Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware: It is the home owners duty to research information prior to making a purchase. A knowledgeable consumer is a smart consumer. I try to convey this message to all my clients and protential clients so that they may better protect themselves.

Fallacy: Some consumers assume the Ontario New Home Warranty Program (ONHWP) offers blanket warranty coverage.

Truth: For a fee, new home buyers receive a (comprehensive) financial and construction defect warranty.

This warranty program provides $100,000 total maximum coverage on each home or condominium unit and deposit loss, not exceeding $20,000. It also offers protection against delayed closings, delayed occupancy and substitutions made without your agreement if the items of construction or finishing were specified in the agreement of purchase and sale. Remember to read the fine print, new home builders often have escape clauses allowing them to delay delivery of new home if they run into problems.

New home owners are supposed to receive a one-year warranty against defects in work materials and Ontario Building Code violations. Often they will hardly do anything if it involves a lot of work or replacing a product. For example I have seen many wood stairs with filled holes from wrong placement of guards and the builder refused to do anything even though plugs were clearly visible.

For homes enrolled on or after Jan. 1, 1991, the builder provides a two-year warranty against: water penetration through the building envelope including the basement or foundation walls; defects in the electrical, plumbing and heating delivery systems; protection against health and safety Ontario Building Code violations. Materials and work in the exterior cladding, caulking, windows and doors must also be defect free.

New homes enrolled on or after Jan. 1, 1991, have major structural defect coverage lasting for seven years while homes enrolled before that date are covered up to five years.

Fallacy: Many home owners believe the warranty program’s warranty coverage has an unlimited time period. Unfortunately, new home owners only realize their mistake after they lodge a complaint of claim when the warranty on the particular problem has expired.

Truth: New home owners should document all problems in writing before the warranty period ends. The warranty program can not pay claims if we don’t have notice of the problem within the warranty time lines. Forward copies of this documentation by registered mail to the builder and the warranty program. Home owners should note giving notice on the Certificate of Completion and Possession is not sufficient

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The Chancellor of the Exchequer still determines the inflation target for the economy. The monetary policy is dictated by the inflation target set by the Treasury Chancellor despite the independence of the Bank of England (BOE). BOE has the power to change interest rates to levels that it believes will allow it to meet this target.

You must have heard about George Soros who is famously known as the, Man who had broken the Bank of England. How did he form his opinion about the inability of Great Britain to say within the EMU in the early part of 1990s? By watching the policy statements of MPC! MPC meetings are held on a monthly basis and are closely followed by changes in the monetary policy including changes in the interest rates. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meetings are closely followed by the professional forex traders all over the world as GBP is a highly popular currency among the traders.

Now closely following what happens before and after these meeting is the job of many professional forex traders who trade GBP heavily. They cant risk the chance of being taken by sudden surprises. Before each meeting, the market guesses the likely outcome. After each MPC meeting, MPC issues statements. These statements are compared with the expectations the market had. Any deviation is the cause of major volatility in the pairs involving GBP. These statements are very important for GBP traders. A Quarterly Inflation Report detailing the MPCs forecasts for the next two years of growth and inflation and its justification for its policy movements is also published.

BOE issues a number of more reports that are frequently used by market analyst to form their bias about GBP. The Quarterly Bulletin is another publication. It provides information for the past monetary policy movements and analysis of international economic scene and its impact on the British economy. All of these reports are highly informative for professional forex traders who trade GBP heavily.

The main policy tools used by MPC and BOE are the Bank Repo Rate and the Open Market Operations. Bank repo rate is the key rate used in the monetary policy to achieve the Treasurys target inflation rate.

Bank repo rate is set by the BOE for its own operations in the market such as the short term lending activities. Changes to this rate affect the commercial banks interest rates for its savers and borrowers.

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To qualify for the $1600 Government insulation rebate is easy. 1. Be the homeowner 2. Be 18 years + 3. Be Australian Citizen or Resident 4. Have no insulation or less than R value 0.5

If you meet this criteria your eligible for $1600 Free Insulation at not Cost to You.

The insulation rebate forms part of a $4 billion economic stimulus plan. The insulation rebate is available from 1st July 2009 until December 2011. For homeowners, the insulation rebate is up to $1600 worth of ceiling insulation and $1000 for tenants and landlords. The insulation rebate is expected to cover up to 2.9 million Australian Homes.

Why have they introduced this?

Simple, it is designed to stimulate the economy by creating jobs, as well as protecting the Environment. Homes that aren’t insulated lose between 30-40% of all its energy through the ceiling so by installing the insulation you are cutting down on your homes energy consumption. Which in turn will reduce the amount of Greenhouse Gases.

So are you doing your bit for the Environment? Remember this is FREE. Not outlay and NO COST TO YOU.

Insulation Rebate For Homes use only qualified and registered insulation installers so that the work is of the highest quality and there is no cost to you the homeowner.

Our insulation installers are professional and experienced in installing insulation in homes around Australia and are Government approved to receive the insulation rebate.

Contact us for more information on insulation installers in your area. Our insulation installers use high quality glasswool batts that are non-combustible, non-irritating to allergy sufferers, and have bonded fibres to stop movement in the ceiling space.

Insulation installers must be registered with the Federal Government for any work to be eligible for the insulation rebate. The Insulation Installer Register is designed to protect you by ensuring that only qualified insulation installers carry out work on your home. To arrange for your Free Insulation contact us today

Insulation Rebate For Homes use only qualified and registered insulation installers so that the work is of the highest quality and there is no cost to you.

Our insulation installers are professional and experienced in installing insulation in homes around Australia and are Government approved to receive the insulation rebate. Contact us for more information on insulation installers in your area.

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Toronto has a wealth of various types of exquisite accommodations. If you are coming to Toronto for an extended stay or searching for permanent housing, you have to consider how much you can spend on accommodations. Staying at a hotel can result in a very expensive accommodation bill. For many people, staying in a short term rental furnished apartment is a popular choice. These apartments provide guests with all of the luxuries of a hotel except they provide a home-away-from-home environment. The prices are much more affordable than a hotel and they are available for weekly or monthly stays. There are many short term rental apartments across Toronto catering to a variety of customer’s needs. The key to obtaining the right apartment is to make sure it meets all of your needs.

When you choose the best short term apartment that meets your requirements, you should first consider where the apartment is located. One feature you should consider is access to roads and highways. You will have to decide if you require accommodations that are near an accessible road that leads to the airport. As well, there are many major roads and freeways leading into Toronto. You can reach the city by such highways and roads as: 2A, 27, 400, 401, 404, 409, 427, Allen Road, Black Creek Drive, Don Valley Parkway, and Gardiner Expressway. All of these roads are connected to almost any region in and around Toronto.

Another feature to consider when choosing short term rental furnished apartment in Toronto is the location of the apartment. Toronto is a diverse city with a variety of wonderful regions. Downtown Toronto is the heart of the city. There are a variety of attractions within walking distance such as heritage buildings, theatres, music, restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, sporting facilities, boutiques, hotels, attractions, and live theatre. If you are looking for a fast paced and thriving environment, downtown Toronto may be the place to rent a short term rental furnished apartment.

If you are coming to Toronto for business, you may want to consider a short term apartment rental near the Financial District. The Financial District is a business district located in the downtown area. There are many banks, corporate headquarters, law firms, accounting firms, insurance companies, marketing companies, and stockbrokers. It has everything a business person will need.

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The Fire Code is a subset of the Building Code. It prescribes construction and safety issues as they relate to how the building is required to perform should it catch fire. A significant distinction with the fire code is that it can apply retroactively.

The Fire Code can be applied retroactively A new Fire Code was developed that applies to specifically to basement apartments. The code applies to all basement apartments whether existing or new. Owners must ensure that their apartment complies with the new Fire Code and must obtain a certificate of compliance.

There are usually four components of the Inspection that must be met:
1. Fire Containment or  Separation of Suites
2. Fire alarms – Units must have working smoke alarms
3. Egress – There must be safe way out for occupants.
4. Electrical – Must have ESA inspection.

By-laws are created in some municipalities to prevent basement apartments as a nuisance protection for the neighbours.

Basement Apartments – The History

After 1993, a permit was required to change a home from single family to multi-family.

In 1994, the government in Ontario said that we could ignore local bylaws that prohibited second dwelling units in houses if certain conditions were met.

In 1994, the province set new Fire Code rules for basement apartments. A deadline was established for all existing basement apartments to upgrade to the new fire code.

In 1995, the Provincial government told municipalities that they could enforce their bylaws regarding basement apartments. A grand-fathering clause says that apartments existing before November 1995 do not have to meet local bylaws.

TWO-UNIT HOUSES (SECOND SUITES) Barrie ON – Local By-law

WHAT IS A TWO-UNIT HOUSE?
 
A two-unit house is a building that contains two residential dwelling units. Commonly, a two-unit house starts as a single dwelling unit (detached, semidetached or townhouse) with a second dwelling unit created within the house later on. The second unit is sometimes referred to as a second suite, an inlaw suite or a basement apartment. Duplexes & semi-detached units located on the same property are also considered as two-unit houses.

Effective January 1, 2004 the City of Barrie requires every two-unit house within the city to be registered. As part of the registration process, the City will confirm that the two-unit house is legal under the City’s Zoning By-law, and that the house complies with several health and safety regulations.

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Our Thermal Scan inspections is also available for $129.00 which includes a full thermal scan of all your exterior surfaces, bathrooms, utility, kitchen and electrical panel. We are the first company in Barrie, Alliston and Orillia to offer this new technology and as we continue to provide new services and innovations which always benefit our clients. So when choosing a company to inspect your next real estate investment, choose a leader not a follower!

We offer a 100% Money-back guarantee on our $129.00 inspection package as with all our services.

Written by Roger Frost

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Most builders and contractors are professional and will take responsibility for their workmanship, others are quick to point the finger at somebody else, usually any other trade will do as long as it is not them. Tarion allows your house to settle for one year before they will look at or discuss any drywall cracking issues.

First problem is, your load of lumber used to build your home. Un-like myself when buying lumber, choosing the straight lumber takes up most of that time. On the other hand, your home package is dumped off in one large skid at the construction site. So your framer has just the right amount of lumber to build your home. Most framers won’t bother checking moisture content and straightness of the lumber, he will make do with what he has. A good framer will use most of the warped pieces as fillers etc where they won’t matter as much.

Most homes in the Barrie, Alliston, Orillia area have 2X8 floor joists. If it is raining when your package is delivered these joists will be exposed to extreme moisture until the roof is completed. This is a recipe for high moisture content and eventual shrinkage and possible warping etc.

As the lumber gives up this moisture, the change in size can be dramatic. But it is important to know that a standard piece of lumber does not shrink the same amount along all of its dimensions. The greatest amount of shrinkage occurs across the face of the grain.

Let us assume that a standard 2×4 that is 8 feet long will be exactly 96 inches long, 1.5 inches thick and 3.5 inches wide. Once this 2×4 has been in your house for 6 months and had a chance to acclimate and dry out if it was wet, it will still be nearly 96 inches long. There is very little shrinkage along the length of the lumber.

The thickness of the 2×4 will change slightly, but not by much. But the width of the 2×4 will experience the greatest shrinkage. It may only measure 3 and 3/8 inches in width. Imagine how much shrinkage might happen with a large 2 x 12

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Tips for saving energy and money

One of the biggest untapped sources of energy we have is the energy we waste. Using energy more wisely yields huge benefits for all Canadians:

• Dollar savings
• Energy supplies go further
• Reduced emissions
• Improved air quality and environment

Conserving energy at home

Our homes use a lot of energy and are responsible for a large portion of our air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Canadian homeowners use power to run their computers and televisions, as well as other appliances that run on gas or electricity, like fridges, stoves and furnaces. The following list of energy-saving ideas lets you see how you can make a difference by conserving energy in your home.

Use energy-efficient products/appliances

You have choices about saving energy when you shop for your home. ENERGY STAR^® -qualified products and appliances use less energy than conventional models and give you years of energy savings.

• Lighting: Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use less electricity and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.ENERGY STAR^® CFLs use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. It’s a good idea to use CFLs for outdoor lighting and for your porch, kitchen and family room – all of the places where you spend most of your time!One 100 watt incandescent bulb produces the same amount of light as two 60 watt bulbs and uses less energy.If everyone in Canada switched just one bulb in their home to a CFL, Canada would save over $73 million in energy costs that year.
• Holiday Lighting: During the holidays, replacing five strings of traditional incandescent lights on a Christmas tree with LED lights would save about $7 that year alone!
• Showers: An energy efficient shower head or flow controller reduces energy costs without affecting water pressure.A low flow shower head saves as much as 60 percent of the water used by a conventional fixture.
• Refrigerators: Your refrigerator accounts for 11 percent of your household’s total energy consumption, so buying an energy efficient model makes good sense.Today’s energy efficient refrigerators use 50 percent less energy than models made 10 years ago. Look for an ENERGY STAR^® -qualified model to be sure of your refrigerator’s efficiency. You might also consider retiring that older, second refrigerator – or at least unplugging it when it is not really needed.

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This first section will deal with home owners who are still living in their homes and will be having a home inspection to have condition removed from Real Estate Offer.

Ensure your annual maintenance items have been done, which are not limited but can include the following:

1. Check all eaves troughs to ensure not blocked, splash pads are installed correctly, downspout supports are intact, no low areas in area of discharge, gutters are well supported and not sagging.
2. Basement window wells are debris free, drains are filled with clean stone or covered with screen, screens are intact and correctly installed.
3. Exterior siding is secured. Re-secure any loose pieces of siding, this can sometimes be as simple as snapping back into place or sliding siding into neutral position to cover gaps from expansion or contraction.
4. Re-caulk any exposed holes on doors, windows, exterior   electrical fixture, flashing and any area where water entry may be a concern.
5. Re-level any patio stones that have heaved from frost.
6. Replace any rotted boards on wood decks and porches. Ensure all hand rails are secure with all guards being secured.
7. Check your attic to see if any problems have occurred from last inspection or if any work was done, that insulation was properly replaced.
8. Test your GFCI outlets and ensure they trip and reset. These will be located on exterior outlets and all bathrooms in newer homes. Newer homes will have arc fault protected devices in bedroom and kitchen, which should also be tested.
9. Open and close all your doors and windows to ensure proper latching and operation. Check for door stops and any holes created by door knobs hitting drywall. Repair and Replace as required. Most problems can be fixed with minor adjustments.
10. Check all your lighting fixtures to ensure proper operation.
11. Check your sump pump to ensure it has a proper fitting cover and will operate when tested.
12. Check your furnace filter and replace if dirty or ripped.
13. Check all your visible wiring in basements to ensure cables are not touching any hot air ducts.   There is no issue with wires touching cold air returns.
14. Make sure your electrical panel and attic hatch will be both accessible by home inspector.   Most professional inspectors will definitely inspect both.

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Eave Troughs – Care and Maintenance

  Winter and eave troughs – This is where most home designers fail to take winter into consideration when designing homes.   Most home owners buy homes in the Spring, Summer and Fall, and never think about their homes eave troughs and downspouts. As a  home inspector in the Barrie, Alliston, Orillia and Innisfil area it amazes me how many homes have downspouts that discharge water directly onto sidewalks and driveways.    This leaves the home owner scrambling to keep ice from accumulating on these high traffic areas.

  Most new homes have weeping tile that their downspouts discharge into, which working well in warm weather. As the cold weather sets in these usually freeze up and can cause damage to your downspout as the ice can build up enough pressure to split the aluminum seam. I usually recommend that the home owner install a Tee at the junction of the downspout and weeping tile. This allows the water to run off from downspout when the weeping tile is frozen. The weeping tile will always remain frozen long after the eave trough and downspout have started moving water. This simple tip will aid in preventing ice dams and those annoying drips from your eave trough.

Fall Clean-up

Always ensure your eave troughs are clean and leak free prior to winter. You can manually clean your gutters or use a leaf blower to blow away the loose debris. Always place your ladder in a secure area, tied off to secure object is recommended, and do not support on gutters or downspouts. Make sure your roof is not slippery if climbing onto for cleaning.   After removing all debris, soften any solidified debris with water, flush with water.   This is when any leaks should be noted and repaired with caulking or recommended gutter sealing product. If water is not freely flowing from downspouts you may have to take them apart to removed stuck debris, this is easier to do in nice weather rather than waiting for winter weather to perform any maintenance.

  Adding downspouts is a quick fix for some eave trough problems that occur in winter. Some designers will run a single gutter around front or rear of house and if located in an area susceptible to collecting snow, can lead to ice build up.

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