Only Two Suites Left at Cranbrooke Village!

Options newest completed development, Cranbrooke Village, is located on Bathurst Street, two stoplights north of Lawrence Avenue West in the heart of one of Toronto's oldest neighbourhoods.

This weekend only, on Saturday June 27 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Options will be hosting an open house for the last two available suites in this incredible community.

You can see a basic price list for the available suites here.

For more photos of the building and individual suites visit WWW.OPTIONSFORHOMES.CA

Amenities is the building include:

• Rooftop garden
• Multipurpose room with kitchen
• Library
• Lounge
• Board room
• Car sharing
• Individual monitoring of heating, cooling and electricity
• Daycare in the church next door
• Sabbath elevator

If Cranbrooke Village sounds like a place you would like to call home then join us this Saturday for an open house. Options staff will be there to greet you in the lobby and can show you around the available suites and the building amenities.

If you have any questions about Cranbrooke Village or any other Options developments give us a call at 416-867-1501 ext. 221 or tweet us @OptionsforHomes.

We look forward to seeing you at our open house!

Options Builds Green

You've probably heard by now that Options upcoming development at Carlton and Sherbourne, the Low Carbon Condo, will be one of the most environmentally friendly in the city. The goal will be to reduce as much waste from the condo as possible.

The condo is still in the preliminary planning stages so we don't have very much information yet. We can tell you that Options is in talks with the architect of the building and the planning department to include the following features in Low Carbon Condo: (NOTE: the plans for the Low Carbon Condo are still in the very early stages. The below features are being considered.

  

• Carless condo. The ten planned parking spots will be allocated for Options for Cars car share cars. 
• On-site composting program. 
• Garbage room designed for complete garbage sorting. Each resident will be responsible for dividing waste into specific bins for garbage, recycling, green waste, battery disposal, electronic disposal, etc. 
• Grey water recycling (i.e. shower water being filtered and chlorinated and reused for toilet water in the building. Toilet water may be cloudy as a result). 
• The common laundry facility in the building may be fitted with waste saving machines that automatically dispense soap which will be provided and loaded by Property Management. 
• Suite kitchens may also be designed and fitted with removable food containers to reduce waste by encouraging bulk food purchasing and storage. There is a bulk food store conveniently located at Yonge and Carton, a 10-minute walk from the Low Carbon Condo. 

(NOTE: the plans for the Low Carbon Condo are still in the very early stages. The above features are being considered but are not confirmed to be included in the building.)


Many of the features would mean quite a large lifestyle shift for many families. Changing habits can be difficult but it is possible to live a normal lifestyle while reducing the amount of waste your household produces. Check out this story about a family who produces almost zero waste:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp/41573752#41573752


The subject of the story is the author of "The Zero Waste Home Blog" (http://www.zerowastehome.com/) where she shares how her and families life has improved and how much happier they are since committing to live a waste-free life.


The Low Carbon Condo isn't set to launch early 2016 and occupancy probably won't start until at least 2018 but there are lots of changes you can make in your life now that will give you a head start if you are planning to purchase a home there. You don't have to commit to a completely waste free life like the Johnson family, small changes can make a big impact.

Check out the Top 10 Ways to Reduce Waste from *rethinkrecycling.com:

Bring reusable bags and containers when shopping, traveling, or packing lunches or leftovers. 

1. 

1. Choose products that are returnable, reusable, or refillable over single-use items. 
2. Avoid individually wrapped items, snack packs, and single-serve containers. Buy large containers of items or from bulk bins whenever practical. 
3. Be aware of double-packaging - some "bulk packages" are just individually wrapped items packaged yet again and sold as a bulk item. 
4. Purchase items such as dish soap and laundry detergent in concentrate forms. 
5. Compost food scraps and yard waste...Many types of food scraps, along with leaves and yard trimmings, can be combined in your backyard compost bin. 
6. Reduce the amount of unwanted mail you receive. The average resident in America receives over 30 pounds of junk mail per year. 
7. Shop at second-hand stores. You can find great used and unused clothes at low cost to you and the environment. Buy quality clothing that won't wear out and can be handed down, whether to other people you know or on to a thrift store. 
8. Buy items made of recycled content, and use and reuse them as much as you can. For instance use both sides of every page of a notebook before moving on to the next clean notebook. Use unneeded, printed on printer paper for a scratch pad. 

Also, remember that buying in bulk rather than individual packages will save you lots of money and reduce waste! Packaging makes up 30% of the wait and 50% of the trash by volume. Buy juice, snacks, and other lunch items in build and use those reusable containers each day.

The Low Carbon Condo will come with many build in features that make waste saving activities obligatory, but you can start implimenting many waste saving habits into your daily life right now!


'Like' the Low Carbon Condo on Facebook for updates and information about important dates.


To be added to the interested list to be among the first to learn about the Low Carbon Condo give us a call at 416-867-1501 ext. 221 or email reception@optionsforhomes.ca

*sourced from: https://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/reduce/top-10-ways-reduce-waste

What are prospective home buyers looking for?

For many Options purchasers their Options home is the first home they have ever purchased. Many were renters prior to purchasing their home and some lived with their family until purchasing.

In the past 20 years over 6500 households have purchased from Options. That's because Options offers what buyers are looking for at a competitive price. So what are renters who want to buy looking for today?

The infographic below outlines some of the most important features to prospective buyers today:



*Infographic from Toronto Star real estate blog New in Homes (http://blog.newinhomes.com/news/infographic-what-condo-buyers-are-looking-for-in-a-new-home/)


Trulia.com outlined some of the biggest concerns among renters looking to buy a home. Here are the top 8 and how Options can help ease those concerns:


Saving enough for a down payment -
When purchasing a condo we offer an Options loan worth up to 15% of the purchase price. The purchaser must bring 5% and we bring the rest to bring your down payment to 20% (therefore avoiding paying CMHC Mortgage Default Insurance.)


Having a poor credit history -
Options staff will work with you throughout the development process, which can be a few years, to help get your credit back on track.


Qualifying for a mortgage -
Options staff will work with you to improve your finances to give you the best chance of qualifying for a mortgage. All purchasers are eligible for the Options loan worth 15 per cent of the purchase price. With a larger down payment, purchasers require a smaller mortgage from the bank therefore making it easier to qualify.


Rising home prices -
Options is one of the most cost-effective developers in the GTA. We don't waste money on expensive marketing initiatives and our condos do not feature fancy amenities that most condo owners don't use. Because of those reasons we are able to offer some of the most competitive prices in the GTA.


Unable to pay off existing debt -
We have found that by starting the process of purchasing an Options home individuals have become more motivated to pay down debts and bring an even larger down payment than they initially intended. Check out this video of Options staff explaining for Options can have a positive effect on your finances:


Not having a stable job -
Options has helped individuals with unstable or unpredictable job statuses get into ownership for over 20 years. Options goal is to provide cost-effective home ownership opportunities to everyone in the world who wants it, including individuals with unpredictable employment. Peter, an Options purchaser and artist without a steady pay check never thought he could buy a home. Check out his Options story here:


Rising mortgage rates -
Options offers down payment assistance so that individuals require a smaller mortgage from the bank. Currently in Canada, mortgage rates are relatively low compared to previous years.


Limited inventory -
Options is currently selling in 2 new developments in the GTA and will be launching 2 more developments before the end of 2015.

What are you looking for in a condo? What would it take for you to make the jump from renting to ownership?

Check out Options developments now selling communities. They may have everything you need.

If you think Options may have what you're looking for register for a FREE information session now! http://optionsforhomes.ca/register/

June Callwood Children's Day

Today, Tuesday June 2nd, is June Callwood Children's Day. A day to celebrate the Keep The Promise campaign's efforts to end child poverty in Canada.


Since it's launch in 2013, the Keep The Promise campaign has reignited the conversation and called for all Canadians and all levels of government to commit to working to end child poverty for good.

June Callwood was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, Toronto Arts Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Canadian News Hall of Fame inductee - but to Mike Labbé, the founder of Options for Homes she was just Aunt June.

June and Mike always had a very close relationship and she always encouraged Mike to work hard to make his dreams come true.

In May 2007, HOA established the June Callwood Home Ownership Fund to provide even greater down payment support to low- and moderate-income families with children. HOA capitalized the fund with an initial $2.5 million.

Since 2007 over $1 million dollars has been provided in down payment help to 91 families with children from the June Callwood Home Ownership Fund.

For more information about Keep The Promise and June Callwood Children's Day visit http://www.keepthepromise.ca/you-are-invited-to-june-callwood-childrens-day/ or contact Gayle Duchene at gduchene@sympatico.ca.