Durham Region Real Estate Blog

Johnny’s room. Do not enter! We’ve all seen the sign that signals a teenager is in the house, occupies this room and wants his privacy. Have you ever wondered about the room though, when Johnny (now known as John) is the chief executive officer of a large manufacturing company in a town 300 km away from this house? And though the days are long past, the room is an homage to a time when Johnny played hockey in the street with other neighbourhood children.

Maybe it’s time to rethink the purpose of some rooms in your home. Just because a room has a closet in it, doesn’t mean it must be used as a bedroom. The possibilities here really are endless; the bedroom is essentially a box that needs to be emptied and reconsidered. The closet can become a storage space, have open shelving, or a cupboard at the bottom and shelving at the top. (But don’t permanently remove the closet if you need to show the room as a bedroom when it comes time to sell.)

If space is limited, a multi-functional room can be created. You may want an office but worry that Johnny will have no place to stay when he comes to visit; relegated to sleep on the uncomfortable couch in the basement. Not a bad option if you’re angry at Johnny! However, it is possible to accommodate your current needs and the needs of your guests.

The Murphy bed is a great invention and, in my opinion, it is not used enough. It takes up very little floor space when in its upright position, just remember to measure the height requirements! There are also Murphy beds that attach to the wall along the side of the bed, which may be easier for you to manoeuvre. The latest beds look like floor to ceilings cabinets, which are a great look when changing your spare room into an office.

Having a room completely devoted to guests is great, especially if you have the room to spare. But bear in mind that the number of days you have people stay overnight will be relatively few compared with the number of days you will be using the room yourself. I believe you should focus on yourself first.

You could also change your spare room into a private retreat or den. One place in the house for you to get away and indulge your passion for music or reading. With a center table and a love seat, a couple of big, comfortable chairs and some floor lamps, the room becomes a wonderful place to curl up with a good book.

If you would like to use the closet as a storage area, it doesn’t have to be readily accessible. It could hold clothes that are overflowing from the other closets, perhaps. But I would advise a trip to the thrift store instead and suggest using the closet for the summer-winter clothes switch. In that case, you would need to access the closet only twice a year, and a little furniture shift would be acceptable. A room divider can be put in front of the door and an easy chair in from of that.

So take down the hockey posters, magazine photos and Union Jack flag and replace them with a soothing paint colour and nice pieces of art. Oh, and one more thing, if that ugly light fixture, you know, the one that looks like a square plate that’s only good for catching dead flies, is still up, invest in some great track lighting or pot lights. You won’t regret it!

Do you have something other than the traditional tar and shingles on your roof? If it’s time for a new roof are you thinking about going green and cool?

Ever been on a roof in the middle of summer? It’s hot, really hot and the traditional materials used on them are excellent at retaining heat. In the summer, on a black roof,  the temperature could climb to 90C, compared to only 50C on a white roof. These warmer temperatures shorten the lifespan of your roof and hike up your interior temperatures, increasing your energy consumption and possibly causing heat-related illnesses. Maybe a cool roof could help.

Cool roofs use materials that reflect solar energy and reduce the transfer of heat to interior spaces. As a result, the roof stays cooler and so does the house. Cooler homes mean using less energy and is a win-win for your pocketbook and the environment.

Perhaps you will consider clay tiles, metal coating and composite shingles. There’s no need to worry any more about cool roofs standing out like a sore thumb because of their white colour. They come in a whole range of colours and cant’ be visually distinguished from standard roof. They do cost more per square foot than traditionally roof shingles, but the money would easily be saved on longevity of the roof and the reduced energy bills. You could also choose to install white or lighter coloured shingles and the cost of the roof will be the same as conventional asphalt shingles.

Green roofs are a little different but carry similar benefits. They use rooftop vegetation to lower temperatures. The environmental benefits of eco-roofs are numerous. Green roofs help reduce urban heat and associated energy use, wheich is a particular concern as global temperatures rise. Green roofs also help manage storm water runoff, enhance biodiversity and improve air quality.

Toronto is the first North American city that requires green roofs on new residential, commercial and institutional developments over a certain size. The city is offering grants to help owners retrofit existing buildings with cool or green roofs and other communities are paying close attention. You can be sure that while Toronto is the first, they won’t be the last.

So, when it comes time to do something with your roof, remember it’s cool to be green.

100th posts! I don’t know how I came up with 100 things to blog about, but obviously my gift of the gab has finally come in handy. If you had asked me a few years ago if I’d be writing, about anything, I’d have laughed. Not just a polite chuckle. No, a full on, can’t breathe, tears flowing, nose snorting laugh. Me? Write? And yet, I’m writing a milestone 100th blog! In honour of this achievement I think I’ll put down a few words about homeowner milestones.

Have you purchased your first home already? Was it years ago or just recently? I bought my first place about 20 years ago now and it was a doosey! Is that even a word? Maybe not, but it sure is fun to write it into a sentence.

My first house was a 1 1/2 storey home in Oshawa with an illegal basement apartment. A power of sale that Blair and I couldn’t afford, but since the third mortgagee was so desperate to unload the house, they allowed us to assume all the mortgages and it was ours! Yep, three mortgages, with an average interest rate of 14% and a monthly payment of $1,687.32. Blair and I ate a lot of white bread (whole wheat was too expensive), no name peanut butter and spaghetti, we never ate out and I walked to and from work. Recently, because that house came on the market, I was lucky enough to get back into it for another look . Everyone should be so lucky!

Blair and I hit another milestone three houses later. This was it. The house we never thought we could afford, in a neighbourhood that was well out of reach. If you have been a homeowner for a while you know this house. It’s the one you are never moving from. Might as well have the pine box addressed here because that’s how they are getting you out of it. This house was gorgeous and we fought to own it. The listing REALTOR® wouldn’t return our phone calls to allow us into the home. Thankfully we were REALTORS® and knew a few tricks so we got in to see the house, did an offer and bought it.

We have lived in three houses since the house we were never moving from. Each one a milestone in its own right. So how about you? Tell me about your personal milestones or let me know if I can help you reach a new one!

We are well established in a do-it-yourself era. There is software to do your taxes, online travel sites and even web based estate planing. One area that is getting plenty of press is selling your own home. But just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

More than just marketing and salesmanship, selling a home includes documentation, contracts, transferring of property and funds- all of which require singular interests to be sought out and protected. Typically, knowledge is power, but in this instance, is it really empowerment, or a dangerous case of a little bit of knowledge where a lot of expertise is ultimately required?

Like any major undertaking, perhaps the greatest risks are the ones you don’t know about. The business of selling and buying properties is no place to rush in blindly. Whether buying or selling, you need to recognize the limitations of going it completely alone. Though it is perceived to be a common transaction, there are many intricacies in each sale.

If you are going to go it alone, you need to pause and consider many things. Because this is one of the largest, and therefore riskiest, financial decisions many people will ever make, every buyer and seller should seek expert advice, early on in the process, in order to ensure that they have access to all the necessary information for a successful transaction. Although perceived to be a common transaction, real estate is a very involved, often problem-prone process. You should have all the information about the property and the real estate process before committing yourself. This becomes more crucial if someone is considering proceeding with a private sale.

If you’re going to go it alone, you need to get great advice and do your due diligence. Be educated about the process to better understand your options and the ramifications of choosing one route over the other.  Like so many things in Real Estate, it comes down to strategy. The success of a real estate transaction increases when it is well planned, the potential issues are identified and provided for and the proper parties are brought in when required.

As a REALTOR®, I don’t get paid until I am able to execute a successful sale. So I’m investing time and money into education, insurance, technology, security systems, marketing tools, relationships, meeting with buyers, pre qualifying buyers, educating buyers, showing properties, building relationships with other buyer REALTORS®, lawyers, moving services, home stagers, mortgage lenders, upgrading contract skills and resources, negotiating, advising, researching market trends and sales, and so much more, so I can provide valuable service  and protection to my clients, while seeing them through to the very end so they can realize a successful sale and purchase of their next home.

There are instances where sellers go it alone successfully, really successfully. But there is also the other side of this scenario. Cases where owners could have benefited from advice before, during and after the sale. A lot of do-it-yourself companies are great at convincing sellers to pay hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars up front with the lure that they will have a successful sale, and save thousands that would otherwise be paid to a REALTOR® after the sale is complete.

Best decisions are made by having all the facts in front of you. One perception is that listing with a REALTOR® is handing over control. But sometimes, you take control by handing the process over to someone else. Do you have the time to devote to adequately promoting your own home? The expertise and experience that a REALTOR® could provide in terms of comparable market values and pricing can be invaluable.”

Regardless what route buyers and sellers choose, it is essential to do the homework. Those who don’t make themselves aware of the implications of entering into the sales process alone, do so at possible peril. Things may work out- but they also may not- and without the advice of an expert, you are leaving the outcome largely to chance. It is important to have support throughout the process. There are fundamental legal, financial and practical implications for all parties involved. This is a legally binding contract once signed by the parties and before signing, everyone should understand what is being agreed to (does the written text reflect the intention) and does it address all the necessary issues.  Only then will surprises be avoided and the parties successfully accomplish what they set out to do.

Part of navigating a successful sale, no matter which road you choose, is to try and limit the amount of risk from unanticipated events.  Whether buying or selling, this risk can be neutralized and managed better through education and consultation at the beginning of the process- from an expert that meets the required need.