Written By: Muhammad al-Maghout

(1934- April 3, 2006) / Translated By: Reda Mansour

By Adele Youssef.

The one thing about participating in the real estate market that confounds most consumers is the terminology and jargon that must be learned. But, as with any business, in order to be successful as a buyer or seller, it is necessary to become familiar with certain concepts and words.

The real estate business is somewhat unique in that it is not confined to one particular set of dealings. Instead, it encompasses a number of professions: financial, legal, governmental, building trades, and of course, real estate itself.

So, from A for amortization to Z for zoning regulations, here is a quick run-through of some the important real estate terminology you’ll encounter:

Amortization: The number of years it will take to pay off the entire amount of a mortgage. In Ontario, most mortgages are amortized over 25 years.

Appraisal: An estimate of a property’s market value. This is used by lenders to determine the amount of your mortgage.

Assessment: The value of a property set by the local municipality. The assessment is used to calculate your property tax.

Assumable Mortgage: A mortgage held on a property by a seller that can be taken over by the buyer. The buyer then assumes responsibility for making payments. An assumable mortgage can make a property more attractive to potential buyers.

Blended Mortgage Payments: Equal or regular mortgage payments consisting of both a principal and an interest component.

Broker: A real estate professional licensed in Ontario to facilitate the sale, lease or exchange of a property.

Bridge Financing: Money borrowed against a homeowner’s equity in a property (usually for a short term) to help finance the purchase of another property or to make improvements to a property being sold.

Buy-down: A situation where the seller reduces the interest rate on a mortgage by paying the difference between the reduced rate and market rate directly to the lender. Or, the difference can be paid to the purchaser in one lump sum or monthly instalments. A buy-down can make a property more attractive to potential buyers.

Closed Mortgage: A mortgage that cannot be prepaid, renegotiated or refinanced during its term without significant penalties.

Conventional Mortgage: A first mortgage issued for up to 75 per cent of the property’s appraised value or purchase price, whichever is lower.

Debt Service Ratio: The percentage of a borrower’s gross income that can be used for housing costs (including mortgage payments and taxes). This is used to determine the amount of monthly mortgage payment the borrower can afford.

Easement: A legal right to use or cross (right of way) another person’s land for limited purpose. A utility’s right to run wires or lay pipe across a property is a common example.

Encroachment: An intrusion onto an adjoining property. A neighbour’s fence, shed or overhanging roof line that partially or fully intrudes onto your property are examples.

First Mortgage: The first security registered on a property. Additional mortgages secured against the property are termed ‘secondary’.

High-Ratio Mortgage: A mortgage for more than 75 per cent of a property’s appraised value or purchase price.

Listing Agreement: The contract between the listing broker and an owner, authorizing the Realtor to facilitate the sale or lease of a property.

Mortgage: A contract between a borrower and a lender where the borrower pledges a property as security to guarantee repayment of the mortgage debt.

Mortgage Term: The length of time a lender will loan mortgage funds to a borrower. Most terms run from six months to five years, after which the borrower will either pay off the balance or renegotiate the mortgage for another term. Payments are calculated using the interest rate offered for the term, the amount of the mortgage, and the amortization period.

Multiple Listing Service (MLS): A comprehensive system for relaying information to Realtors about properties for sale.

Open Mortgage: A mortgage that can be prepaid or renegotiated at any time and in any amount without penalty.

Partially Open Mortgage: A mortgage that allows the borrower to pre-pay a specific portion of the mortgage principal at certain times with or without penalty.

Realtor: A trademarked name describing real estate professionals who are members of a local real estate board and the Canadian Real Estate Association.

Transfer Taxes: Payment to the provincial government for transferring property from the seller to the buyer.

Vendor Take-Back Mortgage: A situation where sellers use their equity in a property to provide some or all of the mortgage financing in order to sell the property.

Zoning Regulations: Strict guidelines set and enforced by municipal governments regulating how a property may or may not be used.

Source: Reprinted with permission from OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association)

An expert REALTOR® gives you support to buy or sell a house. They are an ally who'll help you make the most out of your home. REALTORS® can guide you through every step of the process, explain the current market, help navigate complex paperwork and offer invaluable advice. 

Before you Buy or Sell, call a REALTOR® you can trust to be with you every step of the way.

Adele Youssef, ASA

Real Estate Sales Representative 

Manor Realty Windsor Ltd. Brokerage

Address: 3276 Walker Road Windsor, Ontario N8W 3R8 

Phone: (519) 250-8800

that iPad or mobile phones, whichwould-be buyers are clutching as they drive neighborhoods on the weekends. The world has turned digital, real estate has turned digital. A good Realtor® knows that giving your home exposure to a broader network of agents and potential buyers, and taking advantage of digitalmedia, is key to successfully selling your home. Callme to discuss how we can successfully sell your home in today’s digitalworld.

Poetry and Art are twins. Both are the offspring of suffering and joy. There is evidence that Gibran was familular with the work of Blake. He (Gibran) was intorofuced to Blakes world in Boston. Gibran was called “the 20th century Blake” Both rebelled against church corruption, and their political views were queit simular. Both of them were artists as well as being poets. Gibran himself was a teacher amd a guide for his friends. He saw himself as a peace maker and a spiritual healer. 

Both Blake and Gibran took the position that the basic purpose of our xistence is to discover and record new truths about the human soul. Both of these men deifned poetry as “the inevitable word in the inevitable place. Both of these highly creative individuals believed that we are all involved in an inner journey Gibran considered himself as being involved on an inner quest. 

Neither Blaker or Gibran claimed to be a mystic or a savior. Both believed that it is the responce of all persons to save themselves. Man was origionally an “imaginative being. Blake argues that everything that could be created could be destroyed and that our fives senses were dindrances to imagintation. 

Like Coleridge and Emerson, Gibran projected his feelings and moods onto nature and made nature echo them again. He agreed with Blake as well as Coleridge that the world of imagintation was richer, permenant and more dazzling than the outside world of ature becasue Gibran that the outside is but a replica of the inside. 

It is not surprising that both of these creative individuals shared a great deal of their intellectual qualities for creative people generally have a great deal in common whether we are considering poetry or other models of expression. 

Another concept that Gibran did not share with Blake was that of reincarnation. Gibran believed that evolution of the self through reincarnation was the only way to the greater self. A concept that he read in whitman and Emersons the Over Sould. Neither if the Moselem Mystics nor Blake believed in reincarnation. 

Gibran owed more to the Bible and to Blake than to any other poet or philosepher. And Blakes influence on him was the most enduring. Inhis book “prophet” The life and times of Gibran. Waterfield totally ignored fundemental premise, consequestely making his study of Gibran incomplete and his lost of influences certainly lacking.

During a certain part of his career, Gibran feels under the 'Spell” of Nietzsche. This is a period of disillusiononment and frustration that ended with the Prophet. At that time the young Gibran was experiencing personal and social difficulties, and his country was yeilding under the heavy yoke of the ottoman empire. There was a conflict between his imagination and his will, and a fierce battle between his ego and society. 

Gibrans critisism of society and state, his rebeliion against th authority of the Prince and the priest should be traced back to Blakes writings. Gibran did not rebel against the church becasuse of Nietzsche nor did he concept of Christianity or of Jesus parallel that of the “antichrist” Hehad faith and love in Jesus. Neitzsche blamed Christianity for and the social insitituations for the “dehuminization: of the individual. 

Although Blake preceded Nietzsche by almost a century, he anticipated the revolt of the German phiosphepher without denouncing his faith in Jesus. Both blake and Gibraninsisted that to be outside the church does not involve being outside of the sphere of redemption. Neither of them was a church-goer. Gibran also stressed that “Jesus was the most powerful personality in History.” He also disagreed with Nietzsche's theory of Eternal Recurrence. 

We will now increase our understanding of these two historically significant men by examining information that tells us who they were and why they are, even worth considering. 

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet. He was not well recognzed during his lifetime. However, he is now considered an important figure in the history of poetry. Much of his poetry was prophetic. He was considered “mad” by his contemporaries for his unusal opinons. Now critics point to his expresivness and creativity. He was also considered philosophical. He revered the Bible but was hostile to the Church of England. He was influenced by the ideas and ambitions of both the French and American revolutions. 

He had a close relationship by Thoman Paine, the American pamphleteer and revolutionary. The 19th century scholor, William Rossetti characterized him a “glorious luminary and a man not a forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classified with contemporaries, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors.”

Kahlil Gibran ( Full arabic name Gibran Khalil Gibran) 

Khalil Gibran was a lebanses literary and philosophical icon who lived from 1883-1931. He was born in the town of Bsharri in the north of modern day Lebanon. As a young man he immigrated to the United States, Where he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both english and arabic. 

He is considered to be a literary and political rebel. In lebanon he is still considered to be a literary hero. He is maily known for English speaking world for his book The Prophet. A work of phiosphepher essays written in poetic prose. It bcasme pipular book in spite of the cold reception by critics. It as especially appealing in the 1930's and to members of the 1960;s counterculture. Gibran is the third best selling poet of all time, beind Shakespeare and Laozi. A very small versatule man he wa salso a painter, theologian, and a visual artist. 

Gibran died in New York City n 1931 of cirrohsis of the liver and tuberculosis. Before his death he expressed the wish to be buried in Lebanon. Written next to Gibrans Grave are the words, a word i want to see written grave: i M ALIVE LIKE YOU, AND I AM STANDING BESIDE YOU. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND LOOK AROUND, YOU WILL SEE ME INFRONT OF YOU. 

Our Employment Service Centre (ESC) at W5 is a comprehensive program designed to assist unemployed and underemployed individuals in our community find and retain work. Both women and men who are either Permanent Residents or Canadian citizens can access this program. We look at a multitude of barriers our clients face that could be hindering their ability to retain meaningful employment, and work towards breaking those barriers. We provide one-on-one employment counseling to distinguish what our clients want, we review, edit and gear resumes to ensure maximum exposure, we do mock interviews with clients to better equip them for effective responses, we provide incentives to employers to hire our ‘at-risk’ clients, and much more. We have the Youth Employment Fund (YEF) to assist our youth clients gain meaningful experience through placements, and we also assist candidates to access; Second Career, Apprenticeships, and Ontario Job Creation Partnership (OJCP).

Our Information and Orientation (IO-Settlement) program is a full settlement needs program geared towards making your transition into Canadian society as fluid as possible, while still maintaining what makes you so uniquely you. Eligibility for this program is Permanent Residents and Convention Refugees. This program is accessible to all clients within W5, and all clients in the community who meet the eligibility criteria. Our Settlement Counselors are always available to help you with any inquiries, irrespective of the magnitude, ranging from cable bills to hiring a good lawyer. The IO program also hosts many workshops based on clients’ needs, and provides support services such as childminding and transportation for clients who show a need.

Our Language Training and Skills Development program provides literacy and LINC classes for newcomers in the community. Our classes start at the Literacy 1 and go up to LINC 3. We provide options to our clients with different timings for our classes so that the maximum amount of participation can be met. We have mornings, afternoons, and evening classes to suit the schedules of all. The Care for Newcomer Children’s (CNC) service provides child-minding for our clients who are eligible, to ensure that some barriers to education are broken. Transportation support is also available for clients who qualify under the Affordable Bus Pass program.

The Care for Newcomer Children’s program, is a support service for the Language Training and Skills Development program, as well as the Information and Orientation program. It is a tremendous program, as it has an educational curriculum for your children while they play. In addition to the learning programs, the children have fun games tailored around teaching colours, numbers, shapes, and much more during their crucial years of learning. Our staff are all

Early Childhood Education (ECE) certified, and genuinely love teaching and aiding the children to interact with each other. Eligibility for the CNC program is ages 6 months to 6 years.

The Community Connections program houses the Newcomer Arts Project (NAP) project that services both young women and young men, where art is used as a means for integration. Various artistic expressions are explored such as; dance, visual arts, music and drama. There are also girls projects that take place with aims toward the empowerment and education of young women. These projects explore issues that young women are interested in. These include building healthy relationships between young women and their peers, intimate partners, and family members; assertive communication; body image and self-esteem. Homework and academic support is provided between 3:00 and 7:30 pm.

The Mental Health/Crisis Counseling is another service available through the Community Connections program. It is accessible to all clients from all programs, provided they are women and men with Permanent Resident or Convention Refugee status. If you are feeling overwhelmed, unsure, dissatisfied, this is the program to access.

The Investing in Women’s Futures (IWF) program at W5 is an amazing opportunity for women of any status (PR, Convention Refugees, Canadian Citizens, etc). It is a comprehensive program that aims to prevent violence against women and promote women’s economic independence by helping women develop skills and abilities that will reduce their vulnerability to poverty and abuse. The IWF program facilitates many workshops within and also from community partners and agencies that help to educate women on; financial literacy, violence against women, shelters, employability training, WHMIS, and much more. The program also facilitates basic and intermediate computer classes to further capacitate independence in an age filled with technological advancements.

For further information and inquiries about all our programs and services, please call:

(519)973-5588.

In addition to these funded programs, W5 also provides the following non-funded programs:

Women’s Circle - A support group activity to reach out to isolated immigrants and visible minority women. Activities include craft, knitting and information sharing.

Conversation English Classes - A group activity for clients who wish to enhance their oral communication skills.

Computer classes for seniors - A support group activity to reach out to isolated seniors, both male and female, who want to learn how to ‘surf the net’ and to get connected with their families.

Income Tax - Since 2003, W5 participates annually in the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program(VITP) provided by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Clients who are unable to complete their income tax returns by themselves, and are unable to pay for assistance access this service.

Community Cup Windsor- An annual football (soccer) tournament is hosted by W5 to engage newcomer youth with their society through means of participation in a friendly competition. The teams are designed based on age, gender, skill level, and profession (if affiliated with a community partner ie. W5, Windsor Police, etc.) 

By Svetlana Sevillano 

By Hanieh Azimi

In conclusion, one should expect to be asked a number of questions by your customs officer when entering the United States. Not answering these questions honestly and fully is unwise because of possible penalties. One should keep in mind that the adage, “honesty is the best policy” applies in this instance. 

By: Amy Osman

Ontario Provincial Police is now using a Cessna 206 aircraft to observe drivers. The aerial enforcement begins by targeting the stretch of busy highways. A spotter and a pilot are aboard the aircraft, which will allow police to relay information to interceptor cruisers on the ground. White marker points have been painted every 500 meters along selected stretches of Highways, which will allow police to measure the speeds of moving vehicles. The aircraft has been equipped with infrared technology and a high-tech video camera to allow police to operate the plane day and night. The aircrafts can observe hundreds of cars at one time.The aircrafts relays the information to the ground units, who then pull the vehicle over and issue an offence notice. An officer in a helicopter or plane is in a position to observed from the time to the offence until the traffic stop, without losing the sight of the vehicle. The O.P.P has also been catching drivers who have been racing, stunt driving, driving carelessly, too even changing lanes unsafely. Motorists caught travelling more than 50 km/h above the posted speed limit have had their vehicles impounded on the spot and licenses suspended for a week. The drivers also face fines of between $2,000 and $10,000 if found guilty. The O.P.P team rotates to a different location each time out. They know where some of the worst offenders put the pedal down, therefore drivers beware. If you get a ticket from the sky they you can call the Law Society Referral Service. They have several services to help you find a Paralegal of your choice. You can contact them at 1-877-947-3924 or email them at lawrefer@lsuc.on.ca. Or you may contact “Your Choice Paralegals LLP” located at the Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator at 720 Ouellette Avenue. 20 min free consultations.

.nfo@yourchoiceparalegals.ca and we would be there to assist you. 

By: Adele Youssef

Many prospective real estate purchasers are hesitant to obtain professional advice. They constantly seek to corroborate information that is provided by a real estate agent. They often think…”well, that agent is just trying to sell the house”. This may be true! Certainly, over the years, real estate agents have done little to improve their image..until now with the help of CREA and the “How Realtors® Help” Campaign. So, this is where a truly professional Realtor® comes in. Why not have someone who is acting solely in your interest? Why not have someone loyal to you? Why not have someone who will seek out the best property to suit your needs? All of these seem fairly straightforward. But, if you’re a prospective purchaser, you really need to get your own agent. This is where buyer’s agency becomes important. You sign an agreement with a Realtor®, and that individual will work exclusively for you. There should be no conflicts of interest (or at least, there shouldn’t be). This agreement will be in force for a certain period of time (often 3 to 6 months) and cover a specific type of property. The price range and geographical area might also be included. You will agree to pay your agent a commission, but most of the time this commission will simply be offset by the amount of the commission that the vendor is offering to pay to realtors in order to induce them to bring their clients to the property. So, net/net, you pay nothing! As long as you get a good agent, you have the best of both worlds: 

1) a dedicated professional working on your behalf, and 

2) someone else paying the bill.