THE future of bome building may well be explained in two words: user friendly. Patrick Simpson developed the concept more than a decade ago, when he designed and developed Telosky Village in Maple Ridge in 1987. It was a housing project recognized as one of the landmarks of innov- ative housing design. Scheduled to open this September, the User Friendly Demonstration Home will reveal how single and multiple unit dwellings can be built to provide a safer, more efficient living environment for every- one, especially seniors and young childrén. Developed to accommo- date the need for more appro- Properiy investment worked From page 55 get a rate of return of around 4%.a year. Alrernatively you could leverage that $25,000 into a purchase of a $100 ,000 rental property and if you realized an annual net profit of 2% or. $2, ,006 on that . property then you would effectively be making 8% on ” your $25,000 investment. In * fact, you can borrow all the Screen “a rental property. investment analysis money to buy a property, investing none of your own, thereby, in a sense, making an infinite rate of return on investment: How do you borrow all the money to buy a proper- ty? Well you can use a bank loan or line of credit for the down payment end take out a mortgage on the invest- - ment property for the rest of ~ the funds. Or alternatively, if you own another property _ Purchase Monthly - Mortgage Price Rent. Payments and you have cnough equity, you can take out a mortgage on that property and use the funds to finance part of all of the investment property. In all chese cases the interest expense qualifies as a tax deduction as long as the money borrowed is used to finance the investment prop- erty. I’m not necessarily rec- ommending that you do this in the current real estate Prop. . Taxes 3 20 ; 815 Profit or (Loss) Month : = 0) priate housing for all user groups, the home will dually address cost effectiveness and comfort using simple and easily integrated design methods and Products. Open for one year, the home will act as a professional for some market. But a lot of people made moncy investing this way in the booming real estate markets of the 1970s and more receatly in the late 1980s and carly 1990s ... So it is food for thought! — Trent Appelbe is a real estitte agent and an econo- mist with Re/Max Crest Realty. He can be. reached at 988-4797 or by e-mail via bis Web site at . Annual —% Loss ($4,772) 3. 3% ph Saas, ie BSR ESS LSSae ($7, 969) 4. a. ern hi — ‘Annual - | ae Friday, October 8, 19997! North Shore News ~ 68 training and public awareness center where guided, interac- tive tours will be offered to the public. The site will also function as a training centre for the Real Estate, Building, and Healthcare industries through the provision of professional tours and workshops, and. is supported by B.C.’s Ministry of Housing, Power Smart, BC Gas, CHBA, the City of Vancouver and the provincial and municipal governments. Through education, these industry professionals will acquire the expertise needed to be better able to advise their clients on how to make informed decisions and alter- nately, build better housing for the marketplace. Here is a short list of user- friendly ideas to think about if you are planning to build anew home: @ Set peep holes at child height. @ Consider kow you will « change the lightbiilbs i in ceiling fixtures Pion j your fireplace hearth to avoid tipping hazard. Bi Allow for @ narural place to rest par arcels and/or groceries as you hunt for your keys or deal with alarm key pads. 08 Don’t forget: to’ pre- sai. where that six foot.lcng’ freezer is going to Se placed. &@ Tlie kitchen island — remov- ing it creates a ‘completely dif ferent’ space. It ‘could. be. a’ : demonstrate user friendliness rity pre-wiring. Even if you don’t want to implement it now, be prepared for the future. @ Provide for emergency light- ing on stairways and in nall- ways. This can be integrated with your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. @ Plan to ren wiring for your stereo system throughout the house. @ Light switches should be easy to use. Lower them from the standard height by six inch- es. 08 Lever action handles should be the choice on absolutely everything from faucets to bed- room doors. ® A incdicine cabinct does not keep things away from children — there is no reason. not to make it at a height that every- one can reach. Keep. prescrip- - tion drugs and other danger- -- ous materials secure someplace * else in your home, Mi Lower thermostats and other heating .and_ air ‘conditioning ~controls,’ alarm keypads - etc. ./ Tip: leave extra wire in the wali : for adjustment over the life of ‘the home. -- - : @ Pre-planning is those lide i items like a. fac ing board in the laundry area. 8 Plan for winter survival items .- cated . walkways’ and/or ~ est “driveways for safe footing; extra... : gudets - to Meat ‘the’ in-car porteble bar on the patio or in eu the family room.” @ You're. surely going to'con- - srol the ‘cable and telephone - pre-wiring. Don’t neglect -” Fetaining control over | the secu-