Considering I’m not particularly adventurous in trying strange meats or animal organs, I was very pleased with this experience. I have so much respect for Chefs like Ségué Lepage, who take you on a journey of their imaginative creations. And he should be proud; this restaurant was named 8th best new restaurant in Canada, in the 2011 edition of EnRoute magazine.

All of the dishes we tried were well balanced even though they were a mishmash of ingredient

Continue reading: Eatery: Le Comptoir – Imaginative food

Posted By: Sonia Samji. Gourmand Blogger and Real Estate Broker with McGill Immobilier team. Sonia represents new condo construction in Montreal. She can be reached at 514.924.5971

Well, that was the plan.

Naturally, I wanted to test the little widget with a couple of recent sales. So I entered the addresses, hit the send button and — voila! The results came up. What I quickly realized was that, instead of giving me an accurate (or semi-accurate) appraisal, the resulting “guesstimate” was overpriced by $200,000, according to my own calculations. And this is not small change we’re talking about…

What am I getting at?

Technology alone is not enough, at least not yet. Just like proofreading or translating, as two other examples, technology can be incredibly handy but not always incredibly accurate. And when it comes to “correctly” pricing your home, you need more than mere numbers and figures taken from a website. You need comparables from the area. You need sold prices, and you should have someone come over for a quick inspection. It deserves to be seen in person, because the overall condition of your home will never show as well on paper as it does “live”. And that can make a (more than) SIGNIFICANT change in the way your property will be priced.

Ready to have your home appraised? Why not get a free, in-person consultation right now? For price strategies and marketing tips to get your home sold for more money, contact us now.

Posted By: Deya Bautista - Real Estate Broker working as part of the McGill Immobilier team. Specializing in high end condos in downtown and Old Montreal. For buying or selling contact Deya at: 514.917.7889 http://montrealrealestateblog.com/

1954: Introduction of the Mortgage Loan Insurance- by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

1971: Principal residences were exempted from Capital Gains in The Income Tax Act

1992: There were two programs created by the federal government.
The first was the Home Buyers’ Plan (HPB) allowing buyers to withdraw up to $20,000, tax-free, from their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and use it as a down payment to buy or build a home.

The second, was a test program called the First Home Loan Insurance Program (FHLIP) which decreased the down payment needed to buy a first home from 10% to 5%

1994 The federal government announces the HPB as a permanent program.

1998 The FHLIP was replaced by a permanent program. And instead of 10%, all buyers were now allowed a 5% downpayment.

2006  The CMHC launched CMHC Flex 100- (Remember the zero-downpayment mortgage?) a mortgage loan insurance product for owner-occupiers that allows them, under certain conditions, to buy a property by taking out a loan up to the total value of the property (no down payment required).

The amortization period for owner-occupiers were also extended to up to 40 years, under certain conditions.

2008 The maximum amortization period for new mortgages was reduced to 35 years and the minimum down payment increased from 0 to 5 per cent.

2009 The maximum amount that can be withdrawn as part of the HBP increased to $25,000

2011 The maximum amortization period for new mortgages was reduced to 30 years

Adapted from and Article from the Market Analysis Department of the QFREB
Sources: Government of Canada, CMHC, Industry Canada and the Department of Finance Canada. 

Posted By: Deya Bautista - Real Estate Broker working as part of the McGill Immobilier team. Specializing in high end condos in downtown and Old Montreal. For buying or selling contact Deya at: 514.917.7889 http://montrealrealestateblog.com/

The Montreal Real Estate Blog showcases outstanding images from montreal neighbourhoods. If you’d like to submit your photography,  please join our flickr pool or send us an email!

Posted By: Deya Bautista - Real Estate Broker working as part of the McGill Immobilier team. Specializing in high end condos in downtown and Old Montreal. For buying or selling contact Deya at: 514.917.7889 http://montrealrealestateblog.com/

Less owners are losing their homes, according to the latest article of the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards (FCIQ) That’s great news considering that in 2010 there were 2224 seized in the province of Quebec. In 2011, a drop to 1140 foreclosures, this represents a 19% decrease since 2010. And looking closely at the chart, you will see that in 2009 there was a high amount of properties repossessed. The hard times seem to be over? We shall see.

In the article, there was a detailed description on how the foreclosure process works, and the steps property owners took when having difficulties making the mortgage payments. We will update soon with helpful tips for property owners in distress.

Sign up for the new Market Report Newsletter, and get notified of the latest market reports.

Posted By: Deya Bautista - Real Estate Broker working as part of the McGill Immobilier team. Specializing in high end condos in downtown and Old Montreal. For buying or selling contact Deya at: 514.917.7889 http://montrealrealestateblog.com/

Are you looking for a quick and efficient way to brighten up your space and make it look its best without spending too much?  You can use these tips for staging your house for sale or for your own enjoyment.

These are some tips from decorators which will make each room stand out (and make your friends jealous of your talents?)

Each room has to have a ‘focal point’ or a main attraction.  Either the room already has a natural focal point or you will have to create one and decorate around it.  The easiest way is to look for an architectural feature of the room, if there is one.  We will give you some examples and the ways to accentuate these features:

Do you have a fireplace?  If you do, you already have the main attraction!   Depending on the age and the look of it, you can bring it out by either changing the bricks, or painting them.  If you need to enhance the fireplace, add the artificial stone around and above it all the way to the ceiling or paint the wall above it a different color. Then add a mantel and place some accessories on it. Don’t overdo it though – just a few well-chosen ones will suffice. A nice painting, a couple of candle holders, maybe even an interesting mirror… Complete the area by placing an area rug in front of it.

If there is a Half-wall in the room and you choose it as a focal point, you can transform it just by changing its color.  Any opening to another room can be accentuated by changing the trim around the opening or the inside of the opening. This unexpected look will be sure to catch your visitors’ eye.  You can achieve a similar effect with a dropped ceiling; paint it a tone darker than the walls to bring it out.

Any window can be an accent as well, especially if they are big and interesting or offer a nice view. One inexpensive option to bring them out is to paint the window trims a different color than the walls. New blinds, shades and curtains make a huge difference!   By choosing the window treatments of the same color as the wall, you will achieve a more elegant and formal look.  If you are looking for a more casual look, select the window treatments of a complementary color.  For all the details on how to decorate with shades, blinds and shutters, please read http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/decorating-windows-with-shades-blinds-and-shutters.html. An important tip: long curtains make any window seem larger and the current trend is to have the curtains slightly train on the floor for an elegant image.

An Accent Wall brings a wow factor to even the most ordinary room. Usually, the accent wall will be the one next to another focal point (such as a fireplace or a window) if there is one or it will BECOME the focal point of that room. In that case, it should be the first wall you see when you enter a room or a wall on the side of the room. For example, you could accent the wall behind the bed; choose one wall in the living room or the back wall of the dining room so the dining room table is set against its backdrop.  The accent wall is usually a darker and deeper color than the other walls. Not sure which color to choose for your accent wall?  Find a color you like in a pillow, curtain, sofa or artwork and match a paint color to it for your accent wall.

Most of us don’t have enough lighting.  Brighten and lighten your space and you won’t believe the difference.  New light fixtures will modernize your décor and you can use lamps to accentuate spaces and objects in the rooms, such as a fireplace, an artwork or even a nice plant. Three main types of lighting should be present in every room. The general lighting could be overhead or recessed lighting for the whole room.  As it is usually not sufficient and some rooms (such as the majority of living rooms in North America) don’t have any general lighting, you need to add accent lighting in specific areas, such as table lamps or stand up lamps.  Finally, don’t forget task lighting, where needed, to accomplish a specific task, such as kitchen bar lights, or a reading lamp.  For all the DOs and DONTs of lighting, please read http://interiordec.about.com/od/lighting/a/Lighting-Dos-And-Do-Nots.htm.

Artwork and accessories are the final touch, subtle but very important. Lamps, decorative cushions and carpeting are only a few of the many objects that you can accessorise with to add a color to a space and harmonise it. For example, if you prefer neutral colors on your walls and furniture, you could accentuate the space with a favorite color – such as apple green, deep purple or orange.  Just add some cushions, artwork, and a few decorative objects and spread them around the room.

Whether you are preparing your house for sale or doing it to enjoy living in it, do a bit of research, collect some pictures of the rooms and looks you prefer, get some paint samples and then try it. Best of luck!

Posted By: Sveta Melchuk. Founder of Home Staging Montreal, a Montreal firm specializing in Home Staging and Interior Redesign. Simple and effective solutions, to help you sell your property faster and for more money. Call Sveta at: 514-482-9776 http://www.home-staging-montreal.com/

Photo: Deya Bautista

The Montreal Real Estate Blog showcases outstanding images from montreal neighbourhoods. If you’d like to submit your photography,  please join our flickr pool or send us an email!

Posted By: Deya Bautista - Real Estate Broker working as part of the McGill Immobilier team. Specializing in high end condos in downtown and Old Montreal. For buying or selling contact Deya at: 514.917.7889 http://montrealrealestateblog.com/