Zoocasa real-estate brokerage reduces agents' commissions

As reported in the Globe & Mail, Zoocasa, an online service for home seekers, is aiming to win market share with rebates to buyers and sellers that will refund roughly 15 per cent of the commission they pay their real estate agents.

The web service’s new strategy, which includes becoming a licensed real estate brokerage so that it can tap into the latest housing data from real estate boards across the country, adds to the pressure on real estate commissions industry-wide.

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Calgary program helps bridge ‘affordability gap’ for new home buyers

As reported in the Calgary Herald, Thompson, 29, is one of a growing number of Calgarians who live in the city’s “affordability gap.” She earns a mid-level income that makes her ineligible for subsidized housing, but she doesn’t make enough money to easily save for a down payment on her own home.

A municipally-owned company, Attainable Homes Calgary Corp., is trying to bridge that gap by partnering with local builders to offer entry-level homes to buyers like Thompson by offering upfront assistance with a down payment in exchange for a share of equity.

http://ow.ly/liXxU

Tips to help you replace a ceiling light fixture

As blogged on homes.yahoo.com, let’s face it: Many homes today feature inadequate, poorly positioned, and sometimes plain-old ugly light fixtures. But you don't have to live with anything you don't love, especially when so many ceiling-mounted and hanging fixtures can be found on the market. Since new ceiling light fixtures come with mounting hardware, replacing an existing unit is easy—even for the novice do-it-yourselfer.

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http://ow.ly/liWIH

Bank of Montreal Survey: Nearly half of homeowners eager to buy property

As reported on BNN.ca, undeterred by record-high housing prices and bolstered by low borrowing costs, nearly half of Canadian homeowners plan to buy a property in the next five years, although intentions vary sharply from city to city, a poll released Wednesday has found.

According to a Bank of Montreal survey, 45 percent of Canadian homeowners surveyed this spring are looking to buy a place in the next five years, a level that did not change from the fall of 2012. The percentage of homeowners planning to buy in the next year also remained stable, edging 1 percent higher to 7 percent.

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Tips to avoid home buyer’s remorse

As blogged on homes.yahoo.com, how do you avoid buyer’s remorse? Throughout the home buying process, stay grounded by asking yourself the following questions.

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Mushroom insulation technology helps company "grow a house"

We’re not just building a tiny house, we’re growing it. That’s right, the Mushroom® Insulation in the walls is literally alive and growing. This is a radical test of Ecovative’s building materials that are under development.

Ecovative uses mycelium (mushroom “roots”) to bond together agricultural byproducts like corn stalks into a material that can replace plastic foam. We’ve been selling it for a few years as protective packaging, helping big companies replace thousands of Styrofoam (EPS), EPE and other plastic foam packaging parts. We’re now working to develop new products for building materials. This is an exciting, radical and innovative approach to try a bunch of ideas, learn a lot, and grow something really awesome.

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Green gadgets for your home office

As blogged on pcworld.com, each year, the list of "green" gadgets gets longer, from solar-powered coasters or networked light bulbs. But some are a lot more useful than others. If you're looking for more than a novelty item, we've spotted ten devices that can save your company money by improving its energy efficiency. Some of them offer nifty, time-saving automation features and mobile apps too. Whether you're working from home or in a high-rise headquarters, these tools can put some energy dollars back in your pocket.

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4 Tips to make your next tiling project easier

As reported in the Chicago Tribune, tiling qualifies as a do-it-yourself project because the materials come in little pieces. It makes a difference. Want to try an 8-foot-long slab of granite at 300 pounds for the kitchen counter? Ummm, maybe not. But once you sort through the shapes, patterns and colors, installing tile breaks down into four manageable stages: Surface prep, layout, setting and grouting.

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Tips to remove weeds from your lawn for good

As reported in the Hamilton Spectator, we all love that feel of fresh cut, healthy green grass on our feet during the warm weather months. However, for most of us this simple joy can be disrupted by the inconvenient growth of weeds. Mow-Town Garden Care in Hamilton, and serving the surrounding area, understands the disruption and damage weeds can cause. That’s why we have some helpful hints on avoiding these unwelcome weeds from sprouting up in your spring grass.

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Checklist: 50 Things to ask before buying a new launch condominium

As blogged on propertylogy.com, before you rush down to a sales launch more than ready to dump your life savings onto a property you just learned about last Thursday, there is a checklist of items to learn about your “dream” home. For goodness sake, you have not even seen the real property as it has not even been built. If a 1 hour visit to a show flat is enough to convince you to fork out $1m and commit to a lifetime of debt, maybe you are making it too easy to sell you something. The weird irony is that we probably spend much more time researching our travel plans for a $5,000 trip compared to buying a $1m condominium that has yet to even have it’s foundations laid.

Here is a list of items you need to find out the answers to. Either do your own research or get your real estate agent to provide you with straight answers without beating around the bush.

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Sheep’s wool as a sustainable home insulation solution

Sheep’s wool has proven to be an excellent source of insulation for housing, proving more effective than many traditional insulation products.

Mark Waghorn Architects recently designed the Three Glens farmhouse in Scotland, which exceeds UK energy standards, using wool from the farm’s own sheep as insulation.

The architecture firm stressed the importance of preserving natural resources with the site-sensitive green farmhouse design.

Wool has superior safety benefits due to the fact it will extinguish itself in the event of a fire because of its very low conductivity. Because it contains moisture, it is resistant to fire and will extinguish once the flame source is removed.

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Whirlpool Launches Line of Smart Appliances with 6th Sense Live Technology

Global appliance leader Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) continues its legacy of leadership in sustainability with the launch of a line of smart appliances with 6th Sense Live™ technology. The company's flagship Whirlpool brand will make smart home management a reality this month in the Chicagoland area with the release of a suite of smart appliances along with a free mysmartappliances app which is available in the iTunes app store now.

Today, the convergence of technology with everyday household appliances is evolving to optimize energy consumption and allow consumers to manage everyday household tasks from their smart phones. From the establishment of Whirlpool Corporation's office for environmental control in 1970 and its impact on in energy policy to its efficient products and sustainable business model, this global trailblazer has demonstrated leadership and innovation in this area since its founding in 1911. Who better to simplify smart home management for the consumer?

Now, home can always be as close as the tips of your fingers. This month, Whirlpool brand will bring connected appliances to the marketplace, introducing four appliances including a smart refrigerator, smart dishwasher and smart washer and dryer. Each has the ability to be controlled using an app and will communicate with the emerging Smart Grid – the next generation electrical grid.

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Holmes on Homes now on iTunes

The Holmes Group is pleased to announce the launch of Holmes on Homes on iTunes, beginning with seasons 6 and 7 of the internationally acclaimed series, as well as 6-part special Holmes in New Orleans.

"iTunes has been on the radar for a while," stated Holmes. "Fans have been pushing for this, but we needed to make sure we did it right. The series just turned ten. What a way to celebrate! It's the next step, and we're moving full steam ahead."

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The best in home protection Apps

As blogged on the HuffingtonPost.com, home security is always on people's minds, whether they are homeowners, renters, live in the city or out in a rural town -- everyone wants their home to be safe. With heightened feelings of insecurity rampant, many Americans do not feel safe, despite the fact that crime rates have been steadily falling since the 1980s. Home invasion crimes, in particular, have experience a steady drop. But a few very public tragedies have shaken the confidence of many and, in light of the fact that we can't be home all the time, people are turning to private companies in increasing numbers.

Luckily, home security might just be as easy as using an iPad or iPhone.

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Diversification: Are all our eggs in the housing basket?

As blogged in the Financial Post, while more than a few skeptics say the piggy bank known as your house is not that secure, prices have not dipped. The Canadian Real Estate Association said Wednesday that while April sales were down 3.1% from a year ago, the average sale price last month rose 1.3% from a year ago to an average of $380,588.

If you are worried that you are overweight in real estate, what can you do to take some money out of it and spread some of the risk around?

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Former BoC Advisor: Start to raise interest rates now

As reported on BNN.ca, the Bank of Canada should raise interest rates now because five years of low rates are creating distortions in the economy, such as excessive debt and an overheated housing market, a former adviser to central bank Governor Mark Carney said on Wednesday.

In a hawkish stand at odds with most economists and market players, Paul Masson, now a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, said the central bank should tighten monetary policy to lean against asset price bubbles rather than focus exclusively on inflation.

Masson was Carney's special adviser from 2007 to 2008 and a senior official at the bank's monetary and financial analysis department in the early 1980s.

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Nails and debris found in landscaping chips in Edmonton

As reported on Global News, as landscaping season kicks into high gear, an Edmonton man who found some hidden hazards in bags of wood chips is warning homeowners to be on the lookout, and to be careful where they step.

John Christian had just emptied a bag of the Meldan Red Landscape chips he had purchased at Walmart, when he noticed an unpleasant surprise while raking through them: a bent rusty nail.

“So I raked a little more and found another one. And within an hour I’d found 27 nails, (and) a couple of staples.”

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Is your lawn hurting your dog?

As blogged on globalanimal.org, dogs are ingesting, inhaling and otherwise being exposed to garden and lawn chemicals that have been associated with bladder cancer, according to a new study.

The paper, which will appear in the July issue of Science of the Total Environment, also found that wind could carry the chemicals to untreated properties. The researchers also found that dogs, once contaminated by the chemicals, can transfer them to their owners.

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Home Security Systems: Do your homework before installation

You can never be too safe. Home invasions and break-ins can happen no matter where you live, from the most crowded urban street to the loneliest stretch of remote farmland.

Home security systems can go a long way towards giving you peace of mind, as well as helping to protect both the people you love and your property. Of course, if your goal is to avoid getting robbed by burglars, the last thing you want is to instead get fleeced by an over-charging home security company.

Here are some tips to take note of before you install a security system.

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McGill University's new online tool helps in selection of sustainable building material

McGill has launched an online tool to help in the selection of more environmentally friendly materials for new construction and renovation projects. The Material Analysis Tool (MAT) is an online ranking system that distills manufacturer information to assist users in the selection of building products that are healthy and environmentally responsible. Designed to help McGill staff and contractors, the MAT is also available to the public.

To learn more, click on the link below:

http://ow.ly/l3YH3