Photo: Deya Bautista
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BIXI: The Bike Sharing System Now in Montreal
May 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
It’s hard not to notice the new bike system if you live downtown. They are everywhere! So far we’ve seen them in Rosemont, Plateau, Villeray, Downtown and Old Montreal.
I haven’t really figured out the payment options from the on-site screen, even after I stopped (a few times) to read the options/payments, terms and conditions before deciding whether I want to take a bike ride or not. The whole thing can be quite confusing, and I wished they worded the instructions in a simpler manner.
It was only after I visited their website that I was informed of their different fees and options. Yearly and monthly fees, as well as “pay as you use”, which seems pretty fair as rates. Considering the fact that they will implementing more bike stations nearly in every corner of the Metropolitan area, it saves you in parking costs, gas, etc. For those who wanted to buy a bike for the summer, now you can just rent it for the days you need it. No worries about storage space and/or people stealing your bike. We all know that happens a lot in this city. Which makes me wonder: How long do you think it will be before these bikes begin to *miraculously* disappear?
And before I forget: There is already an iPhone application for BIXI mapping. I found their business card taped to the payment stations. Here is the link.
Other blog entries on bixi:
Have you tried Bixi yet? – Spacing Montreal
BIXI Montreal: Canada’s first public bike system -Rabih Dagher
Home re-sale market shows signs of recovery
May 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Canada’s housing market shows every sign of having bounced back from its recessionary bottom, with both the number and price of homes rising for the third straight month in April.
The Canadian Real Estate Association said homes sales soared 11.2 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis from March, the biggest jump in five years, and with 34,838 units trading hands, the highest level in seven months.
Meanwhile, the national average sale price of homes listed by realtors also rose in April to $306,366 in April.
But while encouraging, the report noted that both sales activity and prices remain at levels lower than a year ago, indicating the housing market has yet to fully recover to pre-recession levels.
The average home resale price is down 3.2 per cent from a year ago and down almost 10 per cent from the peak of $324,000 reached in December 2007.
Economists with Scotia Capital pointed out in a note to clients that the resale housing market does little to increase gross domestic product since it involves paper transactions, and that new home construction remains week.
Source: Canadian Press. Read the complete article
A New Energy Tax Targets Home Sellers in Ontario
May 18, 2009 By 1 Comment
In Ontario: a new tax is being implemented to home sellers. As if they didn’t have enough taxes to pay already. Let’s just hope this new bill doesn’t reach us in Quebec anytime soon. Here is the complete article from the Canadian newswire:
The McGuinty government today gave third and final reading to Bill 150, the Green Energy Act, which, when implemented, will impose significant new costs on home sellers in Ontario. The new tax comes in the form of an energy audit fee that must be paid by home sellers prior to a single family home being sold.
The new audit fee is only applicable on single-detached, semi-detached, houses, townhouses and fourplexes. Owners of high-rise condominiums, and all other forms of non-residential real estate, are exempt from the energy audit provision.
“Single family home sellers are being unfairly targeted by home energy audits,” explained Ms. Aunger, President of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). “If the benefits of going green are shared by all Ontarians, then why has the provincial government targeted single family home sellers to pay the costs?”
This is the third tax aimed specifically at real estate transactions in the last three years.
First, the government of Ontario passed the City of Toronto Act, which allowed the city to impose the first ever municipal land transfer tax in Canada.
Earlier this spring, the Minister of Finance announced that the provincial sales tax would be harmonized with the goods and services tax, resulting in thousands of dollars in increased taxes on resale transactions and tens of thousands of dollars in additional tax on new homes in Ontario.
Finally, energy audits could cost home sellers additional thousands in lost equity.
“Dalton McGuinty is using Ontario homeowners as his own ATM,” said Ms. Aunger. “Public policy should promote homeownership – not raise costs for homebuyers and erode equity of home sellers.”
Open House Tour WEST SIDE: May 17-2009
May 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
We’re back with more open house listings!
This weekend we’ve targeted the west side of the island: Hampstead, Cote St Luc, Montreal West, Lachine, Lasalle and Le Sud Ouest. All properties are selected by presentation (photography, layout, etc). Visits starts at 2pm until 4pm on sunday May 17th. Tomorrow it’s being forcasted as a sunny day, perfect for open house visits.
Here are the top 3 listing for condos and Houses. Detailed information is provided for each one.
Happy home hunting!
Condos
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| Le Sud Ouest 1015 Rue William, 305 $284,900 Re/max | Details |
St-Paul 5770 Rue Laurendeau, 2 $179,000 Proprio Direct | Details |
St-Paul 1596 Rue D’Arcy-McGee $249,000 GROUPE SAM’S INC. | Details |
Homes
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| Cote St-Luc 6030 Cavendish, 609 $389,000 Re/Max | Details |
Lachine 889 Rue Gameroff $419,000 Sutton | Details |
Westmount 100 Av. Sunnyside $869,000 Sotheby’s | Details |
April: Resale Market’s Best Month Since the Start of the Year
May 6, 2009 By 3 Comments
MLS® sales in the Montréal Metropolitan Area are picking up, with only a 6 per cent decrease in the number of transactions in April 2009 compared to April 2008, the month that broke all records, reported the Greater Montréal Real Estate Board. The median price of condominiums increased by 5 per cent, while single family-homes remained stable.
“It is a good time to buy a property today,” said Michel Beauséjour, FCA, Chief Executive Officer of the GMREB. “Mortgage rates are at their lowest level in more than half a century and the inventory of properties is growing, giving buyers more choice. Buyers are taking a bit more time to buy, as shown by the average sale time. While single-family homes stayed on the market for an average of 67 days in April 2008, in April 2009, the average was 80 days,” he added.
In terms of prices, condominiums led the way with a 5 per cent increase in the median price in April 2009 compared to the same month last year, to reach $191,800. The median price of plexes increased by 1 per cent, while that of single-family homes remained stable at $230,500.
“It is also a good time to sell today,” said Mr. Beauséjour. “The market is becoming increasingly active and property prices are stable or increasing, depending on the property type. The price increase for condominiums can be explained by the increase in median price on the Island of Montréal (+7 per cent), which is responsible for 60 per cent of the region’s condominium sales,” he added.
Sales of single-family homes decreased slightly by 3 per cent in April 2009 compared to April 2008, while condominium and plex sales decreased by 7 and 11 per cent, respectively.
Geographically, the South Shore had the smallest decrease in sales, with a drop of only 1 per cent. Sales on the North Shore decreased by 3 per cent, while the regions of Laval, Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the Island of Montréal registered decreases of 7, 9 and 10 per cent, respectively.
As at April 30, 2009, the number of active listings on the MLS® system increased by 11 per cent in comparison with the same date last year.
Article source: Greater Montreal Real Estate Board
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