Toronto Real Estate Blog

Launches consultations with construction firms

Patricia Williams – Daily Commercial News

Public Works and Government Services Canada is undertaking industry consultations to identify the most environmentally responsible and cost-effective approach to meeting the energy requirements for federal buildings in the national capital area.

“Meeting the energy needs of our office buildings is not only a major expense, but it has a significant impact on our environment,” said Public Works Minister Christian Paradis. “Some of these buildings are over 50 years old, using technology from the 1950s — it is time to rethink how we do things.”

The department is launching the consultation process through a Request for Information process. Industry briefings will be held in major cities across the country this fall. Dates and locations currently are being finalized.

Industry will have until October 30 to provide the government with information on technologies and services that could help meet its requirements.

The initiative was applauded by the Ottawa-based Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC).

“This is right up our alley,” said MCAC president Richard McKeagan, who noted that the federal program “dovetails nicely” with some association initiatives that are currently under way.

The association plans to contact the public works department to see if it can be of any assistance, McKeagan said. MCAC also will advise its members of the dates and venues of the upcoming cross-country briefings “and maybe encourage some participation.”

In a release, Public Works said its central heating and cooling plants will require major investments to improve their energy and environmental efficiency.

In the national capital area, Public Works provides thermal energy services on a cost-recovery basis to more than 100 properties. It operates seven plants that produce steam, high-temperature hot water or chilled water.

Four of these facilities also redistribute energy to the buildings they serve.

“Key decisions need to be made about the future of these plants and how the government acquires energy services to heat, cool and power federal buildings in the national capital area,” the department said.

It said it is undertaking the energy services acquisition program “to strategically involve the private sector in providing solutions” to its energy services challenges and help reduce the government’s environmental footprint.”

The program will involved a phased approach, starting with a request for information and industry consultations this fall.

These will be used to gauge industry’s interest and ability to partner with the government on this initiative and also to obtain information that would be used to draft a request for proposals.

“Energy production is a rapidly evolving sector with many new possibilities for reducing our environmental footprint,” said Environment Minister Jim Prentice. “We are going to work with industry to place Canada on a greener, more cost-efficient path.”

Public Works said this undertaking complements “the significant progress” it has made in improving the environmental performance of federal office buildings across Canada.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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By Adam Miller – Epoch Times Staff

I help people buy and sell homes. Over time, I have noticed a phenomenon. It doesn’t matter if a transaction unfolds smoothly or poorly, whenever a person relies on hindsight to evaluate an experience, he or she tends to end up thinking negatively.

It is safe to say, there is no place for hindsight in real estate. Rather, one must trust that life works as it does for a reason—particularly because nobody is able to press the rewind button in order to rearrange past events.

It is natural to reminisce on situations that did not go our way, wishing they had turned out differently. But here are a couple examples where a person wished things were different just after they ended gracefully.

Once I represented a buyer client who had decided upon an offering price for a home. He felt that his offer was fair and expected the seller to counter offer at a higher price. When the seller accepted the offer right away, the buyer was happy… at first. Then he began thinking that he perhaps wrote too high an offer, and thought that he should have offered a lower price. In the end, things worked out just fine. But this is a perfect example where using hindsight became the obstacle to seeing the good in life.

Similar situations occur for sellers. Let’s say a seller invests money and effort into selling her home. She repairs the home completely, services and cleans all of the mechanical units, touches up paint and enhances other cosmetic items, and then lists the home at a competitive price for the local market. Within two days, a full price offer arrives at her doorstep and she puts the house under contract. A week later, after things calm down, the seller becomes fixated on the thought that she should have placed her home on the market at a higher price.

The truth of the matter is that there is no guarantee things would have turned out any better if the buyer would have offered less, or if the seller would have asked for more. The whole chain of events would have likely changed. And in the end, wouldn’t the buyer or seller still use hindsight to review the past, wishing something had ended up differently?

Making wise choices and sticking with them is a principle of healthy living. Within a real estate transaction or any other life situation, second guessing and assessing matters through hindsight are unnecessary blockades to a person’s innate sense of faith and trust in life.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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Stephen Dupuis – Toronto Star

When it comes to sustainable development and green building, everybody wants to do the right thing but sometimes doing the right thing can be done the wrong way. Recent attempts by individual municipalities to mandate green building standards would be a good example.

Municipal mandating of their own or other green building programs or labels is not only redundant, but runs completely contrary to the concept of a uniform provincial building code, says BILD chair Leith Moore, who delivered that pointed message to Ontario’s local political leaders gathered at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

Moore explained that while the Ontario Building Code is a minimum standard, when it comes to energy conservation, it is anything but minimal.

By way of example, he pointed out that the 2007 changes to the OBC brought about a 12% increase in wall insulation, a 29% increase in ceiling insulation, a 50% increase in basement wall insulation, and a 67% increase in the energy efficiency of windows. As well, gas and propane furnaces moved from a minimum of 78% energy efficiency to a minimum of 90% efficiency.

Continuing the evolution of the code, at the beginning of this year, full height basement insulation became mandatory. Moreover, by 2011, every new home built in Ontario will have to meet an EnerGuide 80 standard, which is a healthy stretch goal for builders, but one which many are already meeting, if not exceeding.

Meanwhile, the recently passed Green Energy Act contained amendments to the Ontario Building Code, under which energy and water conservation are now purposes of the code, which is a clear indication of further code-driven leadership on the green front.

“Each generation of newly built homes has been much more energy efficient than the previous generation as the building code has continually evolved. The energy efficiency of new homes and condos is not our biggest problem – it’s the relative inefficiency of all the older homes and buildings out there,” Moore told the mayors.

Notwithstanding the continuous evolution of the building code, some municipalities have been mandating their own or other green labels which is where Moore draws the line. “Our biggest concern with municipal mandating revolves around fragmentation of the Ontario Building Code. The whole point of a uniform provincial code is to ensure that developers, new home builders and professional renovators don’t have to operate in a fragmented regulatory environment where each municipality has different rules,” he stated.

“The building code is the only standard that is legally binding. Labels are just that — they are not building standards, they are definitely not codes, and while they are all generally well conceived, they have no place in any municipally-mandated regulatory scheme,” Moore asserted.

“The code is developed through an open consultation process lead by government and that’s the key distinction between the Ontario Building Code and the various label programs, which are not accountable to anyone but their own governing bodies. We need to acknowledge that we already work within an overly complex environment and neither the industry, nor municipalities, can afford to risk positive outcomes through a patchwork quilt implementation of green aspirations,” he added.

Moore acknowledges that if the code is to be “king,” it has to continually evolve, which is why he welcomes the Green Energy Act. “We as an industry have to be open to regular review of the Ontario Building Code to capture new innovations and best green practices,” he concluded.

Stephen Dupuis is president and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association. The views expressed are those of the president.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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By Christa Morris – worldchanging.com

“Welcome to the Living Planet. It’s clean, it’s efficient — and it’s doable. Today.” This blurb appears on the front page of WWF Canada’s new website, the Living Planet City, which launched on Tuesday. The Living Planet City’s bright animation of thriving urbanism (pictured right, in a screen shot) illustrates 20 big ideas to make any city more sustainable.

In the “west end,” a combined heat and power plant uses “waste” heat energy to provide chilled water for a nearby supermarket. In the “east end,” a municipal waste station feeds into a biofuel plant, complete with solar, green roofs on top. At the waterfront, wave, tidal and wind energy power the city while a rapid transit station ferries people back and forth: all this with plenty of park space.

Clicking around brings up summaries of the technology and provides links to learn more. Once properly informed and inspired, visitors are encouraged to get the ideas out there by sending a link to elected officials, friends, and business owners. You can even send a suggested message to your slated Copenhagen representative.

Good start! But is it good enough?

Maybe, maybe not. Take away the windmills, dull the colors, and it looks just like my pollution-steeped hometown. On one hand, it’s important that WWF wants to promote the Living Planet City as “doable,” suggesting that every city, without changing drastically in function or appearance, can be sustainable and clean. Normal city-dwellers can get behind it, and that is the point.

On the other hand, the Living Planet City could be bigger, bolder, and more beautiful. For instance, although promoting EVs, the cityscape is still a maze of roads. Where are the bike lanes? Where are the inner-city walking-only zones? With 350 ppm as our goal, we have to completely re-imagine our way of life, not simply find alternative ways to power our current one.

As one of the first people on the comment board pointed out, there’s no single right answer out there. Toronto is a whole lot different than Copenhagen, the commenter says, and so its future of sustainability will look a whole lot different, and maybe include more cars. How do you adapt and perfect a Living Planet City when there are so many varying starting points, and thus, varying challenges? One solution would be to make the city as interactive as its sister site, “the Living Planet Community.”

In the Living Planet Community, you can commit to any number of thousands of climate-friendly actions or add your own, and the site will calculate the GHG reduction you achieve. You can even create groups — of friends, coworkers, or strangers — and set a goal for GHG reduction while engaging in planet-friendly competition.

Why not merge this community and the city? Why not provide a menu of tools, such as wind farms, solar panels, green roofs and bike-sharing programs with which you can remodel your own city? Why not allow users to add their own tools, such as third-place studios or greywater systems? Why not take it further, with a sustainable Sim City-esque program, where, after creating your city, you get realistic feedback on its CO2 output? A well-designed simulation could train leaders (and future leaders) to see the changes necessary to achieve emissions reduction goals in their unique cities.

The Living Planet City is a great idea that will no doubt serve to spread knowledge and inspiration, and for this reason, WorldChanging applauds WWF Canada: it’s only a matter of taking a great idea to its full potential.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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A home may be one of the biggest investments you ever make. Saving up a down payment is just the first step. Find out more.

What factors affect the value of a home?

* Location: Real estate people always say “Location, location, location.” That’s because the area you live in will be the biggest factor affecting your home’s price. It’s smart to buy a home where housing prices are likely to increase. Also, the people who may buy your home from you one day may be willing to pay more for a home that is close to schools, sports centres, stores, services, and so on. Keep that in mind as you look.

* The condition of the home and the property it is on: Does the home need a lot of repairs? How is the roof, plumbing, and electrical wiring? A home in good repair may be worth more. Also, the condition of the outside of the home, the lawn, gardens, driveway, and trees will all affect the value of a home. These are the first things that buyers see, and are together known as curb appeal.

* Renovations and updates: An older home might need some work to keep it safe, modern, and comfortable. If you are buying at a home that has had some renovations, check the quality. When you do work on a home you own, do it as well as you can. Poor work can lower the value.

* The economy: There are some things you can’t control that affect house prices, like interest rates. Higher interest rates mean it costs more for a mortgage, so fewer people buy homes. When that happens, the prices of homes can fall. Lower interest rates, on the other hand, can boost buying and drive prices up. House prices often go up for a while, and then come down a bit. Try to find out as much as you can about how prices are changing, or may change, when deciding to buy or sell a home. Often there will be stories in the paper about housing prices.

How much is my home worth today?

If you’re considering buying a home, or you just bought one, you know how much it’s worth. But if you’ve owned your home for a while, its value has probably changed. Here’s how you can find out how much it’s worth now:

* Call a real estate agent: Ask them for an estimate of your home’s value. You may be able to get an agent to do this for free, because they hope to get your business in the future.

* Ask an appraiser: Your bank or a real estate agent should know a number of appraisers. Banks use them to estimate house values before they approve mortgages. You can also look in the yellow pages. An appraiser will charge a fee for the service.

* Check to see what other homes in your area have sold for recently: Compare your home with similar ones that have sold. Unless you keep up with what’s happening in your area, this information may be hard to get. Ask your real estate agent if you can’t find it yourself.

How much will my home be worth in the future?

To estimate a home’s future value, you will have to do some informed guessing. Start with finding out what has happened to prices in your location over several years.

Remember: There’s no guarantee what housing prices will do!

Location and the condition of the home are both important factors, as is the economy as a whole.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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