Moving with Kids can be Difficult

I have helped many families move with children and one of the parent’s greatest concerns is making sure the kids will fit in at the new house. Will they be ok with the move?

 

There is so many things that parents can do to help children with the change of moving.

Explain where and why you are moving.  Don’t wait to do this either. You want to give your kids time to get used to the idea. Try and be to the point and explain in words that they will understand.  For example “Dad has got a new job and we have to move closer to his new office.”

Always be positive about the move; if you are stressing out or dreading the move your children will sense this and the move will not be something they will look forward too. On the other hand if you are positive and excited about the move, you just might get your children to be as well.

Ask your children to make a list all of the questions that they have about the move. You want them to have a clear picture of what will happen.

Let them plan their new room. Draw out a floor plan; let them pick their paint colour, sheets, and decorations for their space.

Make sure you research the community and schools. Your kids will want to know about activities and schools in the area since that is where they will be spending a lot of their time and where they will be meeting new friends.  For older kids they will want to know about movies, shopping, jobs opportunities, local sports teams, etc…

Before you move, if possible take the kids to the new school so that the building does not seem so scary on the first day when they have to go alone. By doing this you will also allow your children to be a little more familiar with the area.

Make an address book with all of your children’s friends, make sure you get their addresses, phone and email addresses so that your child can keep in touch with their old friends.

One great way to say goodbye to everyone is to have a farewell party a couple of weeks before you leave, this will allow not only your children to say goodbye but it will give you the chance to say goodbye as well!

 

I hope these tips will help you in the future if you are ever moving with children and that you will look as happy as these people do during the move!!

 

What should I write about next?  Is there a Question you have about Real Estate that I can help answer?

New Regulations passed from Canadian Government

Today Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has tightened up the mortgage guidelines for all Canadians that will take effect on March 18, 2011.

The changes that he has made are as follows:

• Reducing the maximum amortization period from 35 years to 30 years for government backed  insured mortgages with loan-to-value ratio higher than 80 percent.
• Lowering the maximum amount Canadians can borrow in refinancing their mortgages from 90 percent to 85 per cent of their homes value.
• Withdrawing government backed insurance on lines of credit secured by homes, such as home equity lines of credit.

The reason for these new/tighter guidelines is to help Canadians tackle growing household debt.  They want to prevent Canadians from taking on excessive debt.

Some forecasters are predicting housing prices will dip a bit over the next 12 months because of the changes to the amortization lengths. Buyers who would have opted to spread the cost out over 35 years will be forced instead to borrow less in order to keep their payments reasonable.

It will be interesting to see how much these changes will affect the real estate market over the next year. Personally and professionally I hope it’s not too much but only time will tell. 

If you have any questions about these changes please give me a call. I am always here to help.

Community Summary - Downtown Brampton

Over the last few years I’ve been able to watch the changes that the City of Brampton is making to the downtown core to bring the community together. 

The core of the city, hosts the beautiful Rose Theater, Gage Park, City Hall and many great restaurants and businesses.

All year round there are many parties that grace the downtown core of Brampton such as, a New Year’s Eve party, The Santa Claus Parade,  The Rotary Rib n' Roll and Classic Cars & Legendary Stars.  Throughout the seasons many social gatherings are held in downtown Brampton to create a gregarious family orientated community. In the summer the main street holds a wonderful Saturday morning farmer’s market that seems to get bigger every year while in the winter months, Gage Park has a free skating path around the park.

The downtown core is soon going to have a few more permanent residents as there are a couple of Condominiums that are almost finished and another one that is soon to be started.

Downtown Brampton is a desirable location in Brampton to buy a house.  Almost every house has great character and plentiful space in their yards. With the fabulous space and community feelings Brampton is a wonderful place to raise a family.

The average sale price of the 34 detached homes that were sold in the downtown core since September 1, 2010 was $330,276. Of those homes sold in 2010 the average amount of days on market was 37 days. 

Currently there are 16 houses on the market in downtown Brampton with an average list price of $386,356.

The community of downtown Brampton also hosts many amenities for families such as an abundance of schools, a GO Station, a YMCA and many churches.