The Best Cleaning Products Only Costs ~$1.00

The Best Cleaning Product Only Costs About $1. You probably already have it, too.

 Domino: Elly Leavitt
 Elly Leavitt is an Associate Digital Editor at Domino.

·    Despite what the drugstore cleaning aisle would have you believe, you actually don’t need a different product for every room or mess. Organizing all your sprays and sponges can be its own clutter-filled headache. But the truth is, some of the best supplies for tidying up don’t come in fancy bottles—they’re hiding out in your pantry.  

·    The best part? These holy grail items are as low-cost as they are versatile. Plus, they’re probably a whole lot greener than most of the chemicals you’re already using.

·        Salt 

·    Use on: Cast-iron skillets to help break down the inevitable grease buildup. Maker suggests filling your pan halfway with water and pouring in a couple tablespoons of salt, bringing that to a boil, and gently scraping the bottom with a wooden spatula to get out remaining debris. 

·     Pro tip: Use it on your favorite mugs to get rid of tea and coffee stains. “Pour a little salt inside, then take a lemon wedge to scrub them down,” recommends Maker. 

·        Vinegar

·    Use on: Basically anything that needs some shine, be it water-stained faucets or streaky mirrors. Maker fills a spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar before adding about a teaspoon of cornstarch. “The vinegar helps remove any dirt, while the cornstarch works as a gentle abrasive,” she says. 

·    Pro tip: Mix in other ingredients to boost vinegar’s effectiveness. Beyond cornstarch, Maker’s go-to is baking soda. 

·        Hydrogen Peroxide 

·     Use on: Spaces that get a lot of everyday use and need regular disinfecting. Maker recommends pouring a cup into your toilet bowl and swishing it around with a brush to help break down stains and get rid of bacteria. 

·     Pro tip: You can also use it to whiten any grout that’s been taunting you for ages (as long as it’s not painted). Turn two parts baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide into a paste, apply to an old toothbrush, and give the space in between your tiles a good scrub. 

·        Lemon 

·    Use on: Kitchen equipment, from wood cutting boards to your favorite knives. Pour some coarse salt over half a lemon, and use it to scrub down and disinfect pretty much anything. Though if you’re using it on something that has a natural finish (like your go-to charcuterie platter), be sure to finish it off with a touch of mineral oil to protect it from stains. 

·    Pro tip: Did you know that you need to regularly clean your cheese grater? Citrus can get the job done: “The lemon oil and juice help to cut the dairy fat and break up any of those proteins,” explains Maker. “After a quick rinse, you should find that it did an excellent job—and also saved you from ripping apart your sponges!” 

·        Rubbing Alcohol 

·    Use on: Laminate or synthetic flooring, which gets dirty especially quickly. Maker’s miracle floor cleaner consists of ½ cup water, ½ cup white vinegar, and ½ cup rubbing alcohol. Mix them together in a spray bottle and use with a microfiber cloth to wipe down those floors. 

·    Pro tip: Maker’s cleaning cocktail works on laminate furniture, too, from the glossy ’80s furniture that’s making a comeback to kitchen cabinets. 

·        Elly Leavitt is an Associate Digital Editor at Domino.

We can't wait to start back to work again!!

Looking for a waterfront property!

The First Impacts of the Health Crisis are Being Felt on Montreal's Residential Real Estate Market

The First Impacts of the Health Crisis are Being Felt on Montreal’s Residential Real Estate Market

L’Île-des-Sœurs, April 6, 2020 – The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) has just released its most recent residential real estate market statistics for the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), based on the real estate brokers’ Centris provincial database.
Although March 2020 was one of the busiest months of March on record, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a definite slowdown in the second half of the month.

“In Quebec, Montreal is the CMA that is most affected by the spread of the virus, due to the city’s greater exposure to international trade and the size and density of its population,” explained Charles Brant, Director of the QPAREB’s Market Analysis Department. “As a result, this market is exposed to psychological stress caused by stricter distancing measures and greater economic uncertainty. These factors help explain the faster and more pronounced drop in transactions compared to other regions, notably that of Quebec City,” he added.

The relatively high level of activity in March was due to the conclusion of transactions initiated earlier in the year. In addition, the real estate market was boosted by three consecutive drops in interest rates (-150 basis points!) in March, bringing rates to levels that are comparable to those seen in 2008 during the last financial crisis.

“In contrast to what we’ve been seeing since the start of the year, April and May are expected to be among the least active months recorded for a spring season since the start of the millennium,” added Mr. Brant. “In a context where uncertainty about the economic outcome of this crisis is very high, we can expect buyers and sellers to remain on the sidelines. However, far from being in a downturn situation, the market will, rather, be on pause.”

In total, 5,907 residential sales transactions were concluded in March 2020, a 4 per cent increase compared to March of last year. Still, this was the 61st consecutive month of sales growth. For the first quarter of the year, 14,662 transactions were concluded in the Montreal CMA, a 13 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of 2019.
Sales by geographic area

• The areas of Laval, Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the North Shore and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu stood out with particularly strong sales increases of 18, 16, 14 and 9 per cent.
• In contrast, the Island of Montreal registered a significant drop in transactions (-5 per cent), while sales were unchanged on the South Shore.

Sales by property category

• Sales increased for all three property categories across the CMA. Sales of single-family homes (3,348 transactions) rose by 6 per cent while sales of condominiums (2,089 transactions) grew by 1 per cent. Sales of plexes (466 transactions) jumped by 12 per cent.

Prices

• The median price of single-family homes across the CMA continued to rise sharply, increasing by 10 per cent to reach $365,000. The median price of condominiums also rose significantly, jumping by 16 per cent to reach $287,000.
• The median price of plexes (2 to 5 dwellings) reached $610,375, an increase of 22 per cent compared to March of last year.

Number of properties for sale
In March, there were 14,070 active residential listings in the Montreal CMA. This represents a 37 per cent drop compared to March of last year.

The number of new listings fell by 22 per cent, which is consistent with the beginning of a wait-and-see attitude by sellers in the context of uncertainty and an expected marked slowdown in the real estate market. The social distancing measures put in place by the provincial government are the main cause.

“While activity on the resale market slowed somewhat in the Montreal CMA in March, price growth acceleration continued in a market that is still extremely tight, and was accompanied by a significant drop in interest rates,” said Julie Saucier, president and chief executive officer of the QPAREB. “The context we are going through will at least have the advantage of protecting Montreal from runaway price increases, as was the case in other Canadian markets. It will also guarantee greater price stability over the medium term as we emerge from the crisis,” she added.

For March 2020 and year-to-date statistics charts, click here.
About the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers
The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) is a non-profit association that brings together more than 13,000 real estate brokers and agencies. It is responsible for promoting and defending their interests while taking into account the issues facing the profession and the various professional and regional realities of its members. The QPAREB is also an important player in many real estate dossiers, including the implementation of measures that promote homeownership.

The Association reports on Quebec’s residential real estate market statistics, provides training, tools and services relating to real estate, and facilitates the collection, dissemination and exchange of information. The QPAREB is headquartered in Quebec City and has its administrative offices in Montreal. It has two subsidiaries: Centris Inc. and the Collège de l’immobilier du Québec. Follow its activities at qpareb.ca or via its social media pages: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

About Centris
Centris.ca is Quebec’s real estate industry website for consumers, grouping all properties for sale by a real estate broker under the same address. Société Centris provides real estate industry stakeholders with access to real estate data and a wide range of technology tools. Centris also manages the collaboration system used by more than 13,000 real estate brokers in Quebec.

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For more information:

Taïssa Hrycay Director Communications and Marketing 1-888-762-2440 or 514-762-2440, ext. 157 media@qpareb.ca

Canadian housing prices will prove remarkably robust

Canadian home prices to weather the worst of the pandemic

 by Ephraim Vecina 16 Apr 2020

Despite the ravages of the pandemic, Canadian housing prices will prove remarkably robust, according to Royal LePage.

In its recent analysis, Royal LePage projected that the widespread economic weakness brought about by COVID-19 will pull down Canada’s average housing price by just 3% this year, should the slowdown last until late summer.

This will put the nationwide aggregate home price at $627,900. More optimistic estimates place the outbreak’s impact being contained to just the second quarter, which might lead to an annual price increase of 1% to $653,800.

The first quarter saw the aggregate Canadian home price increase by 4.4% year-over-year to $655,276. Last December, Royal LePage predicted prices to grow by 3.2% in 2020.

“From our experience with past recessions and real estate downturns, we are not expecting significant year-over-year price changes in 2020,” Royal LePage President and CEO Phil Soper said.

“Home price declines occur when the market experiences sustained low sales volume while inventory builds. Currently, the inventory of homes for sale in this country is very low, matching low sales volumes as people respect government mandates to stay at home.”

However, Soper cautioned that social distancing policies and lockdowns will be moderating factors that will place “downward pressure on both home sales volumes and prices.”

“Equally, if the collective efforts of Canadians slow the spread of the disease to manageable levels, and if promising science and therapeutic drugs are announced, people will return to their jobs, market confidence will bounce back quickly, and we could see Canada’s real markets roar back to life, with 2020 transactions delayed but not eliminated,” he said.

Have a great weekend!

Back to work for real estate brokers, but it won't be exactly business as usual.

The Quebec government has authorized the province's real-estate brokers to get back to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it won't exactly be business as usual. The brokers have been granted permission to work only on transactions deemed to be a priority, defined as those that must be completed before July 31.

MONTREAL -- The Quebec government has authorized the province's real-estate brokers to get back to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it won't exactly be business as usual.
The brokers have been granted permission to work only on transactions deemed to be a priority, defined as those that must be completed before July 31.

The Organisme d'autoreglementation du courtage immobilier du Quebec (OACIQ), the agency that regulates real-estate brokers in Quebec, said it has sent directives to ensure that public-health orders put in place during the pandemic are respected.

Open houses are not allowed, and in-person visits and home inspections must respect physical distancing guidelines.

No broker, or any party involved in a physical interaction regarding a transaction, can have COVID-19 or any of its symptoms and must sign a document attesting to that. 

• Complete coverage at CTVNews.ca/coronavirus
• Coronavirus newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox

During in-person visits, the current occupants of a property must wait outside. Only one person can enter the property along with the broker, maintaining a two-metre distance at all times. No children or people over 70 may take part in a visit.

Parties involved in a transaction must also sign a document confirming that the sale is urgent.

The brokers are also being asked to work remotely as much as possible.

Brokers who do not respect the directives could face disciplinary measures from the OACIQ, which is reminding its members that not respecting the current public health orders means breaking the law.

 

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