Selling your Property – How to Present to Potential Purchasers...

When you are deciding to sell your property it is always an idea to make the property a potential purchase too as many buyers as possible. One of the best ways of doing this would be to present the property as if it were a blank canvas on to which a potential buyer can stamp their own individual tastes. Below are provided a few simple rules which should help you when to obtain that potential sale of your property without too much effort or cost to yourself...
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A New Type of Luxury Home that Leaves Your Wallet Fatter and Your Life Easier to Manage...

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A home for the 21st Century is not about the latest in gadgets and wireless alarms, internet connections or top of the line intercom system. It is about strength, comfort and energy efficiency.

Baby Boomers are buying their last home and they know what they want.

Enter a new type of home. A home that stands up to fire, noise, sun, wind, rain, snow, bugs, mould and inevitable acts of God like, earthquakes and hurricanes; a home that gives you unprecedented comfort and a breath of fresh air 24 hours a day; a home that can resist hurricanes in Florida as well as sub artic temperatures in the Canadian North.

Imagine an airtight, steel reinforced concrete cube with about 3 inches of styrofoam insulation on both sides of the wall and body temperature heated floors.

Fresh air from the outside enters the house through a series of pipes buried 5 feet below the ground where there is always a constant temperature – 8 Degrees Celsius.

If you really wanted you could open high efficiency Low-E Argon filled windows, but why would you want to?

During the summer the incoming air is pre-cooled; during the winter it is pre-warmed. The flow is strictly controlled, pre-conditioned and filtered for a breath of fresh air - 24 hours a day.

Computer modeling of this type of air pre-conditioning shows that just this one idea saves 11% on heating and cooling costs comparable to conventional venting system.

This new type of luxury home is built as a combination of some of the newest technologies in modern home building: Insulated Concrete Form (ICFs), radiant floor heating, a tank-less water heater and a low energy consumption air conditioning system (that that you may need to use but very rarely).

The outside walls, which are built out of steel reinforced concrete make this home wind and fire resistant, bug and mould resistant and provide excellent protection from hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes.

Outside voices, traffic noises and police sirens are muffled by the walls thickness which allows you to sleep soundly every night. Gone are floor squeaks, drafts and the rattling of glass in your china cabinet.

Because of the exceptional insulation of insulated concrete forms, there is significant ongoing savings in energy costs and greatly increased comfort levels for the homeowner. The savings are anywhere from 35% to 60% depending mostly on the style of home and the size and type of windows.

Features, such as a high (92%) efficiency tank-less water heater heats the whole home, while providing an endless supply of potable hot water.

It turns itself on when you turn your hot water tap, therefore there are no standby losses as with a conventional hot water heater. This equals approximately 25% of energy savings just to heat your hot water.

It is also easy to incorporate a full solar heating, so you can achieve a complete independence from the grid.

This type of home costs only about 10% more than a comparable wood framed home and considering a long term savings, comfort and security why would anyone build homes differently is a merited question.

If you are thinking of building, or simply want to see for yourself what all the fuss is about, the model home can be viewed on Jan 15, and every Saturday after that until the month of April. It is located on 252 Pearson St. by the golf course in Meaford, Ontario.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

To our clients, friends and all of you that may read this blog:
May your christmas be rich in love and friendship, and may the year ahead be filled with lasting joy and peace.
Harvey and Family.

How do we determine the budget for our new home?

One of the first steps in building a home is determining your budget.

For many new home owners the choice comes down to the lowest cost per sq/ft.

There are several problems with this approach.

First no two builders work alike or use identical materials, so the calculation is not always an apples to apples comparison.

Buyers who know something about material costs will factor this in. For example, if Builder A’s standard kitchen cabinets are vinyl- wrapped raised panel doors and Builder B has oak cabinets with flat panel doors, Builder B’s costs are higher.

Costs may also be higher in less obvious ways. One builder may use a 90% efficient gas furnace instead of 78% efficient one; or plastic pipes instead of copper ones.

Even when builders in the same market are consistent in their measurements, their notion of sq. ft. may be different from each others and the buyers.

Most buyers think that this means “useable space”, while builders calculate in terms of the total area occupied by the building. This can make a substantial difference.

Two builders may not calculate cost per sq/ft in the same way when calculating your total price.

Some include only what you can walk on, excluding closets, but counting walk-ins.

Others count two story spaces twice because the entire volume is finished space that must be heated or cooled. On most building plans, square footage is electronically generated by the computer program.

Some take in consideration outside wall dimensions, some inside wall dimensions. Some include garage while some don’t.

Also, sometimes the useable area is measured at the floor level, so that the two-storey spaces such as entry foyers and family rooms can only be included in the calculation once.

Pricing a home per sq/ft is never a guarantee that you will end up in home you expect.

The homebuyer should be very clear on the differences in the materials to be used in their home, and the method of calculation. An experienced builder will be an enormous help.

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Home Repair Improvement Advice-by: Tom Laing

Our homes are our precious possessions – to own a home for oneself is a goal many people aim for in life, even from childhood. After making a home for oneself and the family, it needs to be kept clean and well maintained. Home repair improvement plays a big role in the duties of owning a home. Home repair improvement is something that should be handled with care and planning. If not, the whole effort is going to be counter productive and it will require another phase of home repair to set everything right. More at:
http://luxury-home.ca/Articles/HomeRepairImprovementAdvice.htm

The 10 Most Important Rules of Choosing and Dealing With a Contractor

Building your dream home can quickly turn into a nightmare of unmet schedules, cost over runs, shabby workmanship and endless arguments.
I have been originating and closing construction loans for a good number of years now and I have experienced clients dumping contractors and even contractors dumping clients. By that time in most cases the job is running behind schedule and over budget. Choosing a new contractor at this stage is difficult and further delays are inevitable... More at: http://luxury-home.ca/Articles/10MostImportantRules.htm
Also, check our new site: Luxury-Home.ca
or our old site: ontario-home-builder.com

The Four Essential Tips to Consider Before Choosing Flooring for Your Home

When building your home or redecorating, choosing your flooring is going to be one of the most important elements in giving your home its unique character, look and feel. Selecting the right flooring fore your home though, is not just as simple as choosing the look you want. There is so much more to take into consideration before you find the right floor for you. more: http://luxury-home.ca/Articles/TheFourEssentialTips.htm

Should We Build a New Home or Buy an Existing One?

When building, everything is new. You pick out the materials, floor plan, decorating etc. Repairs and maintenance will less likely be needed plus there is usually a warrantee. You can take advantage of newer technology, newer materials, and modern floor plans. Energy bills can be saved on by creating a more energy efficient home. Property taxes will probably be less during the first year. New subdivisions have better streets and utilities and are less prone to outages from storms. New homes have newer materials and conform to newer building codes. Some insurance companies offer lower insurance rates for newer homes. Finally there is the “Pride of Ownership” which occurs from a home that you “helped create”. There are disadvantages. It may be hard to find a good or convenient location to build. It is becoming harder to find land to build a custom home. It may cost more to build a new home, and extra fees may be incurred such as building permits, utility tap fees, survey costs and construction loan fees. Sometimes, it may take longer to build than what you expected (weather delays, supply delays). You will need to make more decisions and it will take more of your free time.
An existing home is ready to move in sooner. You know exactly what the home will look like and feel like. It usually costs less to buy then to build a new home. You may need to do less work to finish the home (landscaping, decorating, window coverings). You’ll have fewer decisions to make, but you will have less control over what the home is like. An older home may have more repair and maintenance expenses. You may not know the quality of materials and workmanship that went into the home (Insulation? Windows? Efficient furnace and A/C?). Changes may have to be made to suit your tastes, such as redecorating or remodeling. Insurance rates may be higher. Older homes may be less convenient for modern lifestyles (fewer bathrooms, not wired for technology, inconvenient floor plans, lack of closets). Cost of utilities may be higher for an older home. More at : http://www.luxury-home.ca/Articles/Building-vs-buying.htm

When Does It Pay-Off To Obtain a Home Mortgage

If you are in dire need of money and don't have the financial means for a large cash transaction to buy a house, then opting for a home mortgage is worth consideration. more at

http://www.luxury-home.ca/Articles/Home-Mortgage.htm

Check our old web; Ontario Home Builder
or our new one: Luxury Home

Living With Radiant Heat is One of Life's Simple Pleasures...

Invisible, clean, quiet, efficient and dependable;

In Canada and in North America in general, forced air heat is still the most popular because of its low installation costs. However it is the most expensive type of heat to operate and the least comfortable.

When a forced air furnace comes on, a blast of warm air blows into the room for a short time, spreads through the room, carrying dust, pollen, and other air-born pollutants with it. It continues until the thermostat is satisfied.

The warmer air rises to the ceiling, leaving cooler air below. As the room cools, the thermostat calls for the cycle to repeat. more at: Radiant Floor Heat

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13Things You Need To Know Before You Buy a Lot..

Avoid Costly Mistakes & Unnecessary Aggravation - Home Building Tips! Many things should be considered before you choose the desired location to build your new home – type of soil, useable area, water tables, slope, grading and more. Be informed, so that you do not regret your decisions later on. more...
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