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B8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, December 29, 2000 R eal E state R eport : How 's your structure? erious structural problems in houses are not very common, but when they occur they are never cheap to fix. Some can't be fixed at all. This report won't turn you into an expert but it will give you some of the common indicators. UNEVEN FLOORS Uneven floors are typical, particularly in older S homes. Here is a trick to help distinguish between a typical home with character and a structural problem. If the floor sags to the middle of the home, it's probably just a charming older home. Houses are like A p t h R E ffi Briarorod S \0F .m Gail Bird --^ _ l mm-- -- _ Sales Representative 842-7000 MOVE IN CONDITION - S/E $439,000 Lovingly cared for A.B. Cairns built home on a private, beautiful landscaped lot with inground pool, interlock brick patios, mature trees, interlock driveway. Great curb appeal, fabulous home in a wonderful neighbourhood. C all G A IL B IRD 842-7000 WALK TO O.T. HIGH SCHOOL $323,000 Move in condition three bedroom bungalow, lovely wood flooring, fabulous new main bathroom, new roof shingles, new furnace and central air. Pretty kitchen with full walkout to a raised deck overlooking a magnificent back yard with an abundance of mature trees. C all G A IL B IRD 842-7000 people, they sag in the middle when they get older. On the other hand, if the floor slopes towards an out side wall, there is a good chance that the house has a significant struc tural problem. CLEANING HOUSE While no house is perfect, this is one area where you should be very careful. Take a look at the house from across the street. If the house appears to be leaning one way or the other, there may be a struc tural problem. It may help to line up a front comer of the house just for reference. Real Estate The comers should .The Bottom Line be parallel. Stepping back from the house to take a look is always a good idea. It is easy to miss something major by standing too close to it! If there is a lean that is detectable by eye, don't take any chances, get it checked out. HORIZONTAL FOUNDATION CRACKS ARE BAD It is not uncommon to find cracks in the foun dation. This goes for new houses as well as old ones. While there is a great deal of engineering that goes into "reading" these cracks, there is one rule that you should never forget. "Horizontal cracks are a problem." Of course, not all vertical cracks are acceptable, but they are generally not as serious as a horizontal crack. HARMLESS CRACKS Shrinkage cracks in a new house. Most new foundations will develop small ver tical cracks. These cracks are a result of the con crete shrinking as it cures. These cracks are about 1/8 inch wide or less. They don't affect the struc ture. The only concern is leakage. If you see small cracks in a foundation, don't panic. In fact, in a DAN COOPER new house, some builders will pre-crack the foun dation and fill the crack with flexible material. PLASTER CRACKS Few things are more misunderstood than plas ter cracks on the inside of the house. The following crack types are not generally related to structural movement -- · a small crack (less than 1/4 inch) that fol lows the comer of the room where two walls meet · small cracks that extend up from the upper comer of a door opening The following cracks may be related to struc tural movement -- · large crack (larger than 1/4 inch in width) · cracks that run diagonally across the wall · cracks on the interior finish that are in the same vicinity as cracks on the exterior of the house Dan Cooper is an award-winning associate broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. Dan can be reached at 905-338-3737, or direct line at 849-3303 or through his website at Dancooper. com. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy o f this article. However, the informa tion is general in nature. Please seek profession al advice relevant to your specific situation. Dan has written a guide fo r homesellers called, How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar Fast! You can get a free copy by calling 1-800414-5461 fo r a free recorded message. The best way to help the environment Sales Representative R o n n ie M ills P r e s i d e n t ' s C to ld A w a r d I 338-3737 W V :W k royal Le p a g e I Royal LePage Real Estate Servtes Lid B roker! BETTER THAN NEW! Beautifully decorated home in Westmount with upgraded maple kitchen, great room wi gas fireplace, ceramic in halls, kitchen and baths, separate dining room, eat-in kitchen, luxurious ensuite, landscaped vard. $2 49,900 EXECUTIVE JOSHUA C R E E K Executive living in desirable area. Brick & stone exterior with prof, landscaping, includ ing wrought iron fence, interlocking drive. WAVs & patio. Separate living & dining room, spacious bright kit w/calif. shutters, B/l dish washer, fridge , stove & microwave. Lrg fam rm, mn fir den. secruity sys., 1/G sprinkler sys. n addition to the beauty and warmth it offers, a fire burning efficiently in an advanced, clean burning wood stove or fireplace can provide real environmental benefits. These days the media is full of reports about the need to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. These gases, carbon dioxide in particular, are causing the average global temperatures to rise each year. If left unchecked, the resulting climate changes will create great hardship for all of us. The best way to help the environment is to reduce the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas. While savings and aesthetics probably inspire most people who heat with wood, the health of the environ ment is another good reason. Wood differs from fossil fuels because it is renewable. As a tree grows, it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and stores it in the wood as carbon. This carbon makes up about half of the weight of wood. When wood is burned, carbon dioxide is released again into the atmosphere, the same amount that would have been released had the tree died naturally and rotted on the forest floor. In short, our forests can provide a perpetual fuel supply if they are cared for and managed properly. Let energy from the forest light up your hearth this winter and do the environment a favour at the same time. For more information about clean burning wood heating appliances, visit the N atural Resources Canada web site at www.nrcan.gc.ca/es/erb/reed/public e.htm , or visit Wood H eat's com prehensive Canadian site about wood heating at http://woodheat.org - News Canada Home ownership has its benefits o you ever lie awake at night wondering about w hether to take the plunge and purchase your first hom e? Before you lose any more sleep, take a moment to consider the benefits of homeownership. Pride of O w nership. --------------------------Owning your own home can increase self-esteem and personal pride. The satisfac tion that comes from feeling connected to the land you occupy and the home in which you live is agesold. Few accom plishm ents in life are as enduring or enriching as the experience of owning in your own home. Investm ent A ppreciation. No one can guarantee if or how a property will appreciate. If the value o f your home increases to the point where you can sell it for more than your purchase price, that difference in value is called apprecia tion. You can rein v est that a r s ap preciation in other real estate or you may want to downsize and keep the value of that apprecia tion for retirem ent or other purposes. D ALLAN BAIN $4 29 ,90 0 BACKING ON GREENSPACE Executive 5-bedroom home on large premium lot backing onto greenbelt, Munn's Creek Trail, open staircase to basement, hardwood floors in living room, dining room & family room. Main fir den, crown mouldings. the ruthannewinter group b r i n g i n g y o u h o m e f or o v e r 3 0 y e B u i l d i n g GREAT ROOM WITH FIELDSTONE FIREPLACE · Own a piece of Oakville's History · Magnificent, 122 Year Old Post & Beam Home · They truly don't build them like this anymore · Nestled on a Lush 1/3 Acre Lot featuring Extraordinary Trees and Plantings · Exposed Beams, 2 Storey Great Room · Extensively renovated & updated · 5 Bed, 5 Bath and 3 Walkouts · The perfect marriage of old & new · Warmth & functionality S TU N N IN G EXECUTIVE FAMILY HOME · East Oakville · Freshly decorated · Open concept · 4+1 bedrooms · Eat-in kitchen with ceramic · Private wooded lot CHARM ING HOME - CLOSE TO TOW N · Updated · 4 bedrooms · M/F family room overlooking garden · Strip hardwood in living room, dining room & upper level, finished basement · Close to town, GO station, Schools & Hospital r$84 9 ,9 0 0 7 DANIEL WILSON * daniel@ruthannewinter.com r$479,900 / KIM SAXTON · RUTH ANNE WINTER " ruthanne@ruthannewinter.com $379,900 LAURIE HALL Executive Administrator kim@ruthannewinter.com www* ru t h a n n e wi n te r .c o m 845-4267 Equity. W hen you own your own home, you "pay ren t" to yourself instead o f a landlord. M ost hom eown ers pay for the property by obtaining a m ortgage. As you pay off that m ortgage, your equity builds and you gain an increasingly larger share in a valuable asset. Financial Predictability. When you buy a home with a fixedrate m ortgage, you have more predictability over future hous ing costs. Because your interest rate never changes, the amount o f your paym ent never changes, Real Advice unlike rent paym ents that can be periodically raised. Decorating. Homeowners are free to redecorate, remodel and accessorize a home to suit one's taste and lifestyle. The benefits o f hom eownership are not only that you have the right to make improvem ents but that the value of those im provem ents becomes yours as well. Family Stability. Almost half (45% ) of all homeowners stay put for eight or more years (according to the 2000 N ational A ssociation o f REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers). By living in one place for an extended period of time, children are more likely to be raised in a stable environm ent. Advantages of this include a consistent educational experience, ability to form long-term relationships, and the ch ild 's overall em otional security. Privacy. W hile there are usually some lim its on the access that landlords have to property, alm ost all landlords can access your property for necessary inspections and m aintenance. Hom eowners, on the other hand, generally have much stronger property rights and experience an increase in perceived and actual privacy. So why sit up late at night and worry? As you can see, there are many good reasons to act on your desire for hom eownership now. Allan Bain is the broker/ow ner o f Prudential Town Centre Realty and can be reached at 905-338-6550. It is an independently-ow ned and operated member o f the P rudential Real Estates A ffiliates, Inc. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy o f this article, however, the information is general in nature. Please seek professional advice relevant to your specific situation. Liliana Gonin ASSOCI ATE BROKER · P la tin u m www.lilianagonin.com C a ll m e fo r a F R E E m a r k e t e v a lu a tio n C lu b · H a ll o f Fam e O D o d o a m tr 338-9000 T h e h o lid a y s e a s o n c o m e s , and w a rm s cold w i n t e r s h e a r t w ith its s o n g s . W a r m e s t w is h e s to a ll! T h a n k you f o r le ttin g u s s e rv e you f o r th e la s t 2 ? y e a rs . !>/ A ^ h ih tic H u RTVER OAKS SCHOOL DISTRICT Well maintained semi-detached offers 3 spacious bedrooms and master ensuite, main floor family room, open concept kitchen with plenty of cabinetry, separate dining room, gorgeous living room with cathedral ceiling, parquet floor in family room, fireplace and walkout to fully fenced back yard with huge deck. Partially finished bsmt w/rec room. $219,000 Call Liliana today! Virtual tour at www.lilianagonin.com NORTH OAKVILLE Sharp sem i-detached home in "Village G ardens" offers 3 bdrms, 2 new bathroom s, very spacious kitchen with oak cabinetry, new er broadloom T/O , com er stone fire place, new roof (96), inside entry to garage. W /O low er level to fully fenced English garden. Conveniently located close to all am enities. $189,900 C all L iliana to d ay ! V irtu a l to u r a t w w w .lilianagonin.com "NEWPORT VILLAGE" Prime S.E. location within walking distance to all amenities. Ideal for retirees or busy executives, this 3 bdrm townhome has been freshly decorated & offers large eat-in kitchen, dining room with W /0 to patio, living room w/FP. full master ensuite, new broadloom on upper level, ceramics, new windows (97), skylight finished rec room. Just move in! $217,900 Call ^ J i a n ^ ^ B J ^ M K ^ r t u a H o u ^ i U ^ ^ i J ia n a g o n ii ^ i r r ^ 847-1875 338-3737 royal Le p a g e (