Transitions-The Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga Region Real Estate Blog

Thinking of Buying Your First Home in the Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington Area?-First Time Home Buyer's Seminar

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:18:46 -0600

Thinking of Buying Your First Home in the Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington Area?

You Won't Want to Miss Our FREE First-Time Homebuyer's Seminar !

Being Held on Wednesday, November 18th from 7-9pm at
TD/Canada Trust on the corner of Prince Michael and Dundas in Oakville.

Becoming an informed buyer will save you time, effort and potentially 1000's of dollars as well as providing you with the knowledge you'll need to make a wise investment decision in today's unpredictable marketplace.

Bring a list of questions you've been wondering about and have them answered by one of our panel of experts.

Presentations will be given by the following home buying professionals:

Every registrant will receive a FREE Home Buying Package filled with valuable information on the home buying process and valuable cost-saving certificates that will save first time homebuyers hundreds of dollars when buying their first home.

In addition, each registrant will be entered into our FREE DRAW for Valuable Door Prizes !*

Come out for a relaxing and fun-filled evening!

SEATING is LIMITED so Please REGISTER EARLY by

Contacting either Jo-Anne Smith or Denise Bayne at 905-469-8888 or Click on this link to

Register For First Time Homebuyer's Seminar By Email

Mark Your Calendar and Call TODAY.

*must be present at the seminar in order to win

Jo-Anne Smith, the author of this article, is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group - Quantum Realty Inc., Oakville, Ontario and welcomes your real estate inquiries. To contact her, visit www.Oakville-BurlingtonHomes.com

Vacant Lots For Sale In Mississauga and Brampton - Beautiful, Treed Brampton Building Lot!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:34:51 -0600

On the search for vacant lots for sale in Mississauga or Brampton? Rare and exceptional, this beautiful, treed Brampton building lot is in an area of upscale bungalow and 1 1/2 storey new homes.

Situated in the highly desirable Streetsville Glen area of Brampton, this lot is zoned residential and is ready to be built on. It fronts on a quiet court with hydro, natural gas, cable and telephone readily available.

Level and peaceful, this beautiful Brampton building lot has an abundance of beautiful trees including hardwoods and softwoods.

When you sit on your deck in the morning, coffee in hand, you will feel like you are gazing out over your own private forest, right in the heart of the Mississauga and Brampton area !

Vacant lots are very hard to find in Mississauga or Brampton, especially at a price of only $279,900.

Build your dream home and watch your investment increase in value over the coming years while you enjoy the proximity to wonderful shopping and recreational facilities as well as to the Toronto Airport and the greater Toronto area.

If you are commuting to Toronto, this is a prime location with quick access to the 407, 401 and the 403 and yet still gives the feeling of being in a quiet, secluded enclave where forests and history abound.

This unusually large Brampton building lot is perfect for gardeners, nature lovers, children and pets.

The lot dimensions are 14m across the front, 37.4m across the back, 46m down one side and 55.4m down the remaining side, giving the homebuilder a very spacious and private back yard area.

In this price range, you won't find a more beautiful vacant lot on which to build your dream home in the Mississauga or Brampton areas.

Call or email today before it's gone!

For more information or an appointment to view, call Jo-Anne at 905-469-8888 or send an email to Vacant Building Lots Request

If you would like to be kept informed with a list of vacant lots that become available in Oakville, Burlington, Brampton, Mississauga or surrounding regions, contact Jo-Anne. You will receive daily updates in your inbox with all of the vacant building lots that become available.

In the meantime, why not take a look at this rare and beautiful Brampton building lot and make your dream a reality today!

Would You Live in a Haunted House? - Selling Stigmatized Property in Ontario

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:08:55 -0500

The mood was one of gaiety and laughter as we stood
around in a circle, glasses of wine in hand, trying to outdo one another with ghostly real estate tales.

The setting was one of the office parties my broker at that time, regularly held to recognize the office achievements of his sales representatives.
When it came my turn to tell a story, I decided to relay the events that had occurred at an open house I had held at one of my listings the previous weekend.

There was a hush in our small group as I began my story...

On the previous weekend, I had done an open house at a circa mid 1800s home in one of Ontario's oldest towns.

When I had listed the house, the owner, one of the warmest and nicest women in her seventies I have ever known, told me the story about Edmund, who she was going to dearly miss when she moved.
‘Who is Edmund?’, I asked; thinking him to be a neighbour.
With a somber look in her eye, she told me in an outright fashion, ‘Edmund is the ghost that lives here in the house and has been here since the day we bought it 30 odd years ago.'

‘Oh?’ , I asked as my eyebrows rose in sincere interest.

‘Yes, he is very mischievous and he and I are friends. He often plays games like flushing the toilet, or moving my papers around from one room to another. ‘ , she said with a twinkle in her eye.

‘Really?’, I exclaimed, thinking to myself that perhaps she was just saying these things to amuse me.

She then proceeded to tell me about the history of the house, how rumour had it that the original owner, a blacksmith, had hung himself in the woodshed, which was now the family room, in the late 1800s.

She figured Edmund was this blacksmith’s ghost. She also said that various members of her large extended family had seen Edmund and that his footsteps were often heard walking around the house.

I finished up my paperwork, had her sign all the documents and drove back home to prepare the listing for turning in to my office first thing in the morning.
I didn’t think much more about her story until one grey, wet Sunday in the fall when I was at the property doing an open house.

Things were very quiet during the first half hour with no prospects turning out in the drizzly rain.
Deciding to go into the living room and read some magazines, I had no sooner sat down when I heard a door open and some footsteps walking across a hall upstairs.

Suspecting a buyer must have tiptoed by the living room doorway and not known I was here, I decided to go upstairs and investigate.
The second story of the home was not huge, consisting mainly of two bedrooms, a large hallway and a bathroom.

I checked the bathroom and each bedroom, including under the beds and in the closets and, upon finding no one, I decided I must have been hearing things.

With a bewildered feeling, I returned downstairs and to my spot in the living room where my magazine lay waiting.

I had barely sat back down when I heard the toilet upstairs flush and the loud footsteps above my head once more.
Thoughts of Edmund came to my mind, however I thought to myself 'there is just NO way'.

Surmising that there HAD to be SOMEONE up there, I very quietly snuck back up the stairs.
Pausing at the top landing, I gazed down the hall and towards the open bedroom doors.

Standing very still, I listened for any noises. Nothing.
I checked each wardrobe in the bedroom, under the beds once more, and in the walk-in closet and again checked the bathroom.
No one could be found anywhere.

By now I was beginning to have the sneaking suspicion that Edmund was making his presence known to me.
Feeling a bit foolish, I softly said ‘Hello Edmund.’.
Then I went back downstairs and finished my reading.

When the loud footsteps began again upstairs, I ignored them.
On that cold, drizzly fall day, not a single person had attended my open house, unless you count Edmund, of course.

An agent called me in the last ten minutes and said he was bringing over an offer and asked if he could present it to my seller after the open house.
I told him that would be fine as I knew my seller was coming back as soon as the open house had ended.

As I stood waiting for her in the doorway between the kitchen and the sunroom, I felt a coldness all down one side of my body.
I shivered as I sensed someone standing right next to me.

Moving out of the energy field to escape the uneasy feeling, I felt strong eyes upon me and decided to go outside and wait for my seller to return.
Edmund was getting too close for comfort.

The seller returned, we dealt with the offer, and before leaving I told her I had met Edmund. She seemed quite pleased with this and told me this meant that he liked me.

As I finished my story, I noticed how round and amazed my peers eyes had become.
Since we were a group of close friends and watched out for each other’s interests, one of them asked if I had told our broker about this.
No, I said. I didn’t think I needed to.
She replied that he would be very interested in hearing this story. I felt rather embarrassed and did not want to tell him. Unfortunately, right at that moment, he approached our group and asked ‘What’s up ladies?’

My friend announced ‘Jo has a story to tell you.’. Well, I guess I now had no choice but to relay the story to him.
Upon hearing the story, he proceeded to ask me if I had told the buyer’s agent who had brought the offer on the property about this. ‘No', I replied, 'I didn’t think I had to.’

‘You most certainly do have to disclose this to the buyer’s representative', he said.

He then told us that a few years previous, a local brokerage had been sued for not disclosing the facts or knowledge of a haunted house that one of his agents had listed.
The house was known to be haunted and no one had told the buyers or their agent about this.
The buyers moved in and a succession of very frightening things had occurred. Eventually they found out that the house was known to be haunted and they proceeded to sue the listing brokerage.

The listing brokerage had lost that lawsuit.

Office policy now dictated that we MUST disclose when one of our listings is known to be haunted to the buyer’s representatives and to potential buyers.
In my case, it turned out ok. I called the buyer’s representative and informed him of the possibility of a ghost.

It turned out he and his buyers already were aware of the ghost, since they all were local residents and had heard the stories over a course of many years.
The fact that it was haunted did not scare his buyers in the least. On the contrary, there ended up being a bidding war for the property precisely BECAUSE it was known to be haunted.
It seems the ghost was quite a local celebrity .

When listing any property in Ontario, if it is disclosed to the listing representative, by the seller, that it is haunted or otherwise stigmatized, or if it is common knowledge that we are somehow made aware of, then by law we must disclose it to all potential buyers and their agents.
This includes properties where murders/suicides have occurred and any other type of stigmatization that the property may possess.

Do you know the law regarding stigmatized/haunted properties in your province or state?

Crawford Lake - Revealing the Mysteries of the Past - Niagara Escarpment Trails and Parks

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:25:36 -0500

Crawford Lake - Revealing the Mysteries of the Past - Burlington Attractions and Oakville History.

Hidden in the eastern Ontario woodlands of the beautiful Niagara Escarpment, rests Crawford Lake.
Crawford Lake, a rare 'meromictic' lake, holds fascinating secrets of the past deep within it's depths.

As a meromictic lake, there is very little circulation at it's lower levels, thereby allowing annual sediment deposits called 'varves' to lay undisturbed for thousands of years.

In 1971 an analysis of sediment collected from the depths of Crawford Lake revealed a high concentration of corn pollen.

The corn pollen, dating from the years 1434-1459, indicated that a native village once rested nearby on the shores of the lake.

Archeological excavations revealed the presence of an Iroquoian village, the first 'prehistoric' village in the eastern forests of North America to be accurately dated.

Along with the location of the native longhouses and building structures, thousands of Iroquoian artifacts were found.

Reconstruction of the village took place over a number of years and today you may visit this beautiful Burlington and Oakville area attraction and historical site to experience for yourself life in a pre-contact Indian village.

As you stroll around the walkways of the village, the sultry scent of woodsmoke fills your nostrils and you find yourself transported back to a time when life was simple and people lived with the heartbeat of the land guiding their daily activities.

On entering one of the many Longhouses, your eye becomes entranced by the delicate, yet sturdy, baskets, tools, clothing, canoes and snowshoes of our indigenous peoples.

A fire started with flint, the same way it would have been started hundreds of years ago by a woman of the village, sends it's smoky curls upwards in search of the smoke-hole in the Longhouse roof.

For a moment you find your heartbeat slowing and your every cell gentling to a quiet rythm rarely found in the hustle and bustle of today's harried world.

A sadness takes over you as you sense a deep spirit of loss and you find yourself wishing that, even for just a few hours, you could be transported back to that time when the waters of Crawford Lake teemed with fish and happy children's playful calls could be heard echoing throughout the surrounding woods and fields, while simple but delicious suppers cooked slowly over the longhouse fires.

Crawford Lake Conservation Area is located at the junctions of Steeles Avenue (now Conservation Road) and Guelph Line north of Burlington, Ontario.
To view a map showing how to get to Crawford Lake, click here ->Crawford Lake Conservation Area and Iroquoian Village .

With it's 19 kms of groomed hiking, cross-country skiiing and snowshoeing trails, as well as a sturdy, wide boardwalk around the lake itself, Crawford Lake will quickly become one of your destinations of choice when the urge to explore Oakville's history or Burlington's attractions comes upon you.

The unmatched beauty of the Niagara Escarpment surrounds the visitor at the Nassagaweya Canyon Interpretive Lookout as their gaze takes in the incredible views of nature and the sounds of forest creatures echo across the breathtaking landscape.

With a Visitor's Centre, well-stocked Gift Shop and Refreshment Area, Theatre, Gathering Place, Exhibits and Picnic Areas, Crawford Lake is sure to have something to please people from all walks of life and of every age.

If you are a teacher or a group leader, be sure to explore the amazing, hands-on, Educational Programs at Crawford Lake.
Parents may even opt to hold their child's next birthday party here!
It's certain to be one that will be remembered and talked about for years to come.

No matter what your interests are, if you are planning a visit to Crawford Lake, don't leave home without your camera. Photographic opportunities abound.

Crawford Lake, while revealing the mysteries of the past to it's thousands of annual visitors, has become a favourite Burlington area attraction for all who are interested in Oakville history, the Niagara Escarpment and the history of Ontario's Iroquois people.

Travels With My Sons in the Absolutely Stunning Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:37:21 -0500

When I was 5 years old, my little sister, Maureen, died. After she was gone I was immersed in my own and my parents emotional pain for many months.
One day, shortly after Maureen's passing, I proclaimed to my Mother that I was never ever going to have human babies and instead would give birth to only puppies or kittens. They seemed much hardier to me and I somehow felt we had a choice.

Time moved on and I eventually gave birth to three beautiful sons. They were adorable little guys and with their unique personalities and interests, there was never a waking moment when something memorable wasn't taking place.

As small boys are apt to do, they grew up and moved far away. I missed them terribly as one by one they followed each other to Kelowna, a beautiful city in a stunning British Columbia mountain valley.

In September we flew to Victoria, BC and after spending an idyllic week exploring Vancouver Island, boarded the ferry and drove to the Okanagan Valley to spend a cherished week visiting with my sons David, Iain and Rob and David's girlfriend, Angie.

We had a wonderful time and when it came time to say goodbye, I steeled my heart and held back my tears.
While sharing in giant goodbye hugs, my heart overflowed with pride and love for each one and the very fine young men they had become.
It never ceases to amaze me how very fortunate I am that I was blessed with not just one, but three such caring, wonderful sons. They have all of the qualities I hoped they would have and then some.

Rob, Dave, myself and Iain at a lookout point near Kalamalka Lake.

Buying a Condominium in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington - Important Things You Need to Know About Condominium Ownership -Common Expenses and The Status Certificate

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:16:58 -0500

Buying a Condominium in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington - Important Things You Need to Know About Condominium Ownership -Common Expenses and The Status Certificate.

Part One of the 'Buying a Condominium in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington' series discussed the initial things a buyer should be aware of as they begin to think about looking at condominiums.
A link to Part One can be found at the bottom of this page.

In this article, Part Two of a three part series on things a buyer should be aware of as they begin to consider the purchase of a condominium, we will be looking at 'common expenses' and also talking about the 'status certificate', two very important aspects of condominium ownership.

Condominium ownership involves the payment of monthly condo fees to the condominium corporation. These fees vary widely from development to development, not only in amount, but also in terms of what they cover.
Monthly fees, also known as common expenses, are used by the condominium corporation to cover such things as maintenance of the common elements, funding the reserve account (see explanation of reserve account below) and paying for the management of the day to day operations of the building/development and the operating expenses of the condominium corporation.

Monthly condo fees may also include, depending on the condominium, such things as snow removal, grass cutting, building insurance (for the exterior of the building), exterior building and grounds maintenance, water usage, utilities and television cable.

Be sure to find out the exact amount of the monthly fees and what they include prior to the submission of an offer to purchase.

If you are working with a REALTOR® , they will attain all of this information for you on each condominium that you are considering.

You should also be aware that if you will be requiring financing for your condo purchase from a bank or mortgage company, the amount of the monthly condo fees will have an impact on how much the lender will be willing to loan you for a mortgage.

If you are considering the purchase of a condo that has not yet been built or is in the process of being built, be aware that the condo fees you will be quoted may rise by up to 50% or more after your first year of ownership. Factor this into your monthly costs when you are determining how much you can afford prior to submitting an offer to purchase.
One of the most important documents applicable to condominium ownership is the 'Status Certificate'. It is vital that you do not purchase a condominium prior to having your lawyer review the status certificate and go over with you in detail it's contents.
The status certificate will cover the following very significant aspects of the condominium corporation and unit you are considering:

1. The amount held in the 'reserve fund'.
All condominiums are required by law to maintain a separate fund that is allocated for the payment of major repairs and replacements of the common elements of the condo corporation. These may include repair or replacement of windows, roofing, pools, parking, elevators etc.

2. Whether or not the unit you are interested is overdue on any common expense payments.

3. Reveals any liens against the unit you are considering.

4. Provides you with detailed accounting of the most recent audited financial statements and budget of the condominium corporation.

5. Indicates whether there are any special assessments or legal actions involved with the condominium corporation or with the unit.

6. Includes a list of the Board Members of the condominium corporation.

7. Whether or not there are any increases in the monthly fees being contemplated.

8. A copy of the condo corporation's 'Declaration'. The declaration is the legal document that creates the condo corporation. In it you will find a description of the boundaries of your unit and the percentage used for calculating the specific montly expenses/fees for your unit. It will also contain any obligations that affect the use of your unit.

9. The Bylaws of the condominium corporation. The bylaws will outline the organizational and administrative functions and duties of the Board of Directors and the Condominium Corporation. They will also provide a structure for the calling of owner's meetings and for the election of members to the Board of Directors.

10. All condominiums have a set of 'Rules and Regulations'. These will also be included in the status certificate.
Condo rules and regulations set out the standards of behaviour for the condo community.
They will cover such things as the day to day use of the common elements and also of the individual units.
Some condominiums do not allow pets or limit the type and size of pets. If this is the case, it will state so in the rules and regulations.
There are various other stipulations that will be found in the rules and regulations and it is very important for you to review them prior to making a firm offer to purchase.

Your REALTOR® will set out a certain amount of time (usually 10 days), in the offer to purchase, for you and your lawyer to review the status certificate. This is set out in the form of a condition,
thereby allowing you to rescind your offer should you or your lawyer find something of concern when reviewing the status certificate.

For Further Reading:

Buying a Condominium in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington - Important Things You Need to Know - Part One.

Buying a Waterfront Condominium in Oakville.

If you are considering buying a condominium in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington and would like a complete list of condominiums currently available for sale that meet your needs/desires,
contact Jo-Anne Smith.

Buying a Condominium In Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington - Important Things You Need to Know About Condominium Ownership - Part One

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:53:03 -0500

Buying a Condominium in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington - Important Things You Need to Know About Condominium Ownership - Part One.

In today's real estate market, homebuyers from all age groups often consider the purchase of a condo as they begin to explore their homebuying options.

If you are amongst this diverse group of homebuyers, there are many important things you should be aware of before moving forward on the path to buying a condominium.

Enlisting the help of a knowledgeable real estate sales representative early in the process will save you an enormous amount of time and potentially problems and money.

REALTOR®s have the knowledge, skill and experience you will be thankful to have on the road to condominium ownership.
They will guide you along the path to a well-built condominium in the best location for your needs and desires and will be with you every step of the way as you realize your dream of not only moving to a place you are pleased to call home, but also in making a profitable investment for your future.

Buying a condo in Oakville, Mississauga or Burlington, similarly to buying in other locations across the continent, is quite a different process from buying a detached home or freehold property.

When buying a condo, you own the interior of your unit on your own, however the exterior of your unit and the grounds or building that it is located on or in, are considered common elements and you are only buying a share in these common elements.
The common elements, such as a pool, walkways, tennis courts, lobbies, etc are owned by the condominium corporation and you, as a condo owner in the development, own a share in the condo corporation and hence in the common elements.

Please review the following list of key points to familiarize yourself with condominium ownership:

When you begin to consider buying a condominium, it's a good idea to carefully consider the appearance, location and nearby amenities of the building or development.
These important factors will have a great impact on the future value of your unit and also on the quality of your day to day life while living there.
Explore the common elements of the building or development and decide whether or not they are of value to you or if you will be making use of them.
This is an important consideration as part of your monthly condo fees will be going towards the maintenance of the common elements and will determine the amount of the condo fees that you will be paying, no matter if you use the common elements or not.

Common elements may include such things as pools, squash courts, gyms, parks and gardens, lobbies, parking garages and more.
The age of the building or development is also an important factor to consider. Checking for the condo builder's reputation at TARION.com is an imortant step that many buyers often neglect to do before putting in an offer on a condominium unit.
If you are considering older developments or buildings, it's a wise move to investigate the management and financial history of the condo corporation and also find out what kind of management the condominium has.
Your real estate sales representative will be able to help you in exploring all of these things as you work towards choosing the right condo for you.

If you are thinking of buying a condo in Oakville, Burlington or Mississauga, be sure to read Part Two in this series as we continue to explore the important things to know when considering condo ownership.

Other articles in this series:

The Benefits of Buying a Condominium in Burlington, Oakville or Mississauga.

Lake Ontario Boating, Fifty Point Marina Near Oakville, Ontario.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:31:14 -0500

For those who love the water and Lake Ontario Boating, Fifty Point Marina Near Oakville, Ontario ranks near the top of their 'ports to visit' list when travelling by water at the western end of Lake Ontario.

Fifty Point Marina, with it's natural beauty and rustic appeal, offers the travelling boater a chance to experience one of the very finest of marinas in the Golden Horseshoe area.

Setting sail from our home port of Bronte Outer Harbour Marina in Oakville, we recently enjoyed an overnight stay at this enchanting stop near the village of Stoney Creek, Ontario.

Saying Goodbye to Bronte Outer Harbour and the Village of Bronte for a Few Days.

'Our Native Land'....and Water.

Flying the Canadian Flag on Ronin as we sail across the western end of Lake Ontario.

Burlington Bridge looms in the distance as we cross the lake.

With binoculars in hand, we scanned the distant shoreline looking for the green marker that shows the entrance to the marina. The marker came into view and as we neared the entrance to the harbour, we lowered our sails and prepared to dock.

Our slip was on the eastern shore of the harbour not far from a wooded path that led to the two secluded beaches.

'Ronin', our home away from home docked at Fifty Point Marina.

The next morning we set out along the path and soon found ourselves on a quiet beach where two dogs swam while their owners talked nearby.

We found out that we had arrived at the 'dog beach' and that the 'human beach' was a short walk further along the trail.

As we crossed a grassy field and walked up a small rise, the 'people' beach came into view. The sandy, crescent shore revealed itself as we reached the summit of the gentle slope.

Being used to the white sand beaches of the eastern end of Lake Ontario, I gazed down with interest at the slate coloured granules of sand beneath my feet and, raising my eyes to glance out at the water, marvelled at the brilliant blue of the calm surface as rays of sunlight danced upon it's surface.

After spending some time taking in the sun and gentle ambience of this enchanting place, we packed our beach gear and returned to our boat to prepare for the trip home.

Fifty Point Marina, part of Fifty Point Conservation Area, is a full service marina offering the following amenities to Lake Ontario Boaters:

Seasonal and Transient Dockage
Shore Power
10' Draft
Full Service Fueling Station with Gas, Diesel, Propane and Pumpout
Outside summer and winter storage for boats and cradles
Launching Ramp
25-Ton Travellift
Showers
Laundromat
Playgound
Washrooms
Barbecues
Camping
Licensed Restaurant
Snack Bar
Variety Store
Ice
Drinking Water
WIFI Internet Access
Two Clean Sandy Beaches - One for People and One for Pets
Stocked Fishing Pond
Scenic Trails and Picnic Areas

As a Clean Marine Certified Marina with an Eco Rating, Fifty Point is ideal for boaters who enjoy docking in a peaceful, natural environment.

If you plan to stop over at Fifty Point Marina as part of your boating travels, it's a good idea to reserve a slip ahead of time. You can call Nancy or Barb for seasonal and transient docking at 905-525-2187.
There is sesaonal dockage for 330 boats with a maximum boat length of 60'.

When planning a boating trip, Fifty Point Marina can't be surpassed for natural beauty, seclusion, amenities and cleanliness.
It's amongst the very finest of Lake Ontario boating destinations near Oakville, Ontario and a place where 'island time' seems to have found it's way.

Oakville Art Society 44th Annual Art in the Park - Bronte Harbour, Bronte

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:52:31 -0500

As the breeze ushered in a reprieve from the high humidity levels and warm Lake Ontario air, thousands of visitors walked up and down the grassy aisles of Oakville's 44th Annual Art in the Park show yesterday afternoon.

It was a beautiful day in Bronte village and the streets were vibrant with visitors from the far reaches of Ontario and the globe.

Oakville's 44th Art in the Park show featured artists of every venue imaginable from watercolours, oils, sculptures and pottery all the way to beautiful wooden bowls and one of a kind jewellry.

Admiring the soft coloured wooden bowls where light pink overtones eked their way across the grains in surprising places, I learned that the wood was naturally coloured that way and came from Manitoba Maples, a Maple we always considered to be a 'weed' tree when I was growing up.

I'll never look at a Manitoba Maple in the same way again, now that I've seen the objects of great beauty that are crafted from it's sinewy trunks and reaching branches.

We met a wonderful couple there, a very talented husband and wife team of artists.
Atanur and Asuman Dogan paint beautiful watercolours of streetscapes, far-away places and the people who live in them.
Atanur is able to capture the expression of his subjects with such vibrant realism that the feelings portrayed jump off the painting and strike to the viewer's very heart.

One of my favourite paintings at the entire Oakville Art in the Park show was painted by Atanur and depicts a small child smiling and bashful and brimming with a gentle happiness. The feeling of love and safety stays with you long after you've viewed the painting and restores your faith that there are still many places where childhood is a time of innocence enjoyed under the protective and loving eye of Grandparents.

Pencil in your calenday and be sure you don't miss Oakville's 45th Annual Art in the Park show next summer, a premier event of the Oakville Art Society.
Who knows, you just might come home with a treasure.

Buying a Waterfront Condominium in Oakville

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:11:19 -0500

When considering buying a waterfront condominium, Oakville, a beautiful city on the north-west shores of Lake Ontario, Canada, has a wide selection of attractive condominiums to suit every taste and price range.

Along the lakeshore in Oakville, elegant, highrise condominiums sit serenely overlooking the soft blues of majestic Lake Ontario. New condominium projects are currently being built in prime locations on Oakville's lakefront which offer a myriad of services such as on-site yoga studios, meditation suites, restaurants and more.

These highrise condominium developments in Oakville offer a healthy lifestyle for today's active professionals and retirees where everything can be found without venturing too far from home.

There are also townhouse condominiums overlooking Oakville's waterfront parks. Many of these have beautiful upper and lower balconies to take advantage of the lovely views along the shores of Lake Ontario.

Oakville waterfront condominiums offer a gracious lifestyle with expansive windows giving view to a myriad of boats as they make their way across the sparkling waters.
Not far from quaint shops, award winning restaurants and streetside cafes, lakefront condominiums provide a lifestyle of gentle leisure and stimulating culture.

Resting along Ontario's reknowned 'Waterfront Trail', residents of Oakville's waterfront condominiums have access to miles of scenic, health-giving walkways for casual evening strolls or early morning jogs along the lakeshore.

With an excellent transit system just steps away, condominium owners may travel throughout the city and choose not to own an automobile.

Healthcare facilities are prevalent and easily accessible. Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital is an excellent hospital. With vision to the future, a new Oakville Hospital, with a plan for completion by 2013, is being built to meet LEED, Canada's guideline for 'green' buildings. Construction will begin in 2011.

For a complete list of the waterfront condominiums currently available for sale in Oakville, contact Jo-Anne Smith. You will receive, by email, a list with links to all of Oakville's waterfront condominiums that are currently available through the local real estate board system. Many of the very best units are sold quite quickly and only through using the services of a real estate professional, will you be able to keep abreast of all new listings on the day they become available.

Lowville's Largest Street Sale, Burlington, Ontario

Thu, 28 May 2009 08:24:03 -0500

Traveling north up Guelph Line in
Burlington , you eventually come
to the beautiful historic village
of 'Lowville '.
It is aptly named as it sits in an emerald-green, lush valley where sparkling Bronte Creek flows prettily through.

I was in Lowville last week and it was the most pleasant short excursion experience I've had in awhile.

The road that leads to the stream and past the old stone schoolhouse is lined with tall lilacs which are presently in bloom. The beautiful scent carried throughout the village and brought to mind what all of our pioneer villages must have been like 150 years ago.

Lowville is having it's 'Largest Street Sale ' this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 28, 29 and 30th) from 8am-3pm.

This treasure-hunter's dream sale is being held at the Lowville United Church , 5800 Guelph Line, North Burlington.
All residents in the region are invited to participate by hosting their own yard sales and for those who live in other areas. the church will be renting space in their parking lot.
An outdoor barbecue will be held on all three days with regular barbecue fare being offered for sale.

I hope you'll attend. You just might find an antique treasure or something you've been wanting for a long time.

You can reserve a spot or find out more information by calling 905-681-0864 or by contacting Owen Calhoun / Marilyn Fox

Buying a Home In Mississauga, Oakville or Burlington-Advantages of Using Your Own 'Buyer's' Agent

Tue, 26 May 2009 18:47:37 -0500

As you begin the process of searching for a home in the Burlington, Oakville or Mississauga regions of Ontario , one of the most important steps to take is to find a real estate sales representative who you feel comfortable with and who has good past client references .

Many people searching for a home do not realize that they have the opportunity to save thousands of dollars, time and avoid potential problems by choosing to work with a REALTOR® early in the home buying process.

A REALTOR® will sit down with you and go over all of the things that should be taken into consideration when searching for a home.
They will provide you with valuable information and tools that will help you to find the right home at a price that fits your lifestyle and needs.
They will advise you on things to watch out for and will be there for you from the beginning until the day you move into your new home and will stay in touch with you once you've moved in should any problems arise.

As you begin to work with a REALTOR®, he/she will discuss with you the advantages of signing a 'Buyer's Representation Agreement '

A Buyer's Agency/Representation Agreement provides you with the top level of services a REALTOR® can provide and these services are most often provided to you free of charge.

Your Buyer's agent is paid for the work they have done for you through the Seller's agent whose property you have purchased. The Seller's agent is paid a commission by the Seller when their house is sold. From this commission, a certain percentage is paid to the Buyer's agent's office who then pays the Buyer's sales representative.

When acting on behalf of my buyer clients, I offer the highest levels of service, free of charge to my buyers.
In giving the best service possible to my buyers, I provide the following list of services to ensure that they have an enjoyable, smooth, care-free and happy home buying experience:

To assist my buyers in understanding what will take place, I outline the entire homebuying process from beginning to end.
To facilitate this, I provide my buyers with a Homebuying Book and pamphlets on various things to do with the homebuying process.
In order that my Buyer clients feel comfortable with signing the Buyer's Representation Agreement, I explain it in detail and ensure them that if they are not happy with my services and are able to provide me with an explanation, they are able to cancel the agreement at any time.
As part of the Homebuying process, I discuss with my clients financing alternatives and determine their needs with regards to financing the purchase of a home.
If they will be requiring a mortgage, I provide them with a Sutton Member Program VIP card which enables them to apply for a mortgage with the lowest interest rates in Canada.
Only those Buyers who buy through a Sutton sales representative who is a member of the Sutton Member Program are eligible to apply for a mortgage at this lowest rate.
The 5 year term, fixed rate mortgage is currently at 3.24 %.
I endeavour to find the best possible home for my clients and in order to do so, I meet with them and ask them to answer a fairly in-depth questionnaire that deals with their specific needs and desires in a home.
My Buyers have the right to always be kept up to date with the new listings that have come on the market.
Immediately after determining my Buyer's needs/desires in a home, I register my Buyers on a Listing Update Program through our local real estate board that provides them with all of the new listings that meet their criteria by email on a daily basis.
They are then free to peruse the information at their leisure and, since the best listings sell very quickly, are certain not to miss out on any new listings that come on the market within their guidelines and price range.
When my Buyers come across a property they would like to see, or if I recommend we go and see specific properties, I coordinate the showings and accompany my Buyers through all of the listings they wish to see.
When looking through homes, I point out potential problems and concerns in relation to each particular property. This gives my Buyers the peace of mind in knowing that a trained eye who is working on their behalf is observing each property along with them.
When my Buyers find a home they would like to put an offer in on, I provide them with a Comparative Market Analysis on the property so that they know the value of the property.
This enables them to make an informed decision when deciding how high they would like to go when negotiating on the home price.
I provide my Buyers with all of the information that is available on all properties that they wish to view.
On any property that they have further questions about, if I don't know the answer I find out and let them know as quick as possible. This way they won't miss out on a home due to not knowing the answers to any pertinent questions they may be considering.
Time is always of the essence when searching for the right home.
If my Buyers are short on time or are from out of the region, I preview properties for them in order to weed out those that are of poor quality, require a great amount of work or are not suitable.
This way my Buyers only need view those properties that are of good quality, priced right and fall within their search criteria.
If one of my Buyers finds a For Sale By Owner, or if I find one for them that falls within their search criteria, I will set up an appointment to view with the Sellers and should my Buyers decide to put in an offer on the property, I will prepare the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and do all of the negotiating with the Sellers.
I will also ensure that the Sellers pay my commission for the services I've provided to my Buyers and in payment for bringing them an offer on their property. This way my Buyers are still ensured of having my services provided free of charge, no matter if a property is listed on the MLS system or not.
When my Buyers find a home that they would like to put an offer on, I discuss with them the terms and conditions of the offer, advising them as to what clauses and terms I feel should be included for their own protection and in their best interests.
I then prepare the Agreement of Purchase of Sale and present it to the Sellers and their Agent on my clients behalf.
I negotiate with the Sellers and their Agent to get the best possible price and terms for my Buyers.
As part of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale conditions that I recommend to my Buyers, I ensure that all offers are conditional upon my Buyer receiving a satisfactory Home Inspection Report on the property prepared by a highly qualified professional Home Inspector.

I give a list of recommended Home Inspectors to my Buyers and ask them to choose one for the inspection. I also ask that my Buyers be present during the Home Inspection process and I ensure them that I will also be in attendance at the Home Inspection.

Once the Home Inspection is completed, I discuss any issues with the Home Inspector and make recommendations to my Buyers as to how to proceed from this point forward.
Most often, if a house requires certain upgrades or repairs, these can be negotiated on with the Seller during the negotiation and offer process.
I endeavour to do this to the satisfaction of all parties involved so that my Buyers feel comfortable moving forward with a purchase of the home of their choice.
Any and all personal information that my Buyers disclose to me is kept in strictest confidence. I provide them with a privacy agreement that outlines this and my Buyers feel comfortable knowing that they can trust me to always keep their best interests in mind throughout the home buying process.
On any property my Buyers decide to offer on, I do my best to find out the Seller's motivation and reasons for selling as this information will play a vital role during our offer preparation and negotiations.
Once the offer to purchase has been accepted, I ensure that any and all conditions are satisfied in a smooth and timely manner. I provide my Buyers with a list of recommended lawyers and outline to my Buyer's their lawyer's role and what they can expect to pay.
I also provide my Buyers with a list of Homebuying incentives and rebates that government bodies may be providing so that all of my Buyers receive the highest value possible in their home purchase.
My Buyers receive a list of home services that will be provided to them at a discount rate for having bought through me. These services may include, although are not limited to, moving and cleaning services.
On closing day, I ensure that the events of the day flow as smoothly as possible for my Buyers and am there to assist should keys need to be picked up or documents delivered.
To ensure that my Buyers are happy with their home purchase and to make sure they know I am always only a phone call or email away, I contact or visit my Buyers on closing day and discuss with them their new home and any concerns they may have.

This is the day of celebration and I'm justly proud of my Buyers and their new home and all they have come through to reach this point.
I ensure that my Buyers know that I will be staying in touch with them and that they may call or email me anytime should any issues arise with their new home or just to say hello!

Hilton Falls Conservation Area; A Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:41:05 -0500

In the early afternoon this past Sunday, I was busily working away at my computer when I received a call from my brother, Clayton. He was planning to take his children on a hike to Hilton Falls Conservation Area in Campbellville and wondered if we would like to come along. Hilton Falls Conservation Area is on the list of World Biosphere Reserves as part of the Niagara Escarpment.

As I gazed out the window at the rather dreary day and wet windowpane, I wondered if it was such a great day for a hike, however after a short discussion with Louis, we decided to take Clayton up on his offer.

Hilton Falls Conservation Area is a short drive from Oakville and Burlington. It took us about 20 minutes to get there and as we drove down beautiful country roads and up over the Niagara Escarpment, I couldn't help but marvel at what an intriguing area the Golden Horseshoe is.

The Niagara Escarpment lends so much diversity and natural beauty to the region that one never has to go far to view stunning vistas or gaze in awe at the magnificent rock formations.

Hilton Falls Conservation Area is a 645 hectare park that runs along the Niagara Escarpment.
As a Provincial Area of Natural and Scientific Interest and also a World Biosphere Reserve, it is a place of refuge for a diverse array of plant and animal life.

The trails are extremely well groomed and easy to walk.
Hilton Falls welcomes hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers and the 33 km of trails are sure to leave the visitor looking forward to coming again.

We enjoyed a refreshing hike to the falls and the historic mill site and I took particular delight in observing the forest floor where a variety of spring wildflowers were putting on a show.

It seems that not everyone gets as excited as I do over a pair of Wakerobins in bloom, however I don't mind that at all.

I believe I must have been an herbalist or medicine woman in a past life and those who hike along with me seem to enjoy my chatter about the native uses of our indigenous plants. At least they appear to be interested!

As we hiked along, the sun broke through and the wind died down. My nephews and niece ran ahead in excitement as they made discoveries of giant fallen branches with the rushing sounds of the falls in the distance calling to them.

Near the falls there is firepit stocked with firewood where a weary traveller or group could rest while dinner cooked or get warm on a wintry day.

Dogs are allowed, as long as they are kept on a leash no longer than 2 metres.

Here are more pictures from this rejuvenating piece of paradise:

Bloodroot in bloom. The natives used the orange sap from Bloodroot as an antiseptic and dye.

Wild Columbines just about to bloom.

Three little hikers, my nephews and niece, lead the way down the well groomed trails at Hilton Falls Conservation Area.

A sinkhole at Hilton Falls. Sinkholes were formed when the pressure exerted by glaciers on rocks swirling in water, wore deep round impressions in the limestone.

The pioneers made use of the water pressure formed by falling water and built mills. Here are the remnants of an old mill at the Hilton Falls site.

Trout Lily leaves carpet the forest floor. Trout Lillies are so named because of the mottled appearance of their leaves. Soon dainty yellow flowers will bloom above the beautifully patterned leaves.

Strange and mysterious, the Mayapples draw the eye with their striking appearance as they near their blooming period.

The plants grow in groups and the flower must be searched for under the leaf canopy.

The Mayapple fruit is edible when completely ripe, however all other parts of the plant are extremely toxic.

Indigenous people used a tincture of the plant as an insecticide.

Rivulets of fresh, clean water, from Sixteen Mile Creek, cascade downwards as they make their way to the rushing stream below.

My nephews lay claim to the title 'Kings of the Forest'.

This astounding area is unique in all of North America as four species of salamanders can be found in it's wet pools and under damp rocks.
Nature lovers will enjoy viewing over 100 varieties of plants and numerous unusual mammals such as the Northern Flying Squirrel and the American Water Shrew.

If you live in Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga, Guelph or Hamilton, Hilton Falls is just a short drive away.

Enjoy a peaceful day hiking and wrap up your visit with a barbecue (barbecues and picnic tables are provided) as you relish in the natural beauty that surrounds you.

Visitors to our region should make sure to take time out for a daytrip to this UNESCO site where wilderness that once could be found throughout the Golden Horseshoe area, may still be found.

Bronte Pioneer Cemetary on the Shores of Lake Ontario, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:41:21 -0500

On an early, autumn day last year, Louis and I
were driving along Lakeshore Road as it meandered through the cities of Burlington and Oakville, admiring the many grand waterfront homes and the majestic trees that towered overhead.

Exploring the many side streets that lead to the water's edge, we happened to turn down a small road that led to a quiet, lakeside neighbourhood where a peaceful cemetary lay in the middle.

Gazing at the old gravestones that lay scattered under 200 year old oaks and pines, I felt myself entranced at how such a halcyon place had survived all of these years while the city had grown up around it.

The blueness of Lake Ontario caught my eye, where the road ended, and I noticed the cemetary lay along the shore with some headstones very close to the eroded embankment.

Being a history buff, the site remained in my mind and I vowed to one day find the cemetary again. The next time I would take pictures and learn of it's history, I quietly thought to myself.

On an early spring day, not too long ago, I set out once more to find the old cemetary that held secrets of the area's early beginnings; tales of schooners sinking in gales and small children dying of the numerous diseases of the day.

Traveling up and down various roads that led to the water's edge, I came home unsuccessful and even more determined to locate this beautiful, heritage area.
Googling Oakville pioneer cemetary, I at last found what I hoped was my cemetary. Once again I set out with my Garmin close by in search of West Street along the shores of Oakville.

Traveling down the tree-lined street, I sighed with satisfaction as I spotted that , yes indeed, I had found the pioneer cemetary that had so marked my soul last autumn.

Parking my car and gathering my camera, I began to meander amongst the almost 200 year old gravestones and marvel at their beautiful carvings and simple inscriptions.

My heart felt a deep sense of sadness as I noticed that many of the graves were those of children and very young men and women. I could only imagine how hard times must have been back then.

Bronte Pioneer Cemetary came to be in 1830 when Phillip Sovereign, a farmer in the area, designated the peaceful eastern corner of his property as a cemetary. Many local people had already been laid to rest there.

He wished for it to be a burial ground for people of all 'orders, sects, nations and parties' and officially deeded it as such. Many of the earliest people's who had escaped slavery via the Underground Railway came to be buried here.

Childhood mortality was very high in the 1800s and the cemetary has an even more sadder feel with 1/3 of the graves being those of children.

Schooner and shipwrecks were common on the Great Lakes in the early days of settlement and many mariners who's boats were lost in storms off the cemetary's coast, were laid to rest here.
One of them, Jimmy Baker, a young man who was the 1st mate of the schooner Magellan, was the only body found when the Magellan collided with the U.L. Hurd in 1877.

Two brothers, the Dorlands, were young fishermen whose boat capsized in a great storm in December 1886. Both perished and were laid to rest in Bronte Pioneer Cemetary, leaving behind two young families.

The fierce storms of Lake Ontario have wreaked their havoc on the cemetary over the years and 70 feet of cemetary have been swallowed by the crashing waves, taking along some graves of the early pioneers.

Today it is a peaceful place with towering old Oak trees where Gray Squirrels scamper about looking for acorns and building nests.

It seems very fitting that Mourning Doves are commonly seen now, walking serenely amongst the old stones.

Some of the stones have suffered vandalism through the years, and the sands of time have eroded many inscriptions away, however the feeling of reverance and sorrow for those whose lives were lost, still remains.

In 2003, the Bronte Pioneer Cemetary was registered under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act as a Heritage Site.

The cemetary is a peaceful place to visit for those who are interested in historical sites and in the early history of the Village of Bronte and the City of Oakville. There are benches where a traveler can sit and gaze in awe at the beauty of Lake Ontario while the silence of the heritage site washes
over a harried soul.

Bronte Outer Harbour Marina In Oakville ~ Re-Awakening After a Long Winter's Nap.

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:15:50 -0500

One of the most picturesque and relaxing
places to visit in Oakville is Bronte Outer Harbour Marina.

Resting serenely on the shores of Lake Ontario, Bronte Outer Harbour Marina has a myriad of services to offer local boaters and visitors as well as beautiful areas to walk or spend some time contemplating the sounds and sights of nature.

Bronte is now re-awakening from a long winter's nap and anxious boaters are counting down the days to when their boats will leave dry land and once again float gently in their water homes.

Canada Geese have returned and the gulls are once more gliding gracefully on the upland drafts and breezes coming off the lake.

The boat slips are thawing and a myriad of migrating waterfowl stop over daily to rest in the sheltered waters of the marina.

Local residents once
again can be seen walking along the peer and fishermen can again be seen casting their lines in hopes of landing a prize catch.

A lonely harbour lays in wait.

Bronte Outer Harbour re-awakening after a long winter.

Patient slips await their boats.

Overlooking Bronte Outer Harbour ~ A beautiful place to call home.

The Keepers of Our Stories.

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:20:47 -0600

Stories. We all have one.
Some of us have many.
They hook together like an unending game of Barrel of Monkeys never letting us pause long enough to reflect on the pattern, or whether or not there even is a one.

Some of us live in constant chaos.
Such is the nature of life. It's messy. This is the way life unfolds. Our lives unfold in a deep mystery that is often only seen by someone looking on.

The one in the midst of the chaos is too tangled amidst searching branches and stubborn roots to be able to see clearly the way out.
Here steps in the vessel for our stories.

The keeper of the stories of our lives is most often someone close to us. Someone we trust enough to reveal our stories to.
These vessels are extremely important in our lives and should be listened to and loved deeply. They hold up the reflection of our life so that we may view it and see it in it's naked, chaotic glory.

Once we see what the vessel wants us to see, we begin to have choices. Until then we are stuck. We struggle and struggle not knowing which way to turn, making many wrong choices which only increase the chaos and tangle us more deeply.

Each of us longs to be known deeply.
To have someone really 'know' us and understand us and see in us the things we cannot see for ourselves.

With this person or persons, we feel safe and 'right'. All anxiety dissipates when we are around the keepers of our stories and we know we are in the presence of someone uniquely rare and hard to find.
Someone who knows us often better than we know ourselves.

The keepers of our stories know our tender places. They've been there with us down difficult roads on which we've stumbled many times. Each time they were there to extend a strong hand and pull us back up again.
They know our strengths and they see the gifts we were meant to bring to the world.

They know us through and through and love us, unconditionally.

Listen to the keepers of your stories.

They have only your best, unbridled interest at the centre of their warm and loving hearts.

They care about you and want you to see what they see. Gaze deep into the mirror they hold up for you and take in carefully what they show you.

The key to your existence is often held safely by those who know you, listen to your stories and from there light the path you should be following.

Who are the keepers of your stories?

When you find one, hold fast to that person and treasure them for the rest of your days.

It Costs Nothing and Yet Can Make All the Difference in the World to Someone.

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:57:20 -0600

Sometimes in life you come across something that stays with you and changes who you are. It doesn't just change you momentarily, it changes you permanently, and through some hidden alchemical reaction taking place in the invisible places between your neurons, you are never the same again.

For me it was a quote I heard once, possibly about 7 years ago, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle".
No one seems to know who was the original sayer of that quote. Some say it was Plato and some say it was someone else. It matters not, for it's an eternal piece of wisdom that holds true no matter what era the human race finds itself in.

Kindness softens a heart and gives hope where perhaps before there was none.
On a daily basis, as you go about your business, you are interacting with many people. Some you barely speak to, some you have a longer conversation with and some you don't speak to at all.

Make no mistake though, you have touched each of their lives, whether you spoke or not. Oftentimes even a glance will affect someone who is at their wits end and drenched in desperation.

You never know when your kind smile and eyes will make all the difference in someone's life right when they needed it most.

Think of a child. It breaks my heart to see a child with a worried or sad face. Childhood should be a time of happiness and ease, however for millions of children the world over it is anything but.
Do you remember when you were a child someone who was kind to you and what it meant to you? I sure do.

There was Mr and Mr's Barazynski who lived next door to us in Batawa, Ontario.
They were an elderly and lovely couple who's children had grown.

They seemed to dote on me and one day, when Christmas was approaching, they brought over some tiny figurines wrapped gently in cloth.
They were 'from the old country', they said and they thought that I might enjoy having them.

I gazed in wonder at the clay figurines which were painted in muted tones, now dull with age and the oils of the many hands who had held them.
They seemed heavy in my tiny hands and my Mother thanked Mr and Mrs Barazynski while I stared in wonder at these small treasures, the remnants of an old nativity scene.

I felt so loved and so special at that moment.
To think they had thought of me and had brought these treasures to my house to give them to me. I will never forget their kindness nor their soft smiles and gentle eyes.

Think of the difference you alone can make in one tiny life or in the lives of all of those you meet daily. Just a kind word of encouragement or admiration recognizing something special about the person goes a long way and will never be forgotten.

Are You Meant To Be In the Business You're In? Or........

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:58:41 -0600

Perhaps you're not.

It's a deep question that we all must do a self examination on if we find ourselves not wholly dedicated to doing our job with un-tethered passion and bristling enthusiasm.

How do we know whether we're suited to the particular career or job we find ourselves in?
Perhaps there are signs all around us and we fail to recognize or to acknowledge them.

Maybe we find others often telling us we should be a '(you fill in the blank)'. If we hear that often enough, we may begin to finally recognize our true life calling and, sadly enough, it's often ourselves who are the last ones to fully accept the true gift we have been put here to bring to the world.

How do we recognize if we belong in Real Estate or not?
Asking ourselves the following questions and answering with all sincerity will bring us closer to the truth:

Do we enjoy and look forward to the opportunity to meet new clients through open houses and office duty and being involved in our communities?
Do we accept each new listing challenge with gusto and give it everything we've got to make sure a client's home is properly marketed and exposed to it's fullest extent?
Are we open and receptive to the interest that other agents show in our listings?
Do we set up appointments-to-show quickly and efficiently and do we deal honestly and ethically with our fellow agents and the offers they bring to the table? Do we provide them with all of the information they ask for and if there is something we're not sure of, do we attain the info for them in a timely and cheerful manner?
Do we interact with our clients on an empathic level, carefully listening to and acknowledging their concerns and questions?
Do we make ourselves available easily by phone and email and return all calls and emails quickly?
Do we go out of our way to help other agents and share our knowledge so that they might also service their clients to the best of their ability?
Are we considerate of our buyers and take the time to educate them as to the real estate process?
Do we stay abreast of all new listings daily so that our buyers won't miss an opportunity to purchase a property that is perfect for them?
Do we provide constant updates for our seller clients and provide them, gladly, with all of the feedback from agents and buyers?
Do we take time to make recommendations to our sellers by providing them with a list of tips that will assist them in making their property more presentable and help it to sell quicker and for more money?
Do we feel a joy in our heart when our clients sign an agreement for their dream home, even if it is not the most expensive one they can afford or offers the most commission to us as selling agent?
Do we always put our clients needs/desires first and always remember that the most honourable and worthy goal to strive for is a happy client?

No matter what business you're in, if you're dealing with the public in any way, these are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself in order to determine whether or not this business is right for you.

Taking Notes - A Greatly Under-used and Under-rated Business Success Tool

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:32:09 -0600

When I think of people who carry around small notebooks and are constantly scribbling things, I think of someone who means business. Columbo comes to mind...Columbo always got his man/woman and a big part of his success was the notes he was constantly taking.

What makes you stand out in a potential client's mind?
Is it the way you dress?
Perhaps it's the way you carry yourself or the colourful brochure you hand out.
Perhaps, it's all of these things and a little more. That little more could be the deciding factor in whether a potential client decides to go with you as their choice or not....and that little more could be, surprisingly, nothing more than a small coiled notebook and old-fashioned pen that you take out and make notes in whenever you're getting to know someone new who is in the market for a business person in your field.

Taking notes signifies that you care.
You care enough to 'take note' of what the person is telling you.
You care enough to want to make sure and get the details straight and make sure all bases are covered should you be fortunate enough to have them choose you to meet their needs and desires.

Never underestimate the power of your notes. Later you will refer to them when preparing feature sheets, client forms and marketing items.

When going on a listing appointment, I've always carried a clipboard and on it I take extensive notes while listening to everything that is being said by the seller.
These notes are like gold to me and, although I take intensive interest in what the seller is conveying to me, I never leave all the details totally up to my memory, for memories have been known to not always be as thorough as we would like them to be.

By taking notes, you are showing your potential customer/client that you take what they are saying seriously and you mean business. You show that detail and thoroughness are important to you and the customer will more likely see you as someone who is conscientious and attentive.

When following up with a potential client, a summary of your conversation goes a long way towards how impressed they will be with you and shows you are competent and are concerned with taking outstanding care of their needs.
The notes you've taken will be like gold in your hands as you prepare a follow-up letter or call to the potential client.

Never underestimate the little things in business. It's the little things that count and are remembered most. They make all the difference when it comes to who someone chooses to represent them in their business needs.

~Jo

'Pass the Lemonade' Hits Here Twice in One Week...Are You Next?

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:47:57 -0600

Recently I received emails from two of the first Active Rain friends I ever made, Bill Cherry and Tom Braatz.

Glancing at Bill's email subject line and seeing 'lemonade', I wondered just what he was up to now.
Bill has contacted me a few times in the past with contest ideas for the Inspiration Group, so I thought
that perhaps he had come up with a new contest idea that somehow or other involved lemonade (you never know with Bill).
I was very touched and honoured when I read the email body and saw that Bill had chosen me as one of his Top 10 favourite writers here in the Rain. Tom's lemonade award soon followed.

Knowing these two gentlemen quite well and being very aware of their own outstanding talent as writers, I felt very honoured that they had chosen me. Now the onus was on me to choose 10 of my own favourite writers here at Active Rain and I knew I had a difficult job looming.

Pondering by the fire, i glanced far off to the snow-laden, white pine branches outside my window and one by one images of these writers came to me.

Each of the following members have left indelible marks upon my heart, both as writers and as the people who they are.

1. Bill Cherry~ Bill is a published author and Real Estate Broker in Dallas, Texas and one of the very finest writers we have here at Active Rain. If you haven't yet discovered his writing, you're in for a real treat.
I came across Bill's blog quite by accident in the early days of my time here at AR and was totally in awe of his amazing talent for story-telling.
Bill and I became friends and one day, I was taken by complete surprise when a special package arrived in my mailbox, all the way from Texas. It was an autographed copy of Bill's delightfully entertaining book 'Galveston Memories'.
I finished the book in two nights and then passed it along to my Dad. From then onwards I dreamed of growing up on Galveston Island or at the very least, since I was already grown up, of visiting there one day.

2. Carole Provenzale~ Carole is a master in the art of Feng Shui and owns Feng Shui Long Island. She is by far the most caring and gentle soul I have come to know here in Active Rain.
Carole writes with warmth, passion, supreme talent, intuition, knowledge and skill. Her posts not only impart great wisdom and wonder in the unseen mysteries that surround us, they also teach us a great deal about Feng Shui.
She is truly one of the greatest treasures here at AR and I feel greatly blessed that she is one of my closest and most cherished friends.

3. Jennifer Bukaty~ Jen is a real estate agent in Portland, Oregon (although I think she may soon be relocating to PA). Her writing tweaks through your cells, tugging and pulling at places you forgot were there.
Her depth and ability comes out in prose that draws to the surface of your being all human emotions wrapped up into one. Yep, she's that good.

4. Jason Sardi~ Jason, a Mortgage Broker from Allentown, PA, is one of the few writers I've come across who is able to tell it like it is, no holds barred, and pull it off with such finesse, talent and class that one becomes hooked after the first few words.
His mortgage articles are a must, not only for those interested in purchasing a property, but also for all of those in the housing industry who would like to keep abreast of the changes in the business.
You never know what to expect from Jason, however you can be assured that whatever he is writing about, his style will draw you in and he'll keep you interested right from the first paragraph.
BTW, Jason and Jennifer (see above) are one of Active Rain's few true love stories.

5. Elizabeth Nieves~ Elizabeth, a Real Estate Broker from Durham, North Carolina, recounts her life experiences in such vivid detail and with such emotion that the reader can't help but feel they have lived through the experience as well. Her blogs will bring tears to your eyes and at times will fill you with warmth from top to bottom.

6. Tom Braatz~ Tom is a top commercial and residential real estate broker in Southeastern Wisconsin.
It was within the first week of my joining Active Rain back in the late spring of 2007 that Tom and I connected and rapidly became close friends.
His style of writing is very rarely seen as he speaks with such direct honesty that you can't help but feel you are sitting across the table from him listening as he recounts a tale.
Tom has that rare ability to combine simplicity and depth and leave you feeling that the story has so many more layers than what you're actually reading on the page. His subject matter transitions with ease ranging all the way from real estate to the communities that he serves to renditions of people he has known to anecdotes about his son, Spencer and his best friend, Lars, the German Shepherd.

7. Kathy Clulow~ Kathy, a real estate salesperson right here in Ontario in the Uxbridge region, is an artist in the truest sense. No matter what subject she chooses to write about, her skilled use of descriptive metaphor cause her posts to come to life right before the reader's eyes.
Too many times to mention, she has made me want to hop in my car and drive to her area to take part in whatever she has chosen to blog about.
Definitely one of the finest writers I know and a dear friend who lives not too far away.

8. Penny Hull~ When Penny, of Stanton Homes, Raleigh, NC, blogs about a local attraction, she does it with a thoroughness that defies description. She is one of the very top marketing/localism writers I have come across. Her company, is extremely fortunate to have her blogging on their behalf.
For all of you who are wondering how to craft a first class localism post, be sure to visit Penny's blog.

9. Gary Wotal~ Gary is a real estate agent in Dallas, Texas. Once you discover Gary's inspirational writing, you'll become a devoted fan of his daily wisdom. His writing has helped countless people here on AR and in the outside world.
He's a philosopher through and through and has a seldom seen gift for transcribing his thoughts to the written word.

10. Joan Mirantz~ 'Joni', a real estate agent from Concord, New Hampshire, has a clear, unique writer's voice that carves through the subject matter with such striking deftness that the reader is swept along on whatever journey she is taking them on with her gift for storytelling.
She has made me laugh, cry and marvel through blogs she has written and her gift for the use of humour in the written word is second to none.
She's also one of my first and dearest friends here at AR.

There are numerous other Active Rain members who's writing I greatly admire and my list could quite easily be close to 100 or more long.
No other site on the net has such an abundance of talent, knowledge and ingenuity as that which can be found amongst the members here at Active Rain.

~Jo

Holiday Acceptance Is Found in Waving Hands and Frost-bitten Smiles.

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:27:36 -0600

Rising from a cosy bed piled high with wool blankets, a thick quilt and flannelette sheets, I notice the light in the room is different.
As I peek through the slatted blind covering the window nearest the bed, my heart softens to see a white and beautiful world where everything has a muffled tone and peace abounds.
Slowly, slowly a feeling starts to envelop me once more.

It's a familiar feeling and a very welcome, comforting one. The Christmas spirit has found me once more.

I suppose it began the day before when, bundled up in a furry hood and cashmere scarf, I walked to the end of my street to watch the annual Burlington Santa Clause Parade go by.
It had been an unusually cold and brisk day and my fingers had froze in my leather gloves each time I took them out of my pocket to take another picture of a passing float.

Children sat bundled in small chairs with barely a small red nose visible beneath the scratchy scarves that were wrapped around their chubby faces. Parents waved from the sidelines at all the parade participants as they found themselves unable to resist the convivial spirit of the parade and the welcoming in of the Christmas season once more.

Thinking of the blog I wanted to write for my Active Rain real estate website, my attendance at the parade was more utilitarian than something I had really looked forward to doing; however standing near those people who were already well imbibed with Christmas spirit, I found my homesick heart lifting and the odd time I noticed my own arm raising as it waved at the happy souls who manned the floats.

Feeling my heart beginning to swell, I found myself reciting, in my mind, the old familiar Grinch Who Stole Christmas' thoughts about how, perhaps, Christmas does indeed mean more than all the glitter and materialism that bombards us this time of the year.
I imagined he must have felt the same feeling overcome himself that I was now beginning to feel.
It probed at my soft inner core for points of entry, points that hadn't been bolted and locked to keep the outside world safely out.

The parade had ended with Santa himself waving his usual jolly, red-sleeved wave at one and all, and I found myself softly smile in the realization that Christmas goes on, no matter what.

As I walked swiftly home in the stark winter air, I found myself humming the song the Whos had sung on that Christmas morning in Whoville when they had awoken to nothing after having had all of their Christmas preparations taken away by a grizzled old Grinch.

The song was an uplifting one declaring to all that Christmas Day will always go on, just as long as we all have one another. Yes, I quietly thought to myself, it's true.

The Christmas spirit will descend and Christmas will come, just as it has always done, no matter what our life circumstances or the difficult times we are going through.
All we have to do is acknowledge and accept.

Acknowledge and accept that no matter how bad life may appear, or how much stress we are undergoing, things will always turn around and a brighter day will find itself in our midst, gently surrounding us in light and warmth.
Just as long as we have 'we', things will be fine.

We have friends, family and even strangers who seek to know us better. Underneath all of the faces that we find ourselves coming across during this peaceful season, we are all the same.

We each seek love, acceptance and gentleness.
We seek it for ourselves and we long to give it to others, if they will only open up and accept it from us.

This is what the Christmas spirit is all about, it's what it has always been about, and, as long as we have 'we', will always be about.

Wishing you and your loved ones and those who surround you a peaceful holiday season filled with genuine smiles, warm hugs, open hearts and acceptance for one and all.

~Jo

Books, Blue Skies and Snowflakes....

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:25:02 -0600

I awoke to a beautiful, winter wonderland and a soft blue sky where cottony, white clouds drifted serenely across.
Winter doesn't bother me the way it used to...in fact, I love the contrasts of the seasons more with each passing year of my life on this breathtaking planet we call home.

My to-do list for today is comprised of a lot of errands here and there....taking 43 wine bottles to the Beer Store for recycling (no, I'm not a wino, I just had this very good intention once upon a time on a long ago Frosty Friday, of making a few batches of wine and just never got around to it), visiting my Mother to return her carpet steamer and hook up her bedroom television (since she is now home from the lake for the winter months).

Then it's to the office to pick up a waiver and fax an offer to a lawyer. Then it's off to the library to return the most amazing collection of books that I've taken out in a very long time!

If you're looking for some magnificent books that will help you in life and business, here they are:

Life's Missing Instruction Manual~The Guidebook You Should Have Been Given at Birth by Joe Vitale.
You MUST read this book! I can't emphasize enough how amazing and satisfying this book is. I've devoured it at least three times now over the past 3 years and I now realize I need to buy it. It deserves a permanent place on already overstacked bookshelves.

The 8 Best Practices of High-Performing Salespeople by Norm Trainor.
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to completely finish this book as I've been so busy with my move, however what I have read is right on and I know I'll be taking this book out again, this time from the Burlington Library once I move. So much to digest and implement here.

Ziglar on Selling by Zig Ziglar.
Well, what can say? It's Zig, the name says it all.

Entanglement~The Greatest Mystery in Physics by Amir D. Aczel.
My inner scientist will just not let me STOP reading these books on quantum physics and the state of the universe. I'm fascinated with this stuff and can't get enough of it.
If you wonder how we're able to communicate long distances with those people we're bonded with (without even picking up the phone or sending an email), then I recommend you read this book.
It's highly scientific, so unless you have the brain of a physicist or at least the interest in many things 'physics', you might find it a tad overwhelming, however, I guarantee that once you read even a fraction of this book, you'll never look at our lives here or the physical world around us the same again.
This is another book I HAVE to buy and add to my physics books collection. Gasp, life here is so incredibly interesting and never ceases to amaze me. The Genius of it all!!

Ok, for a quintessential marketing book, you have to pick up Marketing Your Services For People Who Hate to Sell by Rick Crandall, Ph.D. I'm ordering this book from Chapters this afternoon so that I'll always have my own copy to refer to. It's so crammed with useful info for anyone running their own business, that you'll never lack for fresh ideas and things that will make your business take off like a prize race horse straight out of the starting gate.

Last, but by no means least, since it is written by none other than the two greats themselves, Jay Levinson and Seth Godin, is The Guerilla Marketing Handbook.
Doesn't the title just say it all? And since you all know Seth, you know this book is light years ahead of it's time.

Guess I better get a move on here....so many places to go, people to see and things that cry out to be done. Just wanted to leave you with this quote which struck me so strongly this morning that I know it will be one of those ones that I'll be quoting now and then out loud, most likely mid-conversation with someone:

"The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude toward them."~Antoine de Saint Exupery

~Jo (written early this morning, however my cable has had a widespread outage most of the day and I could only post now!)

The Reluctant Vagabonds We Harbour Within.

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:58:37 -0600

'Time outs' for me these days involve sitting amongst packed boxes and piles of 'giveaways', 'for sales', 'recyclables', 'for the shredder' and 'for the curb' items.

I never realized that preparation for moving can be so emotionally taxing.
I'll now have much greater empathy for my clients as they prepare for their moves and sort through the years of their lives deciding what to keep and what should be let go of.

Our lives are like shooting stars. They go by so fast.
It's strange how the static objects in our lives, those things that don't change, serve as guideposts to where we've been and what's been lost along the way.

They say you can never go back and I'm beginning to understand that more and more as I prepare to leave the life I have here behind and begin anew elsewhere.

Daily I am approached by people who come up to me with sorrowful faces who say things like:

"I hear you're leaving us."

"Yes, at the end of the month."

"Well that's great for you but not so great for us. We're going to miss you."

and

"So you're moving away! I'm devastated to hear this. I've had my two hour cry and consulted my therapist over the fact that you're moving."

"I'm really feeling sad over the fact that you're moving away. In fact, I'm feeling sadder every day about this."

"You're what!?! You're moving away? WoW! I'm going to miss you terribly."

"I'm very disappointed to hear that you're moving. We're going to miss you."

and so on.

At these times, I begin to realize that the old 'cup in a bucket of water analogy' is really false afterall.
We all DO matter and we all do make a difference in the lives of others. And no, we are not replaceable.

We are each unique and fill a place in the lives of others that only we can fill.
Once the cup of our lives is taken out of their bucket, that bucket will never be the same again.

There's one problem though.
It slowly becomes very apparent to me that the bucket of my life is being severely depleted as I am losing the cups that represent so many people all at once, and this can become very overwhelming as it rips an ever deepening tear in the very heart of my being.

If you're not careful to say goodbye slowly and adjust to the loss of each person from your life, all of these goodbyes can become immobilizing.
Sure, you'll stay in touch. You'll visit, you'll email and you'll sometimes call; however no matter what, you know in your heart that things will never be the same.

Somewhere, in and around the Burlington, Ontario area, there are many people who will soon be adding a unique and beautiful cup 'of their life' to the new bucket of my life that I'll soon be filling.
Even this knowledge though, does not compensate for those I'm leaving behind.

As I experience this slow disentangling from my life here, an old post I wrote comes to mind and these words I wrote ring loud and clear deep within the raw and saddened places of my being:

"Your soul is a child. It is the first to wander off and trust. The first to fall in love with an idea, a view or a person. The last to forget. It is the part of you that tags behind and pulls with a steadiness as it cries to you ‘no, wait, wait, I am not ready to say goodbye . Can’t we just stay a bit longer?’

Your soul is innocent. It lives in a different world than you. A different dimension. It will never understand the harsh events of your life nor the negative character traits of the people you come across. This is not a part of your soul’s vocabulary.

Your soul is blind. Your soul is only love. It is the dancing child within you. The one who calls to you to look up and see that last mauve cloud move briskly across the clearing sky after a downpour.

It is the one who understands what an old dog is saying as his eyes gently and humbly meet yours and something within you softly moves.

Your soul will feed itself. It only asks that you prepare a small corner table in a quiet courtyard where flower petals fall softly to the stones below and your face can be caressed by the shifting whimsy of a gentle breeze.

Then it asks that you take a seat in the remaining old wrought iron chair and listen to what it has to say."

Lately I've been drinking a lot of that old, mellowed brew that my soul serves up each time I sit down to lend an ear to what it wants to tell me.

The stories it tells me these days are often sad ones for you see, it longs to linger behind with those people and days it's grown attached to, while the rest of me moves on.

Well, I guess I better finish this last drop of tea my soul served up this morning and get back to sorting through those tangible pieces of my life.
The intangibles my soul yearns to deal with will have to wait for another day.

Perhaps tomorrow.

Jo-Anne Smith, the author of this article, is a REALTOR® with Summit Group-Quantum Realty Inc, Brokerage, in Oakville, Ontario and welcomes your real estate inquiries. To contact her, visit www.Oakville-BurlingtonHomes.com

Writing From the Soul for Business Success.

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:01:08 -0500

As I gazed out on the burnished orange and soggy maple leaves that still clung to the sugar maple outside my window, I began to reflect on the concept of blogging, not pseudo-blogging, as in ghost written blogs, but real, live, written by the blog-owner, blogging.
Peeling back the layers of who we are, we bare our souls to all those who care to cast a glance our way.

Sometimes things happen in conjunction and it's at these times you just know that the universe is trying to tell you something.....usually it's a big something, or the conjunction wouldn't have happened.
Of course, there are those who believe in coincidences, however just like my friend Carole Provenzale, the master of Feng Shui on Long Island, I'm not one of them.

So here I find myself, on a rainy, grey, late October day in southern Ontario, in deep contemplation over blogs and how real blogs are an extension of ourselves, like our right arm or a bony knee.
They reach out and touch people, brushing them lightly or sometimes jabbing them sharply and striking a chord or a feeling that's hard to shake.

Sometimes we leave a blog feeling bruised, although there are those writers who leave us feeling as though we've just been gently caressed or sat down to tea in a small, friendly cafe.

How do we explain the feeling that some bloggers just naturally leave us with whenever we visit their blogs?

Are they expert writers or imparters of information?

Or is it something more?

I have a strong suspicion it's something much, much more.

The blogs that touch me the deepest and leave me wanting more, are those that are written from deep within the blogger, from the heart, and the very best are written from the soul itself.

The words come from a far-off place that we all know of and, in our hearts, remember.

As they bridge the gap between the writer and the reader, they leave us feeling warm and cuddled and like life is really a wonderful place to be, afterall.

Why does one blogger have the ability to reach deep down within themselves into that magical place where time and space do not exist, and therein find just the right words that have the ability to touch those places within each of us and another can't seem to get there?

Is it a commitment to being real and honest and open or is it something else?

My friend Kathy Clulow, an amazingly warm and caring REALTOR from Uxbridge, Ontario is partly responsible for my thoughts being in this place today.

A few minutes ago I was reading a post of hers to do with this subject and it was at that moment that I had also begun to leaf through one of the library books I had just taken out this morning called Naked Conversations, by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel.

Naked Conversations is an excellent book that expounds on the importance of blogging in today's business world and how blogs are changing the entire landscape of marketing.

Naked Conversations, the maple leaves clinging to the wet, lead-coloured branches and Kathy's post worked together in some strange, synaptic junction of my brain to bring me to the realization of just how important blogging really is in today's business world.

In a world that is moving faster all the time, and where information overload assaults all of the senses at every turn, people have a deep empty chasm where things 'of the soul' should be and yet, few of these things can ever be found.

Those bloggers who blog from the soul have the ability to reach out and fill a tiny part of this empty chasm.

They write with passion and transparency and like the entanglement of tiny photons, they are connected with you in mystical, invisible ways.

These connections tickle your cells as you read and leave you with a feeling that has you saying 'ahhhhh' or brings a soft smile to your face.

We are reminded that we are all human and as humans we have a desire and need for warmth, connection, genuineness, honesty, empathy and familiarity.

When writing from the soul, keep the following tips in mind:

Highlight the positive aspects of whatever your subject matter is.
Readers become regular visitors to a certain writer due to the feeling that the writer left them with.

Always put yourself in your target audience's shoes when you are writing in order to inspire a feeling of trust and further interest.
Don't use lingo or trade-talk when writing your articles if you are writing for a general readership. Using trade-talk will put up an emotional barrier between you and your reader and create discomfort.
Offer to give further resources on the subject if the reader would like to contact you. Indicate that if they would like brochures, packages, personalized service, etc, to feel free to contact you and you will provide the service/information for them.
If you find your brain is on overload with a million thoughts and you are unable to relax into writing mode, try gazing out the window at the clouds or take short walk in a natural environment.
I find playing classical music also motivates and opens up my writing channels.
Sometimes there are so many things going on in our lives that we become bogged down and can barely think clearly enough to write.
Taking a break from it all not only refreshes your creative spirit, it will open up the channels and give you fresh ideas.

Keep a thesaurus handy or use the online thesaurus and insert less commonly heard words into your articles to spice them up and add interest.
Practice discipline.
Writing is something you are doing for your business and if you decide that it must be a regular part of your business activity, you will make the time to do it.
Summed up in a quote from Charles "Tremendous" Jones, "There are essentially two things that will make you wiser-the books you read and the people you meet.". In short, if you are planning an article on a particular subject, read anything you can find on that subject and talk to people who are in the know.
Ask questions.
People love to be helpful when it is something that they are knowledgeable about and if they give you the ok to quote them in your article, it lends your post greater credibility and interest.
Add pictures to your article to make it more visually appealing and to break up the words. Photos add warmth and depth to an article and help the reader to visualize what you are saying.
When choosing something to write about, choose something you are passionate about or find something about that subject that you are passionate about and go from there.
Try not to be too structured as you write. Just write what you feel and when you are finished your 'rough draft', you can go back and make revisions or corrections.
Avoid having paragraphs that are too long. Break your thoughts up by making your paragraphs short and adding appropriate images or links.
Vary the kind of text you're using by bolding some lines, italicizing others and perhaps underlining the more pertinent points in your post.
Using the bullet or number feature to help outline a series of pertinent points.
Plan your article and what you would like to say in it by making a point form 'skeleton' and build from there. As Napoleon Hill once said "Every well-built house started with a definite plan in the form of blueprints.".
Use plenty of adjectives in your sentences. This allows the reader to more fully experience what you are telling them. Try to use adjectives that cover more than just the 'sight' sense. For instance, if you are describing a park, you could use adjectives like 'fresh', 'serene', etc.
If you have writer's block, try picking a specific subject to write about and focus on it. This will get your brain working and your writer's block will dissipate as you begin to tell about the subject you're writing about.
Don't start with a headline/title. Instead, write about your subject and while you're writing, you may notice a certain string of words jump out at you as being ideal for the title of your article.
If you're having a problem writing about a certain subject, pretend you are telling your best friend or a family member about the subject or answering a question they've asked you about it.
Try to write in the morning when your mind is fresh and uncluttered from the day's activities/events. Put a do not disturb sign on your door, and work away.
If someone is upset that you're spending this time writing and need privacy in order to do it properly, explain to them that it is part of your business activity and is a necessary part of your marketing and prospecting for business success.
Alternatively, sometimes writing at night when the world is at peace will enable you to focus more and reach that place deep down inside where thoughts and words come more easily.
Project 'feeling' into your descriptions. For instance, rather than saying a meeting is held on the second floor of a certain building every second tuesday, say something like 'as you ride the elevator up to the second floor meeting hall, you might be fortunate enough to meet the guest speaker!'
Interview someone who is directly involved with what you are writing about and ask their permission to quote them directly and/or to include their picture. Readers love this personal approach and who knows, you just might meet some new potential clients while doing your interviews!
If you're stuck somewhere in the middle of your article, put it in draft mode and leave it for later in the day or some other time during the week.
You'll find a fresh approach will remove the writer's block and you'll likely have mulled some bright new ideas to include that you hadn't thought of before. The subconscious mind loves to be given a task to work on and you'll often find that when you come back to your article, much of it has been written for you.
Allow yourself to relax and don't be afraid to reveal who you are through your writing.
Napoleon Hill, one of the wisest men I've ever come across, has this to say about 'fear', "The absence of fear, and not formal education or brilliance of mind, is the major cause of individual success."

Readers want to feel that you understand them, that you care and that you are just like them in more ways than not.
Only then will they reach out and bare their own soul to you, entrusting you with their hopes and dreams.

Attention Canadian Housing Industry Professionals~CMHC Housing Outlook Conferences Coming Soon to an Area Near You!

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:50:24 -0500

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has requested that I let you know about their upcoming Housing Outlook Conferences to be held soon in various locations across the country.

This year's agenda looks very exciting and this is an excellent opportunity to stay abreast of new trends, markets, investment opportunities, and consumer preferences.
The insights provided will assist you in making sound business decisions for both you and your clients.

Each conference will apply specifically to the local market it is being held in and you may also be eligible to earn an education credit.
The conference is an excellent opportunity to network with your peers in the housing and investment industry.

The conferences will be held in the following locations:

Montréal, November 14

Québec City, November 18

Hamilton, November 13

Kitchener, November 4

London, November 18

Ottawa, November 20

Toronto, November 6

Edmonton, November 5

Calgary, November 18

Vancouver, October 30

This year's agenda looks particularly exciting and will provide much needed information in light of the current economic situation.

For more information, please visit Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's website.

Mark your calendars and submit your registration today!