Oakville & Burlington Real Estate Blog - Dan Cooper » House Building

EXCLUSIVE OPEN HOUSE EVENT FOR NEWLY DESIGNED HUSH BUNGALOWS

Dan Cooper — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:02:53 +0000

Dan Cooper and Naheel Suleman, President & CEO, Hush Homes

There are two special enclaves of new homes that have just gone on sale that offer French and English inspired designs, and some very unique features and homeownership packages. HUSH is the builder and they are releasing spectacular new bungalows and two-storey homes at two Oakville locations.

Avalon in South-West Oakville includes 12 French inspired homes that are conveniently located on Lakeshore Road West, close to downtown Oakville and Appleby College. At Avalon, you can experience the city living of shopping and dining without sacrificing a private home environment. The Gardens of Coronation features 14 English-style homes that are steps away from Coronation Park and Lake Ontario. Some lots here have been designed to allow for a third-storey loft where you can enjoy spectacular views of the park and lake.

The bungalows in each location can be completely customized to your liking, right down to the floor plan, says HUSH president Naheel Suleman. “One of our buyers wanted to have a house where their kids could bring friends over, so we designed a recreation space and outdoor living space with a pool, cabana and a kids’ retreat area in the basement. Another buyer, for example has no children, so we designed a house so that the master bedroom would be on the main floor and the secondary bedrooms were upstairs in case she had guests or wanted to resell the home,” Suleman explains.

And like all HUSH projects, these homes are loaded with top quality products and materials – hardwood floors, 10-foot ceilings, Wolf and Sub-Zero gourmet appliances, granite counter tops, marble, and high-end fixtures by Kohler just to name a few of the luxury appointments that are standard in all HUSH homes. This builder has a stellar reputation for customer service and takes every step to keep the buyer completely in the picture as the home is being built. For example, homeowners are allowed scheduled walk-throughs in the construction phase, during which time they are welcome to make subtle changes. Each buyer is also assigned a professional interior designer who will visit their current home to get an idea of their tastes and styles, as well as an inventory of the furniture they plan to move into their new home.

Another impressive point about HUSH is the variety of innovative services they offer, such as a free move-in service, annual inspections and certificates (which lead to a better resale value), and interior and exterior maintenance packages, and even holiday decor packages. All of these services are tracked on a virtual concierge/web portal in the home, which also includes pertinent documents, floor plans, colour selections, manuals, on-site progress reporting, services and upcoming appointments.

HUSH builds their homes to exceed Energy Star standards and provides an extensive “green” package that offers additional solutions such as solar power and geothermal heating and cooling so you can make your home as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as you want. With homes ranging from 1,800 to 4,000 square feet, loaded with high-end products, quality construction and high energy efficiency, HUSH is offering a carefree lifestyle and a superbly maintained residence for as long as you own the property.

HUSH’s presentation centre is located at 417 Lakeshore Road West. Call 905.337.1435 to schedule a private appointment during the week or register online at HUSH.CA. Visit our catered open houses this weekend on Saturday and Sunday between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm and sample finger foods and delicacies from Montfort Mediterranean cuisine and cinnamon buns and fresh pastries from Cob’s Bakery. Alternatively, give my office a call and we will be glad to help you make the ideal selection – to optimize your enjoyment and investment.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Exciting new custom Green Home open to the public this Saturday May 8th

Dan Cooper — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:00:20 +0000

If you want a close look at something truly different in home building, be sure to drop into the Grand Opening of the first GreenHouse certified home in Halton on Saturday, May 8th at 1 p.m. The house, which is now for sale, is located at 2305 Belyea Street in Bronte Village. The two-storey home has been built by a young company with a mission to build energy-efficient, ecofriendly homes. Greenbilt Homes is dedicated to make green homes affordable by building infill projects in the GTA that are comparable in price to regular homes.

Home building in Ontario is gradually becoming greener, and the major push for this change is coming from the industry itself. There are a number of industry-wide initiatives that are encouraging home builders to embrace and adopt energy-efficient products, technologies and practices, but it is individual companies like Greenbilt Homes that are leading the way. As the Broker on this exciting new project, I am proud to be associated with the latest evolution in building and to be part of this critical movement of creating homes that will reduce our carbon footprint. With this house, Greenbilt is proving that you don’t need expensive and state-of-the-art technologies to achieve green. In fact, many of their solutions are common sense such as relying on daylight for lighting, overhangs and porches for cooling, utilizing recut and repolished granite, quartz with recycled glass, cork flooring in the kitchen with 100 per cent recycled content and the list goes on. In fact, there are 85 green features, combining to exceed the GreenHouse Certification requirements.

The owners’ inspiration was actually drawn from the past rather than looking into the future. “This brand new home incorporates a lot of basic concepts of early Ontario houses that used knowledge of nature to make the home more liveable,” says company vice-president Catherine Marshall. “The one green feature I am proudest of is our earth-cooled cellar in the basement because it is a modern sanitary walk-in cold room that is geothermal cooled by a simple and inexpensive system that came out of our research.” Traditional cellars were burrowed into the ground or the side of a hill, but while Greenbilt’s 80-foot walk-in food and wine cellar is in the basement, it is kept at the earth’s temperature, a constant 55 degrees, via the geothermal system. Greenbilt also focused on the lifestyle of Ontario’s agricultural forefathers who minimized waste, used resources carefully and built durable homes to last.

This first Oakville project by Greenbilt was the culmination of two years of research and development, explains company president Mike Manning, who has spent 30 years in construction, has an Architectural Technology diploma and is a licensed carpenter. While Manning learned as much as he could about green building before beginning this project, he says they also relied on their suppliers who were knowledgeable about products and materials and assisted the company by suggesting creative approaches. Some of these interesting features simply need to be seen to be appreciated, he suggests.

Approximately 20 suppliers, from lighting suppliers to cleaning companies, will be on hand following the brief Grand Opening ceremony. “Come expecting to learn about greening a house in an entertaining way,” Manning says. Whether you are in the market for a new home, simply have an interest in what the green movement is all about or just curious to learn more, I encourage you to come out and have a look for yourself. You may be surprised by the new-found knowledge you will come away with. See what the future of building might look like.

Taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint

Dan Cooper — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:34:35 +0000

With Earth Hour approaching on March 27th, be prepared to see plenty of reminders to turn off your lights to show your concern for the environment. According to the Canadian Earth Hour website, participation has grown from just one city three years ago to a global movement today, making it the largest environmental event in history. But Earth Hour is more than just shutting off lights for one hour on one day once a year. The growing participation for this event reflects increased awareness about the sustainability of our North American lifestyle.

It is becoming more accepted that our homes can be an important part of the solution. A widely reported statistic indicates that 30 per cent of the greenhouse gases in Canada are emitted by buildings. In response to this statistic, the Canada Green Building Council has set a goal of increasing the environmental performance of one million homes by 2015 as measured by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria.

The question is, what can we do as individuals to help meet this highly ambitious goal? For existing housing, the most basic improvement is also the least costly. It is sealing all the cracks in the house. An energy audit (partly covered by a government grant) can show you where the heat loss is occurring. A Toronto Star article showed just how beneficial these energy audits can be. The average 100-year-old home has an energy rating of 55 out of 100, but the subject of the article was a farmhouse with a score of minus 24. All of the sources of heat loss were equivalent to a 1.5-foot by 1.5-foot hole in the house.

The next step in the energy-efficiency hierarchy is adding new insulation. Once you have had an energy audit, the EcoEnergy grant program will pay a portion of the insulation cost. Upgrading your home with new windows and doors is also covered by the EcoEnergy grant program and this will not only save you money on your utility bills, but increase your home’s “street appeal.” In addition, as the exterior seals on old windows break down, they are the leading cause of mould growth inside your walls. It is important not to let water get into walls from old windows because eventually it could undermine the integrity of the house structure.

Finally, big ticket items like replacing your old heating and cooling (HVAC) systems, your hot water tank, and kitchen and laundry appliances with Energy Star models can save significant amounts of electricity. The EcoEnergy grant will also cover part of the HVAC upgrade. I have a growing interest in green homes and recently became associated with an ultra-progressive local builder – Greenbilt Homes. The firm is currently building the first GreenHouse Certified custom home in Bronte Village and I will have more about this exciting project when Greenbilt holds the open house in the very near future. Loaded with incredible energy saving technology, this home is definitely one you will want to tour. Until then, get your candles ready for Earth Hour.

Managing mortgage rates and the HST

Dan Cooper — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:28:24 +0000

There is mounting pressure for buyers and sellers to make a move over the next few months. Just last week the Bank of Canada maintained its overnight rate at 0.25 per cent, but economists are predicting interest rates will begin to rise in July which will convince some consumers that making the move now and locking into a lower mortgage rate might be the wisest decision.

Not only are rates expected to rise later this year, but July is a critical month since the new harmonized sales tax (HST) comes into effect on the 1st and will add to the price of a new home, especially homes priced $400,000 and higher. New home builders are currently using this as a marketing tool, encouraging buyers to buy now and avoid the full 13 per cent impact of the HST. Essentially, the province is marrying the existing Provincial Sales Tax (PST) of 8 per cent and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5 per cent to create one tax of 13 per cent known as the HST or Single Source Tax. Under the HST, home buyers and sellers will have to pay extra tax on a range of services associated with real estate transactions such as mortgage insurance premiums, title insurance, legal fees, moving costs, real estate commissions and home inspection fees. Currently, consumers only pay the 5-per-cent GST on these services. Subject to the 13-per-cent HST, these services will then cost you an additional $2,000 or more on a home priced at $360,000 for example.

According to Pauline Aunger, President of the Ontario Real Estate Association, these additional taxes could price some home buyers, especially first-time buyers, right out of the market. “Now is not the time to be erecting barriers to homeownership,” she argues “We need consumers to invest in housing to help get our economy going again.” While beating the HST is certainly a consideration while shopping for your new home, realize that after July 1 when the HST comes into effect, builders may be forced to offer discounts or incentives if the new tax dampens sales. Carefully weigh your options and your priorities to determine what makes the most sense for you. The best strategy is still to find your ideal location, find a home that suits your needs and tastes and offer a price that is comfortable for your budget.

As for what might happen with mortgage rates over the next 12 months, Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist with BMO Capital Markets, sums up what most economists are saying today. “Canadians should not be expecting these extreme lows of interest rates to last that much longer. The bank is slowly but surely laying the groundwork for higher interest rates,” he says. According to a BMO report, the central Bank did not feel pressured to alter the rate due in part to vigorous domestic spending and a higher level of economic activity in Canada.

BMO predicts that the Canadian dollar will remain strong against the U.S. dollar and will be on par through to the fall, which will lead the Bank of Canada to cautiously hike rates. If your financial plans this year include buying or selling a home, choosing a Broker who will get the most for your home quickly will reduce the hassle of selling and put money in your pocket. Not only is Dan Cooper Canada’s #1 Royal LePage Team, but Royal LePage outpaced all other firms in volume sold in Oakville last year.

Consider buying a home now to beat the new taxman.

Dan Cooper — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:01:23 +0000

The new Harmonization Sales Tax (HST) proposed by the provincial government has the home building and real estate industries deeply troubled. While there continues to be some fine tuning before it comes into effect July 1st, 2010 – the bottom line is that it will cost you more to buy a home once the new tax is in place.

Essentially, the province is marrying the existing Provincial Sales Tax (PST) of 8 percent and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5 percent to create one tax of 13 percent known as the HST or Single Source Tax (SST). Under the HST, home buyers and sellers will have to pay extra tax on a range of services associated with real estate transactions such as mortgage insurance premiums, title insurance, legal fees, moving costs, real estate commissions and home inspection fees. Currently, consumers only pay the 5 percent GST on these services.

Subject to the 13 percent HST, these services will then cost you an additional $2,000 or more on a home priced at $360,000 for example.

And while the association is strongly urging the province not to go through with harmonization, the reality is that the government will not likely back down and we will assuredly see the HST next year.

The question many potential buyers might want to ask themselves is that would it be in their best interests to purchase a home within the next 11 months to avoid the HST? The first consideration concerns price. There seems to be little advantage to waiting. House prices are beginning to move upward as our economy slowly recovers, but are still attractive today. So, if the price is right, wouldn’t you rather take that $2,000 you would pay in extra taxes after next July and invest it in your home? In addition, you would certainly realize greater value with a “today” strategy since current government incentives to make home improvements and upgrade energy efficiencies will stretch your dollar that much farther.

Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you will make, and seeking the best value for your money is always a smart strategy.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage. He can be reached at 905.338.3737 or direct line at 905.849.3303. For more information about Dan and his team please see his innovative website DanCooperTV.com, or be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Education Series on DailyWebTV.com. For a free copy of his Guide to Oakville Real Estate or his booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar, please call the Dan Cooper office.