December Holiday Newsletter

Thank you to the over 70 clients, business partners and staff for attending our largest MFR Holiday party at Dragon Pearl!  It was a fun evening with fantastic food, drinks, socializing, games and prizes.  Our top winner was Jeff Wang who took home the grand prize television.  Runner up was Christina Mathura and Jeff Wai/Lewis Oates winning the Google Homes.

Everyone was a winner taking home the book “Burn Your Mortgage” and a candle plus holiday card.

We are so blessed and grateful to have the most amazing clients and busines partners.  Thank you for all your support in 2018 and we wish everyone a happy holidays and a safe and prosperous New Year!!

Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced the continuation of moderate price growth in November 2018 compared to November 2017.

The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 2.7 per cent year-over-year. The average selling price was up by 3.5 per cent year-over-year to $788,345.

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 6,251 residential transactions through TREB’s MLS® System in November 2018. This result was down by 14.7 per cent compared to November 2017, when we saw a temporary upward shift in demand as the market was distorted by the looming OSFI-mandated stress test at the end of last year.

“New listings were actually down more than sales on a year-over-year basis in November. This suggests that, in many neighbourhoods, competition between buyers may have increased. Relatively tight market conditions over the past few months have provided the foundation for renewed price growth,” said Mr. Bhaura.

On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, sales were down by 3.4 per cent compared to October 2018. The average selling price after preliminary seasonal adjustment was down by 0.8 per cent compared to October 2018.

Nathan Phillips Square will once again be hosting its spectacular annual family-friendly New Year’s Eve party to ring in 2019!

The City of Toronto wants to make it a New Year to remember so gather together your family and friends and celebrate in vibrant downtown Toronto where all the action is!

The countdown to 2019 begins at 8 p.m. with a skating party along with an exhilarating lineup of DJs to keep the party going followed by live musical performances and finally a spectacular fireworks display at midnight.

Don’t just sit around and do nothing. Come out and be part of the celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square this New Year’s Eve! Whatever you end up doing, here’s wishing you a happy and healthy 2019!

January opens up new possibilities for our health and wellbeing but have you ever thought about making resolutions for your home? Here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Just Do It! – Tackle a major item on your to-do list such as cleaning out the basement or painting the bathroom.
2. Cut Back – Seal and insulate your ductwork then set goals to reduce bills such as turning off lights and reducing water consumption.
3. Plant It – There are many ways to improve the quality of your indoor air but start off by adding plants to naturally filter the air you breathe.
4. Basket Case – Purchase baskets to organize everyday items such as remotes and controllers so they don’t just get tossed around the room.
5. Keep it Clean – Take just 10 minutes each day to walk through and put everything back in its home. Get the entire family involved!
6. Safety First – Make sure your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are in good working order and that you have a family escape plan in place.
7. The Purge – Go through your home one room at a time each month and purge any items you no longer have interest in and instead, fill your home with things that make you feel good.

In addition to the above tips, you can also introduce a new resolution for your home each month to help break up the year. For example, in January you can declutter, in February you can brush painting off your list and so on. Home is where the heart is, so it makes sense that a harmonious home will lend itself to a happier overall life.

The holiday season is a magical time of year but it can also be a time of great waste. It’s easy though to enjoy Christmas cheer and still cut your carbon footprint. Here are a few ideas:

1. Decorate Naturally – Bring the scent of nature into your home with evergreens, fir cones and cranberries.
2. Think Outside the Box – All those gift bags, ribbons and bows account for an incredible amount of waste so try and reuse old wrapping paper.
3. Light Up Mindfully – Everyone loves the twinkle of holiday lights but for the sake of the environment, use LED lights and remember to turn them off before going to bed.
4. One, Two, Tree – Real trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen all while sustaining the local economy. Artificial trees, on the other hand, can’t be recycled and may contain toxins.

The holiday season is a great opportunity to start eco-friendly family traditions that will hopefully be passed down for many generations to come. Better still, these methods are as easy on your wallet as they are on the environment!

Candied pecans are delicious! They’re so good that they’ll likely disappear before they make it to the salad, cake, gift jar or dessert they were intended for. Here’s how you make them:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp water (or substitute vanilla extract)
• 1 pound of pecan halves

Preheat oven to 250°F and mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Whisk the egg white and water together in another bowl until frothy. Next, toss the pecans in the egg white mixture then coat the pecans with the sugar mixture. Finally, spread the coated pecans onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for an hour, making sure to stir every 15 minutes. Enjoy!