Home health risks come in many shapes and forms. They can be found in the air, like smoke, radon, and carbon monoxide. They can also be found in household products, like water and dust, household chemicals and lead.

Anything in your house that can move, fall, break, or cause a fire during an emergency is a home hazard. At least once each year, inspect your home to find these possible hazards, and remove or fix them.

Tripping hazards.

Remove throw rugs or scatter mats in high traffic areas such as at the top or bottom of stairs, or use a non-skid backing with flat edges.

Electrical hazards.

Frayed extension cords, exposed wiring or damaged electrical wiring should be replaced or fixed immediately.

Hanging objects.

Mirrors, framed pictures, and other objects should be hung from closed hooks so that they can't bounce off the walls.

Slippery surfaces.

Slippery surfaces on stairs, balconies, porches and patios are a major hazard in many homes. Install non-slip surfaces where needed and keep an absorbent towel handy to wipe up moisture or spills immediately.

Dark areas.

Install a night light in the halls and bathroom in case you get up in the middle of the night. Install a light switch near stairs and bedroom entrances, or a motion-sensitive or “clapper” device that automatically turns on the light.

Stairs.

Make sure your stairs are in good repair, free of clutter and have a non-skid surface.

Clogged dryer vents.

High temperature air combined with lint is a near ideal condition for a fire. Check and clear the dryer vent at least once a year.

Kitchen appliances.

An improperly installed appliance can fall forward if your child leans or climbs on it. Toddlers have been critically injured when they tipped over a stove and were doused with a pot of scalding water. Make sure free-standing or slide-in appliances are installed with anti-tip brackets that secure the rear legs to the floor.

Sharp objects.

Keep glass objects and appliances with sharp blades stored out of reach of children.

Medicine and cleaning chemicals.

Keep vitamin or medicine bottles tightly closed and stored in a high cabinet far from reach. Make sure that cleaning supplies are locked out of the reach of children. Install safety latches on all cabinet doors.

Dirty faucet heads.

Kitchen and bath faucets often have built-in screens to spray the water evenly. Unfortunately, dirt and other contaminates can build up on these and, possibly, affect the quality of the water. Clean faucet heads regularly.

Being diligent about home safety takes a little more time, but if it prevents one injury or illness, it is worth the effort.

Being earth-friendly doesn't require going solar or growing all your own food. Making your home a little greener is easy and will have a great impact on the environment. A few simple changes in your home can go a long way to combat both high energy bills and global warming.

There are plenty of easy ways to make a big difference. Consider these 10 tips that will also save you money.

1. Use CFLs. 


Replace your incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). By replacing even your five most frequently used light bulbs, you'll save $100 per year because they use 66% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer.

2. Program Your Thermostats. 


Watch the temperature and save 10% on your heating and cooling costs just by setting your thermostat back when you're not home and while you're sleeping. Turn down the thermostat in cold weather and keep it higher in warm weather. Each degree below 20°C (68°F) during colder weather saves 3%-5% more heating energy, while keeping your thermostat at 25°C (78°F) in warmer weather will save you energy and money. You won't notice the change in the temperature, until you look at the reduction in your energy bills.

3. Plug Air Leaks.

Air leaks are the biggest energy waster in the home but they can be simple to fix. Install weather-stripping and caulk to stop those expensive drafts and improve comfort. It's inexpensive and easy to install, and good for the environment. Look for leaks around windows, doors, electrical outlets, plumbing penetrations, and in the attic floor.

4. Go Low-Flow. 


Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators to save resources without sacrificing water pressure. An efficient showerhead will save your family $300 per year. They only cost about $15 and installing them couldn't be easier as they just screw on. You could also install a low-flow toilet. However, if you don't want to make changes to your washroom, adjust your toilet's float valve to admit less water into the toilet's tank.

5. Green Up Your Appliances. 


When replacing your appliances, such as your water heater, furnace, or air conditioner, you should select ENERGY STAR® qualified products. Appliance use comprises about 18% of a typical home’s total energy bill. If any of your appliances are more than 10 years old, replacing them with energy-efficient models that bear the ENERGY STAR® logo will be very beneficial and save you hundreds of dollars a year.

6. Clean Green.

Stop buying household cleaners that are toxic to both you and the environment. Use alcohol as a solvent instead of toxic butyl cellosolve, found in carpet cleaners and some window cleaners, and use coconut or other plant oils rather than petroleum in detergents. Or, skip buying altogether and make your own cleaning products. Use simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice and you will also save money.

7. Use Bamboo for Flooring. 


Renovating your wooden floors? Look for bamboo. Bamboo is considered an environmentally friendly flooring material due to its high yield and the relatively fast rate at which it replenishes itself. It takes about four to six years for bamboo to mature while other typical hardwood take 50-100 years. Look for bamboo sources that use formaldehyde-free glues.

8. Use Healthier Paint.

Conventional paints contain solvents, toxic metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause smog, ozone pollution, and indoor air quality problems, all that result with negative health effects. These unhealthy ingredients are released into the air while you’re painting, while the paint dries, and even after the paints are completely dry. When selecting paints, look for the Green Seal and opt for zero- or low-VOC paint.

9. Save a Tree. 


You can save a tree if you use less paper. You can buy "tree-free" 100% post-consumer recycled paper for everything from greeting cards to toilet paper. Paper with a high post-consumer waste content uses less virgin pulp and keeps more waste paper out of landfills.

10. Green Garden.


When fertilizing your garden's grass, flowers and plants, use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers. Compost provides a full complement of soil organisms and the balance of nutrients needed to maintain the soil’s well-being. This will result in a healthy soil, which will minimize weeds and is key to producing healthy plants.

When it comes to saving the environment, being a good global citizen starts at your doorstep. From using alternative cleaning materials to making minor changes in your home, all can add up to big benefits for the planet and your health, and will also save you money.

Buying your first home is a big decision that should be based on your current financial position and the impact a home loan will have on your finances and lifestyle.

For many first-time homebuyers, saving what is required for a down payment can seem overwhelming. However, saving for a down payment can be as simple as managing your budget differently.

Start with a goal.


One of the best ways to save is to have a goal. It will keep you motivated and give you something to work towards. For example, you may choose to save a 10% deposit plus expenses (usually 5%) for your first home. But the more you can save, the better off you’ll be. Find out how much you need to put aside in order to reach your savings goal.

Create a budget.


Write down how much money you bring home each month; write down the payment amounts for each of your monthly bills; subtract your expenses from your income to determine how much extra money you have each month.

Develop a culture of saving. 


Your first priority should be developing a culture of saving. This not only helps you in budgeting and planning for the future, but also satisfies banks and other lending institutions that you have a clear commitment to save.

When you go shopping, ask yourself if you really need the item you are thinking of buying. If you don't need it, don't buy it. Put the money into your savings account instead. Remember that small amounts of money can add up to large sums over time.

Start an automatic saving plan.

Make saving automatic by setting up an automatic savings plan at your bank to regularly move a specific amount of money directly from your chequing account to a savings account. You’’ll be surprised at how much you can save and how quickly the “pay yourself first” approach adds up.


Borrow from your RRSPs.

If you qualify as a first-time homebuyer, you may be eligible for the government's Home Buyers' Plan (HBP). This allows you and your spouse or partner to withdraw up to $25,000 each from your Registered Retirement Saving Plans (RRSPs) to add to your down payment or to cover purchase-related costs. Best of all, you don't have to pay income tax on the funds, as long as you repay the total amount to your RRSP over the next 15 years. The repayment period starts the second year following the year you made your withdrawals. If the full $25,000 is withdrawn, the minimum annual repayment would be $1,666.

Take a holiday from tax. 


If you open a new Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), you won’’t pay any tax on earnings, which will help you compound your savings. You can contribute up to $5,000 a year to a TFSA, and save for your down payment, tax-free. 
 


Review your mortgage options. 


Once you make the decision to purchase a property, the next choice is the type of loan to suit your budget. The two most common types of loans are the variable interest rate loan and the fixed interest rate loan. You can now choose to pay back your mortgage over 25 or 30 years, instead of the traditional 20-year amortization period. This means you will pay more interest over the long term, but you can reduce monthly payments to get into your starter home. You can always change this later, once your income rises and you can pay your mortgage down faster.

Get into a starter house. 


Try to be as flexible as possible when choosing your first home. Unless you’re status conscious, your first home doesn’t necessarily have to be your dream home. You could settle for a starter home, which you can afford with a small down payment and easy mortgage instalments. There are plenty of lower-priced houses out there in need of repair, with some "Do-It-Yourself" projects where you can add more value to the house. Be careful not to buy a place where the cost of repairs will eat up any profits you might make when you sell.

In just a few years you will build enough equity in your starter home to make it easier for you to sell and move into to your dream home.

Buying your first home is an exciting process. After all, your home could be the largest asset you’’ll ever own. Being able to finance most of its cost will take a load off your back in the future.

From; Mark Weisleder LLB

Whenever I write about why you should use a real estate agent to sell your home, the mail pours in. I’m sure it will this week, too.

I am a real estate lawyer and write courses and teach industry players how to do their jobs more professionally and ethically. I also believe that in many cases you will be better protected and make more money selling your house if you use an agent. Not always, but in many cases.

Here’s why I think that:

1)      You don’t have to pay upfront: Do-it-Yourself marketing companies are not real estate agents. You usually pay $1,000-to- $2,000 up front, for pictures, videos and to have your home listed on the MLS system. However, you get no money back if your home doesn’t sell. With a real estate agent, if your home doesn’t sell, you pay nothing, even though the agent may have spent a lot of time marketing and using all of their own and their company contacts to sell your home.

2)      A bidding war is unlikely: Bidding wars are the norm in the GTA and other parts of Ontario. In virtually all cases, the home is sold by a real estate agent. The reason is that it takes experience to price the home properly. Second, the process is fair because no one knows what anyone else is bidding. With a private seller, there is no duty of confidentiality, so the seller can tell one buyer what another buyer is bidding. Buyers do not trust the process so there is no bidding war.

3)      You negotiate on your own: When you do it yourself, it is difficult to know what a fair price is for your home. You might have to pay an appraiser to find out. When a buyer hears that you are saving commission, they will want to split the savings. So you don’t get all the commission savings and you also have to negotiate with a buyer who is likely represented by a real estate agent. This agent will use all their experience to figure out how low you will go, while giving nothing away about their own buyer.

4)      Not knowing your obligations: Sellers cannot rely on the term “Buyer Beware.” You have to disclose problems with your home and you cannot hide or cover up anything. Otherwise, you can still be sued after closing. Who wants a court fight long after you move?

5)      Lenders are more cautious when they see a private deal: I have seen deals collapse this way. In one case, the lender sent their own appraiser because they were concerned the buyer paid too much money. The appraiser agreed and the buyer’s loan commitment was cancelled. The deal died.  In another case, the seller was worried the buyers did not have proper financing. They wanted more proof about the buyer’s financial situation than the buyer was willing to give. Lawyers became involved when things could not be worked out amicably.

When buyers are represented  by agents, they are usually pre-qualified in advance so the seller can have comfort that they will have the money available to close the deal on time. 

 When you’re out for a walk this weekend have a look at the For Sale signs and see how many are represented by realtors. There’s a reason for that.

  By all means, try and sell your house on your own, just beware that it’s not as easy as it looks.

Mark Weisleder is a Toronto real estate lawyer. Contact him at mark@markweisleder.com