Even More Stories

I must admit that the Eclipse event the other day just did not seem to be as dramatic as possible, at least where I lived, because, while darker, the sky in my area did not seem to darken as much as I expected.

In fact, my daughter posted this photograph on Facebook.  It was one of the earliest and most dramatic Eclipse photos that she took that day:

Now that was a funny one because of the name of that vehicle.

She did luck out yesterday afternoon. Here is a picture from a CTV video taken of her and her fiancé, Bill, sitting down at the site where they stayed for the Eclipse event later that afternoon that was shown on CTV Windsor News television:

Here now are some stories that I saw in the news media that I thought I would present to you.

BE CAREFUL TAKING THESE KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHS

This story seems to be a Windsor matter because I don't recall seeing something similar being discussed in other areas of the Province.

I have to admit that I think that the Police must have some reason for making the comments that they did. Could it be that there have been many other near-accidents that have already taken place over the last little while when people were taking photographs using their portable cameras from their cars as they were going by accident sites?

Take a look at this:

"While attending to a six-vehicle collision on Highway 401 last month that killed two, the OPP says motorists used cell phones to take photos and video of the scene, which were then uploaded to social media. They say one motorist was live-streaming the scene.

…drivers who use cell phones to take photos at collision scenes can be charged with distracted driving. The OPP says the fine for distracted driving is $490, which includes a victim surcharge and a court fee, and three demerit points."  (Tamar Harris, Windsor Star, August 18, 2017) 

Here is another comment that I saw:

"Police say drivers using cellphones to take photos at collision scenes can be charged with distracted driving.” (Canadian Press Staff, August 18, 2017) 

There is probably something that may be going on but so far there have not been any accidents. The Police seems to want to make sure that none do happen and is prepared to give the warnings of significant charges in advance to wake people up!

CAN YOU AFFORD TO BUY A TORONTO HOME

House prices have gone up significantly in Toronto, and other areas surrounding that City according to stories in the newspaper. And to pay for them, a lot of money is needed these days. Here is one story that I saw recently that helps explain this: 

"You’ll need six figures to buy almost any GTA home, report says 

It takes a six-figure income to afford virtually any Toronto area home — even a condo — and that expense is presenting a considerable financial challenge to an important cohort of millennial consumers… 

It takes a household income of more than $200,000 a year to carry the $1.15 million cost of the average detached house in the Toronto region, according to a report from TheRedPin brokerage. 

Even the average condo, costing $576,000, requires an annual income of $92,925 to afford a $1,933 monthly mortgage, plus taxes, utilities and condo fees, according to the report. 

Meantime, 59 per cent of those aged 25 to 30 in Ontario would like to own a detached house in the next five years, but only 30 per cent think they will be able to afford one, according a new Royal LePage report based on findings by Leger research. 

According to TheRedPin, buyers need more than $150,000 a year to cover the cost of a home in half of 22 Toronto area municipalities." (MetroNews Staff, Torstar News Service, August 18, 2017)  

While that might seem quite a change in price, dear reader, it really is not all that significant to me. I really cannot believe that the price increase in the Toronto area is all that high. 

As you may remember, I was born in and lived in Toronto for many years before I moved to Windsor about 30 years ago. My wife and I bought and lived in several different homes in Toronto before we came here. I must admit that our house prices changed rather significantly over a relatively short time frame on several occasions.  Just to give you one example, our first home was a Condo in an "apartment" condo building in Toronto of over 260 units.  What was interesting about that place is that it literally almost doubled in price within several months after we started living there together. Then, the Government introduced legislation that effectively killed the marketplace and the price of the unit dropped almost back down to the price at which I bought it! It fell that quickly and that much.

Our last residence in Toronto before we moved to this area was a house that we lived in for less than 10 years and when we sold it a few years after we moved in, we luckily were able to sell it significantly higher than what we paid for it. The Toronto market was increasing dramatically once again. It was an unbelievable sales price for us. Of course, a few months after we sold it, the Toronto market crashed again and house prices dropped quite a bit one more time. 

What I found interesting is that the price in Toronto today for a house like the one I owned there seems to me to be very high, a lot higher than when I lived there.  But in my opinion, it is NOT really a whoppingly high increase.  What it means to me is that the price went up quite a bit from what I received but that took around 30 years to achieve! It is hardly that great a real estate increase when I look at it that way. 

Of course, it is a significantly higher price than a comparable house in our area today but not all that much more considering how long it took the Toronto price to rise. The homes in our area where I live in Tecumseh have risen quite nicely over a relatively short period of time recently.   

It should be interesting to see what happens to my Condo unit price and whether it stays at the level it has increased to now or goes back down to its market value of about a year ago. Just to let you know, dear reader, I do not believe that we will see a significant drop here if the economy keeps improving. I am actually hoping that it's condo value increases but I have no intention of selling it now even if it does.