The Ontario government introduced a housing plan late last month that aims to protect home buyers and renters from being priced out of the turbo-charged Toronto real estate market.

The 16-point plan targets actions that are expected to cool the city’s overheated market with a comprehensive set of measures designed to help more people find affordable homes, increase supply, protect buyers and renters and bring stability to the real estate market.

Included in Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan is a 15 per cent foreign buyers’ tax, similar to the one introduced last year in Vancouver. The tax in Ontario will be levied against all foreign-bought properties within the Greater Golden Horseshoe, as they too have been affected by unprecedented price growth.

Home buyers should like the plan as it is expected to cool the housing market, which has experienced double-digit gains in the past few years. In April the average Toronto house price hit nearly $921,000, almost 25 per cent more than a year ago.

Renters may like it even more so as rent control will be expanded to buildings constructed after 1991, which were previously not covered by rules. Given the city’s tiny vacancy rate – 1.3 per cent, the lowest in 12 years — some landlords were commanding astronomically high rents, even doubling rents once a lease came due.

Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan includes additional measures, such as introducing a targeted $125-million, five-year program to encourage the construction of new purpose-built rental apartment buildings by rebating a portion of development charges.

The government will also work to better understand and tackle practices that may be contributing to tax avoidance and excessive speculation in the housing market, such as “paper flipping” — a practice that includes  entering into a contractual agreement to buy a residential unit and assigning it to another person prior to closing.

The province is also introducing legislation that will allow Toronto and potentially other municipalities to introduce vacancy taxes.

The Fair Housing Plan will also include a new Housing Supply Team of dedicated provincial employees to identify barriers to specific housing development projects and work with developers and municipalities to find solutions.

Toronto is number one for many reasons. The New York Times deems it a first rate travel destination. It’s also pretty good on the scales of diversity and gender equality. And – no surprise here – it earns high marks as one of the best cities in the world to live.

That could be why it also is number one when it comes to having the world’s fastest pace of house price growth.

According to research conducted by analytics firm CoreLogic, Canada’s largest city beat out Sydney, New York, even Tokyo in terms of how quickly its house prices escalated last year.

According to the research which was carried out for The Daily Telegraph in Australia, Toronto’s median house price climbed 19 per cent in 2016, surpassing next-in-line Sydney at 18.4 per cent and third-place Vancouver, where house prices rose by 14 per cent.

According to the Huffington Post, the survey measures median house prices, which is a different measurement than the average figures used by real estate boards in Canada. And average prices show even stronger growth in the GTA with a year over year hike of nearly 28 per cent in February to almost $876,000.

Naturally, these figures are not sustainable. House prices will begin to slow. The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) is forecasting slightly lower house prices over the next three years and the strong possibility of a market correction.

The FAO envisions a correction that could see house prices decline by 10 per cent within three years or a worst-case scenario of a 20 per cent drop, says the Huffington Post.

In its report, the FAO expects “a leveling out in residential investment over the next several years, consistent with a modest decline in housing prices,” but “a sharper housing price correction remains a significant risk, both for the economy and the province’s tax revenues.”

It’s May and we all know that means buds are bursting, seeds are sprouting and grass is growing at a breakneck pace.

Of course, so are the weeds. But before you apply harmful toxins, there are ways to eradicate them that are kinder and gentler on the environment. Let’s look at how to wipe out weeds by killing them with kindness, so to speak:

Dandelions:

In full bloom right now, these pretty weeds can be a nuisance. If you’re feeling energetic you can pluck them out by hand. Also try decapitating the yellow flower heads before they germinate and spread thousands of seeds. Corn gluten is said to suppress dandelion growth as well as other weeds. You can also try a stronger vinegar solution that is 15—25% acetic and available at most home and garden centres.

Boil Water:

Believe it or not, this extremely simple and inexpensive method is recommended by many. This is especially effective for weeds growing in sidewalk cracks or driveways or a larger area that you would like to replant once the weeds have died. The great thing is water doesn’t leave any harmful residue.

Zap Em:

Direct heat will wilt and with repeated applications kill most weeds. Most home and garden stores carry flame weeder torches that allow you to torch weeds directly without burning down your house.

Sodium Chloride:  

Common table salt is an effective herbicide. You need to be careful, though, not to soak the soil and other plants when applying this solution and that’s why salt is often recommended for killing weeds on driveways and sidewalks. Dissolve one part salt in eight parts of hot water  and add a small amount of liquid dish soap to help the solution adhere to the weed. Pour into a spray bottle and then spray the leaves of the weeds you want to get rid of.

Pickle Them:

Vinegar is a good solution for weeds. Even common white vinegar with its 5 per cent acidity will do the job, though you can purchase more acidic vinegars at garden stores. A good recipe for killing weeds that crop up in concrete and stone patios, driveways and sidewalks is four litres of white vinegar mixed with one cup of Epsom salts and a quarter cup of dish soap. Mix the ingredients in a large grab-and-go container with an attached sprayer wand and keep it on hand all summer long.

Borax:

Sold mainly as a product for cleaning and laundry, borax is an effective herbicide in the garden. Mix 10 ounces of powdered borax with 2.5 gallons of water and pour some of the solution in a container that has a sprayer. Simply spray the leaves of the weeds you want to kill being careful not to spray other plants or soak the soil with the solution.

Sources: www.mydandelionisaflower.org, www.treehugger.com,

Here’s a strange anomaly for you: Even though more homes were for sale this April compared to one year ago, home prices were up by as much as 24.5 per cent that month compared to a year earlier.

If you’re still in the market for a house you may have noticed that significantly more homes – 33.6 per cent to be exact — were for sale last month compared to April of 2016. But the greater supply did little to stem the upward flow of the city’s house prices, according to figures released by the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).

Based on TREB data, the average cost of a home in Toronto climbed to nearly $921,000 last month, up almost $200,000 from last April’s average house price of $739,762.

April also saw sales nudge down by 3.2 per cent compared to a year ago, a sign, say some, that the Toronto real estate market is finally cooling off.

Any which way you look at it, more listings will inevitably signal a positive note for the Toronto real estate market, says a TREB economist.

“It was encouraging to see a very strong year-over-year increase in new listings,” said Jason Mercer, director of market analysis. “If new listings growth continues to outpace sales growth moving forward, we will start to see more balanced market conditions.”

Still, the board is not expecting any downturns in home prices. In fact, Mercer says the spring and summer months will see the growth of house prices well above the rate of inflation.

A greater housing supply could be a reaction to the market’s big year-over-year price jumps and the province’s newly implemented Fair Housing Plan, though it’s too early to tell.

Another indicator that the market is cooling showed in sales of detached homes, which slipped slightly from March to $1,205,262 from $1,214,422. Semi-detached homes also dipped a bit last month, while condo prices increased by 4.3 per cent.

In today’s scorching hot real estate market it’s easy as a buyer to become discouraged as each house you love gets lost under a pile of bids that come in at ridiculously high sums over the asking price.

Take comfort knowing that there are situations, though rare, where it’s not always about the top dollar for the seller. An American couple made international headlines in March when they opted to sell their Oakville home for $150,000 less than the highest bidder thanks to a heartfelt letter they received from the buyers.

The Sohs, a family of six with four children between 9 and 14, told the sellers that the family had returned changed from a six-week missionary trip to Africa, where they visited slums and taught in village schools. Returning to their 3,600-square-foot home, the Sohs realized the space was too large. They decided they would sell their current home and find something cheaper so the family could use the money saved for good works.

Here is some of what they wrote:

‘Our desire is to downsize and live simply so others may simply live,’ they wrote. ‘The gift of your home would allow us the freedom to do more mission trips and it would free up more of our finances to take care of the poor and needy and build His Kingdom. This would also allow us to further build in our children what has been planted in their hearts, to love those in need more than the things of this world.’

They are trading in 3,600 square feet for a home of 1,983 square feet.

The home, in original condition on a pool-sized, pie-shaped lot, was listed for $789,000. The Sohs paid $200,000 over asking. They were one of 14 offers on the property.

The Crofts, who now live outside of Denver, said they wanted to sell their home to a family who would treasure the community they lived in for 15 years. They had a dollar figure in mind that would make for an easy move and purchase of a home in Colorado. They don’t see taking less money as a loss. “When that number was met, we thought, ‘What’s enough? What’s the point?’” Michelle Croft told the Toronto Star.

Adding a personal touch to an offer is nothing new in Toronto real estate. And while it seems like a lot of extra work, it may just be worth the effort. Work at winning over the seller but please be authentic because most people can smell phoney baloney claims, lies and insincerity.

Be creative and original. Tell the sellers what you love about their home and how you plan to enjoy it. Introduce them to your family. Include a photograph, as the Sohs did.  If writing is not your thing, consider introducing your family and your story to them via video. Who knows? Your story may just give you the added edge.

There is nothing like springtime to get motivated about working in the garden. The birds are singing, the air is fresh and mild, the sun is shining. Signs of rebirth are all around you.

And nowhere do you see our unbridled passion for the outdoors more than in our garden, flower bed and landscaping displays. But some of us tend to go overboard, spending piles only to learn over time that certain plants don’t grow in certain areas or the flowers on that Weigela are the wrong colour. At the other end of the spectrum, there are folks who think that lone boring hedge sitting next to the front steps is a big contribution to the world of horticulture.

There’s a happy medium somewhere between the two extremes. So let’s take a look at those common mistakes made by home gardeners and see if we can work to avoid them this year:

Don’t Be A Quick-Change Artist

Try to live in your house for a full year before making any big changes to the lawn and gardens. It takes a complete year to realize what your plants, shrubs and trees look like in bloom and whether you want to keep move or discard them.

Not Planning Ahead

Earmark 10 to 20 per cent of your budget for construction of a new addition for landscaping. Sadly, construction can eat up your total budget with gardens and landscaping looking like a sad afterthought. If you can’t afford another expense right now, plan garden beds and landscaping in phases.

While you’re at it, draw up a blueprint of your garden plan. Include patios, out buildings and pools in addition to trees, bushes and flowers that are best suited for your soil and climate. Get advice from your local garden centre or hire a landscape designer to help with your plan.

Ignoring Soil Health

Adding supplements to your soil will save you time and money in the long run.  Add in peat moss which helps with water drainage in clay soil and helps sandy soil retain water. In new gardens add two or three inches of organic matter such as compost or manure to the top 12 inches of soil. Be sure to add mulch to your flower beds and gardens. Mulch keeps your soil cool and retains water.

Overwatering

If you’re an enthusiastic gardener you may be guilty of this oversight. Plant roots will drown if sitting in water as, like humans, they need air to survive. If your plant is wilting, though getting plenty of water, that may be the culprit. Leaves will turn brown or yellow and feel soft to the touch with too much water.

Too Little Watering

You are better to water less often but thoroughly. Shallow watering is a common mistake made especially by those who use a handheld garden hose. In this scenario, the top of the plant and the dust and dirt on the leaves gets washed off but little water goes to the roots. This will cause shallow roots which results in plants toppling over and wilting because their roots haven’t grown deeply into the ground which anchors them and lets them draw water from deep in the soil.

Incorrect Pruning

According to Mark Cullen, almost anything can be pruned in the fall without worry of harming the plant. But that rule gets a little dicey when it comes to flowering shrubs. Prune fall flowering shrubs such as Rose of Sharon in the fall. Early flowering shrubs like forsythia should be cut back in late spring or early summer after they have bloomed. Prune perennials in spring but keep sturdier flowers as a food source for birds and visual interest through the winter. Roses are typically trimmed in spring.

Planting sun lovers in shade or vice versa

Those info tags in plants at the garden centre are there for a purpose. Please read them. Though the information is sparse they tell you whether the plant thrives in sun, shade or a combination of the two.