The ability to have running water in our homes is a luxury, even though we take it for granted in today’s society. Having hot and cold running water available to wash dishes, flush toilets and take showers are modern conveniences most of us can’t imagine doing without. So it’s important that we make sure the water in our homes is always going to the right place.

Basement Drains

Practically every house has a drain somewhere in the floor of the basement. It’s very important to ensure this drain is clear of any obstruction.  The water in the drain helps trap any sewer gases that may get into your home. If you ever smell what you believe to be sewer gas, check the drain, and if there is no water in it, immediately call a plumber.

Weeping Lines

Today, many homes are built with brick, either being all brick veneer homes, or brick and aluminum siding, for example.  If you look at the first row of bricks, you will notice there is a space between them, usually every six bricks along.  These spaces are called weeping lines, and they are there to allow your home to “breathe” because, in essence, your home is a living, breathing thing.

At times during the winter, you’ll notice that snow will pile up above the first row, and in the summer, sometimes a heavy rain will be driven sideways into your bricks.  These weeping lines will help drain any water that may accumulate there.  If you find the weeping lines have been plugged with gum or caulking, please clean them out so your home can breathe properly.

Downspouts

Another important water drainage area around the home that is often neglected are downspouts.  I have seen many downspouts with no elbow at the end, which allows water to be driven into the ground right beside your exterior basement wall.  Regardless of how well your exterior basement wall is waterproofed, water will eventually find the weakest point in the wall and seep in.  The best solution is to make sure there is an elbow as well as a concrete pad to help direct water away from your home.

Swail

In today’s subdivisions there is a “dip” created between the homes in the lawn.  This is called a swail, and is placed where the two property lines meet.  This is done during the final engineered grading.  Unfortunately, most uninformed homeowners feel compelled to fill this dip in and build a rock garden or level it with soil and grass seed.  It is most important that this weeping line be left undisturbed and allowed to do the work it was intended for.  The swail collects water from each neighbouring home and then drains it, in most cases, toward the front of the property.  In some cases, the water may be directed to the backyard if the topography is so designed, like a ravine lot, for example.

As you can see, it is best not to skimp when it comes to making sure the ways in which water flows both inside and outside your house are properly maintained so you don’t have any unwelcome surprises no matter what season it is!

The basement is often the most abused room in a house
but it is the most important room, and here’s why.

If there are problems in your basement, there will be problems everywhere else. Basements are well known for one problem in particular – water. If you are having water issues, i.e. water seepage from your walls, you can be sure all other areas will be affected

Two very critical items for the running of your home are situated in your basement; your furnace and your sump pump. You may not think the sump pump is important, but do you service your sump pump? Do you know how? Most people don’t, and if asked, they have no idea what to do to service one. Your sump pump is usually located near the interior concrete wall, in a hole in your basement floor, approximately the size of a small garbage can with a 1/2 horsepower pump to remove the water from the hole. The water comes from weeping tile around your house, which is plastic piping at the base of your exterior basement walls.The water flows from the weepers into the sump hole. When the water reaches a certain level in the sump hole, allowing the flotation balls attached to the pump to float, the pump automatically kicks on and the water is pumped up the plastic piping to the outside, and away from your home.

This pump requires electrical power, the same as your washer and dryer, so it’s important you take the time to make it is connected to an electrical outlet. To test the pump, pour buckets of water or running water from your laundry tub faucet into the hole at least once a year. If you don’t do this annual testing, the consequences can be disastrous. If your pump does not turn on and begin pumping out the water you pour down that hole, call a plummer immdeiately.

If your sump pump is seized when water comes into the sump hole, it will not remove the incoming water and your basement will flood, and you could end up with thousands and thousands of dollars of damage, not to mention many personal belongings near and dear to your heart. Insurance claims will cover most of the damages, but they simply cannot replace the lost memories. DON’T wait for this to happen. Check your sump pump and service it TODAY.

So, Will this Affect Me?

Absolutely. Starting July 1, 2010, from the moment you turn your lights on in the morning, jump in the shower, make breakfast, then head to work, your hydro, natural gas/heating oil, and the gas for your car, will increase by 8% .  You might think taking public transport would be cheaper, but no such luck. The diesel for buses and the hydro for trains and streetcars are all going up 8% as well.   If you’re close enough to work, then pedal-power might be an option, so long as you can find a safe place to park your bicycle.

Who is Responsible for This?

In June 2009, the provincial finance minister brought down the Provincial Budget and in it was the HST.  Since that time, thousands of individuals and organizations including OREA (The Ontario Real Estate Association) have petitioned against this Act to their MPPs and the Premier. However, as it turns out, we were petitioning the wrong Member of Parliament. The HST was written by the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) of the Federal Government.

What will be Affected?

If you commute from Barrie to Toronto, take the litres you burn each day, multiply that by 5 (days) possibly 6 by approximately 50 weeks each year, and you’ll quickly see this is going to be a substantial amount.  At present, our regular gas is $1.00/litre. Now it will become $1.08/litre plus any increase in the price of a barrel of oil, which naturally shoots up the price of gas.

If you drive a car that requires premium gasoline, you will notice that it was about $.10/litre spread between regular and premium. It has now escalated to a $.13 to $.16 difference. But, if you are a member of a big box store in the south end of Barrie, premium gasoline was recently priced at $1.02/litre.

The Biggest Effect……..A House Purchase

The ‘good’ news is, that the HST will only be applied to the service costs of buying a home, lawyers, home inspectors etc. I call it ‘good’ news, because it could have been much worse. Using an example from OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association), a home selling for $302,354.00 will have the buyer pay an additional 8% HST on services, which calculates to $1,449.00.  Can you imagine if the HST had been applied to the total house purchase?

I believe in the service industry that most everything will also be subject to the HST. In grocery stores, the PST (provincial sales tax) and GST (goods & service tax) is charged to the customer for a service offered by the employee of the store, for example, ready-to-serve food.  Check this online site for what will be affected or exempt: http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/en/taxchange/hst.html.

At present, the PST goes to the province of Ontario and the GST goes to the federal government (Ottawa). After July 1, 2010, the HST will all go directly to the federal government.

Approximately two to three months ago, a major newspaper stated that the provincial tax collectors will become federal tax collectors on July 1st, with no loss of pay. It was also stated that there may be individual severance packages up to approximately $45,000.00.

Hmm………Is this what was meant when the government referred to the HST creating “more jobs”??

On June 1st, my second article on HST will be: “What is this REALLY going to cost us?”

If you wish to make your opinions known, I have included contact information for the Simcoe County Federal and Provincial MPs.  Our MP for the Federal Government is Mr. Patrick Brown, who can be reached at (705) 726-5959, and whose office is located at 299 Lakeshore Drive in Barrie.  His email address is: brownpa@parl.gc.ca.

Our MPP for the Provincial Government is Aileen Carroll 726-5538, whose office is located at 20 Bell Farm Rd. Unit 1.  Her email address is: acarroll.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.

Can we control mold? Absolutely!

Molds can be found almost anywhere, and they can grow virtually on ANY substance. When mold spores land on damp, organic material, such as wood and paper products such as drywall, they begin to grow and digest the material, and will gradually destroy it given time, unless the moisture is dried up within 24-72 hours.

Mold grows as a result of:

*  Moisture

*  Relative humidity of 60% or greater

*  Dead or stale air

When it comes to your home, mold is generally found in leaking roofs, around plumbing leaks, and on windows as a result of steam from showers or cooking, wet clothes drying indoors, and clothes dryers exhausting indoors.

If mold is left unchecked for a period of time, it may cause serious damage to the structural integrity of your home i.e., wet floor joists. Wet floor joists will lose their strength and sag over time.Mold can also create health problems such as skin rashes, headaches, nosebleeds and allergies. If you have the slightest indication that mold may be present in your home and affecting your health, call your doctor and arrange to visit see an allergy specialist.

Mold Prevention:

1.  Window mold: After having a shower or bath, open the bathroom window ½ inch wide, regardless of the temperature outside. If you have blinds, also open them so the air reaches the window. The air will then remove condensation on the window. If you have an exhaust fan, let it run for a half hour. When leaving your home, turn off the fan, close the door, but leave the window ajar. If you have no fan or window in your bathroom, look into buying a fan as it will far outweigh the cost of removing the mold. Before you leave the house, check all windows, as moisture may have built up on those, too. If so, repeat the same steps, so fresh air can get at the condensation.

2.  Attic mold: Few people realize mold can build up in the attic. If the trap door leading to your attic does not have a proper seal, then over time, warm, moist air will rise and mold will begin to grow on the rafters and the plywood sheeting that supports the shingles.

3.  Mold removal: Previously, mold would have been removed by hand using a cleaner, but today there is a much easier and more thorough method.  You may have heard of sand blasting, now there is another option for removing mold: dry ice blasting. The dry ice is fed through a high-pressure hose with a snorkel-shaped end. The operator aims the hose at the mold in a waving motion. This method removes mold from wood, leaving only a thin, powder-like layer of sawdust. This new, improved method of mold removal saves hours and hours of labour-intensive work.

What to do when you suspect mold but can’t see it:

Mold can sometimes be invisible. If you find an area in your house that smells moldy but you can’t see any moisture or a dark mold residue, check the back side of the drywall, wallpaper or paneling, the top side of ceiling tiles, the underside of carpets and pads, the surface of walls behind furniture, and inside ductwork. If you find mold on the back of the drywall, check for cracks in the concrete wall, and check to see that the eaves trough rain gutters have extensions on them to direct water away from your home.

Remember that water, over time, will find the weakest spot in your concrete wall and work its way in. If you find a significant crack in the wall, there is a company in Barrie that can repair the crack, seal it, and provide a written 10-year guarantee. And that guarantee is transferrable. It goes with the home regardless of how many times it’s sold.

Simply put……………No moisture………….No mold!

Err on the side of caution:

Be careful when investigating for mold, as disturbing mold sites could lead to the release of spores in the air which is precisely what you’re trying to avoid. If you discover mold in your home and you cannot eliminate it, please check under the Yellow Pages for environmental companies that have the knowhow to find and eliminate it.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this publication, please contact me, Harry Magill at: Century 21 BJ Roth Realty Ltd. Brokerage, 355 Bayfield St. Barrie, Ontario  705-721-9111.

The following article is the first of many of which I plan to provide the first part of every month.
Some may include my article along with email segments that I feel may interest you.

Article #1

Where do I begin with my article with spring fast approaching.  Why not some thoughts about Preparing your home or just Do it Yourself.

For sale or just cleaning it up for yourself.

Start Outside:  Clean, spray wash, weed, edge, paint touch-ups, replace any burnt out bulbs, maybe some possible brick work or concrete repairs, driveway sealer.
If you have an older home with a brick chimney, you may need to have the mortar between the bricks, removed and new mortar applied.  It is called ‘Pointing’.

First Impressions:
As a rule of thumb, if a home shows well outside, (curb appeal), it will show well inside.

Inside:
Declutter, including closets; put away winter boots from front hall closet, paint touch-ups; replace builder’s five & dime light fixtures.  You can buy a very attractive light fixture, from any of the big box stores from $20 – $30 and up.
Wash your windows inside and out; remove fingerprints and smudge marks from doors, doorframes and walls.  Vacuum up cobwebs from ceilings, behind drapes and venetian blinds and furniture.

Remember, when a buyer walks into your home, they are not looking for the positives, but the negatives.  If all they see are the negatives, ie: clutter, walls that need painting, dirty dishes in the kitchen, unmade beds, they will just do a quick 180 and be gone.  You will never get a second chance and all they will remember about your home are the negatives. You don’t want that.
You want people to walk into your home and say to themselves….”Wow!”
You want to be #1 on their list, not #10.  You want to create a demand for your home.  The more demand will get you more for your home, the more money you will get in a faster period of time.

Staging:
Staging is the preparation of your home for selling.  It’s putting it’s best foot forward.  You want your home to feel warm and inviting because 90% of all sales begin the moment they open the front door.  It is all about one word “Feelings”.  Either they like it or they don’t like it.  You want them to like it more than any other house they have seen.

Your Mortgage:
If you are going to sell your home now or in the near future, get a written “Payout” from your lender, because mortgage rates have dropped in the past 2-3 years.  You may be faced with a huge penalty.  Let me explain.  Most mortgage deeds will say to discharge your mortgage, you’ll be faced with a 3 months interest OR, the greater of the I.R.D. (interest rate differential), because rates have dropped, and now the lender wants that difference paid to them even if you may stay with your present lender.

You may have the possibility to ‘Port’ your mortgage.  This means taking your present mortgage, on the home you are selling and its present balance and term and transferring it to your new home without any penalty.

So, before you list, or for just peace of mind, get that written Payout.  It could be a real shock.

You are mortgage free:
You have saved over many years to pay off your mortgage.  You do not want your lawyer to discharge it from your title…….keep it on.

Why? Because keeping it on protects you from possible mortgage fraud.  You have read the horror stories about people who have paid off their mortgage, had it discharged from title, and then, to find out a con-artist has put on a mortgage on their home, and you only find out when the lender sends you notice of mortgage arrears.  You do not want to be one of the statistics of these individuals, facing a possible court case and having your credit rating take a beating.

Protect yourself!   It makes no difference in dollars to keep your mortgage registered on title.  It’s paid.  You know it and the lender does as well.  When you go to sell your home, your lender will provide a letter to your lawyer, confirming that the mortgage has been paid, there is nothing owing, and you will get all of the proceeds of the sale, less any costs.

If you have paid off the mortgage and discharged it from title, talk to your lender about placing a Line of Credit with a dollar amount of, let’s say $100,.000.00, with a borrowing power of $20,000.00  This can be done very inexpensively.  It protects you as you have worked very hard to get your mortgage paid off.  Don’t let some unscrupulous individual take away all that you’ve worked for over so many years.

Don’t Let the “R” Word Paralyze Your Real Estate Aspirations

You can’t believe everything you hear about the recession. In fact, Barrie continues to attract families and businesses at a steady pace.  As with anything in life, even recession is part of a cycle. Yes, people have lost jobs. Our incomes have dropped, but have the people disappeared? NO!   Our incredibly gorgeous city is chock-full of amazing assets like Kempenfelt Bay. Every year, more and more people are enjoying Centennial Beach, not just in the summer, but all year round. And that’s just one of the main attractions!

Cycles come and go, they rise, they fall, and still people find a way to adapt and prosper, despite everything. Recessions have hit us before, but people did not give up. Those who were able to, and had the expertise, started their own businesses. More and more vehicles were seen on the road advertising their owner’s new venture in life, and now, I can say with excitement and enthusiasm that current developments are abundant throughout the city.

Just look at all this activity:

• A new eyewear store “Eye Peek”, is now located on Collier St.
• There are new main branches of the Bank of Nova Scotia and TD Canada Trust
• A new CIBC bank is located at Yonge St. & Big Bay Point Rd.
• There is a new Royal Bank of Canada on Bayfield St, North
• There are two new condos on the Lakeshore
• The Go Train has been a huge success
• Barrie’s RVH – First Hospital in Canada with Robotic Cancer Care has been developed
• There is new activity at the old General Tire offices on Fairview Rd.
• Barrie’s Trainer’s Choice – Official Supplier for Hockey Canada has great momentum
• Mercedes-Benz Barrie, one of the company’s top performing dealers is selling like crazy
• There is a multi-million dollar renovation going on for the Holiday Inn Barrie Hotel and Conference Centre
• Anne Street has been rebuilt and widened
• The sewage treatment plant has been upgraded
• The Lakeshore has been redefined at Tiffin St. with finishing and landscaping work to be done in 2010.

Barrie’s unemployment rate continues to fall. The city has spent millions and millions of capital dollars. What does all of this activity mean? Jobs. And jobs can mean owning the home of your dreams is not just a possibility, it can be a reality. Why not check out the market with a trusted realtor who will ensure you get the inside scoop on exactly what’s going on? Don’t let the dreaded “R” word keep you from taking action toward what you want – in fact, why not change it to “R” for Revitalize!