Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan

80 Coburg Crescent - Richmond Hill House For Sale Another new Team Khan listing has just hit the market in Richmond Hill! This
great, spacious townhome features 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a custom deck overlooking the park. A walk out basement with a separate entrance, and a
huge kitchen with a bright breakfast area are just a few of the highlights.
Call for your private viewing and beat the open house rush. For pictures and details, text "19830" to 58888! Click here for your sneak preview video: http://t.co/WdoZxrw

(c) Team Khan
Asif Khan, Sales Representative - Member, Re/Max Hall Of Fame
416-985-5426 Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.

By allowing seller information on the MLS, has the Competition Bureau opened
the door to criminals? With a handful of sellers choosing to pay flat fees
to have their private sale featured on the MLS and wanting to handle all
aspects of the sale on their own, we are on the verge of these sales taking
an ugly turn for the worst. In showing one of these listings, I was asked
to call the seller directly. I was asked to meet the seller at the time
requested and was told that the seller was indeed "cooperating fully with
Realtors". About 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment, the seller
called me on my cellular phone and said they were stepping out but had a
lockbox for my convenience. Not knowing the proper way to handle the
security or legitimacy of the appointment, the seller went ahead to provide
me with the access code to their home. My client and I were in total shock
as we were given a lockbox code to enter the home, which had three laptops,
an ipad, two flat screen televisions, and who knows what else in the drawers
and closets. Now, if I'm a thief and have kept up to date with the changes made by the
competition bureau, I would be salivating! Wow! Thieves no longer have to
break windows, pick locks, or break doors down to random homes and take a
chance that the homeowners may have some exciting goods to steal. Thieves
can now sit back on their stolen laptops, browse Realtor.ca for homes being
sold by the owner, check out each room for attractive
furnishings/electronics, and then simply call the owner for an invitation to
their home WHILE THE OWNERS ARE OUT!! How cool is that? The only drawback
for thieves is that they'd need a business card to get in. What was that?
They can make them at home? Yikes!

While walking through the home, and still in shock that the owner just lets
people in without so much as confirming identity, I was looking at a few
family pictures. The owners had what seemed like two kids under 10 or so.
I thought to myself, the best thing these guys did was to leave for the
showing. Can you imagine if they were home with the kids when thieves were
invited in? Forget Home Invasions, thanks to the Competition Bureau, those
are so last year. You just need to have internet access to browse these
Flat Fee listings, check out the television, appliances, paintings, or
furnishings that you want, and call for an invite. Being new to Real Estate in Ontario, flat fee is in its novelty stage - an
attractive avenue for owners that wish to sell privately. They aim to save
the listing portion of the transaction, not realizing that they are
increasing their liability and risk. Also, private sellers don't have the
time or resources to verify each person's identity and authenticity, a
factor that is taken for granted during the sale process. Secure and
limited access to qualified professionals is imperative for a sellers' peace
of mind and the safety of their family. Just how much money do you need to
save to make it worthwhile to risk your family's well-being? 2 or 3% of a
real estate transaction surely is not even close to being enough, is it?

Although I've only seen one or two of these on the system so far, I know it
will only be matter of time before one of these private sales makes
headlines - for all the wrong reasons. Homes will be targeted through
Realtor.ca and cleaned out, home owners may get hurt, and one or two may
even get killed due to the increased exposure and lack of security.
Insurance costs will surely rise as thieves catch on to this new source of
income, lawyers have already doubled or tripled their fees to "review and
finalize offers", and liability lawsuits will become part and parcel of the
private sale process. It is sad, but it seems to be a sign of the times.
Home owners risking their lives, increasing their liability, and
jeapordizing the safety of their family to try and save a couple of thousand
dollars. One thing that was omitted from the Competition Bureau's summary
after they struck a deal to allow private exposure on the MLS was the Latin
phrase "Caveat Venditor". Let The Seller Beware!

 

Asif Khan, Realtor

Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.

Google me: Asif Khan Re/Max 

An update to our last post. The York Region District School Board has announced that there will be 80 York Region schools offering Full-Time Kindergarten as of September 2012. List of schools to feature Full-Time Kindergarten is attached.

Great news for York Region parents!!
York Region District School Board has announced that 80 schools will offer Full-Time Kindergarten classes starting September 2012!
To see if your child's school has been selected, check out the attached chart.

On March 8th the Town of Markham will be having a preliminary meeting to decide on an application to rezone land near the corner of Castan and Harry Cook.  Land in this area was originally proposed as open space and park land and under this application would be turned into land for more homes.

We are asking all residents of South Unionville to let the councillors know that this is not acceptable.  Please join us in this fight by doing the following:

1. Send an email to our councillor Don Hamilton at DHamilton@markham.ca and let him know you oppose this application.

2. Sign the online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/suca_parks/.

3. Show up to the meeting at the Town offices on March 8th at 7 pm to express your concerns.

Visit www.suca.ca for more information or email suca@suca.ca if you have any questions.

RISMEDIA, March 3, 2011—(MCT)—Inside many of us lurks a pack rat—at least a little one, anyway. Even inside Deniece Schofield. Schofield is a nationally known organizing expert who teaches people how to get their clutter under control through her books, magazine articles, TV appearances and seminars.
Schofield and her husband are planning a move from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Las Vegas, and the prospect has brought her to the unpleasant realization that she has years’ worth of stuff to cull through before the moving truck arrives. “I’m going to have to practice what I preach,” she said with a laugh, “and that’s really hard.”
Truth is, the tendency to keep stuff is common, though some people have more difficulty than others letting go. In fact, Schofield said pack rats make up the majority of people she meets at her organizing seminars.
Pack rats are just clutterers, people who keep more stuff than they need and probably lack a good system for managing it. Their clutter isn’t so extensive that it prevents them from living normal lives, but it can add to their stress.
Schofield likes to ease pack rats into decluttering by assuring them they don’t have to get rid of things—not yet, anyway. But they do have to get the things they don’t use out of the mainstream.
Maybe it’s the five dull potato peelers in the gadget drawer, the 27 unmatched coffee mugs or the stack of bed sheets that no longer go with your decor. They seem too useful or potentially valuable to just get rid of them, but they’re standing between you and orderliness.
One approach to dealing with that excess is to box it up, Schofield said. But don’t just stick the box on a shelf someplace, where it will become more clutter. Instead, make a list of the contents, note in that inventory where you’re storing the box and keep the document someplace where you can find it easily, such as in a file or on your computer desk top. “That’ll give you even more comfort,” because you’re maintaining control over your possessions, she explained.
Then, write a note on your calendar to check the box in a year. Most likely you’ll realize you didn’t miss the stuff inside, she said, and you’ll be ready to give it away, sell it at a garage sale or take it to a consignment shop.
Another approach is to let yourself keep only so many of a particular item, be it margarine tubs or pens or used greeting cards. Designate a space to store them or decide on a number limit, she said. Once the storage space is full or the number has been reached, don’t keep any more until your stock is depleted.
That’s harder to do with clothing, so Schofield recommends this trick: Start by hanging all the clothes in your closet backward, so the hanger hook is facing you. When you wear an item and hang it back up, turn the hanger the right way.
Give yourself a year, and then go through your closet. If the hook is backward, you know at a glance you haven’t worn that garment in 12 months. It’s a good candidate for culling.
What about all the stuff stored in the basement, the attic, the garage or the storage space you rent across town because you’ve already filled up your house?
Tackle it one box at a time, Schofield said. If you set out to organize the whole thing, you’ll just get overwhelmed. It helps to have a friend with you to go through the box, someone who can be more objective about its contents, she said.
Once you’ve successfully handled one box, you’ll be motivated to try another. And another.
Schofield is quick to note that those methods aren’t meant for items with genuine sentimental value. Those can be harder to part with, because our feelings about them are tied up with our feelings about the people who made them, owned them once or gave them to us. “You’ve got to remember, that thing is not the person,” she said. If you can’t use it, take a picture of it, and then give the item to someone who needs or wants it more than you do. “You keep the memory; you don’t have to keep the monstrosity,” she said.
Getting rid of things is only half the remedy for pack-rat tendencies, though. You also have to be judicious about bringing in new things to replace them.
Schofield recommends taking a hard look at your shopping habits and making an effort to curb the urge to acquire. When you see something you want, write it down instead of buying it, she suggested. Put a date on the note, and revisit it in six weeks. If you still want or need the item, buy it. Most likely, you won’t.
And don’t buy anything unless you know exactly where you’re going to put it, she said. “Exactly” doesn’t mean on the kitchen counter or in the office somewhere. It means displayed on this table or stored in that drawer. But what if the item is on sale? “Well, it’s going to be on sale again someday,” she said. “You have to be tough on yourself.”

OTTAWA– The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 1/4 per cent and the deposit rate is 3/4 per cent.

The global economic recovery is proceeding broadly in line with the Bank’s projection in its January Monetary Policy Report (MPR), although risks remain elevated.  U.S. activity is solidifying and remains supported by stimulative fiscal and monetary policies.  Ongoing challenges associated with sovereign and bank balance sheets will limit the pace of the European recovery and are a significant source of uncertainty to the global outlook. Robust demand from emerging-market economies is driving the underlying strength in commodity prices, which could be further reinforced temporarily by supply shocks arising from recent geopolitical events.

The recovery in Canada is proceeding slightly faster than expected, and there is more evidence of the anticipated rebalancing of demand.  While consumption growth remains strong, there are signs that household spending is moving more in line with the growth in household incomes. Business investment continues to expand rapidly as companies take advantage of stimulative financial conditions and respond to competitive imperatives.  There is early evidence of a recovery in net exports, supported by stronger U.S. activity and global demand for commodities. However, the export sector continues to face considerable challenges from the cumulative effects of the persistent strength in the Canadian dollar and Canada’s poor relative productivity performance.

While global inflationary pressures are rising, inflation in Canada has been consistent with the Bank's expectations. Underlying pressures affecting prices remain subdued, reflecting the considerable slack in the economy.

Reflecting all of these factors, the Bank has decided to maintain the target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. This leaves considerable monetary stimulus in place, consistent with achieving the 2 per cent inflation target in an environment of significant excess supply in Canada. Any further reduction in monetary policy stimulus would need to be carefully considered. 

Information note:
The next scheduled date for announcing the overnight rate target is 12 April 2011.

Tue Feb 22, 06:30 PM
ctvtoronto.ca

Ontario's government tabled legislation Tuesday to declare the Toronto Transit Commission an essential service, which would strip transit union workers of the right to legally strike.

Labour Minister Charles Sousa introduced The Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, saying it "was the right thing to do."

"We have acted reasonably in introducing this bill," he said.

He said about 1.5 million Torontonians use the TTC every day and a work stoppage costs the city's economy about $50 million a day.

Premier Dalton McGuinty insisted the move is not about bowing to pressure from the Toronto's new mayor ahead of a provincial election.

"We have received a proposal from Toronto's city council. We have listened to them, we have talked to representatives of the workers as well and we have heard from many Torontonians," McGuinty told reporters.

"Whatever we do it is about helping the people of Toronto and ensuring that their needs are being met."

One of Mayor Rob Ford's first orders of business after sweeping into office late last year was having the TTC declared an essential service.

In January, Toronto City Council voted 28-17 in favour of asking McGuinty to introduce legislation to declare the TTC essential.

The essential service designation takes away transit workers' right to legally strike amid a contract dispute. Instead, negotiations could be subject to binding arbitration by a third party.

Amalgamated Transit Union president Bob Kinnear called Ford a "coward" Tuesday over the bill, and accused the provincial government of trying to win votes.

Still, he said the union doesn't plan to strike, but may seek out other tactics, including work to rule.

"Our members provide a lot of overtime which actually a savings to the Toronto Transit Commission, it's an individual decision and individuals may decide not to do overtime," Kinnear told reporters.

TTC Chair Karen Stintz thanked the provincial government Tuesday and said she looks forward to the new legislation being passed quickly.

"This legislation will ensure riders have continuity of service while we negotiate our collective bargaining agreements with our unions," she said at a press conference.

Minister of Labour Charles Sousa will table the legislation at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss reports the bill could be passed by March 31.

The TTC employees' contract expires on March 31, but Stintz said the union had agreed not to strike during collective bargaining.

New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath hinted her party may try to drag out the debate.

"This kind of bill has serious implications for this union and others," she told reporters. "We want to see a full and proper debate take place."

Horwath said essential services legislation drives up the cost of collective bargaining agreements.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak was in support of the bill, but said he had to see the "fine print" first.

"Mayor Ford has been elected with a very clear mandate," Mr. Hudak told reporters. "In our role, we will help him carry out the promises he made to Toronto taxpayers."

The Toronto and York Labour Region Council said it "strongly opposed" the proposed legislation.

"We are deeply disappointed that the premier and his cabinet are doing the dirty work of Mayor Rob Ford to attack basic labour rights in this province," the organization's president, John Cartwright, said in a statement. "There is a certain irony that even the anti-labour regime of Mike Harris didn't go so far during its time."

Stintz said it is possible to negotiate a settlement with a union that has the essential service designation, citing negotiations with city's firefighters.

Asif Khan, Realtor
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.