The 42nd annual Richmond Hill Winter Carnival will be an event filled weekend of games, entertainment and outdoor displays for the whole family. Best of all... it's free! Activities take place around Mill Pond Park (Trench and Mill Streets, just north of York Central Hospital) on Friday, February 5 from 7 to 10 p.m., Saturday, February 6 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Special Richmond Hill Carnival 2010 Events

Pancake Breakfast in the Carnival Tent

According to many of Canada’s top economists, higher interest rates – and debt servicing costs – may be just around the corner. Exactly when rates will rise is unclear and depends on who you talk to.

In its latest Financial System Review, The Bank of Canada judges that vulnerability of Canadian households to adverse wealth and income shocks has grown in recent years. “At present, Canadian household finances appear quite healthy,” Governor Mark Carney says, but it is the responsibility of households now to ensure that in the future, when the recovery takes hold and extraordinary measures are unwound, they can still service their debts.”

The Bank of Canada still maintains it will hold the line on rates until July of this year, and many analysts believe rates may start to rise in the fall of 2010, with some expecting a full three percentage point hike by the end of 2011. Here’s a summary of a few of the forecasts for where interest rates are headed over the next year and a half:

TD Canada Trust Quarterly Economic Forecast

Shocking Truth: 2 out of 3 Listings Do Not Sell in the GTA!

Most owners think that their homes are special, will bring a good price and will sell quickly. The sad truth is that selling your home in Toronto Area can be frustrating.  A lot of all new listings that go on the market eventually expire with the home still unsold. Toronto Real Estate Board stats reveal that even in the Sellers Market only 1 in 3 Real Estate listings actually sells:

How to Avoid Becoming an Expired Listing?

Christmas is a time to celebrate family, love and appreciate this thing called life.

We want to share with you a powerful and truly inspirational love story about a father who pushed his disabled son in a wheelchair in eighty-five marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair, but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Father also pulled his son cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike:

Walking distance to Michäelle Jean French Immersion School in Richmond Hill!

Absolutely exceptional 4-bedroom home on huge pie-shaped lot, located in one of the most desirable areas of Richmond Hill. Pampered with perfection, this elegant 7 year old home has all the warmth and comfort you would expect from Aspen Ridge builder. It is loaded with many upgrades and extras you won’t find available in other homes on the market. Close proximity to Richmond Green Sports Centre & Parks.

Features

• 9ft ceiling & crown molding on the main floor
• Smartly designed kitchen has abundance of kitchen cabinets, granite countertop & stainless steel appliances
• 3 full bathrooms on the second floor
• Pot-lights in kitchen & family room
• Pot-lights on front of the home & porch
• Extra insulation in attic & garage
• Beautiful main floor laundry room
• Professionally manicured landscaping
• Stunning interlocking stone patio.

Take a Look

Here Comes Santa! With this year's theme "Winter Wonderland Olympics" of the Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade is sure to be a memorable event for everyone. The parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of Yonge Street and Industrial Road, proceed south on Yonge Street and conclude at Hillcrest Mall. If you want to be on Santa's good list don't forget:

• Food items for the Richmond Hill Food Bank will be collected along the parade route by representatives of The Liberal newspaper and York Regional Towing Ltd.
• Letters to Santa will be collected along the parade route by representatives of Canada Post. Kids, address your letters to:
  Santa
  North Pole, H0H 0H0
  Canada

Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade 2009 - Frequently Asked Questions

Beautiful bungalow near Richmond Hill GO Train Station

Secluded & quiet, but close to all amenities including famous Bayview High School (IB Program). Big living room with huge windows & enough space for grand piano makes perfect spot for entertaining. Bright eat-in kitchen with walk-out to patio overlooking fully fenced backyard.

Features

• Professionally finished basement
• Hardwood under carpet in living room
• Very functional floor plan

Take a Look

Royal LePage welcomes you to The Hemispheres 2 condominium building at 131 Torresdale Avenue

Maintenance fee includes ALL utilities & cable. Close to TTC and all other amenities.

Take a Peek Inside

Toronto Real Estate Facts

Spring home buying frenzy continued in June. Buyers and sellers reached deals on 10,955 properties, which is 27% more compared to the same period last year. The average price for MLS sales was $403,972, up by two per cent compared to last year.

It is very unusual what is happening on the market and even the oldest agents in my office haven’t seen anything like this. All of the sudden we are seeing multiple offers, but it is hard to believe recession is coming to an end. I think that sellers were afraid to list so we have a shortage of supply. If that’s the case market will soon become balanced.

If you are a home buyer who missed Toronto Real Estate market bottom while waiting for recession to push home prices further down, then you should check out my article Where to get good deals now?

To establish your property’s assessed value, Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) analyzes property sales in your community and applies the Current Value Assessment (CVA) method, which is used by most assessment jurisdictions in Canada and throughout the world.

In addition to sales, MPAC looks at the key features of every property and may consider up to 200 factors when assessing the value of a residential property. Five major factors that account for 85% of the value are:

It was only a matter of time before Canada Mortgage Rates, which have plunged by almost 50% in the last year, turned higher. The days of ridiculously cheap mortgage rates appear to be over. Now they're just cheap. Here's the latest media roundup:

How high will mortgage rates go?

Recent increases in mortgage rates and bond yields have many home owners wondering how high rates will go, how soon, and what they should do to save the most money. They ask: Should I stick with a low variable interest rate? Or switch to a fixed rate?

Have you missed the great Canadian mortgage sale?

With interest rates hovering near dramatic lows, many Canadian home owners have been taking advantage of rock-bottom mortgage rates to break their existing contracts and refinance at a lower rate. But mortgage rates rose quickly and dramatically last week, leading some to wonder if they have missed the sweetest mortgage recession sale in recent history.

Royal LePage Your Community Realty & Jasmina Zivkovic welcome you to 10 Post Oak Drive

Beautiful 3 bedroom Townhouse located in a very desirable Richmond Hill neighbourhood, steps away from Yonge Street and Viva transit:

• Large windows provide much sunlight and great view of Toronto skyline.
• Built by Sierra, featuring
  1. Gleaming Hardwood floors
  2. 9 foot ceilings on the main floor
  3. Marble fireplace
  4. Family size breakfast area with Walk-out to balcony
  5. Direct access garage.
• Low Maintenance Fee of only $168.58 per month!

For a full list of amenities check out my other listing "Quality Home in Superb Richmond Hill School District" in the same condo complex.

Take a Peek Inside

If you are one of the buyers who was waiting for home prices to come down more, than you have missed the housing market bottom in the GTA. But don't worry, you can still find great deals in the areas & home types that depreciated more during this downturn.

Toronto neighbourhoods to look at

Got these adorable pets photos in an email. This is probably the cutest way to wish someone a Peaceful and Happy Easter & a Happy and Kosher Passover: