Helping People Find Their Way Home!

A home is much more than bricks and mortar. I believe a home is a sanctuary: a welcoming, special place where you can relax and rejuvenate, feel calm and connected, raise a family, look after your parents if the need arises and unwind and enjoy. It can be all of those! And, much,much more. I believe that every real estate transaction must be personally tailored to each and every one of our clients, because we are all different and have various concerns, culture and standards. In order to do that, Envelope Real Estate has designed and implemented programs to help you get what you want and need when either selling or purchasing real estate.

With hard work,knowledge, skills, contacts and ability to fully research all aspects of the real estate market, we at Envelope Real Estate can ensure you a smooth, stress-free Buying A Home or Own Your Own Place or Selling Your Home process.

Learn how to find out about governmemt incentives for first time buyers! Using some of your RRSP as a downpayment! Eco-Energy grants! Free Fridge Pick-up! Tax incentives! Real Estate Tax Tips! Go toReal Estate Tax & Credits

If you want to just search for MLS listings go to Search MLS Listings

Not all REALTORS* are the same, I hear that all the time from past buyer and seller clients. Hundred's of times! Why not find out for yourself? It'll be worth it!

Just to show you we are not all talk, go to Testimonials

COMMON SENSE RULES TO LIVE BY:

Laugh a lot. Tell the truth. Buy Low, Sell high. Don't drink and drive.Floss.Read and walk more. Tie your own shoes. Clean up your own mess. Be nice. Buy and Sell with Envelope Real Estate Brokerage Inc.

Ty Lacroix Broker of Record and Owner The London Real Estate Market was Quite Good in January 2010

472 homes exchanged hands in the jurisdiction of the London and St.Thomas Association of REALTORS(LSTAR). The ten-year average for January home sales is 450 so we are in a stable market with February being quite promising.

This month's sales include 377 detached homes and 95 condos. The average price of a detached London home in January 2010 was $235,416, up 3.1% over December 2009, while the average price of a condo rose 7.3% to $172,722. The average price of total residential (both detached and condo) was up 3.5% over December, 2009 to $222,798. Over the last three years the average year to date residential prices in our jurisdiction was2009 $213,402, for 2008 $210,888 and for 2007 $202,256.

The best-selling house style in LSTAR's jurisdiction for the month of January was the two-storey, followed by the bungalow, the ranch, and the townhouse condo.

London's real estate affordability remains healthy compared to the following Canadian cities average house prices:

London and St. Thomas, $222,798;

􀂃 Calgary, $383,998;

􀂃 Durham Region, $277,309;

􀂃 Edmonton, $320,585;

􀂃 Hamilton-Burlington and District, $289,483;

􀂃 Kitchener-Waterloo, $269,443;

􀂃 Ottawa, $303,788;

􀂃 St. Catharine's & District, $223,861;

􀂃 Toronto, $392,823; and

􀂃 Greater Vancouver, $586,401.For more details on a particular London neighbourhood or house style, feel free to contact me.

I posted a blog yesterday about :What Do Women Really Want When They Buy a Home? http://tyslondonontarioblog.com/post/1476546/what-do-women-really-want-when-they-buy-a-house- and I was asked if there was a survey done on what men want.

For years it was the standard garage, games or recreational room, or a place for a shop etc. My experience recently has been kitchen work area, den or office, hot tub or jacuzzi type tub.

What has been your experience? I think we may be surprised with some of the comments.

What do women really want when they buy a house? A recent survey of 1000 women done by a national bank asked:"Describe the best things about home ownership". The poll was to probe their motivations and needs:

44% said they bought their home to feel "financially secure".

40% wished they had more knowledge about the fees associated with buying a home.34% bought a home to be able to "decorate or renovate the way they want."

32% wanted more information about the annual costs of ownership.

30% wanted more information on mortgage options.

I found the above quite interesting and in turn have added more information reports that I can provide to address any concerns or properly explain the real estate process of buying or selling real estate.

Market Recovery Continues With Record Sales of Real Estate in London Ontario for December

Last month, (December 2009) 438 homes exchanged hands in the jurisdiction of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR), a 55.9-per-cent increase over December 2008!

This was the best December sales ever in the history of LSTAR and listings continued to rise by 12.8%, an indicator that speaks of the strong recovery in our jurisdiction

This month’s sales in London include 353 detached homes (up 61.9 per cent from December 2008) and 85 condos (up 34.9 per cent from December 2008).

Year to date, 6561 detached homes and 1509 condos have been sold– down 1.4 per cent and down 11.4 per cent respectively compared to the same period in 2008.

Year to date, sales are down 3.42 per cent overall compared to 2008. When you consider we started January 2009 down 35% this is good news.

Sales in St. Thomas also saw gains – 37 homes exchanged hands in December 2009, a

60-per-cent increase over December 2008.

The average residential price for the month of December was up to $178,132, a 3.3 per-cent increase over November and finishing for the year with an YTD average price of $182.450 which is down only by 2.6%.

The average residential price in the Association’s jurisdiction for the month of December is

up 12.3 per cent to $215, 235

This is another good indicator that our market is recovering.

What Does This All Mean?

If you are a purchaser, prices are not going down and we are experiencing a sellers market. If you are a home owner, now is a great time to list your home. There is a pent up demand, interest rates are low and it will be 3-5 months before brand new homes are built.

For area neighbourhood prices and trends for your area, I have all the neighbourhoods in London broken down into price, styles, days on market and hundreds of other details.

Another reason to call your ‘Knowledge’ source for reliable service and action.

Would you like to know the impact your lifestyle has on the environment and what you can do about it? Here is a City of London website that allows you too calculate your carbon footprint and make changes, from switching cars to eating less meat, to where you live-that will help reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.

From a 2 story house, a condo or a semi,you will learn the effects you have on the environment. It is like a weigh scale where if you are are a vegetarian or an occasional fish eater, meat lover or just plain love dairy, you can see where you stand.

Go to www.london.ca/rethinkenergyand click on " Zero Footprint London" and take the test. Another great environmental tip of saving energy is using me in your next real estate transaction.

I will save you gas and wear and tear on your car by narrowing down your home search and my marketing success in selling homes means your house or condo will not be on the market long.

The Great Refrigerator Roundup

That old, inefficient second fridge of yours could be wasting between $120 - $150 per year in electricity. Every Kilowatt counts and the Ontario Power Authority will take away your old fridge or window air conditioner for free!Below is a link that will explain more of this valuable service from the OPA and for more useful information on energy or real estate tips and fresh ideas, you know you can visit www.enveloperealestate.com anytime or call 519-435-1600.

The Great Refrigerator Roundup will collect your old energy-guzzling appliances. To qualify, you must have at least one appliance as shown in the "primary appliance" category below. If you have at least one "primary appliance," then we will also pick up any window air conditioners shown on the "secondary appliance" list.

Primary appliance: Full-sized refrigerators and full-sized freezers must be:

between 10-27 cubic feet
in working condition (plugged in 24 hrs prior to pick up)
15 years of age or older.

Secondary appliance: Window air conditioners and dehumidifiers must be:

in working condition
10 years of age or older
window air conditioners must be removed from the window prior to pick up and placed near a power source.

Note:

An individual 18 years or older must be home during the scheduled appointment time to sign the appliance release form.
Ammonia-based refrigerators are not eligible for pick up.

Your appliance pick-up location:

must be located in a single-family dwelling, townhouse, duplex, triplex or fourplex OR
can also be located in apartments and condominiums that are over three stories
must meet the criteria as outlined below:

All Pick Up Locations Must:

All Apartments and Condominiums (over 3 stories)
must ALSO have:

be easily accessible by paved roads and /or roads that are serviced by municipalities in winter
have a driveway or laneway with enough room to accommodate a truck, or if a driveway or laneway is not available; suitable street access (where stopping is allowed by law)
have doorways into and within the residence that are wide enough for the appliance to be removed
have a path to the appliance clear and large enough to accommodate two removal technicians and a dolly

Driveway or laneway access with height clearance of 12' 6" (or 3.81 metres)
an elevator (preferably a padded ‘service elevator') booked for the date and time of the appointment
Access to elevator/loading area
landlord/superintendent approval of the pick up

Go to http://everykilowattcounts.ca/residential/fridge/pick-up-my-fridge.php for this serviceAppointments cannot be cancelled online. Please call 1-877-797-9473 to cancel your existing appointment.

Helping People Find Their Way Home!

The best-selling house style in LSTAR's jurisdiction for the month of January was the two-storey, followed by the bungalow, the ranch, and the townhouse condo.

London's real estate affordability remains healthy compared to the following Canadian cities average house prices:

London and St. Thomas, $222,798;

􀂃 Calgary, $383,998;

􀂃 Durham Region, $277,309;

􀂃 Edmonton, $320,585;

􀂃 Hamilton-Burlington and District, $289,483;

􀂃 Kitchener-Waterloo, $269,443;

􀂃 Ottawa, $303,788;

􀂃 St. Catharine's & District, $223,861;

􀂃 Toronto, $392,823; and

􀂃 Greater Vancouver, $586,401.For more details on a particular London neighbourhood or house style, feel free to contact me.

What do women really want when they buy a house? A recent survey of 1000 women done by a national bank asked:"Describe the best things about home ownership". The poll was to probe their motivations and needs:

44% said they bought their home to feel "financially secure".

40% wished they had more knowledge about the fees associated with buying a home.34% bought a home to be able to "decorate or renovate the way they want."

32% wanted more information about the annual costs of ownership.

30% wanted more information on mortgage options.

I found the above quite interesting and in turn have added more information reports that I can provide to address any concerns or properly explain the real estate process of buying or selling real estate.

Market Recovery Continues With Record Sales of Real Estate in London Ontario for December

Last month, (December 2009) 438 homes exchanged hands in the jurisdiction of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR), a 55.9-per-cent increase over December 2008!

This was the best December sales ever in the history of LSTAR and listings continued to rise by 12.8%, an indicator that speaks of the strong recovery in our jurisdiction

This month’s sales in London include 353 detached homes (up 61.9 per cent from December 2008) and 85 condos (up 34.9 per cent from December 2008).

Year to date, 6561 detached homes and 1509 condos have been sold– down 1.4 per cent and down 11.4 per cent respectively compared to the same period in 2008.

Year to date, sales are down 3.42 per cent overall compared to 2008. When you consider we started January 2009 down 35% this is good news.

Sales in St. Thomas also saw gains – 37 homes exchanged hands in December 2009, a

60-per-cent increase over December 2008.

The average residential price for the month of December was up to $178,132, a 3.3 per-cent increase over November and finishing for the year with an YTD average price of $182.450 which is down only by 2.6%.

The average residential price in the Association’s jurisdiction for the month of December is

up 12.3 per cent to $215, 235

This is another good indicator that our market is recovering.

What Does This All Mean?

If you are a purchaser, prices are not going down and we are experiencing a sellers market. If you are a home owner, now is a great time to list your home. There is a pent up demand, interest rates are low and it will be 3-5 months before brand new homes are built.

For area neighbourhood prices and trends for your area, I have all the neighbourhoods in London broken down into price, styles, days on market and hundreds of other details.

Another reason to call your ‘Knowledge’ source for reliable service and action.

From a 2 story house, a condo or a semi,you will learn the effects you have on the environment. It is like a weigh scale where if you are are a vegetarian or an occasional fish eater, meat lover or just plain love dairy, you can see where you stand.

Go to www.london.ca/rethinkenergyand click on " Zero Footprint London" and take the test. Another great environmental tip of saving energy is using me in your next real estate transaction.

I will save you gas and wear and tear on your car by narrowing down your home search and my marketing success in selling homes means your house or condo will not be on the market long.

Primary appliance: Full-sized refrigerators and full-sized freezers must be:

between 10-27 cubic feet

in working condition (plugged in 24 hrs prior to pick up)

15 years of age or older.

Secondary appliance: Window air conditioners and dehumidifiers must be:

in working condition

10 years of age or older

window air conditioners must be removed from the window prior to pick up and placed near a power source.

Note:

An individual 18 years or older must be home during the scheduled appointment time to sign the appliance release form.

Ammonia-based refrigerators are not eligible for pick up.

Your appliance pick-up location:

must be located in a single-family dwelling, townhouse, duplex, triplex or fourplex OR

can also be located in apartments and condominiums that are over three stories

must meet the criteria as outlined below:

All Pick Up Locations Must:

All Apartments and Condominiums (over 3 stories)must ALSO have:

be easily accessible by paved roads and /or roads that are serviced by municipalities in winter

have a driveway or laneway with enough room to accommodate a truck, or if a driveway or laneway is not available; suitable street access (where stopping is allowed by law)

have doorways into and within the residence that are wide enough for the appliance to be removed

have a path to the appliance clear and large enough to accommodate two removal technicians and a dolly

Driveway or laneway access with height clearance of 12' 6" (or 3.81 metres)

an elevator (preferably a padded ‘service elevator') booked for the date and time of the appointment

Access to elevator/loading area

landlord/superintendent approval of the pick up

Go to http://everykilowattcounts.ca/residential/fridge/pick-up-my-fridge.php for this serviceAppointments cannot be cancelled online. Please call 1-877-797-9473 to cancel your existing appointment.

Our Associates

One Floor Condo Bungalow

2 Storey Home in Oakridge Meadows

1 Year old Home

1 Floor Brand New Bungalow

All Apartments and Condominiums (over 3 stories)
must ALSO have: