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

Saturday October 1M0 Renovating home requires planning By KBVYN NIGHTINGALE It a a question that s bound to cur to most homeowners at some time or another Should I sell or stay put and renovate Unfortunately there no one-size- fitsall answer But if it ever gets down to an eitheror decision you can count on one thing no mat which route you go you re look at upheaval and expense lots of each If your decision is to move today s shaky housing market virtually guarantees a bargain price when you buy But it also means you 111 be expected to sell The housing market a street But more to he point it s not simply a matter of when you sell but if Again blame the sluggish market By the time you take everything Into consideration you might well decide to stay put and renovate Now the real work begins Begin by approaching your renovation project in the same way you would approach buying very carefully There are a number of things to be decided what your Think winter think tires NO Summer is gone and as the cooler days of Fall arrive drivers think of getting ready for harsher weather Nov is a good time to think tires After all tires are the only contact between car and the road They are the key to providing suitable steering traction braking and compatibility with suspension systems while also supporting the weight of the vehicle Needless to say tires are important So here are a few maintenance tips to help you get the best mileage from yours The first thing you should check on your tires is the extent of wear Ex wear fortunately is easily spotted by visual inspection To help you evaluate the general wear of your car s tires modem tires in corporate built in tread wear in When tires are worn to mm a bald strip running across the tire tread appears indicating it is time to purchase new tires On the other hand if tires show uneven or irregular wear or if you can feet vibrations or experience steenng responses that seem im proper ask the specialist at your dealer to check for and cor rect any misalignment imbalance or other mechanical problem Next on the list is tire rotation To achieve uniform wear of all tires your vehicle regular tire rotation is advantageous Normally all season tires and all tires on front wheel drive cars can benefit from regular rotation every kilometers Inflation pressure is also a topic of prime importance In fact to achieve the tire maximum effi correct pressure is vital You can find the recommended pressure on the vehicle manufac turer label usually located on the door panel or inside the glove box Inflation pressures should be check regularly and only when the tire is cold before being driven on or after the vehicle has been stopped for least an hour Winter is coming and along with it comes the seasonal question of whether or not to change tires The general condition of your tires should help you decide what to do These precautions are elementary but also essential to ensure your on going safety and to maximize the useful life of your tires It is only a matter of thinking tires for a few moments renovations are to be and how exten for a start This will depend on how much you can afford and how you re going to finance the work Then there the hiring of a contrac tor the right one When you have a clear idea of what you want one room or a major extension a basement granny apartment whatever get some in itial cost estimates You can fine- tune these later Once you have the ballpark figure it s time to get your financing in place And again shop around If you re willing or if you re allowed to add to your present tgage that s probably the best bet Or if you ve got substantial equity consider a home equity loan Either way you 11 get a better deal than by borrowing on your signature An alternative would be to range a personal line of credit PLC that can be secured by your home Once the PLC is in place you simply write cheques up to the amount arranged The beauty is that you only pay in terest usually at a bank prime rate on the amounts you draw And it can be repaid anytime But before moving another step check out the zoning bylaws and building regulations And get a work permit if necessary So contact the building department your municipality to make sure you get the necessary clearance And most important make sure your proposed renovations do not contravene your home insurance provisions For example sealing up a back door is not only illegal but dangerous Plus you could wind up with no fire insurance coverage Lastly choose your contractor with care And no matter what estimate you get add 30 per cent That way you avoid surprises For s advice on TV sec Your Wealth available on broadcast channels in Ontario and on satellite across Canada or see Money in the Bank on your community cable channel Money care Is general financial ad vice by Canada chartered tants Kevyn Nightingale Is Tax Manager Deloltte and Touch THIS WINTER air family a breath of fresh air a Honeywell Unique porthole windows ROYAL CITY REALTY HALTON LTD v GEORGETOWN OPEN HOUSE Sunday October p Creicent to ACTON CALL MARVYN MORGAN Brokr Bui Res SAVE 20 ON ALL HOME IMPROVEMENTS Kitchens Residential Renovations Commercial Renovations Additions Bathrooms Rec Rooms Family Rooms WindowsSidings Etc SAVE SAVE SAVE CALL NOW Walton 340i Licenced Insured Guaranteed FREE Estimates HEY REALTORS Our Homestyle Reali Estate Guide reaches over 16300 homes every week including Georgetown Acton Erin and surrounding rural communities EXCEPTIONAL RATES SUPERIOR SERVICE GIVE US A TRY Call Kim Haryott at 8772201