The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Pake Wednesday January IS 1991 There are benefits in a recession There ire two sides to every it seems Canada is the grip of recession the worst in some parts since the Great Depression Wheelers and dealers languish in the lines people who bought houses a couple of ago priced bite their fit is the value of their est went slides The is unequal In deed nniiv people are not suifer tap at all find their circumstances improved A back from the depressing reveals falling prices are good for buyers Some for example would hear thank John Crow for deflation People who must a house in the Toronto area will pa less tlnn thev would a little while back The average house price tumbled to last vear from in 1989 numbers prepared by the Toronto Heal Board show Prices of expensive houses have plunged a quarter or more Tenants are enjoying a wind fall too When neighbor s lease came due she bargained with her for a reduction of a month S stones are common The savings are not limited to Dianne depressed areas such as housing A national pizza chain has under taken to delivering more pizza for the pnce Many book record and department stores are absorbing the seven goods and ser vices tax at least on slow selling items Expensive restaurants have lowered their prices while others have scaled down the menus to make eating out more affordable Weak retail sales have prompted clothing stores to slash pnccs And when my sister visited her esthetician recently they gave her a free facial At the car lot dealers have cut prices to reflect the GST Savings range from for an average- priced car to or more for an expensive one This is just the beginning Once the revenuedepressing effects of the GST become apparent more sellers of goods and services will trim or at least not raise them as freely as they did before Who knows We may even get a better deal from dry cleaners veterinarians even lawyers But that may be asking too much Where prices are rising is revealing Governments clamor about inflation but they are among the prime causes of it Property taxes and transit fares are just two examples of govern ment contribution to the cost of living The post office has raised stamp prices the liquor stores the price of wines and liquors University tuition fees have in creased Interest rates are still stubbornly high propped up by government policy makers The GST ultimately will add to the cost of living and the list goes on On the larger front almost everything that could go wrong has The Bunk of New England has failed another big airline has filed for bankruptcy protection Each day brings a new disaster Still it is worth keeping an eye on the potential benefits of the recession Things were getting out of hand When the shakeout is over stability may be restored A hammer will be required for most home improvements Whether re replacing a loose roof shingle repairing a splintered moulding building a new outdoor deck tightening a loose floorboard or just hanging a new picture re going to need a hammer A hammer is required for just about kind of home project imaginable But what kind of hammer With the proper hammer for the job to hit the nail squarely on the head vou can save a lot of bent nails dented surfaces and wasted time Don be confused by the vast number of hammers on the market and don t skimp on Here are some tips from the rK at Stanley Tools on what to look for when purchasing a hammer A dependable hammer head should be made of high carbon steel and have a heat treated face for strength and The face should be convex to increase naildnving efficiency Hammers with curved claws make better all purpose hammers than those with rip claws Curved claws with sharp double beveled edges make nail pulling easy When choosing an all purpose hammer make sure the hammer head is the right weight for the work you re doing A hammer head that is too light makes the work harder than it has to be and one too heavy will be difficult to control An all purpose hammer say the experts should a hammer head that weighs ap proximately ounces for special jobs you may want to select a hammer designed specifically for those special situations such as Stanley new Deckmaster Decking Hammer The 21 ounce wood handled ham is designed for deck building and other home projects because it features a larger face diameter to hit nails more easily and a head designed to drive nails faster For added durability the head and handle assembly utilizes an axe eye design which is used with axes and mauls The handle is an important feature to consider when pur chasing a hammer because it af the way a hammer handles Make sure to choose the hammer that feels the most comfortable in your hands A large portion of handles are made from tubular steel or with a per grip covering Many professionals prefer the feel of solid wood handles usual ly made from nametempered hickory Aluminum roofing system HOMEOWNERS can usually avoid old roof removal with the all alu Rustic Shingle roofing system ICG HOME COMFORT TIPS Glass ftrpiace enclosure a year round saver A fireplace is an escape hatch for both warm air in winter and cool air in sum mer A glass enclosure is an attractive answer Survey Completed Friday January 1991 MORTGAGE RATES ANNUAL INTEREST SIX MONTH ONE YEAR TWO YEAR THREE YEAR FOUR YEAR FIVE YEAR TRUST COMPANIES Canada Trust NA 12 12 12 12 12 Municipal Trust NA 12 12 12 12 12 NRSRoyal Trus 12 12 1175 CHARTERED BANKS Bank of Commerce 12 1250 12 12 Bank of Montreal 12 12 12 12 Bank of Nova Scotia 12 12 12 12 12 Royal Bank NA 12 12 12 12 12 Toronto Dominion 13 12 12 12 12 12 This survey was prepared to help the Herald Homestyle readers track weekly Bank and Trust Company rates Buying an Affordable home afford House hunting for able home is become quite a ton with the value of real estate making it an incrcsingly difficult task When purchasing a home the percent age of income thai one tan spend on housing must be considered closely To create an accurate measure of the essential factor to consider arc income operating costs and the overall value of the home To determine how much home you can afford calculate all monthly cons such as ihc mortgage p real estate taxes insurance and utilities as well as yearly maintenance and up keep cosis Remember that costs out lined on paper may vary widely from the actual costs that may occur When devising your housing budget think about your lifestyle Although it may seem to handle a large mortgage at may require culling back on other such as clothing and furniture Closing costs may also add up to be more an originally These costs include inspection fees appraisal fees title search insur REAL ESTATE AND YOU Jamie Johnston lawyer s fees as well as a pro portionate share of property taxes utilities etc that may have been pre paid by the vendor To determine the personal value you hold for the home prepare a checklist of what you are looking for in a house Is close location to schools public transportation and health care facilities important It is also impor to find out about zoning laws and restrictions on the uses of the property Your real estate sales reprc can assist you in all these areas Consideration of all these factors in the combination should guide you safely in your search for a house For j free copy of our Moving Checklist call or visit a Canada Trust Real Estate branch near you Protect pipes IP HOME WATER PIPES ARE LEFT UNPROTECTED during the cold weather season they can freeze or even burst resulting in costly plumbing costs and sometimes irreparable damage to the home