The Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton Ontario is wonderful year round. I do so enjoy going to their restaurant for lunch with a friend and then browsing the gift shop. This Christmas season, they have a Holiday Train Display in the atrium. It was installed by Applied Imagination Trains. Their crew of artists, botanical architects and landscape designers produce original public garden exhibits, seasonal displays and garden railways. The train installation at the RBG is built using botanic materials featuring landscapes celebrating Canadian landmarks. Yes the CN Tower is there!   There are 3 levels of trains running through it much to the delight of the children I saw.     You can see it yourself Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm (8pm Thurs) until January 6th.     Sorry for the poor photogr... 11/29/2012

Hamilton's Dundurn Castle Dundurn Castle is a National Historic site. I have enjoyed being able to wander the grounds and take tours no matter what the season but Christmas is magical there. Right now you can step into a Victorian Christmas. The Garden Club of Hamilton has decorated Dundurn Castle with cedar boughs, ribbons and dried flowers. Costumed interpreters will walk you through Sir Allan MacNab's home. . Date: Saturday, November 24, 2012 to Sunday, December 30, 2012 (Closed Mondays) Time: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Ages: AllCost: Regular admission rates apply to the museum. To add to your Christmas fun join the Christmas Delights Event. You can have an authentic Victorian cooking experience. Costumed cooks will lead you below stairs to 19th century kitchen to experience creating seas... 11/27/2012

       Some people love change, but from experience, the majority of us love familiarity. There's no doubt that the older we get the faster time goes by and if we're not careful, we wake up one morning living in a home full of things and colours that went out of style a decade ago. It doesn't hit a lot of people until they start thinking about selling. With tightened lending rules, Buyers today often don't have the time or necessary financial resources to buy a home that needs a lot of updating. Homes that are updated will usually sell faster and command more money leaving the "dated" homes to sell at discount prices to Renovators. If it hasn't changed for more than 20 years, there's a good possibility it should. That goes for the colours on your walls, the carpeting on your floor, your... 11/19/2012

I'm always bragging about what a great city Hamilton, Ontario is.  With lots to do and with a vibrant music, arts and theatre community.  A beautiful city with great diversity and character. Here is one of the events that has enriched our music and arts community.  Click here to visit the website. One of the oldest streets in our city has come alive in the last few years and is host to art crawls as well as the annual SUPERCRAWL now in its 4th year. Musicians, galleries, community artists abound. If you want to know a little more about Hamilton and her history you can visit my About Hamilton page and follow me on Twitter for updates on whats happening in Hamilton. 09/13/2012

I’ve decided to take on the challenge of writing about what I do as a Real Estate professional for my Seller clients. First Visit I start by viewing the home and providing some suggestions on things that can be done to prepare the home. Suggesting things like de-cluttering, furniture placement, wall de-scuffing (magic eraser time), maybe some painting and even changing a fixture, caulking the tub etc. After I’ve probed and found out what this Seller is willing and able to do. Price Is Key Prepare a thorough evaluation of the property and present it to the clients explain the current market conditions. I know one of the most important things is to get the price right. Plan a strategy as a team, myself and the Sellers to attain their goal. Taking the time to write up a great remarks secti... 07/19/2012

Hamilton Waterfront         Bayfront West Harbour and Beach Boulevard          Hamiltonians love their waterfront and they don't miss an opportunity to get "down" there and enjoy a day of ice cream, go cart racing, walking, people watching and the best fries in Hamilton at Hutche's.    The waterfront is divided in two areas; The West Harbour in the West end of the City and Beach Boulevard in the East End of the City                  Williams Cafe at the West Harbour      Reached by minutes from anny point in Hamilton, the waterfront has something for everyone willing to unplug the electronics and leave the Blackberry at home.   Sailing lessons, roller- blading, jogging, walking, swimming and daydreaming, it's all here.         The Real Estate West Harbour This area is just coming up, it... 06/28/2012

Corktown The history of Irish migration to British North America in the nineteenth-century has centered predominantly on those immigrants who were exiled from Ireland after the Great Famine, 1845-1850.   However, a significant number of Irishmen, both Protestant and Catholic, arrived in  Canada as immigrants by  choice in the years leading up to the Great Hunger. Their immigration were often part of family economic strategies and, as such, they arrived in North America with a greater capability for early success.  Irish-Canadian historiography, moreover, has focused primarily on rural settlement, by far the most common choice of Irish migrants in the Canadas. Yet, a significant number of Irishmen did settle in the growing urban centres of nineteenth-century Canada.    The Real Estate Co... 06/28/2012

James Street North   I've been selling real estate in Hamilton for about 24 years and I know it inside an out. If this career fails, I KNOW I would be an asset to a taxi company. I spend a lot of time out and about and one of my favorite spots to stop and chill for a minute or two is James Street North.   James Street was Hamilton's little Italy or Little Portugal and you can see influences everywhere, in the gardens of nearby homes, the fish shops and grocery stores to the restaurants.      I seldom miss the Art Crawl, held second Friday of the month. The street closes down, galleries open their doors late into the night, the atmosphere is just so electric, it reminds me of New York's West Village.         James North Art Collective   Hamilton Artists Inc.             I usually go to t... 06/28/2012

  Locke Street Neighbourhood   Love this street and the neighbourhood. I used to work at a Remax nearby and real estate agents would congregate at the West Town to have a cocktail or two and exchange stories and info on new listings.       The vibrant Locke Street has evolved over the past decade and now offers somethings for everyone and every palette.  Antique stores, delis, restaurants, a great pizzeria. Bread Bar, Locke Street Bakery, a cheese boutique, chocolate boutique, upscale clothing stores. A fabulous consignment shop where you can pick up designer duds for a song, interior decor-- the street is full of great shops offering unique stuff. Lot of beauty salons and places to get pampered.     Locke Street Merchants Directory       Searach Listings in the Locke Street Area       ... 06/28/2012

  This leafy neighbourhood is anchored by the beautiful St.Clair Boulevard.        The parcel of land on which the Boulevard was built was owned by the Rutherfords, whose house on the corner of St. Clair and Delaware was razed to complete the construction of the Boulevard. Construction started in 1913 and was completed before 1930. This is no subdivision of today, each home is architecturally unique.        Real Estate Homes here can be as low as $200,000 a few blocks from the Boulevard and as high as 500K on the Boulevard and anything in between. Young families, professionals, creative types and GTA migrants love this area for it's architectural diversity, broad streets with mature trees and quiet community feel.           Click for Amazing Properties on the Market in the St. Clair Are... 06/28/2012

Gage Park, Park, Area and Real Estate   Since 1922, the City of Hamilton’s Gage Park has provided Hamiltonians with a rich mixture of open space, play fields, gardens and tree-lined paths that cover over 30 hectares of green space at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment.  Located east of the downtown core at Main Street East and Gage Avenue South, Gage Park serves both its surrounding downtown community as well as plays host to citywide special events that draw people from beyond Hamilton’s borders.  Gage Park has two playgrounds (one is wheelchair accessible), a bandshell, greenhouses, gardens, spray pad, wading pool, the Children's Museum where there is a creative play structure with spring toys and swings, and the beautiful Gage Park Fountain.   Here are just some of the things to do i... 06/28/2012

Ottawa Street                            The Garment District   My parents immigrated to Hamilton in the 70's, a wave of young working class families fleeing various restricting regimes in Eastern Europe. We settled in our first house in the Ottawa Street Neighbourhood, a massive duplex with two-2 bedroom units, each with a dining room and a living room.   Ottawa Street was the place where everyone went to shop, eat, socialize, to see and be seen. It was full of ethnic delis, garment shops, travel agencies taking people back to the old country for vacations, newspaper stands, banks that actually provided customer service (yes kids, it was long ago and far away) and merchants that knew your name or maybe even your mother tongue.       Tim Horton, a hockey player for anyone who just lande... 06/28/2012

Hamilton Real Estate Condo Projects Take a look at condo projects down town, in some stage of development. There is about nine in the works, and they are bringing a new look to the core and a new style of living to Hamiltonians. _____________________________________________         150 Main Street West Condos and Commerical Phase 1 will have 135 condo units. Phase 2 will have 277 units . A third phase with 275 units at 20 George St. is in the design stage. The project is expected to create 687 condo units over the next three years. _____________________________________     Acclamation Lofts 185 James St. N 60 units to 185 James St. N., planned to open in 2014.Condo units will range from 700-square-foot to 2,500-square-foot penthouses _____________________________________________       C... 06/17/2012

    Hamilton Real Estate Condo Projects       Take a look at condo projects down town, in some stage of development. There is about nine in the works, and they are bringing a new look to the core and a new style of living to Hamiltonians. _____________________________________________         150 Main Street West Condos and Commerical Phase 1 will have 135 condo units. Phase 2 will have 277 units . A third phase with 275 units at 20 George St. is in the design stage. The project is expected to create 687 condo units over the next three years. _____________________________________     Acclamation Lofts 185 James St. N 60 units to 185 James St. N., planned to open in 2014.Condo units will range from 700-square-foot to 2,500-square-foot penthouses ___________________________________________... 06/16/2012

Downtown making slow, sure gains More businesses, more jobs, more people looking for a good restaurant By Samantha Craggs, CBC News               Rosemary and Steve Marsh have moved Business Insurance Services from Burlington to the downtown core, one of the small signs officials point to that Hamilton's core is on the mend. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)       Steve and Rosemary Marsh weren't prepared for the attention they got when they moved their Business Insurance Services office from Burlington to downtown Hamilton. They were located on Plains Road East. Three weeks ago, they moved to 231 Main St. W. The office only has four full-time employees, but the day after Steve Marsh signed the lease, Mayor Bob Bratina called him. "I said, 'We're just a small business,' " Marsh recalled. "But peop... 06/16/2012

Dip In Construction Temporary: City Staff       The dip in the city’s May building permit figures is more like a deep breath before a burst of fresh air than a whimper.Norm Schleehahn, with Hamilton’s economic development department, said a drop in the number and value of commercial and industrial permits in May is not much of a concern.“We have quite a bit of development to come yet — over 600,000 square feet,” he said. “(Permits) will be getting exponentially bigger.”In April, city staff predicted Hamilton to be on track to break the previous $1-billion record building boom set in 2010.After the first quarter of this year, the value was $271 million, up $75 million compared to the first quarter of that record-setting year.But in May, while residential growth remained strong — about th... 06/16/2012

These salaries make for a good debate. Are these guys deserving, in the name of free markets and capitalism to make this kind of cash? After all, they have done the unthinkable, generating historically unseen profits smack in the middle of a global recession. Are we, the sheeple, just plain stupid to agree to get fleeced with banking charges, interest rates, outrageous mortgage discharge penalties, double interact charges etc without uttering one peep of disapproval. Bank of Canada’s rate prime today is three percent; your credit card is 18%, six times or 600% mark up. On top of it all, the banks have got us the people insuring their CMHC loans, so if someone does default on their mortgage, it’s not the bank that bears the brunt of the loses, it’s the tax payers. Machiavelli would be pr... 04/04/2012

      Hamilton Population Growth Slow and Steady but still Good February 9, 2012  The Hamilton Spectator Hamilton’s 3.1 per cent population growth may look modest beside Burlington’s 6.9 per cent, but it’s still good, says Hamilton’s economic director, Neil Everson.“Hamilton has traditionally had a long steady growth … But it is an increase.”New census data from Statistics Canada on Wednesday shows the city’s population grew 3.1 per cent to 519,949 in the five years up to 2011. That’s about 15,000 more than the 504,559 population in 2006.GRAPHIC: Population change in Hamilton between 2006 and 2011Everson believes the growth is driven by Toronto and GTA residents and businesses relocating because of Hamilton’s lower cost of living and costs of doing business and good quality of life.Sta... 02/22/2012

Government Grants Downtown Hamilton 　 　 City to offer $650,000 grocery store prize     Gary Yokoyama/The Hamilton Spectator 　 The pot: $1.4 million — The amount of money available over three years for incentives as the city targets three key areas for downtown improvements The incentives: $650,000 — Goes to someone willing to bring a grocery store to Hamilton’s downtown. $50,000 — A matching grant for any property facing Gore Park making improvements that will mean better use of the building. Grant includes up to 75 per cent of the cost to replace oversized old signs with smaller and more architecturally respectful ones. $10,000 — Grant for façade improvements in a larger core area from Victoria Street to Queen and along King and Main as far west as Highway 403. This is one heck of a gr... 02/06/2012

It took me 18 yrs, but well worth the wait. Shortly after I got into the business, and in the days when you could still telephone and solicit expired listings, I decided to brave up and go visit a mansion on a hill. This house was literally perched on a hill at an awe inspiring address. Needless to say, just the taught of ringing the door bell petrified me. I was greeted by a very stylish lady, the type that wears full make up and a caftan around the house, always presentable and cosmopolitan. After my palpitations, facial  ticks and tremors subsided she gave me a tour of the house and promptly and unceremoniously ---- dismissed me.  She listed with someone else, the listing expired again, I showed up at her door again. I do remember parking some ways away with my rusty batmobile. She l... 01/31/2012