Hello all!

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce to you a fabulous new organization dedicated to educating and training “On-site” Real Estate Assistants, “Virtual” Real Estate Assistants and yes… Realtors® the latest in Real Estate technology and how to effectively work together. We have something for all of you.

You may have heard of the popular organization, CyberStarVA?. As of October 1st they have made a few changes to their organization including a name change to the International Real Estate Assistant Association, or IREAA. The purpose of the name change was that in the past their main focus was on the “virtual” real estate assistant, however there has been a growing popularity from “on-site” assistants that are interested in the comprehensive and practical training the organization has to offer. In an effort to accomodate all real estate assistants (on-site and virtual) IREAA has emerged.

In addition to the name change, IREAA has partnered with myself, Jennifer of Agent Solutions and Pam Ivey of Visual Persuasions Canada to launch a long overdue Canadian Chapter, IREAA.ca. Pam and I have a noticed a growing need here in Canada for an organization that provides practical training for real estate assistants of real estate software with Canadian content and a place where Realtors® can go to learn how an assistant can help grow their business.

So have a look around at our new sites, IREAA.com and IREAA.ca and please do not hesitate to contact any one of us if you have any questions. We are here to help.

CANADA GETS SERIOUS ABOUT RADON

Health Canada is poised to tighten up guidelines for radon gas levels in indoor air, to a level four times more stringent than current guidelines. It could mean that radon testing will become mandatory in future real estate transactions, and that building codes for new homes will be upgraded.

Critics say that Canada should have adopted the stricter guidelines in the 1980s, when the United States and other countries around the world set their radon guidelines. But Health Canada says that “until recently, there was no evidence providing a direct link between radon levels in the home and lung cancer.” The ministry says that, “However, in 2005, two independent scientific studies performed in Europe and North America showed that lung cancer risks extend to levels of radon found in some homes depending on the length of time an individual is exposed to it.”

Canada’s current guideline of 800 becquerels per cubic metre is the second highest allowed in the world. The new proposal would set the level at 200 becquerels, which is the same as the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Spain and several other companies. The toughest guideline is in the United States, at 150 becquerels.

Fergal Nolan, president of the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, told media outlets that he asked Health Canada to match the U.S. guidelines back in 1988, but that the ministry didn’t take the threat seriously.

However, Health Canada says there was no conclusive evidence before 2004 that radon levels in buildings were directly linked to lung cancer. Now, it acknowledges that radon can pose a serious health risk.

Radon is an odourless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the environment. It is caused by the natural breakdown of uranium in soils and rocks. In the open air it does not pose a health risk, but in an enclosed space such as a mine or a basement, breathing in radon decay products can lead to lung cancer.

The Health Canada report estimates that lung cancers from radon exposure account for about 10 per cent of all lung cancers, second only behind smoking. It says an estimated 1,600 lung cancer deaths in 2000 can be attributed to radon. “The number of radon-induced lung cancers is about one-half of the deaths due to automobile accidents, and is equal to the combined total of deaths due to accidental poisonings, homicides, drownings and fires,” says the Health Canada report. “In any other situation, this number of deaths would certainly justify a major public health initiative.”

Radon can seep into a house through dirt floors, cracks in concrete walls and floors, sumps, basement drains, and through concrete block walls. Radon levels are higher in some geographic areas than others, and Health Canada is current working on a mapping system to identify the hottest radon zones.

However, predicting which houses have radon and which ones don’t is difficult. “Factors such as the location of the house and its relation to the prevailing wind may be just an important as the source of the radon,” says the Health Canada report. Radon levels can vary from season to season, with the highest levels usually recorded during winter.

One estimate says that about 175,000 Canadian homes, or almost three per cent of single-family homes, have radon levels above the proposed new guideline of 200 becquerels, and will need to be repaired to ensure the safety of its occupants.

In discussing the implementation of the proposed guidelines, the Health Canada report says several Canadian companies currently offer radon testing services, and the average cost is about $50 per test. It says that a national certification program should be considered to ensure that testing standards are determined and enforced.

For houses that require work, the average “mitigation” cost would be about $1,200 per house, says the report.

“Active soil depressurization has been found to be the most effective and reliable radon reduction technique in existing homes,” says the report. “This method involves installing a vent pipe through the basement floor slab or connecting it to the foundation drain tiles through the sump. A fan which runs continuously is connected to the vent pipe. This reverses the air pressure difference between the house and the soil, so that air flows from the house into the soil, preventing soil gas entry, and reducing concentrations of soil gas, including radon, next to the foundation.”

The report says open sumps should be fitted with airtight covers with special traps that allow water to drain, but prevent radon from entering the basement. Major gaps in the basement floor or in the top of foundation and interior load-bearing walls should be sealed, as should minor cracks in foundation walls and floors. Other gaps around utility penetrations should be sealed. Exposed soil in a crawlspace should be covered by a barrier with sealed edges and joints, says the report.

“What is required for testing services also applies in large measure to builders and contractors providing radon mitigation services. Standards and guidelines need to be developed and this includes revisions to national, provincial, and local building codes. These guidelines could be more rigorously enforced in radon-prone areas,” says the report. “The approach here is not to over-regulate the building industry, but to provide it with the knowledge and tools needed to play an effective role in radon mitigation.”

The report says that “a combination of radon-resistant requirements in new homes and mandatory testing of existing homes could lead to virtually complete compliance with the new Canadian radon guidelines within a decade.”

For more information about radon in the home, download Radon: A Guide for Canadian Homeowners, produced jointly by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and Health Canada.

Published: August 24, 2006

By Jim Adair
Realty Times

CANADIANS LOVE THE CONDO LIFESTYLE

There’s been a dramatic change to Toronto’s skyline in the last few years as dozens of new high-rise condominiums have been built to feed the current housing boom. While it appears the market may be cooling, a new survey suggests that the long-term prognosis is good for condo developers in Canada.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid.ca for TD Bank, says that younger Canadians are more willing to consider raising a family in a condo than those who are over 45 years old. Overall, 80 per cent of the people surveyed would not consider raising a family in a condominium, but those in the age group that’s most likely ready to start a family (25 to 34-year-olds) are the most open to the idea of condo living.

The results also indicate that those who currently live in condos are enjoying the experience. “Younger Canadians who bought condos as their first step into the housing markets have grown accustomed to the numerous benefits of the condo lifestyle, and many are considering extending them into the next phase of their lives,” says Chris Wisniewski of TD Canada Trust.

The survey, conducted among adults aged 25-59 in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa, found that 64 per cent of respondents would not be likely to consider purchasing a condo as a primary residence. But the 35 per cent who would consider it are driving condo sales to record levels.

In Toronto, it’s expected that a record number of new condos will be built for the second consecutive year. In June, more new high-rise condos were sold in the city than ever before. “Home buyers were snapping up a new condo every four minutes the sales offices were open,” says Desi Auciello, president of the Greater Toronto Home Builders’ Association. “Frankly, we never thought we’d see the day when low-rise product would represent the minority of our sales, particularly to this extent,” he says. Six out of every 10 new homes sold in June were high-rise suites. Through the first six months of the year, high-rise sales are running two per cent ahead of last year’s pace, while low-rise sales have declined by 10 per cent.

In the resale market, high-rise condos represented 20.2 per cent of the market share in July. The median price for a resale condo in the Greater Toronto Area in July was $214,000, while the average new high-rise condo price in June was $314,370. The average price for resale homes of all types in July was $358,035.

Not surprisingly, affordability is one of the main reasons why condos continue to be popular, and was cited in the survey by 57 per cent of those who said they would choose a condo as their primary residence. Other reasons for buying a condo, according to the survey results, are because they are “easier maintain (69 per cent)”, and because people are “attracted to the condo lifestyle” (45 per cent).

Asked what amenities condos can offer to families, the top answers were building security (91 per cent), proximity to public transit (87 per cent), pool or recreational facilities for children (83 per cent), close to work (81 per cent), and proximity to schools (81 per cent).

Torontonians surveyed were the most likely to say all of these amenities are important to have for raising children in a condo, and were also the most likely to say they would not consider buying a condo because there is “no backyard or play areas.”

People in Montreal were the most likely to say that condos are not suitable for families with children living at home, and 87 per cent said they would not be likely to consider starting and raising a family in a condo.

In contrast, Vancouver residents were the most likely to have lived in a condo either now or in the past (36 per cent), and the most likely to say they would consider buying a condo as their primary residence. They are also the most likely to consider starting a family and raising children in a condo.

Affordability is the number one reason why they would purchase a condo.

“Traditional attitudes change slowly,” says Wisniewski. “Yet, as condo developers continue to create new projects with more family-friendly features and amenities, I think we can expect to see a rise in the number of families with children who choose this option.”

Published: August 10, 2006

By Jim Adair

Realty Times

CANADIAN REAL ESTATE MARKETS SET RECORDS IN FIRST-HALF ‘06

Calgary, Edmonton lead sales activity

Resale housing activity in Canada’s major markets in the first half of 2006 set a new record for the first six months of any year, The Canadian Real Estate Association reported this week.

Sales activity is on pace to set a new annual record this year despite expected softening in the second half of the year, the association reported.

Actual unadjusted home sales via the multiple listing service in Canada’s major markets totaled 186,177 units in the first half of 2006, a 3.6 percent rise over the previous record for first-half activity set in 2005.

Sales activity was particularly strong in Calgary and Edmonton, the association reported, and new records for resale housing activity in the first six months of the year were set in those cities and Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, London, Sudbury, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. Seasonally adjusted MLS home sales in the second quarter of 2006 numbered 84,391 units ? which represents a slight decline from the record levels posted over the past year.

Actual unadjusted sales reached the second highest level on record for the second-quarter period, and were 0.5 percent below activity levels reached during second-quarter 2005. Seasonally adjusted home sales activity eased by about 1 percent from the previous month to 28,185 units in June 2006. Monthly sales activity ebbed in Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax, and a number of other markets, which more than offset monthly gains in Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, and London.

Actual unadjusted MLS residential new listings totaled 308,923 units in the first half of 2006 ? a new record for the first six months of the year and the highest level on record for any six-month period. New listings were up by 4.6 percent from the first half of last year and were 2.3 percent higher than the previous record set in the first half of 1990, which is the only other six-month period on record in which new listings topped 300,000 units, the association reported.

“There are no signs that new listings have peaked, as seasonally adjusted quarterly and monthly new listings reached their highest levels in more than 15 years,” the association also announced. Victoria and Montreal led the increases, with seasonally adjusted new listings in the second quarter reaching the highest level since fourth-quarter 1990. “A rebound in Calgary helped to push major market new listings to the highest monthly level since May 1991.”

The major market MLS residential average price at mid-year was up by 11.8 percent compared to December of last year. It was also up by 12.2 percent year-over-year in the second quarter, which tied with the second quarter of 2004 for the highest year-over-year price growth of any quarter in the past 15 years. The 6.8 percent jump in price from the last quarter was also the highest quarterly increase since 1989.

Average price in the second quarter of 2006 set new quarterly records in almost every major market in Canada. The major market MLS residential average price reached $269,000 (in U.S. dollars) in June ? up 11.8 percent from the same month last year.

Average price has posted double-digit year-over-year gains in every month during the first half of 2006, the association announced, and reached the highest monthly level on record in June in Calgary, Edmonton, London, Montreal and Quebec City.

The average home price fell from the record levels reached in May 2006 in a number of other markets.

CREA Chief Economist Gregory Klump said in a statement, “The housing market is tightest in Alberta, where a sizzling job market is stoking buyer demand and fueling remarkable price increases. The rise in new listings in Montreal and Toronto gives buyers in those centers a wider selection of homes to choose from, and will keep price increases in those markets below those for major markets in British Columbia and Alberta.”

The association noted in the announcement that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual prices in centers comprised of widely divergent neighborhoods or account for price differential between geographic areas.

The Canadian Real Estate Association represents about 85,000 Realtors.

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Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Inman News

CANADIAN REAL ESTATE SALES HIT RECORD
Canadian real estate sales hit record
Average home price rises 13% across major markets

The Canadian Real Estate Association reported today that actual home sales via the Multiple Listing Service in Canada’s major markets rose 4.4 percent, topping the previous record set last May. And sales activity for the first five months of the year was up 5 percent compared to the same period last year.

Existing-home sales activity in Canada’s major markets continued to soar in May, with actual sales activity breaking all previous records. The average home price increased 12.9 percent from May 2005 to May 2006, reaching a record $273,148 (in U.S. dollars), the association also reported.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, transactions rose to 28,441 units in May — up 2.4 percent compared to April. And 37,460 total units were sold in May. The seasonally adjusted statistics are a projection of a monthly total over a 12-month period, adjusted for season fluctuations in sales activity.

New year-to-date sales records were set in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, London, Kitchener, Sudbury, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and Saint John.

“Seasonally adjusted sales surpassed all previous records for the month of May on a national basis, and in a number of major markets including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Sudbury, Quebec City, Saint John, and Halifax. Actual (unadjusted) new listings also reached the highest level for any month on record in May,” the association reported.

New listings totaled 58,794 units in May — a year-over-year increase of 6.3 percent and a 3.1 percent increase from the previous peak reached in March 2006.

Seasonally adjusted MLS residential new listings increased 0.9 percent in April and reached the highest level since May 1991, at 46,117 units. “The monthly increase in new listings was less than the increase in sales activity, which caused the market to tighten slightly,” the association reported.

The MLS residential average price set monthly records in several markets, among them: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, London, Hamilton, Montreal, and Saint John.

“May marks the fourth consecutive month in which the major-market average residential price broke all previous records,” association chief economist Gregory Klump said in a statement. “Sales activity continues to run high, despite rising interest rates and home prices. This shows how additional full time job growth, rising incomes and resilient consumer confidence are working together to keep housing demand strong.”

He added, “Recent price increases are resulting in a growing shortage of lower-priced resale home listings in a number of markets. This is crimping sales in lower price ranges and pushing up the average price for MLS home sales.”

The Canadian Real Estate Association is among Canada’s largest single-industry trade associations, and represents about 85,000 Realtors working through 99 real estate Boards, 10 provincial associations and one territorial association.

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Article Offered by Inman News