Welcome to 128 Baldwin Street.

Fully renovated from top to bottom with many original features lovingly restored. Stunning design and finishes. Private backyard ideal for entertaining. Fully finished basement with separate entrance.

Located just steps to Kensington Market, Chinatown & Baldwin Village and mere minutes to the AGO, U of T, the Entertainment & Financial Districts and Downtown.

www.128Baldwin.com

Welcome to 59 Beresford Avenue. This immaculate 3 bedroom detached home features a prime Swansea Village location and many recently upgraded finishes and mechanics. With a private drive and profesionally landscaped yards it is a truly serene space.

Welcome to 25 Stafford Street. This 2 Bedroom + Den Stadtpark Layout Features 1011 Sq Ft Of Living Space + 120 Sq Ft Balcony, 10′ Ceilings, Exposed Concrete Finishes, Fuse Wood Floors And A Spectacular Unobstructed Sky And City View Overlooking Stanley Park. Scavollini Kitchen With Ceasarstone Counters And Glass Tile Backsplash. 2 Full Baths Including A Spa Like Master Ensuite With Glass Enclosed Shower And Deep Soaker Tub.

Welcome to 49 Brookfield. One of a kind Beaconsfield Village gem. Architect owned and designed it hosts countless features and upgraded finishes. 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms. 30′ soaring cathedral ceiling, wire rubbed oak floors, spa-like master ensuite and a private yard ideal for warm weather entertaining. 2 car detached garage. Located just steps to the galleries and shops of the Queen West Art & Design District and the multitude of restaurants and entertainment of Ossington Street.

Like any good business plan, looking ahead and planning for home renovations will help you to stay on track — ensuring your home sells in any market, even if that’s 15 to 25 years from now. The most effective way to fund home renovations is to establish an annual budget that will go toward future improvements. In this way, you can accomplish regular upkeep and preserve your home’s marketability.

“Think of it as a five-year home renovation plan, to be reviewed annually and updated in the fourth year,” says Phil Soper, president and chief executive at Royal LePage Real Estate Services. “Planning in this way will translate positively to your overall financial health.”

Here are the cornerstones for developing your plan:

* Decide on the major renovations you see approaching in five years time, such as kitchen, bathroom(s,) heating and air conditioning, windows and roof.

* Prioritize and establish rough budgets for each.

* Establish an automatic payroll deduction plan that arranges for a set amount each week to be deposited into a savings account or tax-free savings account.

* Review your priorities each year and adjust both your savings contribution and the list of projects.

* In the fourth year, re-write your plan for another five years.

More tips on home improvements that extend the marketability of your home are available at www.royallepage.ca.

Or: Affordable home upgrades

Tips: Want to upgrade your home without breaking the bank?

- – Kitchen: update the look with new stainless steel appliances that are also energy efficient. Don’t forget new cabinet hardware can work wonders, too.

– Garden: a little loving landscaping (mowing, weeding, edging) and some perennial beds will beautify the yard with little investment.

- – Bathroom: a new vanity and mirror can make a big difference, as can a new, water-efficient toilet.

- – Light: it’s easy to replace dated light fixtures with more stylish models.

- – Space: think you’ve outgrown your house? Consider painting and furnishing the basement with castoffs and suddenly you’ve got a home office or rec room.

We’ve listed this great 2 bedroom 2 bathroom townhome at The Gardens At Queen (Queen & Bathurst).

Check it out … 68 Carr Street, Townhome 22

In the never-ending real estate “bubble” debate, our brokerage Royal LePage is the latest to weigh in with the issuing of it’s quarterly House Price Survey yesterday.

Its prediction? No bubble.

“Widespread calls for a major real estate correction in 2012 simply can’t be justified,” Royal LePage chief executive Phil Soper said in a statement Thursday. “The industry has significant momentum entering the year, and buoyed by the stimulative effect of very low interest rates, we expect the market to continue to expand – albeit at a slower pace.”

Just two days earlier, a Toronto banking conference heard the Canadian market is overheated, with Bank of Montreal CEO William Downe noting that “warning signs” are emerging in two hottest condominium markets: Vancouver and Toronto.

Rather than a crash, however, Royal LePage predicts rising property values in all major markets.

The company’s forecast called for prices across to country to rise 2.8 per cent by the end of 2012, after stronger gains last year.

It said in the fourth quarter of 2011, the average price of a standard two-storey home was $375,427, up 4.2 per cent from a year earlier. The average rate of a detached bungalow was up 6.1 per cent to $344,392, while condominiums gained 3.6 per cent to $234,680.

Statistics Canada reported Thursday that its new housing price index rose 0.3 per cent in November, following on a 0.2 per cent increase in October, and was up 2.5 per cent year-over-year.

Price increases in Toronto, Oshawa and Montreal offset declines in Calgary, Vancouver and the Ontario metropolitan regions of Sudbury and Thunder Bay, the agency said. Builders in all four areas reported lowering prices in order to stimulate sales and remain competitive, while price increases elsewhere were attributed to higher material and labour costs.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. has forecast the average price of a listed homes for resale to be $363,900 this year, up 1.2 per cent from 2011.

The Canadian Real Estate Association predicted that the average price would be relatively flat at $362,700. Both forecasts were made in November.

Royal LePage said even pricey housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto – where standard two-storey homes averaged $1.1 million and $629,188, respectively, in the last quarter – will see continued price appreciation in 2012.

The main text of this post is from an article in the Ottawa Citizen

Colby was doing a showing recently and upon entering the condo he and our client were met by this kitten “Peanut”.

Now I ask you, who could resist that face? These wiley sellers had the ultimate staging tool to guarantee a warm, fuzzy response to their home!

In support of the Toronto Star’s recent decision to file a formal complaint with the city’s integrity commissioner regarding the “Ford Freeze“, whereby our mayor has decreed that all official notices and pronouncements from his office will not be provided to the Toronto Star, we give you the original Toronto Star Building at 80 King Street West circa late 1960′s.

The building was designed by the architectural firm Chapman and Oxley who designed numerous Toronto buildings in the first half of the 20th century. Completed in 1929 it was abandoned in 1970 when the Star moved to 1 Yonge. It was demolished in 1972 to make way for First Canadian Place.

Every year in November, we attend the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Gala. This past Friday was the 5th year for the charity gala and it was a stellar event!

We’ve posted about the Shelter Foundation in the past and in particular about the annual Royal LePage Garage Sale for Shelter held at Royal LePage offices across Canada every May. We believe very strongly in the importance of giving back to our community, especially to those who are most vulnerable and marginalized, and one of the ways we do this is through our support of and participation in the Shelter Foundation. Through donating a portion of every commission we receive and through the fundraising events that we organize and participate in throughout the year, we do our utmost to bring hope and provide a safe shelter for those who need it most. We’re honoured to be in the top 10% of Shelter Foundation donors in Canada.

The numbers aren’t in yet, but between the live and silent auctions we think a record may have been set at the Gala this year! I know that a dinner for 6 with our President/CEO Phil Soper went for $4000. Hey, he’s a very popular guy!

So what’s up with the faux fur? The “pre-loved” fur coat featured in the above photo was purchased for $3.75 from the Salvation Army by two Calgary Realtors – Dave Shulz and Chris Matlashewski – during the Royal LePage National Conference in 2008. Fittingly, the Salvation Army they bought it from supports the prevention of spousal abuse.

Since then the beloved faux fur has been auctioned off at each conference to the highest bidder – who gets to keep it for the year and have their name immortalized on the lining of the coat. This scruffy cast-off has raised about $17,000 so far for the Shelter Foundation!

Unfortunately we are not the current keepers of the coat. That honour belongs to a group of Realtors at Royal LePage Westside in Vancouver who were cunning enough to band together to win the coat for 2011/2012 but also kind enough to let the faux fur make a visit to the Gala this year. But we do intend to do whatever it takes to bring the faux fur to Ontario next year – so be warned Westside!!!