HawthorneVillager.com

Hey Neighbors

Just wanted to make you all aware of a residents association the community is looking at putting together.

The original post states the association would "screen issues in the community, support the local councillor(s), share the research workload, and speak with a louder voice at council when necessary.".

I've been in contact with Annie who seems to have a big part in getting this idea off the ground and have explained to her that while my wife and I would not be living in Milton until November 2011 that I was still interested in participating in anyway possible. She responded encouraging me to become a member, limited to not being able to run for an Executive position until I become a resident. I found this more than fair and think I'm going to get involved.

I'm encouraging you all to get involved too! If you're interested or would like any more info I've attached the original thread.


http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/ ... hp?t=31566

Cheers!

Vince

Very cool, Vince. Thanks for the info!

And Icey, the standard appliances are either black or white (your choice) electric coil burner - At least that's what the sales agent who sold us the house told us.

_________________
JLB

Hey CHUCHMACH_Hillsview

Welcome aboard!

When my wife and I bought we got the same schpiel from Mattamy about having our contract looked over by a lawyer. I think you have 7 days after the purchase to do this.

Having a lawyer look over our contract was included in their closing cost fees. I don't know if all lawyers were the same but that is how ours operates.

I'm glad we did it cause I've heard horror stories of the builder (not Mattamy specifically) charging thousands of dollars upon closing for this and that.

I'd definitely recommend having a lawyer look over the contract. Even if its not included in the closing cost fee what is another couple of hundred dollars when it could save you thousands in the end.

Ciao!

Vince

HEY CHUCHMACH-HILLSVIEW,

Welcome, yes I strongly agree with Vince, you should contact the lawyer. hey anybody finished with design center things? isn't it tiring? anyone got a call from DC for appointment with designer???

_________________
KBZ

Agreed! It's a good idea to get a lawyer now.. you'll need one for closing anyhow, and most lawyers' "contract review" is free/included in their flat rate for closing fees. Just make sure you cap the closing costs. Specifically you'll want to cap section 9. They'll definitely cap 9a&b (driveway, trees, meters, etc) at $1550, and 9c at 1000 (in case the city imposes any new fees). You may have luck with other ammendments too, but those are the ones they always approve, and might save you a few bucks.

It's definitely a bit overwhelming looking at all the options at the design centre, KBZ! We're still a long way off from deciding on everything we want, which is ok since I don't imagine we'll get our appointment for a number of months anyway. I was told last weekend that we won't be assigned a consultant for a while still.

Oh! And I drove by 'our' neighbourhood this morning... you can already see where our street's going to be!!

_________________
JLB

Chuchmach_Hillsview - My bf and I are first time buyers too. I know exactly how you feel.. I had *A LOT* of anxiety that first week. Once we had the lawyer review it, and all the initial paperwork done, I felt so much better. Now I'm just excited!

For closing costs, here's some numbers to help estimate:
Lawyer fees (usually between $750 and $1000)
Trees/driveway/hookups/etc - $1550
Tarion new home warrenty - $892
Land transfer tax - $2855 (minus $1000 for each first time buyer)
plus property tax
plus HST on the CMHC premium if you mortgage less than 25%

So, I'm going to budget for for $5000-$6000. Which is a bit scary, but overall a good return on investment when you see what homes in Hawthorne Village list for on MLS.

If you use the 'search' function, there are some good threads on closings costs on this board. It's such a great resource!

_________________
JLB

Usually closing cost is approximately 2% of house price excluding CMHC mortgage insurance if you are paying less than 20~25%.

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/moloin/moloin_005.cfm

One good news!!

Mattamy increased the prices of town houses in HVOP.

_________________
KBZ

hey all, chuchmach street home owner too!1 Glad to see so many of them here.
Got a call from DC today morning to collect the booklet.

Thanks everyone for the input and advices. It is not my first home but a first brand new purchase.

There are so many surprises come my way during the purchase. Not looking forward for any more surprises in coming months. The budget is going to go sky high.

Hey Fellow Chuchmachers

Just to touch upon a few items mentioned over the past few threads.

As first time buyers my wife and I had no idea how much the closing costs would be either but our bank, lawyer and friends that have bought similar homes in Hawthorne Village are all talking around $5000.00.

CHUCHMACH_Hillsview, we've been looking into the wooden stair case as well. If I remember correctly, off the top of my head the wood staircase is approximately $3000.00 and stain is about $1000.00 added to that. I would strongly recommend getting the stain done as well. Friends of ours tried to cut costs bu staining the stairs by themselves and it turned into a nightmare. It took way longer than they had anticipated and they had problems evenly applying the stain.

We're taking forever at the DC too! We've been there pretty much every weekend since mid October and all we really have is a tentative tile, counter and cabinet picked out for the kitchen......Still fun though.

One last thought regarding the capping of costs. We're going to be backing on the High Density Residential / Commercial / Office area and thus our back fence will be built for us. I'm pretty sure our lawyer capped that cost for us as well.

Hope that helps.....talk to you all soon!

Ciao!

Vince

Sorry all, I've got an add on thought to the stair staining.

My buddy who I know would not screw me on price owns a hardwood flooring company. We plan on using him to do our flooring throughout the main floor and eventually upstairs as well. I've known the guy all my life and as you can imagine he's giving us a hell of a deal but when it comes to the stairs he's pushing me to have the stairs done by the builder for a number of reasons. Please see below.

1) My buddy tells me he'd probably have to charge me the same amount if not more than the builder. This coming from a good friend of mine who I know would not screw me on price.

2) The stairs will not be "true" hardwood. The existing stairs would be "capped" to look like hardwood stairs. I liken this to laminate floors.

3) The stain could take as long as a week to dry. If the stain is wet on the stairs it can't be walked on and thus you will be sleeping in your living room for a week until your stain drys.

Thats my piece! Ciao!

Vince

We purchased a Hillsview too. I really like the raised breakfast bar. My bf and I decided to go with the alternate layout with the island, but if we had gone with the regular layout we would have upgraded to the raised breakfast bar and added the pantry.

As for the stairs (I have my design book handy), to upgrade to all oak stairs is between $2753 and $4238, and all maple is between $3616 and $5366, depending on the rails and pickets you choose. The cost to stain all-wood stairs is $980 per flight. I agree with Vince - if you want to have wood stairs, it's worth it to order through Mattamy. It's a really difficult and expensive job to do afterwards. Same with the staining. It's a bit overpriced, but a really tough and messy job to do yourself (because Mattamy will varnish the stairs clear if you don't order a stain).

_________________
JLB

Good decision, I think. With the raised bar you sacrifice a tiny bit of counter space, but I really like that it hides the sink / kitchen clutter when you're in the front hall or dining room.

We purchased the first week of Oct, and close Nov 2011. We got called for our design book after just a few weeks. We won't have our 3D kitchen drawings for a while though. Let me know if there's anything else you need a price for until you get your book.

_________________
JLB

chuchmach

I just wanted to clarify. At no time was it my intent to offend anyone. I was merely pointing out that 'chewch" is pronounced the same way as "chooch", the Italian word for idiot or dummy.

Thank you for the information regarding the street name. I was aware that the names were derived from prominent Milton families. I found a thread on the Villager but there was no information on Chuchmach.

I would also like to commend your family on its efforts in battling cancer. I know the horrors of this torturous disease as my family has been affected as well. I too look for ways to participate in raising awareness and funds for cancer research. In fact at the moment I am participating in Movember, an annual event that raises awareness for Prostate Cancer Canada.

Looking forward to becoming a Miltonian,

Vince

JLB

What are the 3D drawing of the kitchen you're talking about? Is there 3D drawings for anything else?

Ciao!

Vince

Vince - Apparently we'll get 3D drawings of our kitchens eventually. They're provided by the kitchen supplier (Cartier in our case), and show the different upgrade packages that are available. It's just the kitchen that has the drawings, but they won't be ready for a while. I ask every time I'm in the design centre.. I'm excited to see them! lol

And no prob, Icey. Great choice on the Westgate.. I love that floor plan! (though we bought a Hillsview) Oh, and I've heard from people that have done it that replacing your counter with granite after closing is an easy job as long as you haven't already done a backsplash.

_________________
JLB