Throwing Your First Wine Tasting Party

A theme, some nibbles, and plenty of stemware

Hosting your first wine tasting is a rite of passage for wine enthusiasts. It’s up there with learning how to spit. First, it helps to have a theme, like BargainBordeaux, Aromatic Whitesor Napa versus SonomaMerlot. Next, consider your guests. Are they just discovering wine or are they bona fide aficionados? The number of guests is up to you, but, as a hosting newbie, we recommend sticking to a manageable five to 10 guests, and the same number of wines. Enough to engage in a lively dialogue about the wines without getting rowdy. Here are other essentials to consider when planning and hosting your first wine tasting party: 1. Where there is wine, there is food. Your guests will expect you to provide a little nosh. A selection of salumi, cheese, olives, and dried fruit works well, or, you can commit to wine-friendly appetizers. We love theFig and Blue Cheese Savories. 2. Send out an Evite or post your event to your guests via Facebook with the theme, date, time, location, and a tease about what to expect. Also, let them know if you are providing the wines or if you’d like each guest to bring a bottle. 3. Hosting a tasting is a lot like a study group. You’ll need to provide pens and paper for your guests to rate or jot down their impressions of the wines. If it’s a blind tasting, ask your favorite wine merchant for paper wine bags to hide the identity of the bottles. Make sure you have enough stemware. For a party with five wines and five people, have 10 glasses on hand. Guests who like to have extra glasses are welcome to bring more. 4. Provide each guest with a paper cup as a spit cup. Also set up dump buckets on the table so there is a ratio of one for every two guests. Vases work great for this. 5. Put on a smart outfit, snazzy music, and have fun! www.teambluesky.ca

First-Time Homebuyers: five things to remember

Buying a home for the first time can be one of the most stressful experiences for anyone, whether you are single, a couple or family.

By: Mark Weisleder 

Buying a home for the first time can be one of the most stressful experiences for anyone, whether you are single, a couple or family. It is likely the largest contract you have ever signed up to this point, with resulting financial obligations that can last for many years. It is also about finding the right place to create lasting memories. Being properly prepared for this process can save you from making a costly mistake.

For buyers, here are the top five  things to consider when buying your first home:

1. What can you afford?

2. Narrow your Priorities

What is most important to you when buying your first home? Is it the size of the home or the neighbourhood? A condominium that is closer to your work may be preferable to a larger home with a longer commute. How close are you to schools, entertainment, daycare facilities? Do you want to be next to a park or next to a power station? You can do much of this research on the internet in advance. Walk the neighbourhoods you are interested in and talk to the people in the area. Go to City Hall to see if there are any planned developments coming to this area. It could mean more traffic.

3. Conduct a detailed home inspection

4. Ask the seller hard questions

Ask the sellers or their agent if they have had basement flooding problems, or mould or roof leaks, even if the leaks have been repaired, or any other adverse neighbourhood conditions. Ask whether they have made any insurance claims since they owned the home. Watch how they answer. Most sellers will now refuse to sign property disclosure statements, but they are required to respond truthfully to these questions if you ask them directly. If the seller refuses to answer or acts suspiciously, then you need to discuss this with your home inspector and your real estate agent and either adjust your purchase offer or walk away.

5. Buy after-sale warranty protection

By following these tips, you should be better protected the next time you buy a home.

www.teambluesky.ca

Local Housing Market Improving Hamilton-Burlington

 Prices in Hamilton-Burlington rise 10%, but listings are still off from last year

The average home price in the Hamilton-Burlington market rose 10 per cent in March over a year earlier and that was the biggest jump in the country.

 New numbers released by the Canadian Real Estate Association clearly show the country's real estate market is cooling. The number of home sales, total volume and new listings are all in decline compared to numbers last year in most markets, though nationally home sales rose 2.4 per cent from February to March.

 Local home sales climbed close to 5 per cent between February and March but fell on a non-seasonally adjusted basis of nearly 15 per cent between last month and March 2012.

 Transactions fell in 90 per cent of local markets year over year, with Edmonton being the only major market bucking the trend. Out of 26 markets, 19 saw double-digit sales declines in March over a year ago.

 But average sale price in Hamilton and Burlington in March 2013 was $388,147, a 9.9 per cent hike over March 2012. That compared to a 3.2 per cent average increase in Ontario and 2.5 per cent nationally.

 Hamilton was joined by Winnipeg and Regina at the top of the average price gains list.

 The local average price climbed 2 per cent between February and March this year.

 Ross Godsoe, CEO of the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington, said the inventory of homes for sale was consistently low in 2012.

 “When there are fewer choices and more sales, that keeps prices strong.”

 He said sales and listings have both picked up in April and he expects throughout the spring the local market will head more toward balanced territory.

 A balanced market has a sales-to-new-listing ratio of between 40 and 60 per cent. Above that is considered a sellers market and below that range is a buyers market. That number is at 59.6 per cent so far for 2013. It was at 65.4 per cent for the same period last year.

Total volume of residential sales was up more than 6 per cent to just over $400 million in March over the month before after falling just about the same year-over-year.

 “National sales have been holding fairly stable since last summer,” said CREA president Laura Leyser.

 “We'll be watching closely as the spring market picks up to see whether the March sales increase marks the beginning of an improving trend.”

 Industry insiders say the Easter holiday and a long weekend at the end of March both cut the month's sales short. An unseasonably cold spring may also have had an effect.

 February national numbers showed actual (not seasonally adjusted) sales came in at 15.9 per cent lower than those of February 2012. That gap shrunk to 15.3 per cent in March.

 “That said, the factors that crimped March sales this year were not in play for the same month last year, resulting in speculation that the gap between sales activity this March and March of last year would be bigger than it was in February,” said Gregory Klump, CREA's chief economist.

 “That the gap in fact improved marginally speaks to the resilience of housing demand in Canada.”

 Klump said the fall in home sales over last year isn't surprising given tighter mortgage rules have come into effect.

 Yet sellers seem optimistic. Locally, new listings were up 7.2 per cent in March over the month before, much higher than the 3.2 per cent rise nationally. Listings were still down 7.8 per cent locally over the year before.

 “It's official: Canadian home prices are boring and that's a good thing,” said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.

 Porter said average and median home prices are up 2 to 3 per cent.

 “Shutting out the noise in the monthly data, the main story is that home sales have taken a big step back since last spring but prices are holding up.”

 Porter expects annual sales will fall 7 per cent this year.

 Godsoe says tougher mortgage qualification rules and shorter amortizations haven't had a chilling effect on the market because interest rates are still at historic lows.

 Courtesy The Hamilton Spectator

www.teambluesky.ca

How to BYOB

How to graciously bring a bottle almost anywhere

Have you ever wanted to bring your own wine to a restaurant? You’re not alone. And most restaurants will wholeheartedly support you in bringing a personal favorite wine—if you follow a few key rules. 1) Know what is on the restaurant’s wine list. Don’t bring anything that is on that list, and it’s best to avoid bringing anything that closely resembles what the wine director has spent time acquiring. 2) Make the advance call. Talk to someone personally to see if bottles can be brought to the restaurant, and what the corkage policy is. 3) Keep in mind that many restaurants waive corkage fees if guests buy something from their list. 4) Always offer the wine director (and possibly your waiter) a taste of anything special that you bring. You can do this by allowing them to taste the wine when it is opened or leaving a small amount in the bottle after the meal is finished. 5) Never bring a bottle of wine to save money. Guests who head out to the nearest shop for an under-$20 bottle when a sommelier has worked hard to put together a list are rarely beloved by staff and management. 6) Always tip on the approximate value of an average bottle of wine on the restaurant’s list. Remember that stemware and service are provided to guests regardless of where the wine comes from, so a tip acknowledges this fact. www.teambluesky.ca

Smoking reduces house value by 30%

Homeowners risk coughing up big bucks if they're also smokers, a survey of Ontario real estate agents and brokers suggests.

The survey suggested that smoking in the home can reduce the value of a resale property by up to 29 per cent.

The study was sponsored by Pfizer Canada, a pharmaceutical company whose products include a smoking cessation medication.

It estimates a potential loss of up to $107,000 on a home in Ontario, where the average price is currently around $369,000.

The study showed that an overwhelming majority of 401 real estate agents and brokers surveyed agreed that it is more difficult to sell a home where owners have smoked.

1/4 unwilling to buy a smoker's home.

More than half of respondents — 56 per cent — said most buyers are less likely to purchase a home where people have smoked, and 27 per cent said most buyers are actually unwilling to buy a home where people have smoked.

In Canada, an estimated 15 per cent of homes have at least one regular smoker.

The study found that almost half, or 44 per cent of respondents, said smoking in the home affects resale value.

Of these, one in three said smoking in the home may lower the value by 10 to 19 per cent and a further one in three said it may lower the value by 20 to 29 per cent.

"Smoking has a profound impact on how appealing a home is to a prospective buyer," said David Visentin, a real estate agent and co-host of the W Network's Love it or List program.

"It stains walls and carpets, and leaves a smell that can be hard to eliminate. Many prospective buyers are really put off by homes that have been smoked in and they can be very challenging to sell."

The survey was conducted between Jan 31 and Feb. 6 and is considered by the pollsters to be accurate 19 times out of 20 within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

www.teambluesky.ca

Are you average? This is what first-time home buyers look like

courtesy Linda Nguyen - The Canadian Press

The average first-time home buyer in Canada is 29 years old and expects to be able to put down a down payment of $48,000 on a $300,000 home, according to a recent poll by the Bank of Montreal.

But the study, released Tuesday, also found that price expectations vary widely, depending on where the home buyer lives.

Buyers in Atlantic Canada say they expect to spend the lowest in the country with an average of $202,000 on a first home, followed by Quebec with $224,000, Ontario with $326,000, British Columbia with $384,000 and Alberta with $406,000. The sample size used in the Prairies was too low to be included in the survey.

Meanwhile, the data also found Vancouver to be the most expensive city, with first-time home buyers there saying they plan to shell out an average of $443,000 for a home, followed by Toronto at $347,000.

BMO mortgage expert Laura Parsons says that as with any major purchase, it’s important for people be realistic and prepared.

“What we tend to do is jump in the market when we’re ready, instead of starting a plan now,” she said from Calgary.

“Let’s start getting ready for it so we can start giving you good advice all along the way. Don’t be afraid to get things going.”

And while a large down payment is impressive, it does not necessarily mean that young people are diligently saving for their first home. Instead, many may be getting help from their Baby Boomer parents or friends, said Ms. Parsons.

Forty-six per cent of those surveyed also they’ll choose a fixed mortgage rate when they buy, against 20 per cent who will choose a variable rate.

The study also found that the average first-time home buyer plans on paying off the mortgage on their home within two decades, with 20 per cent anticipating they’ll be mortgage-free even earlier than that.

Twenty-three per cent of those surveyed say they will still have a mortgage within 25 years; 16 per cent say within 20 to 24 years and 20 per cent say within 10 to 19 years.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, seven per cent say it’ll take them more than 25 years to fully own their home, while three per cent say it’ll take them between one year and nine years to pay it off.

The survey also found that 31 per cent concede they really don’t know when they’ll be able to stop making mortgage payments.

www.teambluesky.ca

Is Wetter Better?!

Aging Wine Underwater

The new era of wine cellars

Everyone knows that Champagne and oysters make a tasty pairing, but what about Champagne bottles chained to oyster beds? It’s not as crazy as it sounds—since 2007 winemakers in France, Italy, Spain, Greece, and now the United States have been experimenting with aging their wine underwater. The reasons for storing wine underwater are numerous: The unlimited free space that underwater aging allows is an obvious boon, but the real benefits seem to come from the absence of light, a constant cool temperature, high pressure, and the gentle rocking motion of the waves. These last two benefits are particularly intriguing for sparkling wine producers, as the pressure is believed to keep the bubbles bubbly and the rocking seems to mix the lees (yeast particles) around in the wine, providing a more complex flavor and more even carbonization. Winemakers are submerging individual bottles and whole barrels in salt water and fresh water alike, always keeping several samples of the same wine stored on land to compare the difference. So far, almost everyone has been pleased with the results of underwater aging; Winemakers talk of more complex, expressive wines whose tannins have matured faster than their sister wines that aged in the cellar. The concept of aging wine underwater isn’t a new one, although this may be the first time in history that it has been attempted on purpose. Bottles of wine retrieved from shipwrecks often turn out to have been persevered almost perfectly. The most recent example was in 2010 when divers off the coast of Aaland, an archipelago of Finnish islands in the Baltic Sea, discovered 79 drinkable bottles of Champagne. Stored perfectly on their sides in the cool, dark ocean environment, these bottles of wine sold for over $10,000 each at an auction in 2010. One of the bottles, a Veuve Clicquot from between 1831-1841, sold for $30,000, the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of Champagne. The jury is still out on underwater aging, and only time will tell if wetter is better! courtesy The Daily Sip www.teambluesky.ca

All The Single Ladies

What do women want in regards to the housing market? More often than not, a gargantuan walk-in closet and endless interior design possibilities would satisfy most women. 

An article titled How single women- and what they want - are shaping the new housing market in The 
Globe and Mail outline this trend in more detail. What is particularly interesting to note is that on the whole, single women are expecting more features and amenities for their home and approximately one-third of all condo sales in Canadian cities have been made by women in their 20s.

What used to be a niche market is one that is the fastest growing, and according to a Royal Bank of Canada poll that was released last May, women are 49% more likely to purchase their first home home in the next two years compared to men at 35%. According to that same study performed by The Globe and Mail, here is a quick list of what women are looking for in their new home:

• A better location will trump square footage: Neighbourhoods that are more established generally have more amenities, have a great walkability and feel safer. Gyms in particular are of high interest.
• Security present: Closely related to the last point, having a place that is well-lit with a concierge add to the wanted need to feel safer.
• Closet space: An unspoken given. Bigger is better!
• Design options: The home must have a unified theme that looks great over all but does not overlook the finer details.

www.teambluesky.ca

How to Get a Sparkling Clean Bathroom

Nestperts Jerri Farris and Donna Smallin

Tackling bathroom grit and grime may not be how you like to spend your weekend, but hey, it must be done. Here's how to do it fast:

The Routine:

• Shower: Spray shower/tub with a scrub-free cleanser. Let it stand 10 minutes. 
• Mirrors: Use glass cleaner and wipe with newsprint. 
• Countertops: Wipe down the vanity and counters with an all-purpose disinfectant.  
• Toilet: Spray all outside surfaces and lid with a disinfectant spray; then squeeze in bowl cleaner and let it sit 10 minutes. Flush.
• Sink: The faucet and fixture can be polished with a microfiber cloth. For the basin, a cloth dampened with white vinegar will do the trick. 
• Floors: Mop with 1 gallon of plain water mixed with a squirt of dishwashing soap. 
  
• Medicine chest: Toss what's old or expired and wipe down the shelves.
• Showerhead: Fill a zip-top bag with white vinegar and attach it to the showerhead with a rubber band. The next morning, clean it with a toothbrush.

Tricks of the Trade:

• Before you go to bed, pour 1 cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl. When you wake up the next day, brush and flush.  
• Let the hot water run in your shower for a couple of minutes before you dive in with your scrub brush. The steam will loosen dirt and grime. 
• Mix 1 part chlorine bleach with 10 parts water, brush it onto moldy grout with an old soft-bristled toothbrush, let it sit for 10 minutes, then scour with the brush. 
• Prevent stubborn water spots on your shower door by coating the glass with Rain-X. The water will bead up and roll off. 
• Got ring-around-the-bowl? Rub a pumice stick around the porcelain.  
• Throw moldy shower liners into the wash along with an old towel to loosen soap scum; run with hot water. Hang to air dry.

www.teambluesky.ca

How do you know when you are ready to buy?

Courtesy The Hamilton Spectator

How do you know if you're ready to own a home? Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you consider buying your first home.

Can you pay for it?
You might think this question is self-evident, but deciding whether you can pay for a home involves more than being able to afford the sticker price. For an idea on what your monthly mortgage payments would be on homes in different price ranges, use an online mortgage payment calculator like the one offered at www.canadamortgage.com Keep in mind that such programs only give an estimate of what you can expect to pay and don’t include all homeowner expenses.

Can you get a favourable loan?
If you have a good credit history chances are you can qualify for a loan with a lower interest rate and more favourable repayment structure. If you are considering buying a home, review your credit report and make sure there aren't any undeserved blemishes. Work to bring your credit to the highest rating possible before applying for a home loan. Take the time to educate yourself about the different types of loans available and beware of any mortgage that carries an adjustable rate, as this could cause your payments to balloon where you don't expect it.

Are you ready to maintain a home?
When you're renting, any problem with your property ideally is taken care of with a call to the landlord. When you own your home, that burden falls on you. Make sure you have the time and money to deal with household fixes, as letting you house deteriorate can severely affect the value of your property, not to mention your standard of living.

What’s the market like in your neighbourhood?
Compare what you would pay renting to what you would pay on a mortgage for a similar space, If mortgage payments would be considerably less than monthly payments on a lease, chances are the market is good for home buyers.

www.teambluesky.ca