:: Barrie man's crusade to find fairness in the Oil Industry ::

The big oil companies once again have us by the, well they have us where they like to have us.

Between a Rail Strike by CN and a fire February 15th at a crude processing unit of Imperial Oil's refinery in Nanticoke, Ont., we in Ontario and parts elsewhere are finding pump prices precariously close to the buck a litre mark despite drops in international oil prices.

Imperial oil has closed its stations. Other stations dependent on Imperial for supply have closed up this week as well. The remaining companies have pushed up their prices at the pump as a result. One spokesperson for the major oil retailers in Ontario stated yesterday. "By raising the pump price we are serving the publics best interests during this time of shortage. Higher prices will insure the limited supplies last longer than they would if prices remained consistent"

Logic we can all appreciate and benefit by. I can only imagine what might happen if I overpriced my listings by 40% to insure I don't run out of properties to offer for sale this year.

Bob Taylor who has called Barrie home for about a year now has brokered his own crusade and wants us all to take notice and take action. Specifically he is fumed at the difference between Toronto gas prices and the higher Barrie gas prices that drop down again as you head north from Barrie. You have to admire his willingness to do more than just mutter under his breath while taking it on the chin. Have a look at his web page. If only half as many Canadians as watched American Idle this week take up the challenge he puts forth on his website it will be interesting to see what could unfold. Click to view

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: How many Real Estate websites does it take to fill an Internet? ::

It was a tight squeeze but I have managed to find room for two more Real Estate related websites within the Internet. The hardest part was finding two domain names that have not been grabbed up already.

Most of the obvious ones were scooped up long ago so anyone entering into the arena today has to be more creative and far reaching in finding an available internet domain name. "lefthandedrealestateagentdrivinghondacivicinbarrie.com" was still available but I decided it was too long for a business card.

My two new websites are designed for people who like to cut right to the chase.
If you are planning to sell you can now go to BarrieHomeWorth.com online, where you are greeted by a simple page giving you the opportunity to have an evaluation on your property done within 48 hours simply by filling in some key details about your property and clicking send.

HotBarrieListings.com is similar in setup, just fill in the key details of the type, location and price range of the home you want to find and click send. Later that same day you will be up to date on all current listings matching your search parametres. From that point forward you are kept apprised of all new listings meeting your home search requirements on the same day they are listed.

You receive an email follow up from me (no calls during dinner) and of course I'll likely hint at you for the opportunity of helping you to carry out your real estate sale or purchase.

At the same time, hopefully I have provided you with a useful and free service that will inspire you to find out more about me. (To do that you need to visit www.gimmeshelter.ca)

If you're still reading this, thanks.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: On the whole, things look pretty good ::

Next time you think your world is falling apart, have a look at this. You might feel better.

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:

There would be:

• 57 Asians
• 21 Europeans
• 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
• 8 Africans
• 
  
• 52 would be female
• 48 would be male
• 
  
• 70 would be non-white
• 30 would be white

• 70 would be non-Christian
• 30 would be Christian

• 89 would be heterosexual
• 11 would be homosexual

• 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.

• 80 would live in substandard housing

• 70 would be unable to read

• 50 would suffer from malnutrition

• 1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth

• 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education

• 1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.

The following is also something to ponder...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in Canada and the United States.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

by Phillip M Harter, MD, FACEP

Stanford University, School of Medicine

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Second Suites in Barrie Homes ::

Second suites in homes are nothing new. For those with the space, creating a basement apartment can be a sound approach to making home ownership more manageable. Qualified home buyers often consider homes of a higher caliber and price than they might otherwise be comfortable looking at once they factor in the financial returns possible from renting out a second suite.

The most recent statistics from the City of Barrie showed the number of "two unit" houses in Barrie at around 1500. These are two year old stats so that figure has no doubt grown. Of those suites known to exist by the City, only about 10% are registered. Of those that have applied for legal status roughly one in two applicants are successful in registering on first try according to the report.

Of those that don’t meet qualifications, most need some level of upgrading. The more commonly sited deficiencies are; missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, blocked means of egress, inadequate windows for light and ventilation, substandard heating plumbing and electrical and poor or deteriorated quality of the building (stairs, railings floors etc.)

The City of Barrie recognizes its growing demand for rental accommodation as well as the fact that second suites in residential homes is a viable means of addressing that need. At the same time the City of Barrie cannot compromise on health and safety standards by turning a blind eye to existing or future unregistered apartments.

The first thing to learn if you are considering a second suite is whether zoning for your area permits two-unit houses. Next is to know what is required for second suite to be deemed compliant. The library, the internet and a call to your City Councilor should provide you with the facts. You want to look for a copy of the Ontario building code, the Ontario Fire Code (re: two unit houses) and the Property Standards by-law. These will contain much of the information you need to create a compliant second suite.

There is a fee for application and registration that increases if a unit requires re-inspections due to failure to comply on previous inspections.

Only you and your family will know if the efforts and initial costs are justified in the return you will get.

A family with two small children purchased their first home through me four years ago. It was only by chance that one home we visited in our house hunting contained a second suite. After an evening with the calculator making projections they reevaluated their needs and came back to me with the decision to buy the home with the second suite. They created a savings account specifically for the incoming monthly rent cheques and allowed that income to accumulated into a healthy down payment that this spring they put on a new home, their dream home that four years earlier was out of reach.

They then made the decision to keep the first home and now rent out the upstairs as well as the basement suite. The incoming rent covers the mortgage and taxes and provides a three hundred dollar monthly surplus that they intend to use for a five star family vacation each year. The home has appreciated about $70,000 over four years and in addition to accumulating paid down principal they are hopeful it will gain at least another $100,000 in resale value by the time their two daughters are ready to start university.

By thinking long term, their decision to sacrifice the use of a basement four years ago has changed the direction and quality of their lives. Instant gratification often guides our decisions when shopping for a home but by tempering it with some financial foresight often you can move the bigger dreams within your reach.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: January Real Estate Stats show promise for a good year in Barrie

MLS® sales in the region served by the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS® increased this January compared to both the previous month and the same month last year.
Click to continue

:: Flipper Nation :: Episode III: The flippin' Fight

Here it is folks, the third episode of "Flipper Nation". Episode IV is still in the production stages. I'll keep you posted. In case you missed the first two episodes and like to see a movie from the beginning, check the links below.

Click to view Episode I

Click to view Episode II

:: New Home Starts - 12 month Synopsis from CMHC ::

Housing Starts in 2006 Reach Their Second Highest Level in Nearly Two Decades Despite Cooling in December

OTTAWA — New home starts are estimated at 227,400 in 2006, surpassing the level in 2005, reaching their second highest level in nearly two decades. However, the seasonally adjusted annual rate¹ of housing starts decreased to 211,500 units in December from November's 229,300 units, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“Growth in 2006 housing starts was driven by low mortgage rates, solid employment and income growth, and a high level of consumer confidence. Even with the slowing trend in residential construction in recent months, new home starts estimated at 227,400 units in 2006 surpassed the level reached in 2005,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre.

“After two strong months in October and November, the volatile multiples segment fell in December and single-detached starts continued to trend downward, reaching their lowest level of the year. Housing starts are expected to remain strong in 2007, but are forecast to decrease to 210,900 units.”

December’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts declined 9.0 per cent from November to 180,000 units. Urban multiples fell 13.9 per cent to 93,400 units in December, while singles decreased 3.0 per cent to 86,600 units.

All regions saw urban starts fall in December compared to a month earlier. The largest declines were in the Prairie region and the Atlantic region where urban starts fell by 20.5 per cent and 17.9 per cent, respectively. Weaker activity in the urban multiples sector drove the decreases registered in both of these regions. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec recorded smaller declines of 7.1 per cent, 3.6 per cent, and 1.5 per cent, respectively.

Rural starts in December were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 31,500 units.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: View Some Quality Pictures of the Barrie Area ::

Have a look at ScenicBarrie.com if you would like to see some great, and I mean great photographs taken in and around Barrie. This site has been around for a long time (in internet years) and it shows off Barrie well.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com