 
:: New Real Estate Legislation
:: Staging Your Home For Sale
:: Derek Pantling's Photography
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The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC, collects, analyzes and discloses financial information and intelligence on suspected money laundering and terrorist financing activities. It was created as a part of a Canadian government initiative to fight money laundering and terrorist financing, both domestically and internationally. Business and industries who must report to FINTRAC are required to “know their clients”and asking for ID is one way to do that.
As of June 23, 2008, The Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act requires financial institutions and others covered by the legislation to identify customers who conduct financial transactions. Specific measures must be taken to identify any individual who conducts large cash transactions. When a real estate sales representative is involved in a transaction, it will be their duty to report suspicious transactions, terrorist property and large cash transactions.
Suspicious Transactions: duty to report when it is suspected that a transaction is related to the commission of a money laundering offence or to the financing of a terrorist activity.
Terrorist Property: duty to report when it is suspected that there is property in our possession or control that is owned or controlled by or on behalf of a terrorist or terrorist group.
Large Cash Transaction: duty to report large cash transactions involving amounts of $10,000 or more received in cash. Reasonable measures must also be taken to determine whether an individual is acting on behalf of a third party.
Under the new legislation, you will be required to provide valid identification such as a birth certificate, a driver’s license, or similar type of document. By providing this information, you will ensure that financial institutions and others can meet their legal obligation and support the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
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Selling your home? Beyond the basics of completing needed repairs and addressing any issues revealed in your pre-listing home inspection, it's also important to consider the effect your home's appearance will have on prospective buyers. "Staging" a home should be thought of as creating an appealing but neutral space that will allow buyers to see the potential of your home. Naturally, it's difficult to look at your own home objectively; it's yours, after all. So consider enlisting a friend to help you evaluate your space, or you may wish to hire a professional home stager to make your home the star of the show.
Here are some tricks to consider:
- Staging is more about subtraction than addition. A room stuffed full of furniture will looked smaller, crowded, and difficult to move around in. Ideally, only the basic furniture should remain in order to highlight the size of each room.
- Get rid of clutter! Pack up your everyday items on table and dresser surfaces, knickknacks, magazines, electronics, etc. You want buyers to focus on your home, not on your "stuff".
- Remove personal items from view. While of course you love displaying your family's photos and cherished mementos, they are a distraction for potential buyers. A buyer wants to be able to see themselves in the home and not feel as though they're in someone else's space.
- Take everything off the kitchen counters and display a few cookbooks and a beautiful glass bowl of lemons instead. A bouquet of flowers - real or silk - on the dining table is a nice touch.
- In bathrooms, get all of the clutter off the countertops and sink area. A few fluffy towels and attractive soaps can provide that "spa" feeling with minimal cost.
- Be sure walls and flooring are clean and maintained. Paint any rooms where the walls are in bad shape as well as any that have strong, "polarizing" colors. A potential buyer might find your red dining room and the purple in your teen's bedroom a real turnoff.
- Have the exterior painted if its condition warrants improvement. As with interior paint, neutral colors work best.
- A few large potted houseplants can soften a room and make it feel friendly and fresh.
- Don't forget the curb appeal of landscaping. Trim any overgrown bushes that may be blocking windows or walkways and remove any weeds. A few dollars worth of bright flowering plants can be charming when planted by a walkway, doorway, and mailbox.
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Photography by Derek Pantling - copyrighted work, all rights reserved
Click on photo for larger view
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Boy these chin ups are tough!
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If I don't move they won't see me!
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Tiny Beaches sunset
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Lighting up the snow
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Snow Trail
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Natural Sling Shot
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Wild Turkey Run
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| Colours of Fall.... |
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