February 2012
1 post
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January 2012
1 post
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Consider Condo Fees When Buying
One of the great things about living in a condominium is the low maintenance lifestyle it offers. You don’t have to cut the lawn, break your back shoveling snow, or worry about unexpected repairs on your roof for example. Instead you pay condo fees so someone else has to worry about it.
Condo fees can be very reasonable and provide you with essential services like security, heating/cooling of...
December 2011
2 posts
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Options for Cars Members' Party in the News!
A photographer from the SNAP Bloor West blog was at our Member Appreciation Party at the end of October! Here’s what they had to say:
Weighing Your Options
Have you considered car-sharing? If so, you’re in luck. On October 29th, Options for Cars held a member appreciation event to thank all of their new members. The party, complete with live entertainment and light refreshments...
November 2011
6 posts
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We Did It!
Thank you so much for your tremendous support for the Low Carbon Condominium! We are very excited to announce that our submission was voted in the top 10 and we will be moving on to the judging round!
To read the Low Carbon Condo submission, click here.
What Happens Next?
Options will be taking part in the ClimateSpark Accelerate venture development camp where expert advisors will discuss with...
North America’s Greenest Condo in Toronto Almost a... →
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Drive the new FIAT!
Drive a new FIAT this weekend!
Options is adding two new FIATs to the fleet! Drive away with one at our Junction location this weekend or at our new Riverdale location as of Tuesday. http://www.optionsforcars.ca.
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How Affordable Ownership Works: Options for Homes
Jessica Speziale writes a regular blog for the Red Pin Pulse. Check out her posts here.
How Affordable Ownership Works: Options For Homes
Since 1992 this non-profit condominium developer has provided the high quality homes one would expect when buying new. The difference is in the price, normally $30,000-$50,000 less than other condos found in similar neighbourhoods. Options also offers...
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The Low-Carbon Condo has been Shortlisted! Voting...
Thank you for your tremendous support of the Low-Carbon Condominium. Thanks to your ranking us so high, Options came in 1st place in the first round of voting, and our proposal has been shortlisted amongst 20 Finalists!
Voting for round 2 has begun. We hope we will have your continued support and vote as we move forward in the competition.
Last week, we announced that Options for Homes has...
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How Affordable Ownership Works: The Daniels Corp.
The Daniels Corporation has been building and developing high quality residential communities for over 25 years. Recently, they’ve expanded their business model to include two programs that aim to make owning a home more affordable: the First Home Boost and Daniels FirstHome.
How it works
The First Home Boost provides down payment help for first-time buyers. Renters who don’t...
October 2011
5 posts
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Options' New Condo with Lowest Carbon Footprint in...
We’re excited to announce that Options for Homes has entered the latest ClimateSpark Ignite social venture challenge! ClimateSpark Ignite offers $500,000 of funding for the winner to start new Toronto ventures that help our climate and our city.
Options for Homes is planning to develop a new condominium with the lowest carbon footprint in North America. The new condo will feature solar hot...
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Alternatives urged as community housing board...
It’s a decision almost any Toronto homeowner will recognize instantly: Sell while the market is hot, or hold out for a better return down the road.
But as Toronto Community Housing’s board convenes Friday to vote on a staff plan to sell 706 standalone homes and raise a projected $270-million, some housing experts say the agency is ignoring other solutions that could deliver on both the...
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Options mentioned in Inside Toronto!
Options’ development, Heintzman Place, was mentioned in Inside Toronto! Check out the full article here.
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How Affordable Ownership Works: Habitat for...
To celebrate World Habitat Day, I would like to kick off this series on affordable ownership with Habitat for Humanity Canada, a non-profit organization working across the country towards the goal of providing everyone with a safe, decent place to live.
How it works
Habitat creates affordable ownership housing to low-income households using a volunteer-based model. Partner families (those...
September 2011
5 posts
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Government’s Unused Land Could Improve the...
Our govenrment owns 150,000 units worth of land in the city of Toronto. Wow! This land is turning into surplus land over time (aka, no one it has been offered to has a use for it and it’s being put out on the market for tender).
If any level of government (especially municipal or provincial) were to declare an interest in the sites, we could have proposal calls for non-profit delivery...
Good housing linked to health →
“Good housing leads to good health and good health leads to lower health-care costs we would hope,” he said. “It’s of interest to all of us. It is also a human right.”
Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Good+housing+linked+health/5405051/story.html#ixzz1Y2ymyIBK
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Guelph Solar becomes an Options for Green Energy...
We are pleased to announce that Guelph Solar Community Co-operative (GSCC) has become an Options for Green Energy affiliated co-operative. GSCC has submitted a FIT application for rooftops at Guelph’s Ignatius Centre. Read more about them at www.guelphsolar.ca!
Solar co-operative seeks investors →
Read the full article on Options for Green Energy, Halls Pond Solar and Guelph Solar at the link above.
August 2011
2 posts
7 tags
Beat the heat without breaking the bank (nor the...
Summertime and the living is easy…and hot. If you’re like me and haven’t quite figured out how to keep your apartment cool this summer, now’s the time!
Air conditioning can be expensive and a poor environmental choice. Your energy bills will increase, the air quality in your home will decrease without proper ventilation (exactly what you want when you’re keeping air...
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I can afford a mortgage! Now what?
So, you have saved up for a solid down payment, you’ve started looking at condo options in the market, and have been pre approved for a mortgage. Great! You’re ready to buy…almost.
What about carrying costs?
In order to make sure your home stays affordable while you live there, it’s important to keep your cost of living in the home down. Here are some things to consider:
1. Buy new
Typically,...
July 2011
6 posts
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Affordability: How do we measure up?
In order for housing to be deemed affordable in our fair country, the cost of maintaining a dwelling must be no more than 30% of the household’s income. Let’s see how some of Canada’s major cities measure up here.
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for the Red Pin Pulse. Check out her posts here.
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Cranbrooke Village is 50% SOLD!
Options for Homes’ newest community at Bathurst and Lawrence is now over 50% sold!
Cranbrooke Village is a 13-storey apartment-style condo that features suite sizes from bachelor to 5-bedrooms. The area is well served by public transit, and is within walking distance of a wide array of shops, restaurants, and services including the Lawrence Plaza. There are also a number of schools...
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Cost-Effective Living in Montreal
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for the Red Pin Pulse. Check out her posts here.
Accès Condos is non-profit organization that focuses on providing cost-effective home ownership opportunities in Montreal, QC. To date the organization has completed 12 condo communities and has 4 others currently in progress including the new Cité L`Acadie.
2-bedroom suites at the 231-unit, 12-storey Cité...
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Solving Toronto’s Affordable Housing Shortage?
Housing in Toronto just got a little less affordable.
Last week, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation voted to sell 22 of their houses. Granted, the $15.7 million that will be made from the sale will go towards desperately-needed repairs, but in a city with a subsidized housing waiting list of 145,499 (as of April 30, 2011), those 22 houses count.
We need a bigger solution.
More...
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How To Build Cost-Effective Housing - Pt. 3
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for the Red Pin Pulse. Check out her posts here.
Building cost-effective housing is about making costs as low as possible without compromising building quality. Over the last two weeks, we started to look at what it takes to build cost-effectively in How To Build Cost-Effective Housing – pt. 1 and pt. 2. Welcome to the final instalment of considerations in...
June 2011
6 posts
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How To Build Cost-Effective Housing - Pt. 2
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for the Red Pin Pulse. Check out her posts here.
Building cost-effective housing is about making costs as low as possible without compromising building quality. Last week, we started to look at what it takes to build cost-effectively in How To Build Cost-Effective Housing – pt. 1.
Here are some other considerations:
6. Finance
Mortgage insurance...
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JUST LAUNCHED: Hall's Pond Solar Co-op's Facebook... →
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How To Build Cost-Effective Housing
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for the Red Pin Pulse. Check out her posts here.
Cost-effective housing is about making costs as low as possible. Building cost-effective housing comes down to stacking a series of cost-saving measures. Each measure on its own may yield saving of just hundreds of dollars. Put together, they yield significant saving that can add up to tens of thousands of...
The Solar Heating Condo Takeover | TheRedPin... →
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for The Red Pin Pulse. Read Jessica’s blog on solar hot water heating here.
Jessica’s latest Red Pin Pulse blog is part 2 of how to build cost-effective housing, here.
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Car Sharing Comes Home
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for The Red Pin Pulse. Read Jessica’s latest Red Pin Pulse blog on how to build cost-effective housing, here.
Car sharing is a relatively new kid on the block in Toronto, and with the introduction of bike sharing to the city last week, vehicle sharing is picking up steam.
It’s a natural progression, then, to have car sharing options popping up right in your...
May 2011
7 posts
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Energy Park to set city as leader in community
GUELPH -
A new city-based renewable energy co-operative is offering residents the opportunity to finance a solar energy park.
It is a contribution to the city’s community energy initiative, and it has gained the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Karen Farbridge.
In her letter of support for the development, Farbridge said, ”I believe that Guelph is ideally suited to embrace such a...
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Big urban solar park planned for south end
By JESSICA LOVELL, Guelph Tribune NewsMay 26, 2011
A rural property just inside the city’s southern boundary is poised to become Ontario’s largest community-financed urban solar park.
“Guelph is ideally suited to embrace a community power project like this and make it a success,”
Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge said as she announced her support for the project to a group of around 25 people, who...
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The GTA's Affordable Housing Landscape →
Options’ Marketing Co-ordinator, Jessica Speziale, is a regular contributer to the Red Pin Pulse. This post is from the week of May 9th and reviews some of the GTAs key affordable housing players. Read this week’s blog on Solar Hot Water Heating in condos here.
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New solar projects warming up
From the Guelph Mercury, May 21st edition
GUELPH — Guelph is gearing up to go solar in a big way.
On Tuesday, Guelph city council will consider a licence agreement that, if approved, would fulfil a requirement needed by Guelph Hydro’s Ecotricity Guelph Inc. arm to pursue large-scale solar photovoltaic installations on vacant city lands. Council previously approved a similar agreement for...
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Creating Affordable Housing: A Brief Encounter
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for The Red Pin Pulse. Read Jessica’s latest Red Pin Pulse blog on car sharing in Toronto condos, here.
I had the chance to chat with Neighbourhood Concepts President and C.E.O. Nancy Hawley this week. Neighbourhood Concepts is a non-profit organization in Toronto focused on affordable home ownership. Their latest development is The East Yorker at...
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Green Feature Spotlight: Heat Recovery Ventilation...
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for The Red Pin Pulse. Read Jessica’s latest Red Pin Pulse blog, an interview with Neighbourhood Concepts CEO, Nancy Hawley, here.
Condo living has been making some great green strides. Developers are adding lots of new features, and as such lots of new terminology. Today, I would like to shine the spotlight on heat recovery ventilation systems. What are...
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Options for Green Energy Newsletter - May/June...
Newsletter
May/June 2011
Guelph Solar Farm
We have entered into a new partnership with a non-profit organization in Guelph! The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT), a division of the Foundation for the Support of International Medical Training, owns a 105 acre urban reserve property just inside the Guelph city limits. Together, we are planning to...
April 2011
4 posts
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Beyond Equity – Home ownership builds safer...
Jessica Speziale writes a weekly blog for The Red Pin Pulse. Read Jessica’s latest Red Pin Pulse blog on heat recovery ventilation here.
Owning your own home does a lot more than give the owner the peace of mind of investing in the future instead of lining the pockets of landlords. Home ownership benefits everyone in the neighbourhood by building safer communities and lowering crime rates.
There...
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Perception - 1; Reality - 0 - full blog.
As seen in The Red Pin Pulse last week. Read Jessica’s latest blog and join the discussion here!
Affordable housing. A term that makes us go “Yeah! We need more of that!” and yet, we secretly hope affordable housing won’t be built down the street.
“Affordable housing” just refers to homes that can be lived in and sustained by families and individuals with a median income. It applies to...
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Perception - 1; Reality - 0 →
Options for Homes Marketing Co-ordinator, Jessica Speziale, is the new voice of cost-effective homes and non-profit ownership housing at The Red Pin Pulse! Her debut as a housing blogger, she will be sparking discussion weekly on the blog.
Read the first post here.
Options for Homes partnered with TheRedPin.com, a one-stop new condo listing site, at the end of last year.
Are there topics you...
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Options selected as a Finalist for Tarion Award of...
TARION ANNOUNCES AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE FINALISTS
New Home Builder Nominees are Leaders in Customer Satisfaction
(Toronto, ON, April 7, 2011) – Finalists for the 2011 Tarion Awards of Excellence, which recognize new home builders in Ontario based solely on their customer service delivery, were announced today by Tarion Warranty Corporation.
“Each of the Tarion Awards of Excellence finalists...
January 2011
8 posts
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The Village by High Park Furnished Suite Sneak...
With construction nearly completed there are few suites left at The Village by High Park, Options for Homes’ new development at Keele Street and Dundas Street West in Toronto! This is your, and your friends’ and family’s, last chance to become an owner at Heintzman Place. As readers of the Options blog, we want to give you a sneak peak at what your new home may look like!
Welcome to the...
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Options for Green Energy Newsletter - January 2011
Newsletter January/February 2011
First Business Case Presentation a Success!
On Tuesday, November 30th, we held our first business case presentation where Elaine Magil of the Queen Street Co-operative Business Committee presented the case for the proposed 356 Eastern Avenue solar rooftop installation. The proposal is to install a 96.3 kilowatt system on the roof of the five story...
Options for Homes gets a partner - Yourhome.ca →
Grants for Options for Homes for first of its kind... →
Announced by Options affiliate, Options for Homes Waterloo-Wellington.
-Jess
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Majority Vote for Solar Development
In late November, Options for Green Energy hosted its first members vote for a new solar installation on Eastern Avenue in Toronto. The vote was a resounding success! Over half of our membership came out to the meeting to vote, and the development was passed with an overwhelming 96% YES!
The Queen Street Solar Co-operative, the co-op created by Options, will own the 93kw solar voltaic...