The first step in maximizing the sale of your home is to properly prepare it to show at its best. Studies have shown that professionally staged homes sell faster, and sometimes for more money, than those homes which have not been prepared for sale...Here are 24 Expert Home Staging Tips that you can do yourself, for little or no money, which can help you to increase the house's likelihood of selling, the speed in which it sells, and the price which it gets.

1.) MAKE ALL NEEDED REPAIRS

Any small deficiency can take away from the appeal of your home to the potential buyer. A leaky bathroom faucet, a broken door bell, or peeling paint in the bathroom may seem minor to you, but these items could be a sign of overall owner neglect to the home buyer. That is why these minor problems should be either repaired, covered over, or replaced. All these signs of owner neglect must be eliminated. These items may be easily overlooked, so make sure you inspect your home thoroughly so that you can find and repair them. The best thing about these minor repairs is that they are relatively inexpensive and most you can do yourself in a short period of time. More Home Staging Tips

*Here are 10 Tips to Prepare Your Home for  Winter:

  
  1) Furnace Inspection: 

•  Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.
• Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
• Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.
• If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
• Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.  More

 TYPICAL REAL ESTATE CLOSING COSTS:

As a home buyer, you need to know the costs when you purchase a home. There are real estate closing costs when purchasing any home in Ontario, and here is an outline of what you should expect: 

1. Purchase Price (from offer) less deposit.

2. Home inspection fee:  Approx. $300.00 - $500.00 

3. Appraisal fee: (lender will arrange appraisal at your expense, approx. $250.00).

4. Legal fee for purchase of home:  Usually about $1250.00 in all - comprising of $500-$700 for the basic fee, including title search, registration fees, plus disbursements, which are the photocopies, courier costs, etc that your lawyer encurs while processing your file. When selling, approximately $1000.00 in all, with a base fee of $400-$600 plus disbursements (title search not required) More on Real Estate Closing Costs in Ontario

Clearview is one of three neighbourhoods in Southeast Oakville, ( Ward 3).  According to the Statistics Canada 2006 census, Clearview has a population of 7280.  Over the past 20 years, Clearview's population has consistently exceeded the Town of Oakville's projected "ultimate population" of 6000. More on Clearview

We often hear in the newspaper these days how the real estate market in Canada has recovered. But there is no better evidence than the actual MLS sales figures, as reported by the Toronto Real Estate Board. Here is a chart of November 2008 sales in the Town of Oakville (W21), which we will compare with the November 2009 sales.

Data is broken down into property types...today we will look at 2 - the Attached Freehold Townhouse (Att/Row/Twnhouse on the chart), and Detached Homes...more on Oakville Real Estate

The Ontario Government recently enacted legislation which will implement the much-dreaded HST Tax. This new tax will take effect on July 1, 2010.

The HST tax will effectively combine the Provincial Sales Tax of 8% percent with the Federal GST Tax of 5% percent, to create a new "harmonized" total tax of 13% percent. This new tax will be applicable to many real estate services which hitherto only had one or the other tax applied.

The HST will result in a 13% tax on new home construction, but my post today will concern those ancillary costs pertaining to the buying and selling of resale residential real estate properties in Ontario...more on HST Buying a Resale Home in Ontario 

What a difference a year makes! It is interesting to compare real estate market statistics for Oakville, Ontario (W21), as they appeared on December 31, 2008, versus Dec 31, 2009. All figures provided by the Toronto Real Estate Board. more

The Report, released in 2008, ranks all schools in Ontario based on their results in the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) standardized tests. A score out of 10 is given and compared to previous years' scores as well as previous years' rankings. Oakville School Rankings

On November 28, 2006, during the 24th annual Mississauga Urban Design Awards, Mayor Hazel McCallion announced that an international competition would be held for the design of the 4th tower at the Absolute condominium community, located at the north-east corner of Burnhamthorpe Rd. and Hurontario St. in Mississauga. Three previous buildings in the Absolute project had already been successfully sold to the public, with tradional designs, but it was felt that something special was needed for the landmark 4th tower, which was to be as high as 56 storeys.  More on Absoluteworld condos in Mississauga, Ontario

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is Canada's national housing agency. CMHC is Canada's top provider of mortgage loan insurance, mortgage-backed securities, and housing policy and programs. CMHC insures certain loans that banks make, and also determines the policy under which the banks can make loans. CMHC have announced major changes for loan approval which will impact people all across Canada....so whether you are buying a home in Mississauga, or in North Vancouver, whether you are a first-time buyer, or buying a second home or investment property, if you need a mortgage loan, these new rules will affect you...especially, if you are self employed, or if you are a salesperson who earns commission, you need to understand the new loan approval requirements...here is a simple guide for Canadian homebuyers.... 

CMHC Mortgage Rule Changes in Plain English...

Here is an easy Mortgage and Ontario Land Transfer Tax Calculator....just enter in your information, and let the computer calculate for you! When determining tax, enter either Ontario or Ontario (Toronto) for the appropriate tax, and remember to indicate if you are a first time buyer. Remember that as a first time buyer, the maximum credit for Ontario Land Transfer Tax is $2000.00, and any tax above that amount is still due and payable....in addition to the provincial tax, if you live in the City of Toronto, there is an additional municipal land transfer tax payable....

Mortgage and Land Transfer Tax Calculator

A mid year study of house prices in Oakville, Ontario reveals a very healthy real estate market overall. The following charts will show that homes in Oakville appreciated in all categories - detached homes had a price increase of 15.7% year-over-year, with semi-detached up 11.6% in price, condo townhouses up 13.2%, and attached freehold townhouses up an impressive 19.7%. more info on house prices in Oakville..