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]]> http://sandrarinomato.com/archives/784/feed 0 http://sandrarinomato.com/archives/759 http://sandrarinomato.com/archives/759#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:52:22 +0000 raj http://sandrarinomato.com/?p=759 [ Read More ]]]> Homeownership is very important to the 55+ market, and to meet their changing lifestyles developers need to build, and market projects that are rich with amenities, offer easy access to transit, service providers, as well future “aging in place” elements.

Experience and data shows us that people who waited to sell the family home until they reach the age of 65+ downsized, and sold their home in favour of renting; People who downsized before they were 65 more often than not, remained homeowners.

 Why?

We believe that many baby boomers are not ready for developments associated with “senior living”. Baby Boomers or “Zoomers” view old age as something happening to someone else, and they seek out communities that emphasize the zoomer lifestyle, or the “urban experience”.

The Baby Boomer generation is the wealthiest generation in history. They have disposable income and they are ready to spend it. To help facilitate their new jet set lifestyle, baby boomers are looking for homes with little or no maintenance, less square footage, and somewhere to spend their pre-retirement days over the next 15-20 years.

Developers and urban planners have caught wind of this phenomenon and have started to build projects that not only appeal to empty nesters, but also singles or young couples without children.

People who tended to wait until after the age of 65+ ended up renting.

Why?

Many older adults fear the unknown, and are simply overwhelmed with the thought of purging 25 years worth of possessions so, they wait until closer to the true age of retirement before tackling this burden, if they do so at all.

Fact – Average age of residents living in retirement communities Female 85yrs  Male 80 yrs.

The statistics outlined in the CMHC guide “Housing for Older Canadians” does not identify the type of rental unit that would appeal to the 65+ age group, however it would be my opinion, those who have chosen to rent versus own, have most likely selected a retirement community that offered a life lease, or an all-inclusive package deal with a fixed monthly fee.  Very few older adults will sell their home in trade for a standard rental unit or apartment.

Downsizing, & lifestyle transitions can leave you feeling bewildered. Whether it happens now or later, be prepared. 

Downsizing Concierge specializes in lifestyle transitions & senior relocation. Contact us today.

Thinking of moving?

 Whether you are planning a move now or in the future, the team at Sandra Rinomato Realty Inc. Brokerage excels in finding you the home that meets your needs. The boutique style brokerage excels in “client experience” by offering an unparalleled “All Under One Roof” service package.

Reduce stress and just relax!

What is the best colour when selling your home?

Neutral Tones are best, but neutral doesn’t mean white. A home needs to welcome the buyer and colour enhances the overall experience for them.

Classic Neutrals by Benjamin Moore

Crown Point Sand HC -90

Clarksville Gray HC – 102

Stone House CC – 120

Pale Celery 2150 – 60

To view the colours go to Benjamin Moore Colour Gallery – click here

Bring your room alive with trendy home accents and décor pieces. Decorating with colourful accents will add character and charm to your space and are portable so you can take them with your to your new home. Don’t forget lighting!

If you are still unsure of what is best for your home, contact Connect the Dots home staging. Connect the Dots offers sellers a unique, tailored, staging report that includes our unparalleled and comprehensive “Good, Better, Best” showcase options for your home.

416.529.7716

contact@connectthedotsstaging.com

www.rehoming.ca

Follow Jessica’s journey as she waits for a double lung transplant – click here for the link to her blog

We were downstairs, waiting for Wheel-Trans, when the concierge asked me if I wanted my package now or later. I didn’t even know I had a package!!!! So, of course, I got all excited and stuff. I debated not taking it, as I was on my way out to physio, but who was I kidding!? If there’s a package with my name on it, I’m ripping it open! Inside was a Christmas card and a gift from Sandra Rinomato to the G-man: Griffin was crazy excited. After forgetting his manners, he sat down, gave me five, took the petzel and booked it to his bed. You could tell he loved it. He just looked happy. It was like a treasure. If you’re interested, check out Nessie’s Petzels here. Physio laid a beating on me today. I practically slept walked my way out of the hospital. Once home, I grabbed my Playbook (Thanks Wayne!!!!) and headed to my bed made of pillows, with the G-man following behind. I managed to watch another episode of The Walking Dead before my eyeballs shut out the world. I still feel fatigued. And food is gross. Maybe I should try a Petzel…

Over the years, garages have some how managed to creep forward, and now surpass many front doors as the focal point of a home. Whoever created this lovely concept should go back to the drawing board.

A front entrance (not the garage) needs to be inviting, well light and most of all  – the first thing you see as you pull into the drive.

Looking at a typical suburban subdivision, we can see that most of these homes have the same general blueprint, however, it is the garage door that sets them apart & not always in a good way.

Fall is a great time to tackle home maintenance, repairs, and the perfect weather for painting: Eaves, front door, garage door, & decks.

A common question from homeowners is what colour should I paint my front, or garage door?

Firstly, prior to the application of fresh paint, be sure to repair any damage, remove rust stains, debris or chipped paint and apply fresh caulking.

Garage doors should blend with the home. As a rule of thumb, choose a colour for your garage door that is similar to the mortar. Be sure to paint the framework too, otherwise you will be left with what looks like a cartoon drawing and you won’t be happy.

Front doors are where you can have a little bit of fun to personalize your space; you want your front door to pop. Guests will have an easy time finding their way, and Feng Shui states, front doors are top of the list to receive good Chi, when done properly.

Thinking of Selling?

Let us help you with your curb appeal

Stats show that August was slower than the previous year, and I also know that this summer was much hotter and nicer than the previous year. Torontonians are busy industrious people, and when August hits a lot of us have the same reaction:

“I can’t believe it’s already August. Summer is almost over! I need to take some time off and enjoy it.”  Keeping in mind that it was a particularly nice summer and local travel was enticing, loads of us took of for some sun and fun. I really think this had something to do with the August slow down.

Whenever you look at real estate market stats keep one thing in mind:

You must look at a longer period of time than just one week or one month to be able to determine a trend. Only time will tell if the market is hot, cool or cold.

Bad news about the market creates a bad market. Don’t be fooled by sensational headlines, use your head.

The people to call are your trusted realtors. We always know what is going on in the market in your neighbourhood, and we love to talk about it!

Written by Sandra Rinomato 

Sandra Rinomato Realty Inc.

www.HireSandra.com

416-565-3001

The High Park Zoo is home to many different hoofed and clawed animal species – lamas, duck, reindeer, emu, peacocks, bison, wallaby and sheep, just to name a few. each year, thousands of people from all over the City of Toronto and beyond visit our zoo to interact with our animals and participate in our educational programs. From school groups and community groups to residents and tourists. High Park Zoo welcomes visitors year-round and remains a completely free attraction, as it has been since its establishment in 1890. Recently , HIgh Park Zoo has experienced funding challenges. As a result we currently rely on corporations and individuals to help support the cost of keeping our zoo in operation. In building a vision for the future, there are opportunities for donors and corporate sponsors to support infrastructure enhancements such as:

• Refurbishing the llama pens

• Improving animal enclosures

• Creating better sitting areas with more benches

• Introducing multilingual maps and improving existing signage

We also require programming support to enhance our educational program and introduce new programming initiatives. Help the friends of High Park Zoo keep the zoo running….

DONATE NOW!

For more information, please contact:

Rob Richardson

Manager of Partnerships

City of Toronto – Parks, Forestry & Recreation

416.392.9861

rrichard@toronto.ca

By goldengirlfinance.ca | goldengirlfinance.ca – Fri, 14 Sep, 2012 1:15 PM EDT

Studies have shown that women generally have better credit scores than men. According to a survey commissioned by Northwestern Mutual, women approach their finances more cautiously than men, preferring to invest their savings in lower risk, lower return accounts. What’s more, women are more likely to make ‘building up an emergency fund’ a financial priority.

So why is it that women are reportedly paying more (in some cases, considerably more) for their mortgages than men?

Two different studies, one out of the U.K. and another out of the U.S., have found that women are far more likely to carry mortgages with high interest rates than men with similar incomes (detailed information concerning Canadian lending stats are not currently available). What’s more, wealthier women are even more likely to get slapped with expensive terms as compared to their male counterparts.

Discrimination at the counter

In a paper published by IPPR North, Noreena Hertz, the professor of Globalization, Sustainability and Finance at the Duisenberg School of Finance, argues that banks have discriminated – and continue to discriminate – against female customers. Hertz’s research focuses on two specific areas: unjust treatment of female entrepreneurs and open discrimination against women homebuyers seeking mortgages who are pregnant and/or on maternity leave.

A similar study in the U.S. by the Consumer Federation of America, a non-profit advocacy group, found that 10 percent of women who took out a mortgage in 2005 received the highest-subprime rate, compared to just 7.5 percent of men. The study, which relied on 2005 federal data on mortgages from across the country, focused entirely on subprime or high-risk loans.

Who’s to blame?

Research from the America report insists that gender discrimination is not at the root of the problem. A report published in the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics states that women get lousier mortgage rates than men because they aren’t shopping around for cheaper loans.

That’s right – women aren’t shopping enough when it comes to mortgages.

The paper, which was headed by Florida Atlantic University’s Ping Cheng, states that women are far more likely to listen to their friends’ recommendations whereas a man is more likely to discuss his options with a mortgage broker.

Allen Fishbein, the director of the Consumer Federation of America, agrees with this deduction. According to Fishbein, there is research indicating that women are, on the whole, less likely than men to bargain for major consumer purchases and credit transactions, including a mortgage rate.

Tips for shopping around

Mortgage industry experts from FamilyLending.ca encourage borrowers to start their mortgage shopping online. An experienced mortgage broker will be able to pull your credit score and consult with numerous lenders quickly and efficiently. He or she will navigate the complex world of mortgage rates and terms on your behalf, providing you with expert advice and competitive options.

Discrimination does happen

With that said, while shopping around may help to improve rate discrepancies, discrimination is still a very real problem facing female mortgage customers. Hertz’s study corroborates this claim using data collected via social media.

Social media conversations were ‘listened in on’ via discussion threads such as Mumsnet and moneysupermarket.co.uk. Observed conversations took place between 2009 and 2011 and focused on instances where mortgages were the main topic of discussion. During this time, Hertz was able to uncover and follow up on 20 cases where women reported experiencing discrimination based on their gender.

Around the same time, The New York Times reported that roughly 200 mortgage loan applications were turned down when the bank found out the female applicants were pregnant or on maternity leave.

In cases like this, discrimination appears to be at play; that is, behaviour that is a breach of equality legislation.

So what’s a girl to do?

If you suspect that a lender is discriminating against you, don’t sit idly by and let it happen. Ask a mortgage broker to provide you with three separate written quotes and then compare them to the one provided by your lender. If there’s an obvious discrepancy, confront your lender and ask for an explanation.

Above all else, remember that your business is valuable and you have many options. You are the one in control; just make sure the lender knows it.?GoldenGirlFinance.ca is a free personal finance and education site for women.

Nothing contained herein is intended to provide personalized financial, legal or tax advice. Before implementing any financial or legal strategy, you should obtain information and advice from your financial, legal and/or tax advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances, as well as fully aware of current laws and regulations.

In today’s very active and competitive real estate market, it’s surprising how many home sellers get caught up in the excitement of rapidly-rising prices and just arbitrarily decide what their home is worth. While you may have quickly browsed a web site or two, or even toured some Open Houses in your town, such casual investigations can’t properly evaluate what price the changing market will bear and what your house can command against its competition.

Some home sellers even make the potentially serious mistake of buying a new home before they have a clear understanding of what their current home may sell for. They enter into a commitment to buy their next home at a certain price and then ‘work backwards’ trying to sell their home for the amount they’ll need to bridge the distance between the two properties. Sometimes this flawed logic can end in disaster. The home seller may be left with a home that sits on the market for months longer than they anticipated. They may even end up reducing the list price, if their target price doesn’t fit the reality of current market conditions.

If you’re thinking of selling, an important first step is getting a comparative market analysis to give you a reasonable expectation of your home’s value. You need hard information and proven facts to really understand the market, so ask for a market evaluation of your property before you set the list price. Don’t choose a number off the top of your head, just because it suits your needs. Your real estate professional can prepare a comprehensive report for you that will provide you with statistics on recent sales and current listings of comparable properties. Recent sales show you what prices the market has already accepted, so that’s a good benchmark for a realistic starting point. Current listings show you the competition that you are up against now, so you can be sure your home will be competitively priced. Just as important, your real estate professional can also provide you with detailed information on comparable listings that have expired. By reviewing similar houses in your area that did not sell, you know what price range the market will not bear.

In today’s active market, home sellers are frequently approached by salespeople from different companies. While it may be a temptation to choose a salesperson simply because they propose the highest list price, this is usually not the best tactic. If your listing is overpriced, it will discourage potential buyers, extend the time period you have to carry expenses and waste your time. A better strategy is to choose a real estate professional who has taken the time to review your market and your competition and is prepared to support their recommendations with solid market research.

Ebay didn’t have lungs for sale…so I’m waiting on the transplant list.

My name is Jessica Carver and I have Cystic Fibrosis and CFRD. Jealous? I’m currently listed for a double lung transplant at Toronto General Hospital which will give me a second chance to live and laugh with brand new, beautiful, chunky lungs. Although the circumstances are serious, there’s always a silver lining in every cloud and I have a lot of hope. Anyone that knows me understands that I find humour in everything; my health included. I want this blog to be an avenue for encouragement, laughter and whatever else you want to throw at me (exceptions: grenades, darts and slimy hippos).The support I’ve received has been overwhelming and therefore I want to share this adventure with all of you. Thank you to everyone who’s contributed in some way towards my journey for new lungs.

This is a post by a fan of Buy Herself. We had the opportunity to meet Jessica and Brad this week at our Bloor St. Office. (click here) to follow her story

Thanks for stopping by Jessica.

Wish you all the best,

Sandra