto.Antique shops, clapboard cottages and quirky stores and restaurants typify the Beach. The beachside boardwalk is crowded with joggers, dog-walkers and picnickers, and the beach itself is packed in the Summer.This annual event is just around the corner again. The Beaches International Jazz Festival showcases jazz, blues, big band, vocalists, African, Caribbean, reggae, hip-hop, South American, Latin, rhythm and blues and more. The festival is spread out over three venues in the Beaches and features an eclectic lineup of musicians. The Woodbine Park venue boasts three stages with artists like Dr. Draw, Cimarron, Richard Underhill an... 07/09/2008

If you know Harbord Village, you're probably familiar with the many great stores along the block between Bathurst and Spadina. If you don't know the area, and you don't know the stores, you want to take a few hours, and get to know this block... SAVE: 10-75% off selected products and services on Harbord Street, between Bathurst & SpadinaWant to have some fun while you save?  Here is a short list of some of the things taking place that day: - Readings and mini-sex workshops at Toronto Women's Bookstore and Good For Her - BBQ at Toronto Women's BookStore - Delights and Surprises at WonderWorks BookStore - Free mini hand and arm massages and organic skin care consultations at Divine Scents Don't miss this great street sale and get to know the great stores in the area.Here is a list of some... 07/09/2008

A very good friend (and client), Rochelle Holt, owns the greatest (in my opinion) and only alternative book store in the downtown area of the City. The store specializes in books about spirituality, creativity, holistic health, etc.  At WonderWorks, you can find ways to honour all of life's transitions (I stole this from her website) ... you can check it out for yourself, or just give her a call, if you're looking for something specific (books, journals, CDs, flower essences, calendars, jewellery, gifts, etc.).WonderWorks   416-323-3131   rochelle@gowonderworks.com The store is located at 79A Harbord Street, in Toronto, just West of Spadina.If you're in the area, please visit the store.  I promise you will find something there just for you.If Rochelle or one of her friendly staff can't ... 07/09/2008

COOL SavingsDid you know that the Government of Ontario will give you a $500 rebate, if you replace an inefficient central air conditioning system, with an ENERGYSTAR-qualified one? They will also give you a $50 rebate, if you have your existing central air conditioning tuned up by a qualified contractor.You can also get a $75 rebate, if you replace your thermostat with a programmable one.To undertake the COOL Savings Program, the Conservation Bureau has partnered up with the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute and has designed a program that will help reduce peak demand for electricity. For additional information you can call 1-888-668-4636. Flush with Savings:The City of Toronto will also give you $60-$75 towards the purchase of a new, more water efficient toilet.For... 07/09/2008

With summer here, the Toronto condo resale market is slowly shifting towards balance after several years of favouring sellers. There will be a 22 per cent increase in inventory, over last summer.  Buyers seem to have more selection, be able to take more time to make decisions, and have a little more room for negotiation. This time last year, buyers had to make quick decisions and often had to pay over asking price. This seems to be frustrating for sellers, that their units are staying on the market a little longer, and not commanding the bidding wars that were seen so frequently in 2007. In my opinion this is a better situation for both sides, as the seller will have more time to find their next home, once theirs sells, and the buyer doesn't feel pressured or ripped off. This can be a v... 07/06/2008

Whether you live in Toronto or are just visiting for the month of July, here is a short list of some of the festivals/live performances in our City.    JAMES TAYLOR - July 8, 2008; 8 p.m.James Taylor performs his unique brand of folk/rock at the Molson Ampitheatre.This is a rain or shine event. Lawn seating is available.Ticket prices: $49.00 - $145.00Location:  909 Lakeshore Blvd., West (near The CNE) REALTORS CARE FOUNDATION - DASH FOR CASH - July 9, 2008; 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.Are you a Motorcycle Rider looking for adventure?Longing to feel the wind in your face?Then put on your helmet and join our "Dash for Cash", the REALTORS Care Foundation ride for charity!From July 9th - 12th, 2008 we will ride from Toronto - Ottawa- North Bay-Collingwood, final destination is London where we will... 07/06/2008

Ten years ago, if you'd told me I'd have to take off my shoes in order to go through security at the airport, well, I wouldn't have believed you. In fact, I might have placed a call to your family and made some discrete inquiries regarding your state of mind. Now, it's an accepted part of the airport flight departure process. It might be an inconvenience, but that's the world we live in, so off come the shoes and there goes my unfinished bottle of designer water into the bin. To continue reading this article, click here. 07/03/2008

Thanks to a surge in condominium construction, Canadian housing starts had a robust start in 2008. Foundations were poured for a more-than-expected 227,700 units in January, up from 184,700 in December. Just about all of that increase was due to volatile segment of multi-unit construction (up 64 per cent) compared to a decrease in single-unit starts (such as detached homes) representing a 4.8 per cent dip. In Toronto, where there has been a record sale of condominiums, the increase in overall starts has been even more dramatic, up 95 per cent in January to a seasonally adjusted and annualized pace of 38,300, compared to 19,600 in December. While some had to deal with bad weather, builders also had trouble shifting resources from low-rise to high-rise projects last year. But with that st... 07/02/2008

     A ghost owns my laneway York County Sheriff Frederick Wm. Jarvis Harbord Village land speculator 1818-1887         Copyright © Wendy Smith 2008. All rights reserved         Read this article in my Spring/2008 newsletter Fred Jarvis keeled over in a horse-drawn cab on Queen Street on the evening of April 16, 1887, and was dead in his bed before midnight. The mighty sheriff's heart attack — not entirely a surprise — was the talk of muddy York for days. His funeral procession along Wellesley St. three days later was followed by judges, lawyers and much of Ontario's elite. Fred Jarvis — Sheriff of York County for 33 years — died 121 years ago. Nonetheless, he remains today the registered owner of the 9-ft-wide dead-end laneway that runs behind my Harbord Village 5-house row — where I ... 07/01/2008

In a first of its kind, LED lighting has been employed to illuminate the interior corridors throughout Palace Pier, on Toronto's waterfront. It's the first residential building in Canada (and likely North America) to convert to LED technology for interior lighting, as part of a $2.4 million renovation to the interior corridors. The (Palace Pier) Board and Residents were committed to finding a ‘green' solution for the new lighting and LED proved to be the answer. The lighting project will employ close to 1300 LED-based MR16 lamps in the hallways on all 44 residential floors. Faced with using the traditional halogen MR16, which draws 35 watts of electricity, the new LED product, supplied by Canadian company CRS Electronics, will require only 4 watts. The Palace Pier has been noted to have... 06/30/2008

You may be thinking by now that I like to think outside of the box and I do get some pleasure from it. This property was a simple war time house located in Scarborough and backed onto a ravine. I  suggested that we really make a point of how much fun it would be to live in the house as you could hit golf balls into the ravine anytime you wanted. And who wouldn't like that?  This home sold in three weeks and set the benchmark price for the neighbourhood. Could it have been the golf tee off box? Advantage Staging markets the features of your property every time to make it stand out from the competition. Investment, minimal. Impact, priecless. 06/29/2008

Even as there are signs greater Toronto's real estate market is losing a little of its lustre, the condo market appears to be holding steady.Everybody was worrying if last year's success was the boom before the bust. But recent statistics show this years numbers are consistent with last years sales. Condos have towered over low-rise real estate, both in pricing per square foot and number of units sold. Many of them are in prime locations, near subways. And you can buy one for under $300,000 - there are some still advertising for under $250,000. You can't buy anything close to that in the low-rise market. I was especially surprised the results didn't seem to be affected by the city's new Land Transfer Tax, which began on Dec. 1. The only difference this year, is that buyers are being a l... 06/28/2008

Bales Ave. Condos Statistics for resale condominium listings on the Toronto Real Estate Board MLS for the period ending May 2008.  Bales is located in North York at Yonge and Sheppard. Bales Ave. Condos: Average Selling Price May's Average selling price was $283,250 an increase of 8.81% over May 2007's average selling price of $260,318.  It is down from Aprils average selling price of $293,691.   Steven Campbell, Sales RepresentativeColdwell Banker Terrequity Realty., Brokerage www.sellwithsteven.comeastyorktorontorealestate.com *Independently Owned and Operatated.**Not Intendend to Solicit Anyone Currently Under Agency Agreement. Loading... 06/27/2008

Harrison Garden Blvd Condos Statistics for resale condominium listings on the Toronto Real Estate Board MLS for the period ending May 2008.  Harrison Garden is located in North York at Yonge and Avondale. Harrison Garden Blvd Condos: Average Selling Price May's Average selling price was $320,196 an increase of 18.00% over May 2007's average selling price of $271,352.  It is also up from Aprils average selling price of 284,958.   Steven Campbell, Sales RepresentativeColdwell Banker Terrequity Realty., Brokerage www.stevencampbell.caeastyorktorontorealestate.com *Independently Owned and Operatated.**Not Intendend to Solicit Anyone Currently Under Agency Agreement. Loading... 06/27/2008

Toronto condominium developer Harry Stinson has filed for bankruptcy protection in a high-profile fight with his business partner, theatre producer David Mirvish. The battle pits two of the city's most enigmatic personalities against each over the historic 1 King West condominium and hotel development, while threatening the move of one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious Bay St. clubs. Stinson, a veteran developer and one of the pioneers of the condo-hotel boom in the city, has filed under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act at the Superior Court of Justice for two of his companies that are involved in that project, in a case adjourned to later this month. The move is not considered bankruptcy, but allows troubled corporations to restructure their financial affairs. CCAA presen... 06/26/2008

When looking for condos, it is important to work with an expert who knows the buildings and suites very well. There are hundreds of buildings available in Toronto, so it is not so easy to determine value. For example, a one bedroom condo in some buildings could be worth $399,000 but you could get the same thing across the hall or across the street for $200,000. Therefore, we need to make sure we are comparing apples to apples. The key to determining if the condo is priced right is working with a Realtor that has access to all the previous transactions in each building. Things such as view/direction of the suite, level, layout and dozens of other variables are used to complete a full CMA (comparative market analysis). Once we have found the suites in that specific building that have sold... 06/25/2008

Toronto is rapidly becoming a hub of development with new Condos coming on to the Market every quarter. The first quarter of 2008 saw 3,433 new units sold, remarkable in the present economic times and even more so when you consider other Condo Markets in Chicago and San Diego are not selling nearly as well. Downtown these luxury Condo-dwellers enjoy the Roger Centre, the Air Canada Centre and hundreds of restaurants, bars and shopping, just minutes away. One can definitely leave the car in the garage. The new hip neighbourhoods of King St West and Queen St West are both undergoing a rebirth of downtown Toronto. Along both these streets are Korean, French, Italian, and Chinese restaurants to name a few. These neighbourhoods also have unique and quaint shopping in comparison to the bigger... 06/24/2008

Toronto's King West Condos are still very much in demand. With so many choices of Condos, Lofts and Townhouses, new buyers can quickly find what works for them. Close to downtown Toronto, you can see several of the downtown Bank Towers from King Street, its just a short street car ride to work or a quick and short taxi ride. Recently new loft condos and loft conversions are helping to make King West a popular place to live. Liberty Village is now completing both Condos and Townhouses and with a close location to both the Lakeshore and King street even more buyers of all types are moving in. Recently The Toy Factory Lofts with 215 units were transformed from the Old Irwin Toy Factory in the centre of Liberty Village with access off King St. A 24 hour Dominion supermarket anchors a  uniqu... 06/24/2008

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. I received a phone call from a Realtor to Stage a house in Toronto in the Lawrence/Royal York area. It had to be done quickly as the family had flown in from Los Angeles to sell the family home and were only going to be here for a few days.  I filled a van with as much inventory as possible as I was going to Stage a property sight unseen. Very little furniture was in the home, some victorian style sofas and chairs, some china, a bed from Ikea.   I arrived and suggested that the client and myself shop at Walmart for a few extra items. Started at 10 in the morning and finished at 10 that night. The best news came a few days later. The house sold for $ 15,000 over asking and had set a benchmark price for the area! Then the call came that the dea... 06/22/2008

North York Condos Statistics for resale condominium listings on the Toronto Real Estate Board MLS for the period ending April 2008 for MLS district C14. North York Condos Stats April 2008 C14: Average Selling Price April's Average selling price was $307,780 an increase of 6.94% over april 2007's average selling price of $287,807. The information above can be broken down into individual neighbourhoods and streets. If you are considering selling your Toronto Condo please e-mail or call for a free market evaluation. Steven Campbell, Sales RepresentativeColdwell Banker Terrequity Realty., Brokerage www.stevencampbell.caeastyorktorontorealestate.com *Independently Owned and Operatated.**Not Intendend to Solicit Anyone Currently Under Agency Agreement. Loading... 06/21/2008