May 2012 Newsletter

The real estate market is showing no signs of slowing down in Toronto this spring! Many articles have been in the news lately, as Toronto seems to be an anomaly in the country. While other cities have seen prices start to adjust to more average levels, Toronto’s real estate prices continue to climb. Although no one can predict what will happen in the upcoming weeks, it is making for a very exciting start to the year!

As spring is such a busy time of the year: spring cleaning, yard work, beginning outdoor sports and activities, we often neglect finding time for relaxation. It is important though, to take some time to enjoy what the city has to offer. Gallery 133 is pleased to invite you to Dr. Jack Zosky’s latest exhibition: Nature’s Lovesong, a collection of stunning watercolours. The opening, with artist in residence, is on Thursday May 10 from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, or you are welcome to view the exhibit at the gallery until May 24.

Another interesting event taking place this month is Doors Open Toronto. The weekend of May 26 & 27 the city will be opening the doors of many buildings of historical and architectural significance to the public. What a great way to take a peek at what is inside! Further details can be found in the Events section of this Newsletter.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, so remember to let the important women in your life know that you care!

Elli Davis
Celebrating 29 Years in Central Toronto Real Estate

May 2012 Newsletter

• Hot Listings!
• Is Your Neighbourhood Hot - Or Not?
• The Downside Of Pricing Your Home For a Bidding War
• Market Watch Report: April 2012
• Toronto Events Calendar for May!
• eMbody Fitness: Sugar is the New Cocaine

Hot Listings!

Central Toronto - Rosedale |
66 Collier Street PH C & D
Unique double unit with fantastic views over Rosedale! Penthouse suite with 4 bedrooms, approximately 3,606 square feet + 2 open terraces.

See more

Central Toronto - Church-Yonge Corridor |
30 Wellington Street East #405
'The Wellington'! Immaculate and rarely used 2 bedroom suite with solarium, approximately 1,528 square feet. Parking and locker included, fabulous building amenities.

See more

Central Toronto - Yonge & St. Clair |
34 Oriole Road
Elegant Georgian home situated in prime Toronto neighbourhood. 3 + 1 Bedrooms, finished lower level with walk-out to beautifully landscaped yard.

See more

Thinking of Buying? Thinking of Selling?

Visit our website for the Buyer’s Guide and Seller’s Guide or feel free to
contact me at and I will get right back to you.

Real Estate News

Is Your Neighbourhood Hot - Or Not? A Look at The Toronto Market

In the first three months of 2012, we witnessed a strong demand for properties all across the Greater Toronto Area. Friday's Globe and Mail prepared an interesting infographic which shows that the intense demand for properties is no longer limited to Toronto’s more prestigious and well known neighbourhoods.
Read More

The Downside Of Pricing Your Home For a Bidding War

In today's market, real estate bidding wars have become a common occurrence. Some sellers use a specific strategy to entice multiple offers. Carolyn Ireland of The Globe and Mail explains why engaging in such practices is not always a good idea.
Read More

Market Watch Report: April 2012

Sales activity through Toronto MLS® reached 10,350 transactions in the month of April, which represents an 18 per cent increase compared to April 2011. The average selling price was $517,556 - up 8.5 per cent from the previous year. The strongest sale growth was reported in the single-detached segment of the market, with transactions of this home type up by 22 per cent compared to a year ago.

“Interest in single-detached homes has been very high, both in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions. Growth in single-detached listings has not kept up with demand, which means competition between buyers in this market segment increased. With this in mind, it was no surprise that the strongest annual price increase was also experienced in the single-detached segment,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President, Richard Silver.

Read the full April 2012 Market Watch Report .

Toronto Events Calendar for May

Gallery 133 Presents: Jack G. Zosky - NATURE'S LOVESONG | May 10 - 24

Gallery 133 is pleased to invite you to the opening of Jack G. Zosky's latest exhibition, NATURE'S LOVESONG, which takes place on Thursday May 10, 2012 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. A collection of Zosky's original watercolors will be on display at his sixth solo show. Jack has always loved the natural world, so it is not surprising that this collection has been inspired by nature through camping, travel and his time spent in cottage country. For more information, visit Gallery133 or call 416.504.6099. Come and see this exhibition, you will discover a great artist who you may not know, or do not know enough about. He is indeed a surprising find!

Toronto Jewish Film Festival | May 3 - 13

Spring is an exciting time for Toronto film lovers. One of the most anticipated events, the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, returns with 96 films from 15 different countries. This year the festival will be screening at 7 venues: the Bloor Cinema, the Al Green Theatre, the Toronto Underground Cinema, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Canada Square, the Cineplex Odeon at the Sheppard Centre Cinemas and the SilverCity at the Richmond Hill Cinemas.

Doors Open Toronto | May 26 - 27

In commemoration of the War of 1812 bicentennial, this year's Doors Open Toronto theme is "200 Years of Building the Urban City". The first Doors Open event was launched in 2000. Since then, the number of participating locations steadily increased and this year, the city will unlock 135 buildings of architectural, historical, social and cultural significance to the public. Stop by and learn more about the people and personalities associated with Toronto’s history, all free of charge!

Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival | April 27 - May 31

The world’s largest annual photography event is back. Now in its sixteenth year, the festival explores the theme “Public”. It highlights how photography shapes collective experience and investigates the social collective consciousness. With over 1,000 local, national and international guests displaying their work in various locations around Toronto, the festival is expected to draw more than one million visitors this year.

West Side Story | May 8 - June 6

One of the most memorable and heart-wrenching musicals is coming to Toronto! Come see the longest running, most successful Broadway version of West Side Story ever, featuring both English and Spanish dialogue and lyrics. This is the story of two young idealistic lovers struggling to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice that has already captured the hearts of many and will be presented at Toronto Centre for the Arts.

eMbody Fitness April Bites

By Debra Basch, RHN
Director of Nutrition &
Certified Personal Trainer

Sugar is the New Cocaine

In the last year, there have been over 28 studies designed specifically to monitor, record, challenge, and prove that products that have been sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup can be as addictive as cocaine or nicotine. The findings are so overwhelming scientists can no longer ignore the facts. Sugar is addictive. The more we consume, the more we want. Feeding your “habit” with just a bite or a little extra in that morning coffee only fuels the addiction. The area of the brain that lights up when a person eats sugary, processed foods is the orbital frontal cortex. This area experiences a surge of dopamine: same area is activated when cocaine addicts are shown their white powder.

“The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it. We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.”* Now that we understand that the possibility of an addiction exists, we still have to address what the effects of this over-consumption is doing to us as a nation. The average Canadian consumes 26 teaspoons daily of sugar. Not all of those teaspoons are in the form of refined sugars, some are hidden in our drinks (355 ml can of pop = 10 to 12 tsp) plus the natural sugar found in our fruits. The WHO** recommends that we only consume 10 teaspoons a day and that most of those come from natural sources like whole fruits. Because of these sobering findings and the fact that sugar is omnipresent (worldwide consumption has tripled)***, the government is considering that perhaps they need to regulate how much sugar goes into processed foods, where sugary, processed foods can be sold and to whom (banning from schools and sales to minors). These Regulations would be much like those for other potentially toxic substances such as cigarettes and alcohol. Come on, really? Do we need to go there? Because 1 in 4 Canadians is obese and sugar=calories, this is the best we can do? Do we need our government regulating us into taking responsibility for our health by taxing heavily sweetened foods?

Heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes are not the result of a single nutrient. Sugar cannot be single-handedly blamed for these diseases. Trans fats, excessive sodium, fibre-less, gluey starches all contribute in some way as well. There is a variable that all four diseases have in common and that is for some people these diseases can be avoided with a proper lifestyle. Reducing the obesity rate begs the question: Why are we over-consuming these heavily processed foods and then following them up with a chaser of inactivity? Why are we essentially feeding our addictions? Eating a whole foods diet, reducing your intake of sugary, fibre-less foods and getting in the minimum 30 minutes daily of activity helps us to staying committed to a Life STYLE that naturally cuts out this toxin. Not forgetting that addictions are difficult to break, I have included an ultra healthy, safe and effective mini-cleanse. Reducing your exposure to processed foods is the first step and eating extremely clean for 2 to 7 days will help give you back vitality, energy (sugar zaps energy more than sleep deprivation) and stronger conviction to that healthy life STYLE that we all strive for.

*    Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
**  World Health Organization
*** Dr. Arya Sharma, Chair, Obesity-U of Alberta

Healthy And Safe Spring Cleansing

Take the template shown for one day and follow for as long as you want. There are no amounts or set limits on the amount you can eat as long as you stick to fresh, wholesome foods. Most cleanses drastically cut calories and do not provide enough protein. This one is packed with nutrients. Please note: the body is extremely efficient at naturally “cleansing” itself. Sending enzymes throughout the body to find “toxins” and breaking them down so that they can be flushed out is done daily, hourly, minute by minute. Reducing the amount we take in with our foods only goes to help this natural daily process.

• 7:00 am - Room Temperature, Filtered Water with a squirt of fresh lemon juice
• 8:00 am - Breakfast: start with a gluten-free warm cereal (quinoa has all 9 essential amino acids), sweetened naturally with prunes, cinnamon and rice milk*
  *I really like Bob’s Red Mill Organic, Gluten Free Quinoa or Brown Rice cereal both for quality and taste.
• 11:00 am - Snack: organic apple slices (apples are heavily sprayed, so go organic) with raw almonds or walnuts
• 1:00 pm - Lunch: Fresh Fruit*, almond, hemp or soy milk, ground flaxseeds or chia seeds, ice
  *go low-glycemic berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries*
  *go organic whenever you can – remember, this is a cleanse so we want to reduce our exposure to pesticides and herbicides
• 4:00 pm - Snack: Fresh, raw vegetables* and/or fresh, raw vegetable juice naturally sweetened with pineapple juice, lots of cucumbers, kale, parsley, ginger, lemon, mint. Choosing these vegetables supplies foods that are high naturally in digestive enzymes. Drink as much as you want!
  *Organic please!
• 6:00 pm - Dinner: Vegetable soup with sauerkraut or kimchee* with green organic apples – the vegetable soup should have fennel, onions, celery, garlic, shiitake caps, oregano, cayenne pepper, parsley, sea salt with steamed edammame
  *fermented sauerkraut has probiotics that can help break down toxins in the gastrointestinal tract
  *Organic please
   

Tips

1. Drink plenty of filtered water
2. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep
3. Don’t eat after the last meal and try to eat that meal 3 to 4 hours before bedtime
4. Take a warm bath with Epsom salt. The key ingredient-magnesium, supports hundreds of enzymes in the body1
5. Be prepared to be going to the washroom more often than usual!