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Page THE HILLS HOMESTYLE Saturday August Investors left bewildered over gold and oil mood swings TORONTO Wild mood swings on gold and oil markets over the past week nave left investors bewildered First it looks tike oil is to S a barrel Then it looks like it will fall back to That s the official set by the Organization of Petroleum ting Countries ld too has been up and down meeting resistance at U S an ounce Now I am not one to favor gold as an investment You can live it or eat it and it pays no interest Gold stocks make me nervous Even so it looks like the could be nght this time The metal could break before too long John Ing gold analyst and dent of Placements Canada believes gold could reach to an ounce My sense is that the ill be ery short Mr Ing says Gold is a haven in times of political strife On Wednesday Ira q s Saddam Hussein claimed that Israel planned to bomb his country in planes painted to look like thev belonged to the Americans If American planes bomb Iraq Mr Hussein says he ill bomb Israel HORRIBLE PROSPECT On Thursday Iraq s am to Greece said his coun try had no qualms about using chemical weapons This is political strife of the kind Then there is the histonc rela Dianne Maley between oil and gold Gold also is seen as a haven against in Rising oil prices could fuel idespread inflation As well there are supply and demand con South African gold miners face rising production costs Middle Easterners who have been big sellers of gold recently start buying in stead analysts Also keen on gold are prophets of financial collapse The most renowned of these is William Tehan a New York money manager Mr Tehan believes the massive credit bubble is about to burst Credit been expanding since the Secord World War Beneath the pile of paper is little of real worth When the financial system comes crashing down prices will tumble and people will flee to gold Mr believes Thus it would seem that gold is a hedge against deflation too The goldbugs have some sharp critics Arguing against gold are those who say the precious metal is just another commodity like cop per or oil The supply is plentiful and the demand is not Because of new mining technology gold is not as precious as it used to be ONE STANDS OUT Of all the arguments in favor of gold the one about political strife is the most persuasive A gold rise is not a certainty But gold stocks are trading well below their 52 week highs As for oil the pnce could bounce around for some time Meanwhile the Canadian dollar is being treated like a petrocurrency buoyed by the prospect of sive oil Canada is a net exporter of oil The dollar has defied predictions of its imminent collapse rising to its highest point a decade But the underlying situation has not changed The economy is weak the national debt is climbing and interest rates are painfully high Given the recent turmoil on financial markets it is no wonder most Canadians shun them The emotional swings are too much for some people Anyone diving into the market at this point whether for stocks index options dollar put warrants or other in vestments will need nerves of steel Survey Completed Wednesday August MORTGAGE RATES ANNUAL INTEREST SIX MONTH ONE YEAR YEAR THREE TEAR FOUR YEAR YEAR TRUST COMPANIES Canada Trust 13 75 13 13 13 13 13 75 Municipal Trust A 13 13 14 14 CHARTERED BANKS Bank of Commerce A 14 14 14 13 13 75 Bank of Montreal 13 75 75 14 14 13 75 Bank of Nova Scotia N A 14 14 25 14 13 Royal Bank 1425 1425 14 13 75 13 Toronto Dominion 13 13 13 13 13 13 This survey was prepared to help the Herald Homestyle readers track weekly Bank and Trust Company rates Renovations can cause serious electrical problems Realtor can offer ideal suggestions A contractor when building a home today is required to install an electrical system that adheres to a rigid code that is usually enforced municipal inspectors and is installed by licensed electrician The newest requirement is a ground fault plug on exterior bathroom and dry room installations where a short circuit could cause tion All of these extensive precautions are used in the original construction of a new house but many of the pfD- blems arise when an individual does his own renovations or does not follow common sense rules for and using the electrical circuits Hardware stores stock a complete line of electrical wire boxes tools and supplies If you are going to add some plugs or wire a room be sure to find out what your local codes are and should vou be in anv Home painting tips Want to give a room a new look but C3n afford new furniture or carpeting Tr painting the walls If been living with basic often boring white or off white for too long II be amazed at what color can do to change the mood of your room Color can make rooms look larger or smaller and It can make them feel warmer or cooler And studies have shown that color has a direct effect on mood You can make a soft subtle statement with pale pastels or use the primary colors for a bright vivid look There are endless gradations of hues and shades so you re sure to find one or more that are perfect for the mood you re trying to create For a coordinated look in your home try using different shades of the same color in different rooms or have a color theme that is picked up somewhere in each room Or you can paint each wall in a room a different color or different shades of one color Think about what color you want to paint the ceiling as well Here are two looks to try if you want something unusual For a fun out look paint your ceiling blue and then apply clouds with sponges dip ped in white paint Walls can be the same blue or any other color a light pink or apricot woultfset off the blue nicely On the walls in another room try spatter painting start with white or any other color as a background then pick one or two contrasting colors to spat Dip your brush into the paint and then shake the paint at the walls You II have the satisfaction of knowing that your walls are unique in their pattern of spots and drips You probablv can think of lots of other ideas Indulge your creativity Youll get the most enjoyment from a color scheme personally chosen to ojit your taste and enhance your home doubt contact an electrician FUSES Never use anything more than a 15 Amp fuse in a regular house circuit if a fuse keeps blowing either the cir cuit is overloaded or there is a pro blem with the appliance lamp or device that is plugged into the There could also be a problem with one of the plugs or fixtures in the circuit or even with the wiring itself Never never replace a 15 Amp fuse with one of a larger capacity if the starting load of an appliance or motor blows the fuse often a Time Delay Fuse will correct the situation These fuses will tolerate the starting load of a motor Tor a short period of time allowing the motor to reach running speed here it draws less current There are also a few common sense rules you should keep in mind Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure Never overload an electrical outlet with numerous plugs and ex tension cords Too much electricity is being forced to flow out and could be a potential fire hazard When using extension cords tape them to prevent tripping of both your feel and your power If you have small children equip outlets with covers to prevent the temptation to stick something in the outlet Never use any appliance or tool if the power cord is frayed Make sure the cord is repaired before it is used See your local hardware dealer for your electrical needs and supplies Remember an unsafe electrical in stallation can lead to a shocking pro blem Here you are contemplating new surroundings broader living space the kids have a new racing car set a few more amenities than those your house is presently offering You re also a busy person with little time to check out an array of houses for those new things you like to en joy So what a person First of all take the time to talk to a Realtor describe your ideal new home giving details such as bay windows a chandelier in the foyer area a large room for the rac ing car set you see a big back yard and an extra bedroom Then set your price range and the Realtor goes to work But how can a Realtor come back to you with some choices that truly reflect your ideal A SUPERIOR MARKETING TOOL Realtors are members of your local real estate board As such they subscribe to a stnct Code of Ethics and high standards of business prac tice They have access to the Multi pie Listing Service This service known as MLS in the industry is a cooperative listing system through which properties are bought andor sold All other member agents and brokers have this service at their disposal when matching buyers and sellers This is what makes it a superior marketing tool THE INNER WORKINGS OF MLS MLS information can take on a variety of forms from direct com puter access by board members to the real estate board database to a single sheet of paper distributed The common denominator is the fact that the service broadcasts to all its users specific details such as number of rooms lot size pro ximity to schools and essential ser vices yearly taxes and mortgage in formation As well some finer details like those bay windows and he chandelier the foyer are often included This to better define the choices that your Realtor can offer you so you can make an educated decision as to which properties you would like to see first the time saved by doing this is a real consumer benefit of MLS But ft t stop there The mere fact that you consulted with a Realtor and used the MLS to select a few attractive properties is also an advantage of the service a quick and direct matching of your re quirements to the homes available on the market constitutes its best feature THE BIGGER PICTURE By design the MLS holds many variables of information to both buyers and sellers a5 reference points By lumping together and analyzing this data a broader pic unfolds pnce ranges by area can be determined types of homes in various neighbourhoods be identified variations in listing and selling prices can be assessed and fair market values for any type of home in any given area can be assigned based on the available in formation By this token the marketing ap plications of the MLS become something other than those of a pie advertising vehicle Very often economic forecasters will use this data to predict trends in house pnees financial publication will refer to it to depict the status of housing markets in certain areas and of course the real estate in dustry will use it to better help bous ing consumers in their decision making process This article Is supplied by The Canadian Real Estate Association to benefit consumers In the baaing market tor more information about the purchase or the sale of a home contact your local real estate board or touch with your neighbourhood I teal tor