MacKay & McLean provides the professional services of a large Regina law firm, with the intimate attention of a small firm. The legal process can be daunting and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. MacKay & McLean is with you every step of the way.

MacKay &  McLean are TRUSTED REGINA LAWYERS

When looking to buy, sell, or refinance a property, you need to hire somebody who is not a stranger to addressing the real estate needs of individuals and families. 

Canadian Home Prices Could Drop as Much as 5% Due to Coronavirus

Trusted Regina Real Estate Lawyer Robert MacKay shares some insight on the potential future of the Canadian Housing market.

Canadian home prices could fall a “relatively modest” five per cent by July as some owners are forced to sell in the face of the economic hardship brought on by COVID-19, Capital Economics said Monday.

While sales activity and price gains were firm in the first half of March, real estate boards from across the country are reporting a near halt in activity as government shutdowns and physical distancing have people staying home.

As April unfolded, it became innately clear that COVID-19 had already impacted the local housing market, with Toronto home prices declining for the first time in nearly two years.

But the pandemic isn’t just going to have an impact on a local level but on a national level as well, with some experts already predicting that Canadian home prices could fall in the months to come.

Capital Economics said Canada’s house price inflation accelerated to a nearly two-year high in March, but given the disruption already caused by the coronavirus outbreak, prices are set to decrease in the coming months.

Capital Economics senior Canada economist Stephen Brown said April will see “an even steeper fall” in sales activity to a “small fraction of their normal levels.”

“New listings also fell sharply in March, which meant the sales-to-new listing ratio continued to point to strong house price inflation ahead,” said Brown, however, he said 

“given the huge rise in unemployment and the cashflow problems that restrictions on tourism have caused investors in the short-term rental market, it seems likely that there will be some forced sellers in the coming months. Those sellers will inevitably have to accept lower bids from the few people willing to buy in the current environment.”  said Brown.

Last week, the Canadian Real Estate Association reported a 14 per cent drop in sales volume from February to March. New listings were down 12.5 per cent from February, while average prices were flat month-over-month and up 12.5 per cent year-over-year.

That dynamic has Capital Economics “penciling in a relatively modest fall in house prices of five per cent in the coming few months.”

Source: Greg Bonnell - BNN Bloomberg - April 20 2020 - https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/home-prices-could-fall-5-amid-pandemic-capital-economics-1.1424090 
Source: Ainsley Smith - Toronto Storeys - April 20 2020 - https://torontostoreys.com/canada-home-prices-coronavirus-decline/

For more questions and help with any legal property issues consult with our Trusted Regina Real Estate Lawyer Robert MacKay

Dusyk & Barlow is a 100% locally owned Regina Insurance Brokerage providing honest, reliable, and personalized service to all their clients. Their long standing reputation in the community remains strong through maintaining high standards of excellence and ensuring that their clients insurance needs are met.

They are you Trusted Regina insurance experts !

Dusyk & Barlow  - COVID-19 continued service plan for the health and safety of staff and customers

Dear Dusyk & Barlow clients

We have been working diligently to develop plans for our offices in preparation for the potential impacts of COVID-19.  We are constantly referencing and utilizing the information available from World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Canada to create and update these plans as needed.

Using the information currently available, we have implemented various staff safety protocols including:

• requirements that employees remain at home if they or an immediate member of their household are not feeling well and have symptoms of an illness, until the symptoms have passed. 

• those experiencing flu-like symptoms, are required to consult a doctor or call the health line to seek medical care/advice.  

• Staff who are in positions that allow remote work will be able to do so if they find themselves in a quarantine situation that allows for such an option. We are working to ensure we are properly set-up for work from home options.  

• we have implemented a ban on business travel and are encouraging staff to change out of office appointments of more than 10 people, even here in the city, to telephone appointments.

We have ramped up daily office cleaning routines including regularly wiping down and sanitizing workspace and counter areas. 

We encourage both our employees and clients to maintain good health practices including: 

• washing hands properly and regularly; 

• using hand sanitizer whenever possible; 

• maintaining a healthy lifestyle (ex. proper diet, sleep and exercise) to help keep the immune system strong; 

• respecting social distances when appropriate (ex. 2 meter distance; respect choice to not shake hands).

Although we prefer to deal with our clients face-to-face, we are in a business where most of our services can still be effectively provided in a socially distanced fashion such as via telephone or email.  As such, we ask that our clients observe the same protocols we are asking of our staff. For the good of all in the community, we ask that clients please remain home if they, or anyone they have been in close contact with, are experiencing any symptoms listed above.  If those experiencing symptoms do require our services, rest assured we will do so via telephone, email or fax.

We want to protect the health and well-being of our employees and clients and, if need be, will amend plans accordingly by continuing to monitor recommendations through the noted health agencies.

Dusyk & Barlow can be found online here . Read the words of their happy clients on their listing On the Regina Directory they are your TRUSTED REGINA INSURANCE EXPERTS  

Bergens Auto Body is a Regina family collision repair and auto body shop and from the moment you call you will be treated like family! They are proud to have an amazing 80 Years Auto Body Experience, and they have been serving Regina Auto Body needs for over 30 Years....they have a loyal customer base that simply wouldn't think of going anywhere else. Bergens are Regina's best OEM Certified, SGI Accredited Collision repair shop and  Bergen's Auto Body is a Trusted Regina Auto Body Shop.

COVID-19 Continued Service Plan - for the health and safety of staff and customers

Bergens Auto Body is a local family collision repair business and from the moment you walk in the door you will be treated like family! 

They are proud to have an amazing 80 Years Auto Body Experience, and they have been serving Regina Auto Body needs for over 30 Years....they have a loyal customer base that simply wouldn't think of going anywhere else. Bergen's Auto Body are a  Trusted Regina Auto Body Shop, they offer courtesy cars to their clients and they specialize in foreign vehicles. In their latest Trusted Regina Auto Body Tip they share information on paint matching. 

CAN BERGENS AUTO BODY GUARANTEE PAINT MATCHING?

Q: WILL THE PAINT MATCH ON MY VEHICLE AFTER MY AUTO BODY / COLLISION REPAIRS ARE DONE?

So you need to get you car fixed after an accident or collision. A safe repair is most important to the customers of our body shop in Regina, SK   but most consumers of newer vehicles are really concerned that the vehicle gets returned to its factory appearance. There are many techniques we employ to make a color match exactly to the rest of the factory paint on the car, such as blending and tinting. As auto body repair professionals we are faced with many challenges in matching the factory paint, so we thought we would share the process and challenges with you.

First challenge: The Factory Standard

The first challenge is the factory standard. Today, the average paint code has between three to seven alternates that are worth formulating. There is actually more but the auto paint manufacturers have narrowed them to down to keep the databases simple to use.

So why do the car manufacturers have so many variances?

Most manufacturers have three major paint suppliers. The manufacturer decides on a standard color for production and submits a painted sample to their suppliers. The paint manufacturer then produces a formula for the “standard sample” and is allowed a tolerance of plus or minus 5% when they deliver the paint.

Second challenge: Manufacturers geographical variance

The plant in the east coast may be getting a 5% shade greener on a blue metallic standard and the plant in the west coast may be getting a 5% shade violet on the same blue metallic standard. When compared side by side, they look like a completely different colour. This is the reason the paint manufacturers usually have the standard formula followed by two alternates. If the alternates are not available, the painter in the body shop usually mixes the standard formula and tints it accordingly.

The second reason for variances in paint colours is the metallic colour applications. The metallic colours are now classified in 7 categories. Extra fine, fine, medium, medium coarse, coarse, and extra coarse. The metallic colours control the value (lightness and darkness) of the color similar to what white does in a pastel color.

Metallic colors will cause variances in color when applied. Temperature, paint film thickness, flash off time between coats, fluid tip sizes, speed of the spray gun, surface type (Plastic or Metal) and humidity will all cause the color to shift lighter or darker.

The rule of thumb: the longer it takes to dry, the darker the color will change as it dries. This is caused by pigment flotation. The metallic flakes will settle down to the bottom of the paint film and push the pigment up causing the color to shift darker.

Yet despite these challenges, a good auto body painter can match your factory paint, using manufacturers’ paint codes, spray panel testing, and here at Bergens we have decades of good old-fashioned experience. 

So the answer is yes, the paint will match if you are using a reputable body shop like Bergens.

Bergen’s Auto Body & Collision Centre, they treat you like family and that means w work hard to give your vehicles back to you properly and most importantly safely!

Read more of Bergens Auto body Tips:

What options are there for sunroom flooring?

Sunroom & Screen Room Flooring For a Perfect Oasis 

When it comes to installing or refurbishing sunroom flooring, you have a handful of options. Not all sunroom installations will include an option for flooring, so you’ll need to consult a contractor for your flooring needs. If you’re converting a spare room, deck, or porch into a sunroom know that sunrooms are a whole different animal from the rest of your home. Because they are exposed to the elements, albeit gently, as well as to traffic coming from outside, sunroom floors need to be sturdy and fade- and moisture-resistant. Picking out a sunroom flooring type can be challenging, especially if you want to use the room year-round. Floors here need to keep from overheating and burning bare feet when the sun is beating down hard, but they should also absorb some sunlight to warm the room come wintertime.

As with most things, each type of flooring has its advantages and its drawbacks. It’s all about picking the material that will work best for your needs. 

Carpet

If your sunroom also doubles as a playroom for your children, then the carpet might be a good choice. Low-pile is typically best, as it will be easier to clean in a room as busy as this one.  Additionally, carpet offers a wide range of colours and patterns, making it easy to coordinate with your home. 

Tile

Tile is without a doubt one of the most popular choices for sunroom flooring.  Between ceramic, slate, or natural stone, different tiles can completely change the look of this space.  It’s durable, easy to clean and can easily be matched with any existing furniture.  As an added bonus, it can help keep the temperature in a sunroom comfortable during the warmer months.

Hardwood

Another classic choice for a sunroom is hardwood flooring.  With a wide range of choices between species and stains, wood flooring provides warmth underfoot and the home-style look many homeowners seek.

Flooring Tips to Keep in Mind

• Three season rooms generally aren’t insulated, so choose flooring that will help keep the space warm during the winter months as long as possible. 
• Flooring in screen room additions should be durable and be able to withstand the elements since they are exposed to the elements all year round.
• If you install carpet in your sunroom, stick to a thinner pile and make sure your windows have proper UV protection.
• Treat wood flooring with an oil-based stain to prevent sun damage. Many home improvement stores have wide selections of these stains
• Regardless of the option you choose, make sure to clean and maintain your flooring regularly to extend its life and maintain its appearance.