THE RAPP REPORT Anita "RAPPS" It Up
21 DON RIDGE DRIVE
WOW. My listing was just featured in Saturday's National Post. It's a gorgeous 5 bedroom home. Have a look!
Someone who wants to entertain family and friends in a warm and inviting environment — and be surrounded by exceptional craftsmanship — will enjoy this home, says listing agent Anita Rapp of Royal LePage Real Estate Services. “No luxury detail has been overlooked and many of the furnishings were custom made to blend seamlessly with the open family-friendly floor plan.”
MARKET WATCH - STRONG START TO 2016
February 3, 2016 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,672 residential transactions through TREB's MLS® System in January 2016. This result represented an 8.2 per cent increase compared to January 2015.
"It is clear that the handoff from 2015 to 2016 was a strong one. This is not surprising given that recent polling conducted for TREB by Ipsos suggested 12 per cent of GTA households were seriously considering the purchase of a home in 2016. Buying intentions are strong for this year as households continue to see home ownership as an affordable long-term investment," said McLean.
NEW MORTGAGE RULES
Canadians looking to buy homes between $500,000 and $1-million will have to put down larger down payments as new federal rules took effect Monday.
Under the changes, homebuyers must now put at least 10 per cent down on the portion of a home that costs more than $500,000.
Buyers can still put down five per cent on the first $500,000 of a home purchase. Homes that cost more than $1-million still require a 20 per cent down payment.
THE BEST (AND WORST) PLACES TO LIVE
How we ranked Toronto’s 140 neighbourhoods
The great thing about living in Toronto is that every neighbourhood comes with bragging rights. Rosedale has prestige schools. Trinity-Bellwoods is the capital for small-batch picklers. Etobicoke has low crime rates, Scarborough has lush parks, downtown has the most transit. Every neighbourhood has something going for it. But Torontonians are competitive, and we like knowing how we stack up.
The last time we ranked the neighbourhoods, in 2013, we conducted an online poll of Toronto Life readers to determine what they look for in their neighbourhoods. This time, we used the same criteria and weightings, but improved our methodology, adding new information and more controls for land area and population. The city has drastically changed, and so have our rankings (to wit: Rosedale, the former champion, has dropped to number 18).
She Painted Marie Antoinette (and Escaped the Guillotine)
Seen last fall in a larger version at the Grand Palais in Paris, this show of 79 portraits (and one landscape) is the first retrospective and only the second exhibition of Vigée Le Brun’s work in modern times. It has been organized at the Met by Katharine Baetjer, curator in the department of European paintings, working with Joseph Baillio, a Vigée Le Brun scholar, and Paul Lang, deputy director and chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, where the exhibition will make its final stop. Ms. Baetjer said that this was the first monographic exhibition devoted to a woman during her 40 years in the department
FORECASTS FOR THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY 2016
The Chinese New Year of the Fire Monkey started on February 8, 2016 – the second New Moon after the Solstice. Following 12 months of the dignified and surefooted Goat, the New Year of the Red Monkey is going shake, rattle and roll!
TWO INFORMATIVE LINKS
http://www.yourchineseastrology.com/horoscope/
http://astrologyclub.org/chinese-horoscope/2016-year-monkey/
The top 25 grilled cheese joints in Toronto by neighbourhood
Grilled cheese is a lunchtime standard in Toronto and when the craving strikes there's most certainly a sandwich with your name on it nearby. Whether you're a purist that wants nothing more than a mass of melted cheddar between sliced bread, or you like to get fancy with the addition of pulled pork, mac 'n' cheese, or bacon jam, there's a diner, sandwich shop or pub ready to deliver.
Here are my picks for the top grilled cheese sandwiches in Toronto by neighbourhood.
The RAPP REPORT picks BROOKLYN TAVERN in Leslieville.
51 Surprising Baking Soda Uses
I recently washed all my whites in Baking Soda and rinsed with Vinegar. The results were great, so hence THE RAPP REPORT is including:
Great Mammoth Exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre
Piece together the past to change the future at the Ontario Science Centre's new exhibition Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age. Through exciting hands-on displays, including fossils and life-sized replicas, learn how researchers use cutting-edge science and technology to excavate and analyze tusks, teeth, skin, hair and stomach contents to learn more about mammoths and mastodons, mighty creatures who roamed the northern hemisphere during the last Ice Age. Put yourself in a scientist’s shoes to uncover and connect the scientific factors that contributed to the evolution and extinction of these amazing creatures..
Barbra Streisand And Jackie Evancho Will Take Your Breath Away - SO BEAUTIFUL
To master the art of singing, of course you should have the voice and
music, one needs passion, talent and hard work. Jackie Evancho is a
young girl who has more than enough of these three elements. She has got
the voice which is truly magnificent and passion which can beat any
adult.
CONTACT INFORMATION
AS ALWAYS, thank you for your past and future business. Referrals are always greatly appreciated. Please LIKE AND SHARE the RAPP REPORT with family and friends or anyone you think may be interested.
Royal Lepage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage
Email: arapp@royallepage.ca
Website: anitarapp.com
Location: 55 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON, Canada
Phone: 416-921-1112
Facebook: facebook.com/anitapancerrapp
Twitter: @realestaterapp