David Gharat RE/MAX For Sale 21 Horton Blvd, Toronto, M1J1K7

David Gharat RE/MAX For Sale 21 Horton Blvd, Toronto, M1J1K7

Your Home, Your Investment: Preparing your home for summer vacation!

Your Home, Your Investment: Preparing your home for summer vacation!

It’s summertime and you may be planning to get away to the cottage, the beach or across the country to visit family and friends.  If you are planning to be away longer than 3-4 days, you will want take specific steps to prepare and protect your home for while your away.  There are several checklists available on the topic.  Here is the one we use for preparing and protecting your home room by room.

General:

Home Monitoring: Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to check on your house every 3 days.  Investigate installing a security system to monitor your home more closely.

Social Media: Do not communicate beyond a trusted group that you will be away.  Avoid posting photos on social media while you are away.

Pets: Arrange for care of pets, if necessary.

Home Insurance: Review your home insurance policy to make sure you comply with insurance company requirements.

Yard and Driveway:

Flowers: Arrange to have summer annuals watered daily.

Lawn: Arrange to have lawn mowed if away longer than 2 weeks.

Flood Lights: Install motion-censored floodlights outside your home.

Windows: Close and lock all windows.

Vehicles: Leave vehicles parked as normal, be it in the driveway or in the garage, if possible.

Entry:

Additional key: Have an extra key made for a trusted neighbor or friend.

Mail: Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to collect your mail if you have an outdoor mailbox.

Newspaper: Discontinue the newspaper while you are away.

Air Conditioning: Set temperature 4-5 degrees Celsius higher than normal to save electricity.

Living Room and Bedrooms:

Lamps: Turn on one indoor lamp near a window during the evening hours using a timer or a web application.

Electronics: Unplug all small electronic while you are away to save electricity. 

Kitchen:

Perishables: Remove all perishables from your refrigerator that will go bad before your return.

Garbage: Remove all garbage from your inside home.  Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to put out on Garbage Day.

Recycling: Remove all recycling from inside your home. Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to put out on Recycling Day.

Compost: Remove all compost from inside your home.  Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to put out on Recycling Day.

Dishwasher: Run and empty dishwasher.  Leave dishwasher open while you are away.

Basement/Laundry Room:

Laundry:  Wash and dry laundry. Make sure last minute dirty items are dry.

Water:  Shut off water supply if away longer than 2 weeks.  Adjust hot water heater setting to vacation setting, if possible 

Relax and enjoy your summer vacation!

David Gharat

www.housecondopro.com

Driving Around Toronto - For Sale And Open House Signs

Driving around Toronto these days, you actually see For Sale and Open House signs up in neighborhoods.  This is exciting! While the last few years have been exciting, I believe his balanced, non-frenzied market is strong with potential benefits for buyers, sellers, and investors.

Whether or not to buy, sell or invest at any given time for any one individual or family depends on many factors.  The real estate market and the prices that result from the forces of supply and demand are only some factors to consider.  Your current personal, professional and financial goals and milestones will also be key in your decision. 

If you are buyer, here are some positives to consider:

· Recent requirements for 20% down payment protect prospective buyers from over-extending their debt.
· With increased supply in the housing market, prospective buyers have more choice, more time to consider different homes and review home inspections.
· Increased tax requirements for foreign buyers tempers the foreign demand somewhat and may be beneficial to buyers who reside in Canada.
· Overtime, once the forces of supply and demand set in, prices may become more stable and predictable and potentially, more affordable.
· Real estate, over time, appreciates and continues to be a very good investment.

·   Interest rates remain historically low and any anticipated increase would likely be modest.

If you are a seller, consider the following benefits:

· With more days on the open market, sellers will be in a position to consider best offers over the course of days, not hours.

· Home prices (otherwise seen as asset value) may be more stable and predictable, allowing for better financial and retirement planning.

· If you have been in your home for a while, you can use the value from your home to downsizing and fund an earlier retirement or you can leverage the value from your current home to upsize to your future home.

David Gharat

www.housecondopro.com

Your Home, Your Investment: Stay Cool with Central Air Conditioning!

Your Home, Your Investment:  Stay Cool with Central Air Conditioning!

Summers in Toronto are usually sunny, hot and humid.  Even though we love it, the high humidity, hot air temperatures and bright sunshine can sometimes combine to make an uncomfortable indoor environment. An air-conditioning system provides relief by lowering the air temperature and the humidity level your home.

There are a few options open to you and qualified HVAC Specialists can help you determine the system to cool your home.  Some options to consider include:  a room air conditioner (either window or wall-mounted), a central air conditioner or a heat pump.  A room air conditioner works if you are cooling 1-2 rooms.  A heat pump may be an option if you are looking for a new heating and cooling system. If you want to cool the entire space of 4 or more rooms and your home already has a furnace to heat your home, investing in central air conditioning may be the best option for you.

How does a central air conditioning system work?  Air conditioners, working in conjunction with your existing heating system, manufacture cool air by evaporating refrigerant such as Freon.  Basically ,there are coils both inside (for cold air) and outside (for warm air). The units contain a compressor to change Freon into hot, high-pressure gas that travels through the coils. As it does so, it loses its heat and becomes liquid; the liquid in turn goes through a valve and evaporates into cold, low-pressure gas. When it enters the coils, it absorbs the indoor heat and lowers the temperature.

What factors should you consider when selecting a Central Air Conditioning system? There are five factors you should consider when selecting a central air conditioning system: 1) Size, 2) Energy Efficiency, 3) Budget, 4) Manufacturer’s Brand and 5) Installation.  Let’s consider each factor in more detail.

1) Size: Determining the size of the system that best fits your home is key. Factors such as number of rooms, number of windows, ceiling heights external temperatures should be considered.

2) Energy Efficiency: Residential air conditioners use the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) as a measure of their efficiency. This measure shows the number of British Thermal Units (BTU) of cold air provided for each watt of electricity.  Higher EER is more efficient and more expensive units.

3) Budget: There are two costs associated with installing a central air conditioning system: equipment cost and installation labour costs. To help reduce the costs of the system, ask about Manufacturer, Installation Vendor or Government of Ontario rebate programs.

4) Manufacturer’s Brand:  There are multiple air conditioning brands and each brand manufacturers different units to meet different needs. Warranties are pretty standard at 10-year parts and labour.

5) Installation:  After you determine the size, energy efficiency and budget, selecting the installation vendor may be your most important decision.  Good equipment can be installed improperly, creating short and long-term problems.  

David Gharat 

www.housecondopro.com

228 King Edward Ave - David Gharat (RE/MAX All Stars Inc)

Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Be Prepared and Be Safe!

Do you have the proper number of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home to protect your family?  This question became a priority at our home when the carbon monoxide detectors sounded on a Sunday morning.  Wow! Are those things ever loud! After some frazzled nerves, a 911 call and a visit from Toronto’s finest firefighters, we been reminded about the importance of these detectors and learned more about the requirements.

How many smoke detectors do you need and where should they be placed?  Smoke detectors sense smoke from typically a fire.  Ionization sensing smoke detectors will even detect smolders from the beginning of a fire.  We have even had a smoke detector detect a leak in our roof but that is another story entirely! 

Every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. As smoke rises, smoke detectors should be installed on the ceiling or, if necessary with a slopped ceiling, on the top 1 foot of the wall.  Also, avoiding installing smoke detectors near the kitchen or bathroom where smoke or steam can trigger a false alarm. Are you all set from a smoke detector perspective?

How many carbon monoxide detectors do you need and where should they be placed? A carbon monoxide detector is a device that detects carbon monoxide gas in order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.  Carbon monoxide is a colourless, tasteless and odorless gas.  Carbon monoxide exposure at certain levels and lengths can lead to deadly poisoning.  Initial symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches and stomach sickness. As you sleep, you would not be aware of these symptoms. It is known as the “silent killer” as it is undetectable without technology.  Consequently, it is important to have fully functioning detectors installed.

In Ontario, carbon monoxide detectors must be installed outside bedrooms on each level where you sleep.  Having one carbon monoxide detector in a furnace room is not sufficient to wake people in the night.  Is your household protected from the “silent killer”?

Once you have your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed, how do you maintain them?  There are five key steps to maintaining your detectors:

1. Test the units and know how they work. 
2. Replace the batteries at least once a year, less frequently for lithium batteries than can last the lifetime of the alarm.
3. Replace units every 10 years, sooner if it isn’t working. 
4. Regularly dust or vacuum the units. 
5. Keep the unit free of paint, stickers, or other decorations that may prevent it from working properly.

What do you do should an alarm sound?

First, have a fire escape plan that you practice.  Identify two ways out of each room and an outdoor meeting point away from the home. In the case of a fire, once you are out of the house, call 911. For carbon monoxide alarms, if you are not feeling ill first check the battery.  If you are feeling ill and the battery is fine, leave the home and from your meeting point, call 911.  Although you want to avoid false alarms, do not hesitate to contact emergency services. Better safe than sorry.

Be prepared and Be Safe.
David Gharat www.housecondopro.com