Johnston & Green Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage


Jaclyn Solomon
Sales Representative

416-429-5118
Click here for new listings.

Home Inspections

Decorating and Design: Dos and Don'ts

Why use a realestate broker or salesperson?

When you work with a registered broker or salesperson you benefit from their:

Education, Knowledge and Experience

All brokers and salespersons are required to complete educational courses prior to becoming registered and are also required to take continuing education courses. In addition, many brokers and salespersons pursue ongoing professional development opportunities, obtain membership in professional associations and attend industry events on a regular basis. While consumers buy and sell real estate infrequently, most brokers and salespersons are engaged in these activities on a daily basis.

Consumer Deposit Insurance

All brokers and salespersons are required to be insured. The insurance program administered by RECO includes consumer deposit insurance - paid for by brokers and salespersons. In the event of fraud, misappropriation of funds or insolvency there is coverage available to consumers of up to $100,000 per claim to a maximum of $500,000 per occurrence.

Complaints & Enforcement support

All real estate brokers and salespersons are required to comply with the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 and associated regulations, including the Code of Ethics. RECO addresses inquiries, concerns and complaints about the conduct of brokers and salespersons and takes appropriate action to protect the public interest.

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Home Inspections

When you purchase a home, it's usually recommended that you have a home inspection done. In fact, a typical Agreement to Purchase Form will include a standard preprinted clause with respect to home inspections. This is one of the most common conditions in an offer to purchase a property. When real estate markets are extremely active and you really want a particular home, skipping the home inspection and not placing this kind of condition in an offer can be tempting. Before you make the decision, consider the benefits of a home inspection.

If there is a Seller Property Information Statement (SPIS), you may receive a copy and have a general sense of comfort about the history of the property. However, you should keep in mind that the person selling the home may not be aware of property defects and that the information provided in the SPIS is based only on their personal knowledge.

Similarly, the broker or salesperson representing you in the transaction may have the experience to identify visually obvious defects, but underlying problems can exist.

A qualified and experienced home inspector will examine the major systems in the home such as:

• Electrical
• Roofing
• Plumbing
• Heating/Air Conditioning
• Foundation
• Septic Systems

Many home inspection companies encourage you to attend the inspection and ask the inspector questions during the process and about the results of the inspection. The decision is yours to make, but you will be better informed and able to assess whether or not you want to invest in any upgrades or repairs that might be needed.

RECO does not regulate home inspectors. For information about home inspectors and home inspection services you can speak to your real estate broker or salesperson or refer to these association websites:

Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors

Ontario Association of Home Inspectors

Septic System Inspections

Ontario's Ministry of the Environment recommends that home buyers have a septic system inspected prior to finalizing a sale on a property. This condition may also be requested by your financial institution. A time of sale inspection may help protect you against future unexpected costs. The inspection process might involve pumping the tank and examining the leaching bed for any signs of problems. A septic system inspection may be conducted by a licensed septic system installer, a licensed sewage hauler or a professional engineer.

For more information, visit the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's Clean Water website or view:

Your Septic System: Protecting Your Investment and the Environment

Design Dazzles - Dos and Don’ts

Anyone doing a home renovation project today wants to avoid yesterday's fashion. And if possible, they want to be on top of tomorrow's.

The bathtub: Yesterday: whirlpool, Today: soaking tub,
Tomorrow: infinity tub?
Ten years ago every new home costing $125,000 and up had a whirlpool tub in the master bath. For the most part, though, whirlpools didn't make bathing enjoyable. Most were not ergonomically designed; they were uncomfortable and noisy. Today, the people's choice is a soaking tub, a deep, comfy, quiet place to relax and while away your troubles. Around which candles are lit, scents and senses are abounding. It is a private retreat, your home oasis!
Watch for the Kohler "Sök." It has an infinity overflow that lets the water drain slowly over the tub edge into a catch basin, where it is reheated and effervesced (bubble massage) and recirculated into the tub. You gotta love that!!! There's also remote-controlled "chromatherapy," which alters the colour of built-in LED lights in the tub to suit, or set, your mood. Now we’re talking bubbly!

Paint colours: Yesterday: neutrals like ecru, Today: bold like chocolate, Tomorrow: chameleons.
We used to be afraid of the bold use of colour. Not any more. Yesterday's neutrals have given way to an intense palette. The success of one saturated colour, chocolate brown, has found new comfort in the home, clothing and automotive detail. Chameleon colours will soon dominate. These are paints that, because several different colour tones are mixed in, take on a different tone at various light levels. For example, in low evening light it might look more pearly or luminescent than it would with bright morning sunlight streaming through the windows. I am personally fond of faux finishes incorporating reflective metallic light chips. Burnished bronzes, coy coppers, brushed up against persimmons and passionate purples all set the tone for falling into this FALL SEASON with fashion and flair! The change of season, the change of colour, and the chameleon choice is creatively the current concept catching the new wave of design.

Kitchen: Yesterday: uniform design, Today: mix and match, Tomorrow: anything goes?
Kitchen looks are no longer dominated by architectural influences but by designer ones. Even that is changing over to kitchens influenced by art. When the kitchen is an artwork, many old rules no longer apply. You got to love that! Thinking outside the box- and going where no one has gone before- cooking up classics will have a whole new flavor this season. You always end up in the kitchen; make it memorable and mesmerizing. Guests will always come back for more! Enhance your space and open up opportunities by painting a "trompe l’oeil" door on a wall, going where no man has gone before! It’s all about seeing through the past and beyond today, tomorrow and conjuring up what’s next!

Gone are the days and craze of everything being the same. BORING!!! If the room was English cottage style, everything in it was English cottage style, THEN. Now, kitchens can be one big collage, with walls of sleek contemporary cabinets kitty-cornered with ones in fussier traditional style. Kitchen cabinet woods: Yesterday: cherry, Today: anegre, Tomorrow: teak? Tastes in cabinet colour change slowly. Cherry has been a very hot veneer, bridging all markets. It's still in demand but fading. There’s a wood called anegre which has taken hold in upscale markets. This blond to light-honey coloured wood goes into many a corporate board room and has invaded high-end residences. Walnut is also back with a vengeance, and the style is clearer finishes, which enables the natural colour and grain of the walnut to stand out. Wood fashion can be fickle. The wood-tone pendulum will swing back from the extreme light and dark tones popular now. If you are recreating and renovating and want to do JUST with paint, consider a fabulous alligator faux finish that is sure to take the bite out of anything else!

Counters: Yesterday: solid surfacing, Today: granite, Tomorrow: counterfeit and concrete!
And how will the new teak wood kitchens be topped? Five to 10 years ago the countertop of choice was solid surfacings. Today's answer: Everybody must get stoned! Granite is a given. Corian just doesn't have the same cachet. Concrete is certainly concrete evidence we are on the cutting edge of design options! It’s hard not to make a concrete choice! Granite will not lose much popularity but other stones – limestone and sandstone for example will gain more momentum. Watch for metal counters – copper and zinc – to make a bigger splash. Backsplashes bountiful with choices- Attention to detail- real, rock, to razzle, and sure to dazzle the senses in your kitchen of today and tomorrow!

Wood floors: Yesterday: red oak, Today: white oak, Tomorrow: bamboo?
Quarter-sawn, clear finish, white oak is the flooring of choice, but another wood is gaining. Today, and lots of premier architects are picking up on is, Brazilian cherry, also called Jatoba, for upscale floors. The future, however, of wood flooring might not even include wood. Emphasis on environmental issues will help make bamboo floors a choice of many homeowners, or concrete finishes ground, naturally stained, and epoxy coated have the ease of care, flair, and fun fair! Ground concrete stained with natural coffee grinds evokes tasteful design and is environmentally sensation.

Appliance colours: Yesterday: black, Today: stainless steel, Tomorrow: full overlay?
Where black once ruled, stainless steel has taken over appliance-colour leadership. Designers are starting to try and introduce brighter colours to the appliance spectrum. Watch out for that trend that may be passé before the warranty expires! Viking offers 13 other colour choices, yet stainless steel still accounts for 90 percent of its orders. One trend that could challenge it is the full overlay treatment, minimizing the effect of the appliance. It consists of installing wood inserts onto the appliance exteriors so they blend with the cabinetry, handles, pulls, and all. An under-counter refrigerator, for example, looks just like any other cabinet in the room.

Appliances: Yesterday: trash compactor, Today: wine cooler, Tomorrow: cheese cooler? Speaking of appliances, one of the appliances greatly in demand several years ago – the trash compactor – has fallen out of favor. Taking its place as the hot kitchen installation is the wine cooler. Artisan cheeses have gained hugely in popularity but many have specific humidity and temperature requirements rarely found in the old Amana. The cheese cooler, still very much on the drawing board, would provide different levels of care, enabling owners to keep cheese longer and have it taste better when you serve it. That's a fashion statement you can really sink your teeth into.

Mix and Match
It's not all matchy matchy...step outside the match-box and think……if you coordinate it, it will go! Use a chaise. It's a nice alternative to a sofa sometimes... A chaise-lounge is comfortable, inviting and visibly a welcome variety!
If you have a large room, it’s nice to break up the furniture a little bit into different areas...
A nice mix of modern and traditional furniture is also very functional.

Black is so 90's and I for one am tired of black. Why go for basic? When it comes to home furnishings, think colour! Not gaudy, obnoxious colours that hurt your eyes when you look at it, but vibrant, sunny colours that are used cohesively. The intensity of the wall colours, should be offset with the softer, more neutral colours of the furnishings.

Jaclyn offers a free two hour colour analysis and staging consultation of your home with each new listing.

Realities in realty meet with Jaclyn Solomon.

Jaclyn Solomon B.A.,
Sales Representative
JOHNSTON AND GREEN REAL ESTATE LTD., BROKERAGE
(416) 429 -5118