Muskoka Modern RSS Feed

May 25th, 2016

Dear Prospective Homeowners:

It is our great pleasure to recommend Andrew Bulloch as a Real Estate Agent for any individual or family searching for the ideal cottage or home for their unique situation.

We had the pleasure of dealing with Andrew when we first bought our cottage in Hidden Valley (Huntsville), Ontario in 2011 and recently when we sold it in April 2016.

We asked Andrew to put our cottage for sale about a week before we traveled to Europe and within a very short while he found a buyer. We kept in touch via email and also on Messenger and he emailed us the Agreement of Purchase and Sale as well as all the other papers so we could sign and initial them.

Andrew came up with a deal that was good for us and made…

Winter can be a fun and festive time for staging your home for a successful sale. In Muskoka activity is still high in the area with skiers, snowmobile enthusiasts, cross country skiiers descending on the region.

Here’s a list of tips for preparing your home this season!

Keep Things Safe—Shovel That Driveway

It is important to keep safety in mind when staging your home. In the winter time, snow and ice are hazards for prospective buyers coming to see your home. Make sure to clear the driveway and any walkways around your property—and don’t forget the sidewalk in front of your house.

Seasonal Decorations go a Long Way

Don’t be afraid to add a little holiday spirit to the viewing experience. Festive décor can help build a welcoming and…

Muskoka cottage tastes and attitudes about design evolve from year to year, creating the perfect space in your cottage can sometimes feel like a never-ending process. Our client wanted to reinvigorate her cottage with an enduring sense of style. Here we explore how mixing traditional and contemporary elements can unlock a timeless aesthetic.

Complex & Simple

We are able to maintain a rich symmetry between the traditional and contemporary styles by finding ways to gentle complicate simple pieces. The traditional essence of the chest of drawers comes from the ornate woodwork, yet is balanced by the soft, white lacquer and polished nickel drop pulls. The lamp adds a touch of complexity with its gold detail and traditional diamond weave. The dark…

Swiss Chalet! This peaceful, cozy iconic Hidden Valley chalet sits on one of the best lots in the Valley, adding privacy and close proximity to the ski hill. Full 2 bedroom income generating `inlaw` suite with separate entrance on the main floor and then an amazing 4 bedroom cozy sprawling upstairs complete with Great Room, Dining Room, Hot Tub enclave and sprawling decks to capture every sun exposure. The lot is flat and level and a perfect home for families that are looking for something unique and something built with imagination. Classic galley style kitchen, air tight fireplace, new furnace and a wonderful attached garage for storing your skiis, canoes, kayaks etc. With access to Pen Lake this has instantly become a cottage…

Arrange a mortgage

Money makes the world go round, and a mortgage gives you the power to buy your dream Muskoka cottage or home. This isn’t the most fun step in buying a cottage or home, but it’s vital.

Who do you talk to?

There are hundreds of banks, credit unions and other lenders out there who would love your monthly mortgage payments. So talk to everybody and don’t be money-shy! Talk to your banker, other banks and people you know. Andrew Bulloch can be very knowledgeable about mortgages and have lots of good advice.

Call a mortgage broker

Mortgage brokers are another great resource. They find low rates for a living, and they usually don’t get paid unless you sign a mortgage through them, so they’re highly motivated to get you…

Originally published in COLLECTIONS by Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage. The Toronto Urban Roots Festival plays this weekend at Fort York’s Garrison Common.
__________________________________

The summer music season is now underway and the Greater Toronto Area continues to impress with a range of offerings that should satisfy most musical tastes. Want traditional jazz with marquee headliners? The TD Jazz Festival has that covered. A little too pricey? Then check out the free multi-week program of the Beaches Jazz Festival. Prefer greater variety with a little art, film and comedy mixed in for good measure? There’s always NXNE… unless you prefer music with a social message? In that case, the Greenbelt Harvest Picnic might hit the spot. And,…

Lighting innovation is changing the way we perceive visual space and our surrounding environments, with Lake Of Bays cottages being completely transformed by the use of fixtures and lamps and their bulbs. Because conventional forms of illumination like incandescents have evolved over time to halogen, compact fluorescent, and now to light emitting diode (LED) bulb replacements, manufacturers are steadily producing and introducing LED integrated products, and the future of innovation is firmly pointing towards the LED.

The reason LED bulbs are popular, is because they provide greater lighting flexibility — wall colours and the appearance of furnishings can be altered by the varying selection of light bulbs available — while providing substantial…

Before you start looking for your dream cottage or home in Muskoka, let’s find out how big you can dream. Knowing your true budget is the first and most important step in buying a home.

A cottage or home is a big purchase
It’s probably the most expensive thing you’ll ever buy, and there are lots of expenses you might not even know about. Some of them include:

Cost of buying a home =    One Time Costs Monthly Costs

One Time Costs
Down payment Legal fees Title insurance Inspection fees Property Transfer Taxes
Monthly Costs
Mortgage Utilities Maintenance Insurance Property taxes

Everybody’s total costs are different, but it’s almost guaranteed you won’t have that much money saved up. Hopefully you have enough for a nice down payment, but for…

It’s been warm and humid to start September in Lake Of Bays and Muskoka, but fear not fall is coming. With fall comes fun times at fall fairs around Muskoka. Here’s a breakdown of fair dates and locations for that end of year visit to your Lake Of Bays cottage.

Bonfield – August 15, 16 – 125th Anniversary
Dunchurch – August 21, 22
Trout Creek – August 21, 22, 23
Emsdale – August 29
Rosseau – August 29 – 140th Annual
Foley – September 4, 5
Magnetawan – September 4, 5, 6
Powassan – September 5, 6 – 120th Annual
Burks Falls – September 7
McKellar – September 12
South River – September 11, 12
Stisted – September 12 – 130th Annual
Severn Bridge – September 12 – 142nd Annual
Bracebridge – September 18, 19, 20 – 148th Annual
Sundridge (Strong) –…

We reviewed in “Looking to buy a cottage in Lake Of Bays? -Part 2” your needs required of your new cottage or home in Lake Of Bays purchase. Part of the process of buying a new cottage or home also may require selling your previous residence. Let’s review how Andrew Bulloch can help with this stage.

Sell your current cottage or home
Not very many people can hold onto two homes at the same time, so you’ll probably need to sell the one you have now. Be sure to check our incredibly helpful posts on how Andrew Bulloch can help you sell your cottage or home in Lake Of Byas. In the meantime, here’s a quick overview.

Part 1: Selling your cottage or home in Lake Of Bays? Andrew can help!
Part 2: Selling your Lake Of Bays cottage or home? Andrew…