Lift your spirits before the holidays!

Nothing transforms a room (or your entire home interior!) faster or more easily than putting on a fresh coat of paint*. Like fashion, paint gets worn and out-of-date, even if it seems as if yesterday it was fresh and current. Good quality new paint colour brings home space to life, changes energy, and can re-define the character of a home.

November is a great time of year to paint inside your home. If you’re like most people, you need an incentive for home projects. Why not use the approaching holiday entertaining as your motivator to freshen up? See what rooms in your house are looking tired or dated. If you have recently bought a home, even if the walls look perfectly fine, you will more than likely want to paint before long. There’s something about claiming space as yours that goes beyond the visual. So here’s your chance. Claim or re-claim your home with paint this month before the busy holidays. I’ve arranged a discount on paint for those of you who are interested (see below) – so go for it!

*assuming you’ve already de-cluttered!

Once you’ve painted your walls, perhaps you’d like something new to hang on them? Mark the evening of Saturday, November 20th on your calendar!

Come out to The Little Art Show – Saturday evening, November 20 – and buy original art in support of the 2005 Riverdale Art Walk - details at www.littleartshow.com. I’m pleased to be a sponsor of this year’s event at BMW Toronto. Admission is free. Bring your friends! Our neighbour Joanna is just one of the more than 150 participating artists and I plan to bid on her piece – see why at www.joannastrong.com. It will be a fun night - please come out, meet new people and buy some art!

Good news - the Toronto real estate market is currently looking balanced for both buyers and sellers: 6,588 Sales Make September Another Hot Month

TORONTO — Wednesday, October 6, 2004 - Last month saw the second best September ever recorded for sales, with 6,588 single family homes transacted through the Toronto MLS system, TREB President Ron Abraham said today. “With sales strong, average prices bounced back as well, going to $320,911 from the $304,509 recorded in August, a five per cent increase.

This figure was also up eight per cent over the $297,398 recorded in September of ’03.”

Also in September, inventory reached its highest level of the year with 24,293 active listings. This is a 15 per cent increase over the 21,101 recorded in September of 2003, and up nine per cent over last month. “This is good news for potential home buyers.” “A higher level of Inventory should put some constraints on price increases going forward,” Mr. Abraham noted.

(Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board)

Some of you may prefer to hire professionals, but painting is often a DIY job for the willing homeowner. If you’re hiring painters be sure to get good references. For all you DIYs, here are some tips - the rest of you can have a glass of wine or go shopping for accessories while your painters are at work:

As much as we all want to jump in and see the paint rolling on, it pays to prepare thoroughly. In fact, preparation is about a third of the entire job.

• check your supplies – brushes, rollers, tray, rags, etc
• move furniture to centre of room; remove what items you can
• cover floors and furniture – use extra care if you are painting the ceiling
• fill holes where needed; sand walls lightly to get a flat surface and help paint adhere better
• tape around edges unless you have a confident, steady hand
• be sure to have enough light – bring in extra floor lamps or put in a higher watt light bulbs during painting if needed

Choose colours with care.
Choosing wall colours is an art. Even if you have a flare for colour, you may want to bring in a consultant to help you get just the right shade. Some paint stores offer this service for a reasonable fee. Be sure to ask. Try to find someone who understands what colours work best in certain rooms – for example, yellow is thought to stimulate thinking, and is good for a home office. Purple is a powerful colour and can be overwhelming for an entire room. It’s not just how it looks, it’s also how the room feels. If you are confident choosing colour on your own, it is smart to buy a small can first to do a test patch – some of you will know only too well that colours can look very different from what you imagine from only the paint chip!

For helpful tips check out: http://www.ehow.com/how_12043_select-paint-color.html

If you’re taking on a major painting project you might want to check out www.swatchit.ca – they provide a custom service using digital photo technology to let you see what things will look like before you commit to colours.

Get 10% off Benjamin Moore or C2 paints during the month of November!
Bring a copy of this newsletter with you to Ontario Paint & Wallpaper Ltd. by November 30 and you will get 10% off all Benjamin Moore or C2 paints. Ask about an in-home consultation with a paint colour specialist (about a $125 fee). Depending on what you have to do, it can well pay off in the final results. Ontario Paint & Wallpaper Ltd. is located at 275 Queen Street East (at Ontario St) Telephone (416) 362-5127. Have a look at: www.benjaminmoore.ca (great resource!) and www.c2color.com.

Whether or not you’re painting this month, here is a checklist to get ready for, dare I say…Winter! What do you have left to do?

furnace checked and cleaned
cover secured over air conditioner
roof checked for deterioration (depending on age)
leaves cleaned from eavestroughs
new batteries in smoke detectors
fragile shrubs wrapped with burlap
bulbs planted for Spring
fragile plants dug up/taken indoors
humidifier ready to go near sleeping areas
window caulking checked and re-sealed as needed
chimney cleaned and checked; firewood re-stocked
snow shovels accessible: sand and sidewalk deicer re-stocked
outdoor water turned off
car taken in for winter service including tire service

When you’re not painting or getting ready for Winter, get out and some fun! There’s lots going on in Toronto in November. Here are just a few events you might want to check out – for a full calendar of events visit www.torontotourism.com:

November 5-14
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair; National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place
One a year, country comes to the city! The Royal is the largest indoor combined agricultural, horticultural, canine and equestrian event in the world. Demonstrations, shows, exhibits, contests, and one million square feet of marketplaces make up this unique annual event. A great outing for adults and children. www.royalfair.org

November 21
Santa Claus Parade
If you can brave the crowds, this grand parade through Toronto’s downtown core is a fun way to kick off the Christmas season. You will see marching bands, clowns, colourful floats and musicians along with Rudolph, Santa and Mrs. Claus. This year is a bit special – it’s the 100th parade in Toronto! Maybe it’s your year to go?! http://www.thesantaclausparade.org

November 25 - December 5
One of a Kind Christmas Show and Sale; National Trade Centre
Even if you don’t buy a thing, though you probably will, this is an entertaining outing. Try to go in off-hours – it’s more enjoyable when you can take your time, look at items in detail and talk to the many talented vendors. Happy shopping!
http://www.oneofakindshow.com

and of course November 20 – The Little Art Show!
www.littleartshow.com

Thank you for your feedback!
Thanks so much for all of your positive comments about this newsletter – it’s great to know you’re enjoying it. Please go ahead and forward the newsletter to people you know; people can sign on to our growing distribution list at www.torontomoves.ca. If there is anything you want to see in future issues, please send along your suggestions and ideas.

Know someone on the move?
If you know someone who is looking to buy or sell a house or condominium in Toronto, please have them call me, or let me know and I will contact them with your introduction. Most of my clients come through referrals from people like you! Thank you for your confidence!

This newsletter is for clients, friends and contacts of Gary Crowder. If you prefer not to receive future editions, please send a reply e-mail message with "Please Remove" in the subject line. For additional information, please contact garycrowder@torontomoves.ca.