Weekly History Lesson: A guide to Brampton’s heritage and history

In my last Weekly History Lesson post, I laid out key notes of Brampton’s interesting heritage. The Flower City really does have such rich history that the city is quite special and unique. If you want a really great overview of Brampton’s history, I have a wonderful guide for you to view!


“A Walk Through Time”

http://www.brampton.ca/EN/Arts-Culture-Tourism/digital/Heritage-Walking-Tour-Book/index.html#?page=0

According to the City of Brampton’s website (www.brampton.ca):

The City of Brampton is committed to the preservation of its significant heritage and cultural resources through: 

a) Identifying all heritage resources
b) Protecting and conserving all heritage resources

c) Promoting public awareness and enjoyment of these resources 
d) Ensuring the City sets up policies and practices to manage land use wisely

Old real estate terms that SHOULD be retired this year!

I've been a RE/MAX real estate agent for 26 years now in the beautiful city of Brampton. In all that time, I have meet A LOT of different people and because I have meet so many different people, I've used a lot different real estate terms. According to a lightersideofrealestate.com article, there are at least 25 old, worn-out real estate terms that should be retired this year. I AGREE! 

Here are a few good ones:

1. “Will not last”

4. “Bring your pickiest buyers”

5. “Needs TLC”

8. “Cozy”

16. “Don’t let this one pass you by!”

21. “Room for a pool!”

Want the whole list? Click the link here:

http://lightersideofrealestate.com/real-estate-humor/25-tired-worn-real-estate-terms-need-retire-2015

Tips for a successful tenant background check

If you are a landlord, a bad tenant can truly be a living nightmare. So if you are a landlord and you want to avoid a bad tenant who would just bring in nothing but trouble, canadianrealestatemagazine.ca has a great article with 10 tips for a successful tenant background check.

Here are a few:

Ask the right questions 

Asking the right questions is the first and most essential step to a great tenant background check. Before you meet tenants face-to-face, you will likely talk to them over the phone. This is your opportunity to prequalify them.

…

8 Questions to ask during a tenant background check

• When do you need a place by?
• Have you given notice to your existing landlord?
• How is your job?
• How is your credit report?
• What is your maximum budget?
• How many bedrooms do you need?
• Do you have pets?
• Who else will be living with you?

Look for troubling signs

Professional tenants are people who make a living from deceiving landlords. They know how to lie about their identities to get their rental application approved. Once they move into rental properties, they don’t pay the rent and disappear before landlords can ever take them to court. These are the worst tenants you can possibly have and it’s important to watch for any telltale signs.

Verify the landlord’s name using proper channels

A good way to do this is to get your Realtor or lawyer to conduct a land registry check on the addresses belonging to the tenant’s current and previous landlords. If the names provided match with those listed on land registry, the tenant has been honest and forthcoming about this information.

Here is the link to this full article. I recommend reading it!

http://www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca/expert-advice/10-top-tips-for-a-successful-tenant-background-check-187820.aspx

Hockey Night for Osler 2015 in Brampton

Raising money for a good cause is always a great thing! Especially when it involves a few NHL legends!

This past Monday night was Hockey Night for Osler 2015 at Brampton’s Powerade Centre. The event brought out many popular NHL greats in a face off game for health care. I have to say it was awesome to see so many fantastic hockey legends come together for a good cause! Some of the hockey players included Brad May, Bill Derlago, Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman, Gary Roberts and Wendal Clark. It was Team Clark vs Team Roberts! The puck dropped at 7:05 pm, and the final score was 10 – 3 for Team Clark.

A total of $81,000 was raised! The proceeds from the game are going to new equipment at Brampton Civic Hospital, the development of the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness and Etobicoke General.

Here is an interesting face about one of the players, Rick Vaive, and I. Rick and I played high school hockey together in 1976 for part of a season. He went on to a major hockey career whereas I got cut! Hahaha! ;P

Rick was Captain for the Maple Leafs for a period of time and he scored 50 goals! It was so great to see him again after all these years.

Click this link for details on William Osler Health System:
http://www.williamoslerhs.ca/

Where are 10 funny signs to know for sure if you are a realtor or not!

Get ready to laugh! So, you're a real estate agent. or at least you think you could become a real estate agent. Take a look at this hilarious list of the 10 signs that you might be a real estate agent!

http://snip.ly/EqpF#http://lightersideofrealestate.com/real-estate-humor/10-signs-might-real-estate-agent

Here are a few funny ones: 

5. If you know what it’s like to go from wondering where your next deal will come from… to juggling 3 buyers who want to see 17 homes by 6pm… and suddenly having to negotiate an offer on one of your listings that’s been on the market for a year… all within a split second…you might be a real estate agent. 

8. If your tax write-offs almost match what you earned…you might be a real estate agent. 

10. If technology is your best friend… AND your worst enemy… you might be a real estate agent. 

Thinking about investing in real estate? Here are some tips!

If you have ever thought about investing in real estate? Some people would be a little nervous about that idea. It is understandably so! How should you invest? What type of real estate should you invest in? There are many questions! Investing in real estate could be risky. Here is a link to an great article from realtybiznews.com that gives a couple helpful tips in real estate investment.

 
http://realtybiznews.com/5-secrets-to-real-estate-investing/98724468/?utm_content=bufferfc592&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Here is some of what the article offers:

‘There is a huge difference between real estate speculating and real estate investing. Real estate speculating is buying a property and hoping it goes up in value. A speculator might buy a strip mall on a street planned to be widened and have a freeway access ramp added. Investing before the road project is started means an almost certain large increase in value once the project completed.’

‘Communication is a key skill in real estate investing. You negotiate purchases and you negotiate sales. You screen tenants and negotiate leases. You negotiate with contractors and trades people. There is a lot of communication in the real estate investment game. We’ve all done it. Starting to formulate a response to someone while he or she is still talking to you.’  

The weekly history lesson: PAMA

If you are a history junkie, then the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (PAMA) is a place I recommend you visit some time! PAMA is a museum, art gallery and archives for all of Peel Region.

Located in beautiful Brampton, PAMA was formerly called the Peel Heritage Complex, and it opened its doors in 1968. The original facilities were the Peel County Courthouse, the Peel County Jail, the Peel Count Office Building and the Registry Office. The courthouse and the jail were both built in 1867, and the Registry Office opened in 1890. The Peel County Office Building opened in 1959. When the facility opened on November 17, 1968, professionally designed exhibits were showcased. The focus was on a mixture of the Peel Region rural past life and life of the present.  

The Region of Peel took over the complex in 1984, and architect Carlos Ventin was brought in to redesign the Peel County Jail and the Peel County Registry Office and build a new building. The well designed architecture won the 1986 City of Brampton Award of Excellence, Development Design Awards and the Ontario Renews Award from the Ministry of Housing for Non-residential Renovation in 1987.  

When Great Depression displays were featured, the complex drew criticism from some folks who lived throughout the era. By 1987, a estimated 18000 visited the facility and by 1989, attendance grew to 24000. In the spring of 2010, the Peel Heritage Complex closed its doors for renovations, and it reopened as the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives in 2012.

Here is the official website for PAMA:

http://pama.peelregion.ca/en/aboutpama/welcometopama.asp

I recommend reading up on all the interesting info and details about PAMA! I promise you won't be disappointed!