Plus visit Enright & Molleson at www.enrightandmolleson.com

We are embarking on a very exciting weekend for new home builders in Kingston - The Showcase of New Homes. As a buyer, this is a great weekend to go through all the participating models to get an idea of what each builder has to offer. As an agent who represents a couple of local builders, I’ll be available to speak with buyers all weekend at our model home on Atkinson St. If you are in the market for a new home, please feel free to drop by on of the two model homes were are hosting this weekend.

Haynes Classic Homes, Lot 93 Atkinson St

Geertsma Homes, Lot 60 Sydney St

Both Homes located in Lyndenwood

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Figuring out what you want and/or need in your home can be a challenge. Here are some tips to get you started. Be sure to ask everyone in your house to participate and keep track of this “wish list” so that you can discuss it with your Real Estate Agent.

• Style of home - Bungalow, Two-Storey, Condominium, Townhouse.
• Number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, size of garage, main living spaces (eg. Family Room, Great Room, Dining Room, Living Room, Den etc).
• Open concept floor plan or more divided spaces.
• How much outdoor space you need and/or want, do you want a large deck, a fence, a pool?
• Proximity to your work, schools and amenities and public transportation to these if needed.
• School someone in your household attends or plan to attends if already have one in mind.
• Any interior finishing features you’d like, such as carpet or hardwood floor, vinyl or ceramic tiles, central air conditioning etc.

Buying a home is a big decision, but these tips should help get started. Contact me and I’ll help take this list to the next step - finding you a home that meets your vision.

Advantages of Buying a Resale Home

With an older home, for the most part you can see exactly what you are getting. And the things you cannot see, your home inspector will be your source of valuable details about the home. For a resale home, you are usually able to assess the characteristics of the neighbourhood if it’s established and you can see the traffic flow, local amenities and any other elements of importance to you as the buyer.

On a financial side, many resale homes offer a more finished home - eg. landscaping may be done, a deck may already be built, driveway already paved and the basement may already be finished. There are generally fewer move-in costs during the first year with a resale home (possible costs could be revealed by a home inspection). While there are a number of advantages, the age of the home and the overall condition can contribute to the overall cost to you in the future. A thorough home inspection is always recommended so that any anticipated costs for repairs or worn out / out of date items can be considered at the time of purchasing the home (eg. age of shingles, age of furnace etc).

Advantages of Buying a New Home
A brand new home also has advantages. While you may buy a new home from a plan or during the construction phase, in the end you usually have much more flexibility with a new home in customizing your decor and landscaping to suit your tastes. If you have particular preferences for design and layout, building a new home may be just the option you were looking for! Another plus for new homes is simple, when you move into you new home it’s all brand new. You walls are free from blemishes from wall hangings, painted in a colour you selected, your floor coverings are new and compliment your style and so on if you had the opportunity to select your finishes.

Newer homes often address such concerns like shortage of storage, room sizes and of course offer more energy efficient homes by following the new building codes for insulation, wiring, plumbing etc. Since all builders vary with their options and floor plans it’s always a good idea to review the building specifications and inclusions in details before proceeding with your offer. This is where I can help - after working as a dedicated New Home Sales Rep I can lend my expertise to help ensure your new house is the home you imagined!

So if you know which avenue you prefer - resale or new - or if you need help figuring out which option best suits your preferences, call me and I can help.

So you’ve decided it’s time to buy a new home, now what? Now it’s time to take that first review of your finances to the next level. Often people find it helpful to engage the services of a mortgage lender to determine how much you should spend on a home. A mortgage lender will review your credit, down payment and all other assets & liabilities to determine how much you can afford.

If you want to get a head start, you can begin by making a list of your monthly income and your monthly expense which could include such items a monthly rent, electricity, heating costs, water, parking fees, cable, car payment & insurance, renters or home insurance, child care, groceries, public transportation, telephone, entertainment, clothes and any amount of money put towards savings.

Once you’ve completed this personal review of your finances, you are ready to meet with a mortgage lender to discuss a mortgage pre-approval. After your lender determines how much you can afford to borrow, the lender will provide you with written confirmation of the mortgage pre-approval and a fixed interest rate for a specific time period. While this step is not required to start your home search, it makes the search easier for you. Imagine not knowing how much you can spend on a home but searching through endless options anyways! It’s better to be aware of your budget and set a price range you are comfortable buying within before you kick off the search.

For more information on preparing for your meeting with mortgage lender, or for help sourcing a lender, contact me for an appointment. Home ownership is right around the corner!

When deciding to buy a home for the first time, it’s a good idea to take a look what whether home ownership is right for you. Our gut instinct is often filled with the excitement of buying your first home and making it your own place. Before jumping, I recommend that first time buyers consider both the advantages and disadvantages in respect to their personal lifestyle and future goals. Typically on the positive side, home ownership can give you choice and control over your home environment. So for example, as a buyer you get to pick where you want to live, the house to live in and how you want to decorate the home you purchase. For someone who has been renting a home, this can be very appealing.

On the flip side, a first time buyer should understand the commitment that home ownership brings with it. Often buyers tend to agree that the positive side is worth it but a thorough review of your current situation is well worth it. Buyers should consider their down payment, ability to make regular mortgage payments, the level of maintenance the home will need and any associated cost, as well as just being responsible for the much enjoyed home ownership.

If you’d like help determining whether home ownership is within reach for you, call me to set up an appointment. Or, if you’ve already determined you are ready to start your home search, give me a call and we’ll get started on finding you the perfect first home!

Real Estate ads are often filled with abbreviations. Here is a list of commonly used one’s to help you decode the Real Estate section of the paper:

• air conditioning - a/c
• apartment - apt
• appliances - appls
• balcony - balc
• basement - bsmt
• bathroom - bath, bth, bthrm
• bedroom - br, bed, bdrm
• building - bldg
• central air conditioning - c/, ac
• central vacuum - cvac, c/vac
• double - dbl
• family room - fam rm
• fenced - fncd
• finished basement - fin bsmt
• fireplace - fpl
• floor - fl hardwood floors - hrdwd flrs included - incl
• parking - prkg piece - pc
• room - rm
• solarium - sol
• storey - stry
• suite - st, ste
• townhouse - twnhse
• washer/dryer - w/d
• workshop - wkshp
• yard - yd, yrd

Want to see our print ads? Find us in the Kingston Whig Standard HOMES section that comes out every Friday. Most of the homes in Kingston receive this paper free! Or visit enrightandmolleson.com for more info on working with the Enright & Molleson team.

Effective December 14th 2007, the Ontario Government announced that an ammedment to the Land Transfer Tax Act was passed and now in place. The new legislation expands on the exisiting Land Transfer Tax Refund for First Time Home buyers to now include New Construction and Resale Homes. The maximum refund of $2000 remains the same.

This is great news for First Time Buyers who area already faced with a number of new costs when entering the market of home ownership - but this small token certainly helps! So regardless of whether you buy new or resale, the refund still applies as long as you meet the other criteria. The following eligibility requirements apply for resale homes, and continue to apply for newly constructed homes:

• The purchaser must be at least 18 years of age.
• Application for the refund must be made within 18 months after the date of the conveyance or disposition.
• The purchaser must occupy the home as his or her principal residence within 9 months of the date of closing.
• The purchaser cannot have owned a home or had any ownership interest in a home, anywhere in the world.
• A spouse of the purchaser cannot have owned a home or had any ownership interest in a home, anywhere in the world while he or she was the purchaser’s spouse.

Please visit the Ontario Ministry of Revenue’s website for complete details or call me and we can discuss what this new amended legislation means to you.

At Century 21 Champ Ltd here in Kingston, we offer our buyers & sellers the Century 21 Gold Standard in service. Century 21 has long been known for their high standards and this is true with us as well. As a representative from Century 21 Champ Ltd, I pride myself in providing exceptional, detailed & attentive service to my clients. Whether buying or selling, I am here to help.

Plus as a bonus to my clients, you can receive AIR MILES for buying and selling with me. Century 21 is the only company that offers this program, so why not take these extra points and turn them into something for your new home! Curious about how to take advantage of receiving AIR MILES when you work with me, well it’s easy! Whenever myself and my partner Greg Enright represent you for the purchase or sale of your home, we’ll provide you with AIR MILES upon the successful close. If you Buy & Sell with us, you’ll get even more points - points for buying and points for selling! Now that’s something to get excited about!

As your Kingston Area Real Estate Agents, we are looking forward to helping you with your real estate needs. Call us today!

During the Winter months there are some general household maintenance that should be completed to keep things running in top-notch shape. Here’s a list of items to check throughout your home this winter:

• Clean furnace filter & HRV. To know if it’s time to change the furnace filter, remove it carefully and hold it up to the light. If little light shines through then it’s time to change the filter.
• Check exhaust fans to ensure they are working properly.
• Clean range hood filter.
• Carefully remove snow and ice from roof overhang/vents.
• Double check around your windows to ensure no drafts are leaking into the home causing heat loss.
• Check and reset your GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter).
• Test your smoke alarms and Carbon Dioxide detectors.
• Inspect your basement after any snow melting to ensuring there is no basement leakage through cracks in the foundation.

These are just a few tips to help keep your home in tip-top shape. Plus, if you are thinking if selling your home, doing regular maintenance is a great way to get a head start on preparing the home for a sale.

So why is location so important?
For many, location is the single most important factor when choosing a home. A property’s location can make or break the value and desirability of a home. For instance, some prefer the suburbs while others cannot imagine anything but downtown living. When determining your preferences for location, start by figuring out what part of Kingston suits you best - west end or east end, the suburbs, urban or rural living. And to help confirm you’ve found the right location, observe things such as traffic patterns, lifestyles, schools, accessibility to work, services, recreation, and even sounds of the area.

If you already know your ideal location, then give me a call and we’ll get started on finding your new home in that location! If you are unsure about location, call me for an appointment. As your Century 21 Real Estate Agent, I can help you find a location to suit your lifestyle best!