The Barrie Real Estate Blog

Blog update

2009-11-06T14:59:00.005-05:00

For my most recent posts including audio podcasts and video, visit EYE ON BARRIE REAL ESTATE

Barrie market statistics and insight for buyers sellers and investors plus a timeline of interesting and sometimes entertaining posts accumulated over the years

EYE ON BARRIE REAL ESTATE

A few words on Paint

2009-05-27T12:43:00.002-04:00

Taking a break for a few minutes from painting the basement apartment in the townhouse in preparation for the new tennant moving in in a few days. The old but once trendy burgandy is dissappearing behind a thick coat of primer taking it from the dark funeral parlor feel of the last ten years to a much brighter pastel yellow called "Harvest Wheat". Though the rooms will actually be slightly smaller after the primer and paint are done, they are looking much more spacious as they begin to brighten up.

There are too many colour choices if you ask me, especially if you asked me the question yesterday while I was stairing slightly glazed over at a wall of a hundred thousand or more paint chips with names that do nothing for the male of the species. For nearly 20 minutes I read off an endless collage of odd and edible names like Monroe Bisque, Buttered Ham and Spanish Olive and when the home depot girl asked me "can I help you" I forgot where I was for a second or two and almost ordered drinks.

It amazes me every time though how something as simple and cost effective as a fresh coat of paint can transform a space and bring a room up to date. One other thing I learned some time ago is there is no savings in selecting a cheaper brand of paint, brushes or rollers. You only end up doubling even tripling the labour time and effort for an inferior result. Get a quality brand of paint that is going to do the job well in one thick coat. Check the links below.......Back to work.

Blog Post : Paint by Numbers

Behr Paint

Benjamine Moore Paint

One often overlooked room that could sell your home

2009-05-25T00:35:00.008-04:00

Location , location, location. It might sell the neighbourhood but it wont necessarily sell your Barrie house. Your home needs some assets that will set it apart in its price range and make it stick in the minds of the potential Barrie buyers who will be visiting your and probably a half dozen or so other homes that day. We are taught that certain things will help to sell a home. An updated master bath with a soaker tub, a modern kitchen with higher end appliances and walk in closets are features that along with having your home well staged and clutter free will score it points with buyers who will be filing through to give it the once over.

If making gender specific remarks might get me in trouble then let me apologise here and now, as the rest of this article will be my observations over ten years as a Realtor of men and women and some of their differing home shopping behaviours. The above mentioned details of a home tend to catch the attention of the woman more so than the man in most instances. He is paying as much or more attention to her enthusiasm as to the home and if she is enthusiastic he will smile and follow along knowing her happiness is good for him too. If there is nothing about the home that appeals directly to him rather than saying so he is more likely to encourage the searching to continue and might make a couple “yes but” comments about the existing or potential faults such as the need for a new roof or windows, perhaps the lack of room in the driveway.

If there are at least one or two things about the home he sees that appeal to his testosterone driven needs such as a recroom hideaway, he will quietly continue to nod and smile, envisioning himself in the future picture possibly in front of a 60 inch big screen watching the super bowl half time show. Or maybe its the image of being surrounded by a dozen candles while in the corner soaker tub and Dianna Crawl playing softly in the background. I'd bet on the former to be safe.

There is one room in the house that is usually the last one to visit if at all. The garage. Typically the door is opened for five to ten seconds during a home showing. Everyone peeks in, the light is switched back off and they leave. On the few occasions I have had to show a home with a garage that even Jay Leno might approve of, the response is usually “honey why don't you go check out the bedrooms and those closets again, I’ll be in here” as he steps in and soaks it all in.

The last home like this I sold in 48 hours. It was only a single garage but it was insulated, had bright fluorescent tube lighting, a high wall mount heater and a rubberized painted flat grey floor. Across the back wall were black metal cabinets with stamped and chromed steel doors and a wall to wall work bench below. To finish it off was a beer fridge and a TV on a high wall bracket in the back corner. The owner had spent $500 on the cabinets, $400 on the foam insulation and $40 for the garage floor paint and for under $1000 dollars, turned the garage from a room likely to be overlooked into a big boy’s sanctuary making an older roof and windows things that could be dealt with.

You can spend $4000 or more on a new roof and three times that on new windows as part of your preparing to sell investments. These are all good things to make your home more saleable don’t get me wrong. At the very least you should stage your home and bring the interior finishing's up to date with paint and decent floors. My suggestion is instead of looking on the garage as the place to stack up all of your clutter while the sign is on the lawn, give some serious thought as to whether this might be the one room in your home that could set it apart from the competition and earn you back the expense and effort invested, a few times over.

This funny video emphasizes the point somewhat.

:: Celebrity Real Estate ::

2009-05-21T10:09:00.003-04:00

I just found this voyeuristic site and was disappointed though not surprised to not find my house listed amongst what has to be the biggest list of upper crust movers and shakers homes all gathered into one interactive site.

Some details on the properties and an aerial; shot of each of their humble abodes had me entranced for about 30 minutes last night and I barely made it from a to c. Must run, my gate keeper just called, my personal trainer has arrived.

http://www.celebrityaddressaerial.com/

5 Parkway Place Barrie

2009-05-12T16:24:00.012-04:00

PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP IS REFLECTED IN THIS HOME'S MANY RECENT UPDATES INCLUDING MODERN EAT IN KITCHEN WITH BAMBOO FLOORING, UPDATED BATH, FLOORS, FIXTURES, CUSTOM CROWN MOLDINGS & WINDOW CASINGS. GENEROUS SIZED BEDROOMS, FAMILY/THEATRE ROOM WITH FIREPLACE, VINYL WINDOWS THROUGHOUT. OUTFITTED AND HEATED GARAGE. PEACEFUL YARD WITH PATHWAYS AMONGST TREES AND NATIVE PERENNIAL GARDENS TIERED DECK ACCESSIBLE FROM TWO LEVELS. CLICK ON THE AUDIO LINK BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS GREAT HOME.

OFFERED FOR SALE AT $239900

SOLD

Mike and Shelley look at the Barrie spring 2009 mortgage and real estate market

2009-05-01T23:09:00.006-04:00

The credit crises in the US has opened up some opportunities for home buyers on this side of the border. Listen to what Barrie Mortgage Specialist Shelley Black has to say about financing and the great rates currently available to Barrie and area home buyers.

Barrie School information

2009-04-19T16:16:00.011-04:00

Schools are the number one consideration of Barrie Real Estate buyers with children.

The urban planning behind the City of Barrie has resulted in easy accessibility to schools and other community resources. Most of Barrie's elementary and secondary students live within walking distance of their schools. If you are interested in Barrie Real Estate and have school aged children, take a look at the interactive map and the list of Barrie and area elementary and secondary schools. Public bus services link all areas of Barrie to our Secondary schools and to Georgian College.

Simcoe County District School Board
"The mission of the Simcoe County District School Board, serving diverse growing urban and rural communities in the Huronia and Georgian Bay region, is to ensure students reach their full potential to become responsible and contributing members of an ever-changing global society through quality programs which develop the skills of lifelong learning in a safe, caring environment enhanced by community support"

Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
"We are a dynamic, growing Catholic School Board offering boundless opportunities for personal growth. Our students have the liberty to become life long learners through our commitment to Catholic curriculum rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through respect, dignity and understanding of each individual learning process we inspire our students to evolve into secure, confident and successful young adults"

The map link below will show you proximity of schools to areas of preference in planning your home purchase. Any further information on Barrie's education system I would be happy to provide for you.

Map of Barrie area School locations - (Interactive)

Keeping insects out of your home

2009-04-18T15:03:00.023-04:00

Suddenly it feels like spring in Barrie. The snow is gone, the days are longer. I've seen my first Robins and this morning I saw some lady bugs crawling along the railing of the back deck. I thought the following article written for Food & Home Magazine last year was worth re-post on the blog.

When I was growing up just south of Barrie in an area bordering the woods and surrounded by overgrown fields that would have inspired Mark Twain, bugs were fascinating little critters. We would spend entire summer days discovering and observing them. This was the Serengeti through the eyes of a curious 12 year old boy.

Flash ahead to the present; those woods and fields of south Barrie exist in memory only. Urban expansion has transformed my old stomping grounds into subdivisions and parkettes and if you can find a boy with a stick in his hand there's a good chance it’s attached to a video game console.

As a home owner making my small contribution toward urban sprawl I find I've become a little more territorial against the lowly bug. They were here long before any of us and will no doubt adapt to whatever environment we leave behind for them in time, but once we have staked our claim to a patch of land, there's no room in the plans for multi-legged critters.

Some bite, some sting; they buzz and chirp, burrow and tunnel, mulch and munch with more determination and strategy than a four star general. The best you can do in your war against them is try to eliminate the source of their attraction, secure your perimeter and attempt to eliminate the enemy with repellents and poisons. Allow your defences to weaken and they will be back.

You could easily fill an encyclopaedia on this topic, but for now let’s focus on recognizing and resolving some of the more common household pest problems.

First thing to do is identify and eliminate the potential ingress points bugs like to use. Ripped or missing screens, holes in brick mortar and poorly caulked gaps in window and door frames top the list. Take a close look around the house, and think like a bug. "How am I going to get inside?" A good temporary fix is to loosely stuff steel wool into these spaces which works especially well where wasps or hornets have found entry into walls or overhangs of the house.

To avoid ants keep the kitchen counters and sinks clean and the floors swept. Get some plastic containers for dry foods stored in cupboards. Aside from having the strength equivalent to you or I carrying a Lincoln Navigator on our backs, ants can smell a crumb from across the street and can text message thousands of their friends within seconds once they do.

Cover fruit bowls with plastic wrap to avoid fruit flies, and don’t allow food waste to ripen in the kitchen trash, or before you can say "There's a fly in my potato salad!" you will stumble upon a full blown indoor bug banquet in the trash bin.

Keep outside wood surfaces stained or painted and dry if possible to deter the many wood eating insects common to Ontario. Store fireplace wood outside and away from the house.

Lawns and gardens are home to many pests, although some insects actually contribute to your lawn's and garden’s health. It’s good to know which is which. There is an endless number of products and solutions, many of which are natural, to repel, deter, and/or eliminate common household pests.

Check out the web links below for starters. With a little research you can find tips and solutions that are right for your problems.

http://www.ontarioinsects.org/AboutInsects.htm#insects

http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/garden-pests.html

Barrie area Power of Sale

2009-04-17T23:51:00.010-04:00

A bitter reality of the economic changes we have been going through is the growing number of homes up for sale, repossessed by the lenders and listed under power of sale. At any time in the past ten years the number of power of sale listings registered through the Barrie and District Association of Realtors rarely climbed above three.

As of this afternoon the number of residential properties under power of sale was 42, down slightly from earlier this year. The opportunity for obtaining a property at the lower end of market value or less presents itself as it is in the best financial interest of the lenders in possession to unload the property and eliminate the costs and liabilities associated with having a home sit vacant for a long period of time.

Donald Trump spoke this week on a morning talk show about the opportunities that exist in the current market for those with the cash or leverage to take advantage.

If you would like to be notified of all existing power of sale properties registered through the BDAR as well as be notified instantly by email when new POS properties come onto the market then visit HotBarrieListings.com and enter your personal property preferences and in the comments field indicate “POS properties only”

Is your mortgage due for a tune up?

2009-04-17T18:55:00.016-04:00

How often to Barrie real estate owners think about their mortgage? Do you know your rate? Do you know when your term is up for renewal? Do you know what happens if you don't renew your mortgage? Many Canadians don't. It's no wonder when it comes time to renew a mortgage, many people fall into the auto renewal trap.

An Angus Reid survey, commissioned by ING Direct found that more than a quarter (27%)of Canadians with mortgages that have come up for renewal allowed their mortgages to automatically renew – meaning they didn't perform the same due diligence upon renewal as they did when they first got their mortgage. Letting your mortgage automatically renew often means you missed an opportunity to save money.

The same survey found that 40% of Canadians waited until 30 days or less before their closing date when they first applied or got pre-approved for their mortgage. Exhibiting the same behavior at renewal time leaves little time to exercise your options. Most big banks send out mortgage renewal letters around 30 days before you need to make a decision, which doesn't leave much time to negotiate or shop around for a better rate.

Canada's big banks also typically offer their posted rates to clients upon renewal. Their posted rates are about one per cent higher than what the average Canadian normally gets. On an average $200,000 mortgage with a five year fixed term, amortized over 25 years, a one per cent difference could save you roughly $10,000 in interest over that period (calculated using average current five year fixed rates of 4.24% verses 5.24%).

How to avoid the traps

• Know your options and exercise them. Remember that you are in control of your mortgage at renewal time, not your lender. It's your opportunity to make changes to your mortgage that will save you the most money over the long term.

• Don't wait until the mortgage renewal letter arrives in your mailbox. Pay attention to your mortgage term and when it's coming up for renewal. You can usually check your renewal date online.

• Start shopping around for rates at least 120 days before your mortgage comes up for renewal. Rate guarantees, offered by most banks, mean you will get the bank's lowest rate for a set period of time, usually 90 to 120 days, and if the rates go down during that period, you automatically still get the best rate.

• Savings may be realized in renewing before the end of your mortgage term given the historic lows rates have dropped to of late. Even after a penalty for early renewal some are finding their monthly payments drop by hundreds of dollars, more than making up for any fees imposed. Fees and penalties in most cases are tacked on to the new mortgage requiring no out of pocket expense to the borrower.

Knowing and avoiding these traps will help you take control of your mortgage and save your money. Book an appointment with your Mortgage rep and have them go over your mortgage to find out if you are getting the best deal available to you in the current market.

Preparing your Barrie home to sell

2009-04-15T12:58:00.013-04:00

Barrie has about 2000 homes for sale right now. Imagine standing in a crowd of 2000 people wondering what you could possibly do to stand out from the crowd?

Every seller wants their home to sell fast and fetch top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it isn’t luck or chance that will get your home sold in a market saturated with listed properties. A well thought out plan and some professional know how on sprucing up your home is going to make it stand out from the 8 to 10 other properties a home buyer is likely to view in one weekend afternoon. Here are some good tips and examples of how to prepare a house and turn it into an irresistible and marketable home though the sale of the subject property for $20k over list is wishful thinking today and more reflective of that not long ago boom market.

2009 Canadian Residential Real Estate Market

2009-04-13T14:09:00.011-04:00

CREA President Cal Lindberg speaks on the 2009 Residential Real Estate Market in Canada

Mike's Website Review - How Realtor's Help - Canadian Real Estate Association

2009-04-13T01:27:00.017-04:00

HowRealtorsHelp.ca is a site for home buyers and sellers presented by the Canadian Real Estate Association containing some strait forward information for buyers and sellers. It contains tools for buyers and sellers, checklists for preparing to buy or sell and an interactive game "The Real Estate Challenge" to test your knowledge.

Simcoe County grants for first time home buyers

2009-04-12T15:37:00.014-04:00

The Federal and Provincial governments have provided the County of Simcoe with $1.026 million funding to provide down payment assistance to a minimum of 118 households under the Homeownership component of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program. The funding provides down payment assistance to moderate income individuals and families giving them the opportunity to move from rental accommodation to homeownership.

Applicant Eligibility
To be eligible for down payment assistance, the prospective purchaser must meet the following minimum criteria:
• Minimum age of 18 years with a gross household income below $62,800
• Total assets of the household cannot exceed $20,000
• Be a renter household in the County of Simcoe
• Purchase a sole and principal residence within the County of Simcoe
• Cannot own or have an interest in a house or land
• Be able to secure financing on the property
• Must not owe any social housing provider arrears
• Complete a Homeownership Application and provide all necessary documentation.
Unit Eligibility
• Maximum eligible house price of $208,000, located within Simcoe County
• Down payment assistance will be 5% of the cost of an eligible home under the
program to a maximum of $8,695
• Eligible homes include new or re-sale detached, semi-detached, town (condo and
freehold), stacked homes, row houses or apartment. Applicants purchasing re-sale
homes must provide a copy of a home inspection undertaken at the homeowners

for more information please visit: Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program

RRSP withdraw limit for home purchase raised

2009-04-12T15:26:00.010-04:00

Canada’s Economic Action Plan addresses something myself and members of the Realtor’s Political Action Committee have been pushing government for for a few year now.

The Feds have finally increase the RRSP withdraw amount from $20,000 to $25,000 to purchase a home. Additionally the recent budget adds as much as $750 in tax relief for closing costs.“.The Home Buyers’ Plan introduced by Canada’s government allows first-time home buyers to withdraw from a RRSP to purchase or build a home. Budget 2009 increases the limit to $25,000 from $20,000 for withdrawals after January 27, 2009. As well, first-time home buyers can also benefit from up to $750 in tax relief on closing costs.
For more information please visit: http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/

Can't afford healthy foods? Move to Barrie

2009-04-11T18:06:00.008-04:00

Megan Ogilvie TORONTO STAR Feb 10, 2009
HEALTH REPORTER

Filling your shopping cart with fresh fruits, green veggies and whole grains in Barrie will net you bigger savings than an identical trip through the grocery store in Toronto, St. Catharines or Hamilton.

A new report found "startling discrepancies" in the cost of basic healthy food at grocery stores across Canada – and across the GTA – a sign that healthy eating is out of reach for many Canadians.

More about buying Healthy foods in Barrie

Mike’s website review - SmartMoves.ca

2009-04-11T11:36:00.014-04:00

Every year tens of thousands across Canada undertake an activity that will traumatize most of them. Yes that’s right, moving.

This trauma is greatly reduced when you have an organized plan of attack and a clear strategy. One of the least likely sources for straightforward and nerve calming advice on the topic is Canada Post who have a website that covers pretty much every aspect of the big move from preparation tips and downloadable checklists to completing your change of address and notifying utility and service providers from the comfort of your computer. The site is called Smart Moves and I highly recommend you have a look and add it to your favourite bookmark list.

SmartMoves

:: The Barrie spring Real Estate market

2009-04-07T10:33:00.032-04:00

The weather in the first week of April is as confused as the Robins and those optimistic drivers who took their snow tires off in March.

The Real Estate market has been about as predictable as the weather has been over the past year. Finally the buzz around my office has returned and my cohorts can once again look you strait in the eye without their voices going up two octaves when they reply on being asked "how's things going?"

It is getting busy once again.

Buyers have left the den, seen their shadows, yes and more importantly they are seeing mortgage rates are at record lows and the neighbourhoods are thick with an abundance of listed properties containing anxious vendors waiting for an offer to come to them.
Average prices are down over last spring and this spring's market is the first one in a dozen or so years where the buyer is in control at the negotiating table. (click links below for detailed statistics)

Now is the time to begin the hunt if you are planning a summer time change of address. If you are serious about a move, go to HotBarrieListings.com and start receiving instant updates on newly listed properties that match your custom search criteria.

After a long hibernation I am well rested and ready to help you buy your new home. Give me a call.

MLS® Statistics

Employment Trends

Interest Rate Changes

Consumer Confidence

Migration

:: Barrie Real Estate: 2009 = Buying opportunities ::

2009-01-02T10:23:00.058-05:00

2009 holds opportunity for buyers

If there has been a time over my nine years working as a Realtor where the home buying public has had a financial advantage I can say with absolute certainty it is now and over the course of the next few months.

A snap shot of the Barrie area real estate market and the economy in this first week of 2009 shows us a higher number of greatly reduced property prices than at any time in the past ten years. Many of the homes I see for sale have been listed for months and as shown in the examples below continue to lower their prices every few weeks in the hopes of finding a willing purchaser.
Many are selling out of necessity over choice which for the buyer means their is additional room to negotiate prices down even further than the reduced list prices shown.

The efforts of our government to stimulate the economy has given us greatly reduced lending rates which right now are sitting lower than the average of the past ten years. This translates into lower monthly mortgage payments and a greater portion of your monthly payment going toward the principle that pays down the house.
2008 saw record numbers of resale homes listed for sale in Barrie, lower list vs... sale price ratios and longer list to sell times. Many homes that were pulled from the market in the weeks before Christmas will re-emerge on the market over the next few months in what is traditionally the high volume time of year. In short we are likely to see even greater numbers of homes for sale in the Barrie area between now and the end of spring which will keep the balance of negotiating power in the hands of the buyers.

It is entertaining somehow to watch the hordes who will line up in sub zero temperatures to save $50 to $100 off of a TV or computer component at the Boxing day sales each year or will burn $2 worth of fuel while lined up to save 2 cents per litre on a tank of gas.Right now the real estate climate is such that those people could effectively save themselves many tens of thousands of dollars on a home right now. Translated into bargain hunter lingo; enough coin to buy a new flat screen TV and a few full tanks of gas every year for the next twenty five years if they take advantage of the home buying opportunities available this year.

List price January 2008
$339900
Current list price
$299000

List price June 2008
$349000
Current list price
$299000

List price April 2008

$389900
Current list price
$312000

List price April 2008
$324900
Current list price
$259900

Subscribe to HotBarrieListings.com and be kept up to the minute on new listings. (never a line up)

You will also receive email alerts when prices are reduced on active listings that match your search criteria.

Barrie 2009 Market forecast
Best time to step up during a market correction

:: Divided we fall ::

2008-12-13T12:24:00.018-05:00

To all who work within or are dependent on income from someone employed by the automobile industry in one capacity or another, my sincere sympathies to you and your families on the current state of economic affairs we find ourselves in.

I liked nothing more in better times than hearing news that a plant was expanding or that a new car, truck or parts plant was coming to a town in Ontario or anywhere else for that matter. It signified to me that our economy was healthy and steaming along and people were financially confident enough to be buying new cars and new employment opportunities were being generated as a result.

I would be a hypocrite if I did not express at the same time the equal sympathy due to those in the construction industry. The men and women who surveyed, cleared and graded the land, created the forms and poured the foundations, welded the steel frames and attached the aluminum outer shell. who designed and built the interior framing and installed the electrical, heating and pluming systems, tarred the roof and hung, taped and painted the drywall. Those who fabricated, warehoused and delivered the building materials and anyone else who gave their sweat blood and toil to the construction of those buildings that house the people who work in the automobile industry and who build all of our homes stores aand offices and by their own hands created the skylines of our towns and cities.

Most of the above mentioned workers and many more are feeling the impact to their ability to earn a living from the economic slowdown we are in. Many find themselves having to put off the purchase or lease a new vehicle given the current economy and I know this directly impacts upon the automobile industry. It is a delicate system our economy, much like in nature if one species is negatively affected it is not isolated to them, it spreads throughout the ecosystem.

New construction is down considerably in the past two years which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of layoffs in our construction industry over the past 12 months. Not headline news somehow but significant news to each of these workers and their families none the less. The impact to each of them and their families is as real and as significant as is for the families dependant on the automobile industry for their food and shelter. If the automobile industry and those it employs are worthy of a financial helping hand from the government, in fact from all of us, so then are the construction workers and anyone else who’s livelihood is or will be impacted. The very same economic changes pressuring the automobile industry to adjust its production to pre boom capacities once again are forcing others employed in the province of Ontario to do the same.

I worked in construction for eighteen years prior to becoming a real estate agent. The Sky Dome, Toronto Airport Terminal 2, Scotia Bank Plaza, Metro Convention Centre and Roy Thompson Hall are a few of the projects I was involved with. About this time every year, a week or two before Christmas a job foreman would call the workers together and hand out our pay checks. This was a standard Thursday afternoon routine only you knew that on one of those Thursdays in the few weeks prior to Christmas there was likely a pink slip rendering you unemployed, usually until sometime in March or April. Ask anyone you know within the industry how familiar that sounds. During the recession of the early nineties there were more unemployed than working construction workers in Ontario.

I struggle to see how people working in the automobile industry hold separate status above all skilled workers in Ontario. I do not in any way undervalue what they do, I only point out that what they do and what happens when they are no longer required to do it, is not exclusive to them in this province or anywhere else.

To everyone who gets out of bed and trades a piece of themselves for the food on their table, the roof over their head and the education of their children, union or non union, regardless of your title, I wish you the best of the season and remain hopeful that 2009 will see us moving in the direction of recovery.

Interesting Read: Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life

:: I qualify: Therefore I am ::

2008-12-12T11:50:00.024-05:00

Consumption on a per capita level in the United States and Canada has grown in our lifetimes reaching a point within the last ten years that could be considered glutinous. If nothing else it certainty has proved to be unsustainable as we are witnessing in our economy

You cant just blame consumer society for this. It has been instilled into us from birth through marketing. Our sense of self worth and the value of life in general is dictated to us. From the growing numbers of glossy weekend news paper inserts to magazine, television and radio advertising. Where ever we go, our landscape is overwhelmed by media marketing. I can't even stand at a public urinal, a mans most solitude moment, without being face to face with an ad telling me what I need to do next after I zip up in order to add the value that is missing from my life.

Not only is consumption pushed on us, we are massaged by it and subconsciously forced to compete with ourselves and compare ourselves with our peers by the messages within. We are so inundated with bits and blurbs of what we are missing and what life can be if we choose this or that. It has us blinded to the here and now and has us living in a perpetual state of motion towards some consumer nirvana that lies just out of reach.

You can't be without satellite radio when they offer the first three months free. You can't refute the zero down zero interest for twelve month terms on the new car to replace the perfectly functional three year old car. Especially now that it is dated according to media determined society standards. Your home is incomplete without the don't pay anything till 2009 hot tub you will use only six times a year and even that is incomplete without the time share or cruise package that Marcy and Jim told us about.

I qualify: therefore I am. That should be the catch phrase to symbolize the last decade.

Well the rubber has now met the road and the financial slack with the carrot on the end is being reeled in. There is a contraction taking place and it needed to happen.
What I think is going to and is already happing as a result is reassessment of our material values for many. A new mass mindset where society will dictate less on what I drive, my car works fine thank you very much and I am quite comfortable with my four blade razor, I don't need to move up to the new six blade Gillette decapitator.

I don't need ten more separate twenty nine dollar a year Internet programs and services and that latest terabyte hard drive, though it rolls off the tongue nicely and does get my ram flowing, it really makes no sense when I have barely filled even half of my current hard drive.

I might even start to buy my groceries based on what I can consume thereby throwing out less and reducing the number of condiment jars in my refrigerator by twenty or thirty. I will learn to be content for more than a year with my current television, cell phone and digital camera regardless of the technological advances the next year brings and as hard as it will be, I will come away from Costco having purchased only the items I came for.

People are beginning to take a breath and starting to allow practical logic to govern their purchasing behavior once again. As they do they will find that not only can they manage but they will realize their financial health is stronger than it has ever been. Business is tweaked right now to keep production in pace with the demand of the consumer junkies we have become and the next few years will continue to be a period of adjustment.

It will run contrary to those of us within the Real Estate industries expectations of the past ten years as well, with people learning to value their homes in a manor our parents and grand parents once did as we begin to see a house as more than an investment or financial leverage tool.

People are going to trade up less often as a result but it will also mean that many, many more who are learning to act with more fiscally responsibility and live within their means rather than their credit card limits are soon going to be in a position to buy into the real estate market. Millions who otherwise would never have learned to save a down payment or build a credit rating will become purchasers of real estate over the next few years. I think this will more than compensate.

:: Barrie Real Estate 2009 Market forecast ::

2008-12-07T09:36:00.033-05:00

Discussing the highs and lows of the year as it draws to a close along with preparing plans of action for the next year's market are annual rituals of the Realtor. Another is attempting to forecast the Real Estate market for the coming year in so far as how it will financially enhance or impact on all of us. No one has the crystal ball (snow globe?) that can predict the next year's market with 100 % accuracy but some amongst us are better than others at reading the signs and interpreting the past and present to project on what is to come .

2008 in review
From early in 2008 a suspicion (at least amongst many Realtors) began to manifest itself that home prices which had risen with consistency for each of the previous eight years were beginning to look like they were hitting a plateau.
People moving to Barrie and continuing to work primarily in the GTA have always made up a significant portion of new buyers but prices had increased to a point where in addition to the dramatic increases in gas prices, many of these home buyers were opting to either buy a lesser home or condo within the GTA while others have stayed out of the market completely in 2008.

We also began to see an easing back on price increases for the first time since the early part of the "new millennium". As a result fewer existing home owners were seeing the year over year equity increases that has instilled the confidence in previous years to cash in and buy into a higher priced home now within reach. The trading up buzz was gone and people were instead sitting tight and the lure of the bigger home fell into remission.

Homes typically beyond the average 1st time buyer range ($275,000 and up) were starting to take longer to sell as a result and by early summer record numbers of listings in this price category were accumulating. With this, the shift from a seller controlled market to a buyer controlled market had taken hold. The gap between list price and final sale price on homes over $275000 was growing, further evidence that we were now into a buyer's market.
In spite of the signs, home owners were slow to accept that for the first time in a few years their home did not increase by a five figure amount over last year and in fact may have even decreased some in value over the past 12 months. It was also an adjustment period for many Realtors who got caught up in the whims of ambitious vendors and found themselves saddled with stagnant listings that languished on the market indefinitely only to expire, and often reappear under the banner of another overly anxious Realtor.

One of many examples of market denial amongst sellers this year occurred for me in a listing presentation this spring where a couple insisted on my listing their home for $25,000 more than I had determined it to be worth telling me they had talked to other agents and one of them was willing to list at the price they wanted.

I told them shopping around for a Realtor who agrees to take an over valued listing is much like shopping around for a doctor until you find one who tells you you are at your ideal weight.

It is only in the last quarter of 2008 that the realities of how the overall economy is affecting home values and sales volumes has started to take hold on the majority of Barrie area home owners.
Consumer confidence on the whole went for a slide in 2008 mainly due to uncertainly at a global level in the economy especially during this later half of 2008. We now live in an age of competing 24 hour cable news channels that have created killer bee like colonies of financial experts available to the news networks 24/7. In previous periods of economic challenge, a few minutes of the 30 minute evening news and a blurb in the morning paper kept us as aware as we needed to be on the economy. Today the constant drone of doom and gloom is hard to escape.

The good news is - good news is likely to become a marketable media commodity once again in the new year and the emergence of a fresh (and potentially intelligent) government in the US will certainly account for a major part of that mind shift.The year will finish up with about 400,000 home sales Canada wide (down 15%) and with overall home prices down 3% nationally with a further 2% drop anticipated before prices begin to rebound. In Barrie the impact on price has again been mainly in the over $27500 range with average detached home prices below that mark actually rising slightly over last year.

View Full Album

2009 Predictions

Looking forward to 2009 we should begin to see stability returning to our economy here in Canada while south of the border there are greater depths to climb back from that will take them longer and continue to be reflected in their real estate economy. Demand for homes locally is off though less than in many regions of the country, and certainly not by enough to produce further price drops of any real significance through out the next year, at least not in the first time buyer price range. CMHC does predict that buyers will continue to have the balance of the negotiating strength tipped in their favour for at least the next year.

Anyone selling in 2009 can find comfort in knowing that even with the present economic uncertainty, their property is still likely to sell at a higher price than it would have at any other point in the past 15 years. As for what 2009 means for buyers, you have the negotiating strength and there will continue to be increased inventory to select from as in 2008. The number of good purchasing opportunities is high and betting on the likelihood of bargains similar to stories of buyers grabbing homes in parts of the States for half price is a long shot at best, now or at any time in the future here in Barrie. Barrie will remain one of the Provinces targeted municipalities for growth over the next twenty years.

There is allot of trepidation amongst potential home buyers, uncertain as to if and when to buy and for them I offer this advice; When it becomes clear to the masses that the market is on the rebound there will be a sudden flood of buyers who have been holding back. The ensuing frenzy will quickly shift the negotiating strength back to the seller when that happens. The main thing to consider if buying is in your plans; There wont be a better opportunity within the next five years to buy a home than what next year is going to offer.

;; When should Barrie home buyers step up?

2008-11-24T16:57:00.029-05:00

Buy low, sell high, the universal principle of investment and if it were as simple to implement as it sounds we would all be reaping the rewards.

The real skill is in best determining where the bottom of any market is before it passes by and it takes a few months of steady value increases to know we have hit it. It also lies in having the confidence to step up.

The logic one needs to apply is really no different than that used by a practical shopper in Wal Mart. When an item you have wanted goes on sale you snap it up, you don't shy away from it because the price has dropped. Perhaps if the headlines you've been seeing for the last six months read "Sweater market in trouble" then shopping for sweaters at any price tends to become an unnerving experience. That is exactly what happens in Real Estate and the media hyperbole typically overwhelms the opportunities lying within.

You can wait until the eventual upswing confirms the bottom has come and gone but by then the sense of urgency is returning to the real estate market and the squeamish have become frenzied buyers once again taking to the streets to stake their claims. Vendors quickly become aware that the negotiating control they lacked when prices were stagnant or heading south has now shifted back over to them.

Ok, so where are we now on that curve? Have we hit the bottom yet?

In Ontario and much of Canada over the better part of the last year demands for housing have softened. The biggest factor is the down shift in consumer confidence brought on by what we are seeing in the United States, and to a lesser degree here at home. It is a self fulfilling prophesy. The news tonight interviewed a couple in the mall and asked if they will be spending as much this Christmas. The answer was a resounding "no, the economy is too unstable." Meanwhile they stated their employment situation is unchanged. They and everyone are paying far less for gas and heating fuel than a year ago. Chances are they are in better financial shape all around than last November but the mood has changed.

Responsible spending within our means is taking hold, what will we do? Less spending and less borrowing to spend means fewer goods need to be produced by companies that expanded to accommodate a boom without any thought to it ending at some point. Now companies are downsizing to adjust and unemployment numbers are on the rise. The local widget plant is laying off 200 workers and when we see it on the six o’clock news our consumer confidence drops a little bit more and so on….

At some point when we begin to sense things are stabilizing the media hype shifts to everything is rosy mode. Stories on new and expanding businesses, profit gain and closing bell increases on the stock market get people excited and they start to spend their money and up their visa limits once again. New housing starts increase and we all do our happy dance spending and buying for a few more years. Donald Trump and Warren Buffett probably read Marshal McLuhan's works.

In the US it isn't quite that simple. More than just confidence has shaken their financial foundation. Their experiment with high risk lending has put them into a situation that will take a couple years at least to correct. Hopefully measures will be put in place to assure it can’t happen again, measures like we have here in Canada already that regulate lending practices.

Right now in the Barrie area, home sales are down; the number of active listings continues to accumulate with the inventory of resale home listings at record highs. Residential real estate prices on properties under the $250,000 mark have held their value and for the most part, continued to climb during the past year, all be it at a slower rate than in each of the previous eight years.

The under $250,000 range has been the most active for sales over the past year in the Barrie area. This is the price range most first time home buyers default to where carrying costs remain within range of what they were comfortable with paying in rent. In each of the next few higher $50,000 ranges the percentage of total sales drops lower and the gap between initial asking price and the percentage of initial list price received on sales drops as well the higher you go. A combination of factors is challenging sales in the above $300,000 range, The first and most obvious is higher carrying costs and tighter qualifying requirements. A wave of fiscal and environmental conscience has started to effect the housing industry the same way it has impacted on the auto industry. The Hummer is out, the Prius is in.

During the housing boom we just came through you saw a return to low interest rates that allowed many the opportunity to buy their first home. Builders responded in kind with record numbers of new home starts in most years. Many of these people bought townhouses or lower end homes being what they could afford, then within a year or two these buyers realized their home had appreciated by $25,000 to $50,000 and they now qualified for more and had equity to trade up into a bigger and better home with little perceived impact on their monthly budget. (One more entry level home for the market and the next first time buyer and one more buyer for the higher end market homes being churned out as fast as the land could be cleared.) That cycle has slowed and most who bought their first home in the past couple years are sitting tight and many who bough a higher end home in the last few years are looking to sell and find something more affordable. Those higher end homes are taking longer and longer to sell and are accumulating to record levels in and around Barrie and other Ontario communities.

Homes over $300,000 could drop more in price before we see a levelling off and a climb once again. This could take another year or so. Home buyers whose price range is under $300,000 are less likely to see average prices drop much if at all any time soon. What buyers have in their favour right now is a slower market where the urgency of the seller often translates into substantial dollars saved off the list price through negotiation. (This is where your Realtor proves their worth.)

A home listed for $250,000 today could possibly be had for $235,000 to $240,000, maybe less after some back and forth bargaining. Once the market is in full recovery mode the seller is more likely to guard the list price, confident that demand will bring other buyers willing to pay more.

View Full Album

Questions to ask yourself;

Are homes in the price range I am interested in more like to go up or down over the next year? How much more? Am I going to save anything by waiting a year? Are interest rates more likely to go up or down if I wait a year? Will negotiating strength work for or against me a year from now?

The fact is interest rates are low and pressure will likely take them even lower in the coming months. Negotiating strength still lies with the buyers due to the abundance of active listings and a hesitant buying public most of which to their own disadvantage will not step into the market until it heats up again. It is a good time if you are buying your first home. First time buyers are benefiting well from our current market conditions.

As I said in a previous post. Stop reading the paper and watching CNN and spend some of that time looking at the nice thick catalogue of homes for sale.

:: Barrie Ontario: My Home Town ::

2008-11-22T10:40:00.018-05:00

Written for CBC Radio`s Vinyl Cafe program & featured in Reader's Digest Our Canada magazine march 2009

View Full Album

Barrie is my home town. It’s the town I nervously wandered away from early in the eighties right after high school in pursuit of knowledge and abundant riches laying in wait elsewhere in the world and it is the town I returned to once again some eighteen years later.

I never knew at the time exactly what it was that drew me back to Barrie but in the eight years since returning I have been slowly figuring it out. I quickly learned as most do who come back to their home town years later, that the place I left existed for the most part now, only in my memories and if I had matured during my absence, so then had Barrie.

The woods and fields that border Barrie’s outer most edges were at one time the equivalent of the Serengeti, at least through the curious eyes of a 12 year old boy. Wooded ravines and overgrown fields where we spent most of our endless summer days as children catching frogs and snakes, flicking grasshoppers into spider webs, upsetting ant hills, building precariously placed tree swings and forts from materials absconded from building sites and on at least one occasion in the woods I recall making ourselves physically sick smoking stale cigars my still best friend Stan swiped from his dad’s top dresser drawer. We tried washing away the acrid taste with a concoction of gin, rye whiskey, and various liqueurs poured in presumably undetected amounts into a mason jar from bottles in my mothers liquor stash.

That stage where I played out my childhood has been replaced over time with manicured lawns, paved driveways and in ground pools amongst seemingly endless rows of subdivision homes. The pond that was sacred to us where we once caught turtles and tadpoles in is now a large rectangular cement lined water reservoir surrounded by seven foot high chain length fence and tucked into the back corner of a subdivision of over three hundred homes.

The dance the mind does between past and present is never more energized as it becomes when driving through the stomping grounds of your long ago youth. I can’t possibly be the only one who while waiting for the traffic light to change at Big Bay Point Road and Yonge Street, has squinted for a brief moment in the direction of the Zehrs mega grocery store while mentally envisioning the old farm house and barn that once stood abandoned and alone at this corner against a backdrop of fields line with 100 year old maple and oak trees evenly separated by field stones piled three or four feet high over decades.

The wooded areas along the old creek bed itself still exist and on a revisit a quarter century after my last walk through those woods I was taken aback to see that the well worn paths that are still clearly etched into my memory were now undistinguishable and over grown in contradiction with the reality that the youth population of the area had more than tripled along with the number of schools in the area since I left.

The intrigue of nature to young boys exists no more apparently and if you spot a kid with a stick in his hands today it is more likely to be attached to a video game console in a family room than a tree in the woods. I can not imagine technology has or ever will be able to create a virtual electronic conquest that could replicate the instantaneous adrenaline rush a boy feels on hearing an encroaching freight train whistle while standing at the halfway point across a two hundred foot long, forty foot high trestle such as the one that was part of our extended route home when pop and chips were not staple items in the family kitchen but were the reward at the end of a mile long walk to the store that often filled entire Saturday afternoons for me and my friends.

What has remained unchanged in Barrie is the sense of community that is unfelt in bigger cities I have lived in. I can’t exactly put a finger on it except to call it a spirit that underlies the conversations overheard in our stores, coffee shops and bank lines. It is an intangible energy that gives ease to connecting and conversing with the people around you who you may not exactly know by face or by name. It is much like the connection one experiences while away on vacation on learning the person next to you is from your home town or province. It’s the sense that things we share are more profound than things separating us at any moment. It is also the feeling that events and changes covered in the pages of the local news paper have in part happened to you. A sense of belonging and significance again not available somehow to the masses living in large metropolises that extend beyond their own horizons but unique to cities and towns who’s edges fall within walking distances.

Politically Barrie can best be compared to a teenage boy clumsily adjusting to its ever growing feet and constant need for bigger shoes and longer pants. Growth spurts that have taken Barrie from the town of 36000 I left in 1982 to what I hesitate to call a metropolitan city of just over 130000 today. Those who step up to the municipal task of representing Barrie tend not to be motivated out of personal gain, and typically meet with the challenges of a rapidly rising population and expanding borders with diligence and consideration for Barrie’s roots and the image it presents to all who live within and visit her.

Barrie is a town where you are as apt to run into a past or present NHL hockey player as you are your own neighbours while out buying your groceries and when you do the back and forth conversation flows freely as once again, the Barrie spirit cares not which end of the gene pool you may flow from.

In Barrie we curse the first snowfall then quickly forgive it the very next day for we are at the heart of some of the best skiing, both downhill and cross country and our outlying regions are weaved together by countless numbers of snowmobile trails that can take you hundreds of miles in almost any direction. When Kempenfelt Bay finally freezes up to an adult body weight supporting thickness some time after Christmas, Barrie gains a new back yard and playground for a couple months. A vast plain of white, peppered with hikers, skiers, snowmobilers and hundreds, perhaps thousands of ice fishing huts hunkered together in mini villages, no two alike in design or colour. Like little forts for grown men hiding themselves away for endless hours and giving rise to the expression “Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he’ll sit in a plywood box in the middle of a lake and drink beer all day”.

This same bay plays host spring, summer and early fall to drifting sail boats and the pleasure crafts of the cottagers who line Lake Simcoe or who travel to the lake from the Trent Severn waterway. They move about in every direction leaving crisscrossing wakes and a horizon splashed with coloured sails carving their way through the warm summer wind. Around the bay’s edges, our clean swimmable beaches are busy with sun seekers and splashing children, the waterside paths and parks, active with bikers and bladders runners and walkers, stoopers and scoopers. From May through October hardly a weekend passes without a festival alongside of Barrie’s shoreline offering up the wafting smells and smoky tastes of great outdoor cooked summer foods, live jazz, rock, blues and country music , open air theatre, fireworks, crafts and antique markets. The geography surrounding Barrie provides for some of the finest golfing this country has to offer on dozens of challenging courses. On hot summer nights the downtown stretch of Dunlop Street in Barrie takes on a Mardi Gras like feel as nocturnal pleasure seekers attired to attract move between the clubs and bars filling the summer air with cologne, perfume and pheromones until the early morning hours.

This is Barrie in a nutshell. For me there was never a greater time or place to grow up than Barrie in the seventies and eighties as a tail end baby-boomer kid. Yes much of what I have stated here about Barrie past and present may well describe other similarly sized cities and experiences across Canada but only one holds the distinction of being at the centre of my own universe.

:: Why is Bob Dylan standing in my driveway? ::

2008-11-12T14:33:00.017-05:00

I suppose when the home you live in is the childhood home of someone who went on to achieve celeb status in the world you expect the occasional gawker stopping out front to ponder or snap a picture.

If you are John Kiernan of Winnipeg Manitoba you have grown used to this as his home is the home musician Neil Young lived in as a teen ager. While his father Scott Young was pounding out sports stories to meet his deadlines with the Globe and Mail and Sports Illustrated upstairs Neil was honing his talents and unique vocal styles in the basement with his high school band The Squires.

On Monday John looked out his front window to see a cab in the drive and his wife talking to a couple guys he did not immediately recognize, one of which looked a bit out of place for Winnipeg in November. Decked in designer leather pants and cowboy boots the one guy did start to look familiar as he approached him, then when it hit him, he realized he was face to face standing in his driveway with non other than Bob Dylan.

What does one do? Of course he invited Bob and his manager in to look through the house. “How long do you have for the tour?” Kiernan asked, meaning the tour of the house. Dylan replied: “We’re touring for another two weeks.”

Dylan had many questions, particularly while viewing Neil’s old bedroom now painted pink for Johns 16 year old daughter. “OK, so this was his view, and this was where he listened to his music.” He quipped and he soaked it in.

No doubt as he made his way through the house, Bob Dylan was aware of his own parallel experiences growing up in the same era in Hibbing Minnesota, outside of Duluth and about 350 miles to the south west, sitting in his room, listening to his music, looking out his window.” “He was introspective and thoughtful,” Kiernan said. “He had an interest in music beyond himself.”"

:: C.A.R.E. in Barrie has done us all proud ::

2008-10-29T13:11:00.009-04:00

A couple years ago, Barrie was still very unaware of the intricacies of, and the environmental impacts associated with ethanol production.

A few residents came together on learning of plans to construct an Ethanol Plant inside of Barrie's borders less than one kilometer from schools, parks and residential subdivisions. They brought with them the right mix of foresight concern and civic duty to investigate the dangers in overlapping the buffer zones of ethanol plants and populated regions and they shared their still expanding knowledge and concerns with the people of Barrie.

Along with opening my and many thousands of Barrie residents’ eyes, their shared awareness enlightened Barrie City council, our current MP, a former MPP and our local media while helping to hone the positions and responsibilities of the ministry of the environment.This group’s efforts should go down in the municipal history books as having contributed to saving our city from permanent stigma and a course change that would have stifled our vital tourism industry and stripped Barrie of a proud reputation as being a save clean place to live.

Those few individuals, who rallied volunteers together for a cause and became known as CARE in Barrie, gave us the confidence to believe that yes, you can (and you should) challenge government and big business when the cause is just.

They can hold their heads high and Barrie can be grateful we have such dedicated citizens in our midst.

Barrie Real Estate

2008-10-24T21:30:00.020-04:00

Is now a good time to buy?

I have been telling everyone the best thing that could happen to the real estate market in Canada right now would be for our cable companies to stop carrying CNN. We need a break from the panic mode doom and gloom financial health forecasts of economic prophets lined up around the block at CNN headquarters like it was the tryouts for American Nostradamus. My suggestion, watch a good movie. Back to you Wolfe.

A snap shot of our economy here on this side of the 49th shows inflation has dropped from August to September and continues to ease while some are predicting we are actually heading into a period of deflation. The central bank predicts inflation will hover around 1% for 2009. Gas prices which are at the core of inflation, have dropped from a their summer high of $1.37 just a few weeks ago and are now right around the dollar per litre mark, about where they were just over a year ago. The Canadian dollar has dropped to $0.80 US which should stimulate our export volumes and tempt more American tourists and shoppers to go north once again.

Interest rates keep falling and are still at historical lows right now however lenders have begun tightened the purse strings on higher risk borrowers this year. If your credit is good and the property appraises at or within your purchase price then you should not have problems securing a mortgage.

We are still in a general period of stifled growth economically and likely will remain in that shadow for a while yet due to global economic tension. This climate has caused many to hesitate on buying real estate and allowed listing inventory to accumulate this year to previously unseen levels. This presents opportunity for smart investors and savvy home buyers. Right now there are record numbers of properties listed for sale in and around Barrie.

Many of those sellers have been listed longer than they hoped to be and are looking to negotiate. Some will have found the home they want to buy and made offers conditional on their own sale. The clock on their conditional offer is counting down. This happens more frequently in a slow turnover market. Some are finding they are in deeper than they can or want to handle financially with increased energy costs and wish to downsize or cash out of the market altogether for a while. The problem for those in that situation today is it can take a few more months than they are prepared for to close a sale and this puts pressure on them to take the offer presented to them now over chancing the odds of a better offer down the road.

My advice would be turn off the TV and start watching the real estate papers for some of the deals that are out there.

:: HotBarrieListings Buyers ::

2008-09-15T12:10:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Matt and Jennifer who after a year of being kept up to date with the HotBarrieListings.com service on current listings in the area they wanted to buy stepped up and became first time home buyers! As Hot Barrie Listings buyers they were happy to receive their Costco gift card from me a few days after moving in to their new home. Matt wants to spend the $500 all on steaks for the barbecue and Jennifer is thinking they could use some new kitchen accessories. I'll keep you posted on who wins that contest.

Offset cost of Post secondary Education

2008-08-12T16:49:00.014-04:00

Over the next few weeks students will be returning to school. Our colleges and universities will once again be filled to the max with full and part time students, many of which will be living away from home or traveling a good distance in order to attend the school of their choosing.

The cost of a post secondary education is a heavy hit, even more so when coupled with the high cost of student living accommodations. The monthly rates landlords charge for rental housing in proximity to colleges and Universities is exorbitant as they take full advantage of the great demand and limited supply.

Something I advocate to those faced with the prospects of a son or daughter living away from home in order to go to school is why would you make the choice to pay rent for three, two or even one year when it is possible for your budding scholar to live rent free and to even cover some or all of tuition costs by having the prudence to buy?

Scenario one - renting:
Rental costs in Barrie's Georgian College area for just a room in a house will run about $600 to $800 per month. Over three years that comes to roughly $21000 to $29000 spent just on rent.

Scenario two - Buying:
Go to your bank or mortgage broker and arrange a $10,000 to $20,000 secured line of credit against the family home. Put it down on a 4 bedroom home or town home in proximity to the school they will be attending. At todays prices properties can still be had for $225000 to $250000 in the area of Georgian College.

Rent out three of the rooms to students going to school with your own son or daughter. Have the parents on the lease to better insure rents will be paid.
If you rent three rooms for $600 per month that provides you a gross income of $1800 per month, the proceeds of which can be put towards the monthly mortgage payments. ($230000 minus $10000 down equals a $220000 mortgage. At todays variable rate of 4.75% over 35 years your monthly payments will be $1069.09). With that rental income there is enough cash flow to make mortgage payments with still a few hundred dollars left over each month to cover utility costs. Your own son or daughter lives rent free.

At the end of year three the rental income will have paid out about $8000 in principal on the mortgage, provided you $26,000 in addition to the monthly mortgage payments and when added to the increase in property value over that time, you have built yourself a tidy profit while having the assurance that your son or daughter was living in a good home and benefited from the responsibility you entrusted them with to oversee the property. When they move on from school you have the choice to sell or continue on having an investment property.

If you have sons or daughters who will be entering college or University this advice could be the best financial advice you will hear.

If you want to discuss the possibilities this idea could hold in your particular situation call or email me and together we will determine what works best for your needs.

:: ICE - In case of Emergency ::

2008-08-11T22:01:00.011-04:00

The ICE number campaign is quickly spreading across Canada, the US and many other countries. Many are describing it as a great way for first responders and others to contact family or friends in the event of an emergency. The concept is simple: cell phone users create a new ICE entry in their cell phone address book. The number entered is that of their next-of-kin or friend who should be contacted in the event that the owner is incapacitated.

When a first responder, emergency professional or doctor needs medical information or to contact the family, the idea is to look in the patient's cell phone for the ICE contact. the idea originated in the UK as part of Vodafone's "Life Savers Awards" and was popularized by the recent London terror acts. Given the number of cell phone subscribers and decreasing number of people carrying next-of-kin information on their person, the idea is an interesting one.

The danger is assuming first responders will be taking on this added responsibility.Their primary role is to treat and transport the patient to the hospital safely and efficiently. Once the patient has been stabilized and is en-route the hospital, the ICE number can be sought and dialed. A hospital staff member may also perform this function once the situation is under control and the patient is stable.

The ICE movement is out there and growing.Agree or disagree, it is an effective means to communicate emergency contact information and yet another way modern technology is helping us communicate in times of need.

:: The Barrie Real Estate Report is ready to go ::

2008-07-31T18:53:00.016-04:00

Wow, I have just completed and sent the first monthly addition of my new online news letter, "Barrie Real Estate Report". It has been a few years since I have had a news letter. The last one I had was a lazy ass canned product produced in the U.S. that Realtors bought and had sent it out automatically.

The main problem with that was it was an American product and Canadian home buyers and sellers really don't want to hear about Fanny May or Freddy Mac (unless they are American Idol contestants). How the U.S. market is influencing things north of the border is about as much as people in my area want to know about it. This week I have been working on the contents for a truly local newsletter that is relevant to our community

Into the wee hours of the morning and again for a few hours this afternoon I collected the email addresses of past clients, past contacts, family and friends. I sifted through eight years of completed purchase and sale contracts, my old laptop computer, the IBM Tortoise. that has not been used in at least five years. Surprisingly it fired up, though after a couple minutes there was a smell in the air like someone had stuck a work sock in the toaster. Any where and everywhere I looked for misplaced and forgotten email contact files and in the end I had collected up 996 names and emails!
The next step was to convert all of them into a format that my mail sender program would use and put the finishing touches on issue one of The Barrie Real Estate Report. In one push of a button, off it went in every direction of cyberspace to a computer near you. If there was ever a week in which I wish I had a paid assistant, this was it.
This is a truly local report that will keep everyone up to date on local market conditions and movement, news from or impacting on the Real Estate industry and some good, made in Canada Real Estate advice for buyers, sellers and home owners.

If you would like to add yourself to the mailing list to receive your own monthly copy of The Barrie Real Estate Report just fill out the boxes below and click the button.

First Name:
Last Name:
Email:

:: Kempenfelt Bay is Barrie's most valuable resource ::

2008-07-02T23:22:00.005-04:00

Barrie appears at times to have forgotten its greatest asset is the bay on which it surrounds.

It's why Barrie exists at all and the magnet that draws thousands to its edge to recreate and celebrate each year. Our city officials must never take this for granted for one minute and it should be plainly reflected in each and every decision they make regarding her.

Homes on the bay’s edge trade for five to ten times the premium of their inland equivalents to owners willingly paying three to five times or more in taxes for the unique privilege. The esteemed opportunity to build a commercial project on the few remaining waterside properties in the City of Barrie is no less a unique privilege yet we devalue the opportunity by wholesaling and waiving development charges.

Forgive my ignorance if I say I don’t get it, but might I suggest that the beneficiaries of those millions in forfeited charges that then have to come from the pockets of existing taxpayers at least be required to offset their investment windfall over time through a newly created annual waterfront development surcharge?

Funds collected through such a surcharge could be earmarked for future waterfront projects like keeping our city marina on par with the growing demand these projects bring, creating additional transient boat slips to bring more boaters to our downtown shops and restaurants, building a world-class public pier that could be the pride of Barrie and further put us on the map, creating a skating path along the bay's edge between the Barrie dock and the South-Shore Centre similar to the canal rink that attracts thousands to Ottawa in the winter or just be used to save us the embarrassment of having to abandon our prided heritage symbols Like the Waterfront Steam Engine to museums in other townships rather than showcasing them ourselves as we should because we can’t justify the cost to do so.

:: Shakespeare in the Alley ::

2008-06-04T21:42:00.005-04:00

I am all for the building of a new Performing Arts Centre and I recognise the arts are a valuable component of any community. I still have to ask; why does Barrie City Council believe the Five Points to be a practical place to locate a Performing Arts Centre? Would it not benefit more by being located where there is room for dedicated parking facilities such as the Train Station or Arena sites, or the existing and soon available properties at Vespra and Innisfil Streets?
If we create even more competition for existing downtown parking for businesses that are disadvantaged already by parking limits it is going to hurt not help downtown businesses and probably cause more to move or fold.Seniors and the disabled are being ignored by council with this location choice as many won't be able to walk the one two or even more city blocks to and from their cars to the Five Points.
Doesn’t good City planning dictate that a new Performing Arts Centre should be built with consideration for future expansion as Barrie grows? The Five Points does not offer this potential.
Area businesses will gain far less benefit than anticipated from this as I think many arts related events are held in the evenings. I can’t imagine that retail shopping on Dunlop Street is a priority for arts patrons immediately before an event and certainly not afterwards when they step out onto Dunlop to see the bar crowds have taken control of the street. (There's a tragic comedy for you!)Dunlop Street’s best intended use is still retail and select service related businesses. Barrie should be doing more to encourage reputable businesses to locate down town. Barrie should encourage a market like the Mariposa Market in Orillia to locate at the Five Points. It would set the tone for downtown. We should offer incentives to our areas best existing bakeries, butcher shops, produce markets, delicatessens etc. to lour them to downtown Barrie. We would then begin to see a revitalized downtown that local residents and visitors would choose to shop in and future businesses would be anxious to be a part of. An arts centre is not going to bring even one additional person to downtown Dunlop Street on a Saturday or Sunday morning or afternoon.

:: About HotBarrieListings.com ::

2008-04-20T12:55:00.004-04:00

HotBarrieListings.com was initially set up for my buyer clients to offer a convenient and up to the minute method of obtaining personalized listing updates by email.

In the first six months of providing this online service the demand for local listing information proved far greater than anticipated. Enquiries poured in from far beyond the borders I work within. In 2008, in the first year of operation, I set up just over 2000 customized automatic searches for subscribers to the HotBarrieListings.com service. One or two in fifty proves to be a serious buyer. I need you to help me improve this statistic.

Are you a serious buyer? If so then step out from behind your computer and lets put together a strategy that is going to serve your needs best.

The simplicity and anonymity the system provides is understandably convenient. The only question I ask you to consider when I call is which presents a higher financial outcome potential for you the buyer;

a) dealing directly with the Realtor who represents the owner of a property you are interested in?

b) having a buyer agent represent your needs who’s clear goal is finding you homes to compare then negotiating the best terms, conditions and price on your purchase?

The answer to this question is worth thousands.

Have a look through the rest of my blog. Here you will find some valuable information about the Barrie area and about buying your next home.

:: Barrie Real Estate Investment - Flipping homes for profit ::

2008-03-07T11:04:00.023-05:00

Find an old tired house with multiple layers of separating and peeling wallpaper, simulated wood paneling in the basement, some rusty orange coloured carpeting with a relief pattern in it and a burn mark in the shape of an iron just for character. Throw in a few cracked window panes a matching turquoise tub toilet and sink, peeling roofing shingles, a leaning wood fence and a driveway that has worn itself into two parallel trenches separated by a long stretch of crabgrass and you have what many emerging investor/house flippers would call “opportunity for profit”.

This home is the star of dozens of cable TV shows. The ones where in the first scene some slick entrepreneur in Ray Bans and a pair of unscathed designer work boots struts up from his scotch guarded SUV, Blackberry permanently attached to the side of his head and turn his crew loose to strip, replace and polish the dog on the street house. After some on screen personality conflicts between him and a couple members of the crew, the unmasking of a few unanticipated flaws and a couple Jack Bower like deadline countdowns for theatrical effect, the house is now transformed into a gem that has buyers lining up to submit their offers. As the credits roll, flipper king announces his lovely profit which is equal or better than the average working Joe`s annual salary. Who wouldn’t be tempted by this kind of opportunity?

Unfortunately, would be fix and flippers can be easily seduced by the promise of quick and easy cash. You need also to be prepared to put in some skin and sweat and even take a hit financially if things don’t happen in Hollywood script like fashion. Here are a few common mistakes, hurdles and tips for those who want to try house flipping for themselves.

Understand the reality of this method of earning

While adding value to property can create wealth, it is no ‘get rich quick’ scheme. It still requires time, dedication and effort. The results that you ultimately achieve will reflect on your commitment to these three areas.

Do your Homework before making a financial commitment to any property

90 % of your time is going to be spent on locating and purchasing the property itself. In this instance, your preparation will be research, viewing, negotiating and more research.

Do the work yourself or pay a professional?

Anything you do yourself saves money right? This train of thought is fraught with danger on two levels. Firstly, if the level of workmanship is substandard then this can and will affect your resale price. If you’re no good at it yourself, pay someone who is to do it. Figure out what you are worth per hour to the project (estimated time invested divided into estimated net return) If that figure comes in at $55 per hour and you spend two days painting (my painter works for $13 per hour), where is your true savings?

Have access to the funds to back you

No real value in a potential $50,000 profit if you can’t pay the bills to get there. Have the cash or a substantial line of credit to cover you in unforeseen scenarios that might increase project costs, length of time to sell and additional work needed. Don’t quit your day job after one successful flip. After you see a pattern of success and evidence that this is an ongoing venture that is both enjoyable and profitable - that is the time to consider if a permanent career shift holds merit.

Plan your Exit Strategy

Occasionally, despite your research and planning, the property just does not want to sell in the current market. External influences are beyond your control and will pop up from time to time. Have an exit strategy and you’ll be fine. Don’t take on a project if you cannot afford any unforeseen holding costs. Secondly, there is often financial advantage to holding a good property. If the market doesn’t agree with you at that particular time, then rent it out for twelve months or so.

Check your emotions at the curb

Don’t ever let yourself be ruled by your emotions when buying. You must always allow for buying, selling and closing costs. Where possible, your purchase price must be sufficiently below market value to at least allow for these costs. Even better, the price should be low enough to allow for closing costs plus rehabbing costs.

The following formula will allow you to assess the real purchase cost of a particular home that you may have in mind. Starting with the final selling price, work backwards and deduct selling costs, profit margin, renovation costs and costs associated with buying. This final figure should indicate what you can safely offer for the property. If it looks like a totally unreasonable offer amount either for you or the seller then keep on looking.

How often have you walked into a home and been totally horrified by the décor? Yet this is another common mistake made by renovators. They let their emotions get in the way and decide what is good for them is good for everyone else. Keep It Simple and focus on the “wow” factor. It is no coincidence that a home sells quicker and for a higher price when it possesses strong buyer appeal. You’re here to make money, not win a home decorating award. Give the market what it wants, not what you think it wants!

Don’t over do your renovation

The great temptation of renovating is to do too much. While the “wow” factor is critical, you must keep your emotions out of the equation and strictly adhere to your budget. Nothing goes exactly to plan when renovating, so don’t panic if you exceed your budget by small amounts. Allow for a buffer to cover any surprises (usually 10 to 15 per cent). Always have your costs estimated accurately prior to purchasing a property. Have a building inspection done and make your offer to purchase conditional upon its findings. This will enable you to discover any unforeseen surprises and possibly renegotiate the price should the inspection uncover any major defects - or even walk away.

Understand things can and often do go wrong in the course of buying revamping then selling a home. A little planning goes a long way and can soon put you in the category of the profitable real estate investors in your target market.

:: Hotel proposal is a good but still a half baked vision for Downtown Barrie ::

2008-02-24T12:56:00.035-05:00

With the prime piece of downtown Barrie Real Estate the city has there is an incredible opportunity over the next few years to position Barrie as one of - if not the top waterfront/boater friendly community in all of Ontario while at the same time create an as yet untapped revenue stream and boost tourism numbers beyond what we have seen before.

With a proposed Hotel and convention center providing the perfect catalyst, Barrie could begin to evolve its downtown into a thriving lakeside entertainment and shopping district and become a magnet for unique and stylish boutiques, galleries, craft and antique shops, great markets, cafes and fashionable restaurants where for lease signs, tattoo parlours and pawn shops currently dot its landscape.

There is opportunity for revenue growth that will encourage new cutting edge architecture in hand with the revamping of Barrie’s historic downtown architecture to its past splendour. Dunlop and its neighbouring streets can evolve into vibrant and exciting pedestrian friendly streets that will lure residents and visitors to our core. Yes Barrie has an official plan for its future that intends for much of what I described to take place. Kind of a “build it and they will come “philosophy behind it all which leaves much to chance. The proposed downtown Hotel and convention centre is an “about time” great idea that will attract attention and new revenue to downtown and keep millions of dollars in convention spending from going down the highway to the GTA because we don’t have venues at present with the capacity to hold events bigger than a few hundred people. But this is just one part of what could and should be taking place to provide the foundation for a revitalized down town.

Literally Millions of tourist dollars travel across Lake Simcoe between the Trent and Severn Rivers each year. The upper echelon of North American Society move across our lake in a steady stream from May to October on yachts that are pretty much six and even seven figure floating 5-star hotel suites. Very few of them or any Boaters/cottagers on Lake Simcoe will make the side trip to Barrie because they know the chances of finding temporary or overnight (transient) docking are slim to none and the only semblance of a dining experience apparent when scanning downtown from the lake is Hooters or Burger King. Barrie take note: The Big Bay Point Resort project is going to introduce hundreds of new boating enthusiasts to Lake Simcoe just a fifteen to twenty minute boat ride from downtown Barrie. Along with thousands of existing waterfront property owners, most will take the occasional afternoon or evening cruise past Barrie’s down town, few will think to or have the option to tie up and spend a few hours enjoying Barrie’s down town shopping and dining.

A couple years ago I tried to shake up our last City Council on the idea of expanding Barrie’s downtown marina, especially the public docking facilities into a world class marina facility capable of attracting nautical clientèle from all of Lake Simcoe and the Trent Severn to come and experience Barrie. I got no reply from anyone on Council to my emailed suggestion. A short time later I had the chance to speak with then mayor Rob Hamilton about the idea. He told me Barrie’s marina facilities are adequate. I suggested to him we should make that our official slogan, “Barrie, striving to be adequate”, I got a blank stare in response and he kindly excused himself from our conversation.

The road to adequacy is littered with safe minimalist planning and half baked ideas. If adequate is all Barrie will ever be then we don’t deserve the privilege of being located on one of the best and busiest waterfronts in Ontario. Hopefully the advent of a downtown hotel and convention centre will stimulate the adrenaline of City Council and our Mayor and allow them to see this is the perfect time and opportunity to venture beyond adequacy. I will hold my breath as well to see if good common sense is forthcoming when the Allandale Rail lands are finally sold and developed.

Part of the approval for a Hotel and convention facility that will enjoy and benefit from having the most prime and convenient commercial proximity to our lakefront and marina has to be that they make a direct and ongoing financial investment in our public marina facilities allowing Barrie to build a world class Marina with a generous supply of transient boat slips that will help to make Barrie stand out the way it should.

:: Future Growth Plans for Barrie and The Greater Golden Horseshoe ::

2008-02-13T22:13:00.002-05:00

The future of Real Estate looks busy for Barrie. In June of 2006 the Province of Ontario released a 25 year plan for the direction of future growth for the Greater Golden Horseshoe region which takes in the Barrie area and designates Barrie as a vital component of the plan.

The programs objective is to over see and influence growth and development through official planning and strategic investment by the Province in key areas. The focus is on bolstering communities and revitalizing downtown areas of cities within the region and seeing that residential growth happens in a fashion that best serves future needs while protecting agricultural and green space lands. Click on the link below to view the official Places to Grow Plan.

PLACES TO GROW

:: Barrie Student Banished for sporting Blue Hair ::

2008-01-27T10:48:00.002-05:00

The hope when we send our children to school is that along with academic knowledge they will pick up some vital lessons to prepare them for adult life.

The lessons learned this past week by the students of St. Catherine of Siena School in Barrie could be that political correctness supersedes expression of community or team passion and pride and that you can justify any action, how ever far reaching, so long as you attempt to affiliate peoples worst fears with it, (just ask George W. Bush about that) Thirteen year old Adam Zussino who showed up for class last week with his hair dyed blue as his expression of support for his Barrie Colts PeeWee A Hockey team in their playoff efforts learned quickly that attempting to stand apart from the masses, regardless of how noble your intentions, is often a road paved with resistance from those who are unable to understand or appreciate your enthusiasm.

A 13 year old boy joining a gang and turning to a life of crime as a result of dying his hair blue for his local hockey team seems like a very big stretch of logic, but that was exactly the fear association that justified the orders to him by his school not to return until his hair look like the rest of the students once again. I am reminded of a quote by Nietzsche: "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music". Ironically, once the warmer weather returns, support will likely be granted by many of our schools to hold fund raisers in which swarms of students take over busy intersections to promote student car washes. I have more concern for those unsupervised students being hit by cars than of Adam Zussino leaving school and quitting organized hockey to join with the homeys in the hood.

The fears that the school board is expressing and want us all to embrace is that gangs often have unique hair styles therefore any child with a unique hairdo such as Adam’s could encourage gang activity in the schools. Maybe I just don’t get out enough but the only time I see Blue haired gangs in the Barrie area is around 4:30 in the afternoon at Swiss Chalet or enjoying the early bird special at Golden Griddle.

The school board and this principal have yet to retract their position, however, given the media attention on TV, by Don Cherry and in many Ontario news papers, the lesson they may demonstrate to our impressionable students in the coming week might be; it is ok to reverse your position on something if you think there is even a slight chance to save face with the people of your community.See stories in Toronto Sun >>

Don Cherry's reaction Saturday's story

:: County of Simcoe Offering down Payments to some First Time Home Buyers ::

2008-01-23T20:27:00.001-05:00

Here is an opportunity that will help future Barrie real estate owners to get into the market. The County of Simcoe's Social Housing Department is taking part in the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program's (AHP) Homeownership

program as a way of providing down payment assistance to moderate income individuals and families giving them the opportunity to move from rental accommodation to homeownership.

The AHP has committed $1.026 million to the County of Simcoe.

The Homeownership component of the AHP provides up to 5 per cent in down-payment assistance to 118 households to aid them in purchasing a new house at or below $208,000.

To see if you qualify and to obtain an online application form click the link below:

Homeownership Loan

$ Barrie has 27 new (almost) millionaires $

2008-01-17T18:39:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the 27 employees of Powco Inc. in Barrie and their families who made the drive by school bus to Toronto on Thursday to each collect their $925,925 share of last Wednesdays 25 million dollar 649 prize!!!

Nice to see that many local families get a whole new perspective on finances over night.

$ Buying Barrie area Homes with Mike Montague and HotBarrieListings.com in 2008 just got better $

2008-01-11T09:40:00.001-05:00

HotBarrieListings.com gets dozens of inquiries each week from potential Barrie and area real estate buyers. The site is a favorite of area home hunters who appreciate the instant information pipeline to area listings matching their particular needs and being able to stay as up to date as any Realtor on newly listed properties. Due to the positive feedback last year I am continuing the $500 Costco Card program available to each HotBarrieListings subscriber who buys their next home using me as their buyer agent. Use it to throw a five star house warming party or to buy something special for your new home.

When you are ready to get out looking at homes don't throw darts at the wall, call the Realtor who gives you $500 of Costco fun money to help celebrate your new home.

Subscribe to HotBarrieListings.com >>click here

:: Will unstable Climate of US Real Estate Market affect Canadian Market? ::

2008-01-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

Canada is not linked to US real estate market troubles Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) January 2008

The melt-down of the U.S. real estate market has left many homebuyers wondering if and how it may affect the housing market in Canada. But market analysts say the problems in the U.S. will have little impact on Canadian real estate.

For example, according to a recent House Price Survey report released by Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Canada's resale housing market remained on solid ground during the third quarter as high consumer confidence, strong employment rates and stable interest rates led to robust buyer demand and a rise in house prices. “Much like the Canadian dollar, the Canadian housing market is charting its own course, quite independent from the United States and its currency and housing climate,” said Phil Soper, president and chief executive, Royal LePage Real Estate Services. “The strength of the Canadian dollar, and the fact that the country is adjusting well to its value, will continue to keep interest rates at their existing low-to-moderate levels, boding well for buyers looking to enter the market.”

Statistics Canada also recently reported that the home ownership rate stands at its highest on record. “With the combination of the cost of borrowing money remaining relatively low, the availability of longer mortgage amortization periods, and the fact that Canada's population continues to grow, it is no surprise that more and more people are entering the real estate market,” the report states.

Fundamental differences
The Emerging Trends in Real Estate Report 2008, recently released by U.S.-based Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests the real estate market will remain upbeat in Canada over the coming year. The report is based on interviews with real estate executives in both Canada and the U.S. Some of the reasons why Canada is not expected to experience the same downturn as the U.S. in its real estate markets according to the report include:

Canada benefits from a simpler economy and a more conservative investment environment than the United States, avoiding the consequences of lax underwriting and speculative building.
In Canada, institution-dominated markets appear to be avoiding "transaction mania," but real estate values have reached record highs and a strong economy has accelerated tenant demand for space.
Canadian federal surpluses have given consumers more confidence which has led to increased spending on homes, retail goods and business expansion.
Canada is naturally rich in areas such as energy and resources and benefits from huge global demand, which fuels both the economy and demand for all forms of real estate.
Housing prices continue to skyrocket toward new highs without overdoing mortgage financing.
Canadian metropolitan areas boast below 5% vacancies, and rents have room to push higher. Rental apartments are doing well in major cities with high immigration flows.
Canada's economy continues to be healthy and the soaring dollar brings benefits to importers and any company looking to make capital purchases, which are almost always priced in U.S. dollars.

No sub-prime lending market
Finally, another big difference between the U.S. and Canada has to do with mortgage loans. Unlike the U.S., the Canadian housing market has not been artificially driven by bad lending practices. In the U.S. lenders with liquid assets or investment money were making loans to almost anyone who asked. When U.S. housing prices started to slide and interest rates began to rise, many borrowers ended up in trouble and defaulted which in turn, initiated the credit crunch. However, by June 2007, only 5 per cent of mortgages in Canada were sub-prime as compared to more than 21 per cent of U.S. mortgages. As well, all mortgages in Canada are insured which is not the case in the U.S.

Canada's long-term fundamentals are solid. Canada has a growing population, our energy and commodities are in high demand, and job creation is strong. All of these attributes seem to have created a buffer shielding Canada from some of the problems in the U.S. real estate market.

:: Big Bay Point Resort gets nod from OMB ::

2007-12-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

After over three months of hearings and another month behind closed doors the Ontario Municipal Board has ruled that the Geranium Corporation may proceed with the development of the resort on lands it purchased in the Big Bay Point area that included the existing Big Bay Point Marina.

Environmental impact on Lake Simcoe was a major concern voiced by area residents and appears to be reflected in the design and site plan which has earmarked one third of the property to be zoned environmentally protected. The resort itself is being built to the high environmental standards of LEED, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, says Geranium Corporation. Prior to this fall's provincial elections Premier Dalton McGuinty showed high interest and concern for the preservation of Lake Simcoe and introduced the Lake Simcoe Water Act to establish guidelines that will protect the water and marine life of the lake.

Even after gaining support from the province, the Township of Innisfil and its ratepayers association as well as the County of Simcoe there was still resistance from some local residents.

Geranium will contribute $10 million to extend sewer services from Alcona which will directly benefit 1600 existing home owners who will now have the option to switch from septic tanks. Additionally this project will create construction and long term jobs, new revenues for Innisfil and will stimulate further growth and increased property values in the Big Bay Point and Innisfil area.

To the many who call B.B. Point home and were happy with the way things were I can relate to your feelings. At the very least those who made their concerns known can take credit for ensuring that this project will go forward with the highest consideration for our beautiful Lake Simcoe.

:: PROVINCE EXPANDS LAND TRANSFER TAX REFUND PROGRAM ::

2007-12-15T13:27:00.000-05:00

First-time buyers of resale homes to benefit from new tax measure

Barrie and all Ontario first time home buyers will be pleased that the McGuinty government is giving all first-time homebuyers a break on land transfer tax by proposing to expand the Land Transfer Tax Refund Program to include purchases of resale homes, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced today.

"Expanding this Land Transfer Tax refund is an important part of our government's commitment to helping Ontarians buying their first home," Duncan said.

Effective midnight tonight, first-time buyers of resale homes, as well as newly constructed homes, would be eligible for a refund from the provincial government of up to $2,000 of the Land Transfer Tax paid.

The expanded Land Transfer Tax Refund Program for First-time Homebuyers is part of a package of new tax initiatives announced in the 2007 Fall Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review that would provide $1.4 billion in provincial tax relief for business and people over three years. The government is making strategic investments in people, communities and infrastructure to strengthen Ontario's economic advantage and help manufacturers and other sectors challenged by current economic conditions.

For more information please visit: http://www.gov.on.ca

:: 2008 Barrie and National Real Estate forecast: Existing home sales up - New home sales down ::

2007-11-15T17:13:00.001-05:00

Housing starts in Barrie and across Canada are expected to dip in 2008 (information from Ontario Real Estate Association)

November 12, 2007 — New home construction will drop in 2008 in part due to higher housing prices and mortgage carrying costs. That’s the word from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) fourth quarter Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition report.

Housing starts will reach 227,530 units in 2007, an increase of 0.1 per cent from the 227,395 units in 2006, according to the report. However, in 2008, residential construction will decline to about 214,000 units. Despite this drop, 2008 will mark the seventh consecutive year in which housing starts exceed 200,000 units.

“Continuing high employment levels, income gains and low mortgage rates have been a boon to Canada’s housing markets. Despite this, however, housing starts are expected to decrease in 2008,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC. “The pull back in housing starts next year will be mainly due to the increases in house prices in recent years, which have pushed mortgage carrying costs higher.”

Existing home sales, as measured by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS^®), are poised to experience their best year on record with just over 521,000 units in 2007, a 7.8 per cent increase over 2006. The high level of MLS^® sales will be led by activity in the Prairies. With respect to 2008, the level of MLS^® sales will fall by 3.9 per cent, but will still be slightly over 500,000 units, the second highest on record. Growth in the average MLS^® price will remain high at 10.1 percent in 2007, mainly because of continued strong price pressures in Canada’s western provinces. As most resale markets move toward more balanced conditions, growth in average MLS^® price is forecast to slow to 4.2 percent in 2008.

The Ontario economy is expected to improve slightly heading into 2008. Accordingly, this will help sustain a high level of housing demand across the province. New home construction activity will be moderate between now and the end of 2008. Housing starts are expected to decline from 73,417 units in 2006 to 67,700 units in 2007. For 2008, a slight up-tick to 68,175 units is expected. The average MLS^® price in Ontario will rise by 6.2 per cent in 2007, while 2008 should see a more modest increase of 3.3 percent.

As Canada’s national housing agency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) draws on over 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country.

Provincial Housing Outlook: Total Housing Starts

	2006 Actual	2007 Forecasts	2008 Forecasts
Newfoundland and Labrador	2,234	2,325	2,250
Prince Edward Island	738	680	630
Nova Scotia	4,896	4,700	4,525
New Brunswick	4,085	4,025	3,725
Quebec	47,877	52,400	48,420
Ontario	73,417	67,700	68,175
Manitoba	5,028	5,750	5,600
Saskatchewan	3,715	6,000	5,500
Alberta	48,962	47,750	42,250
British Columbia	36,443	36,200	33,250

:: City of Barrie Housing & Cost of Living Statistics ::

2007-11-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

Housing Costs (June 2007 Estimates)

Housing	Second Quarter 2007	First Quarter 2007	Second Quarter 2006
Detached Bungalow	$252,000	$247,000	$235,000
Executive Detached Two-Storey	$475,000	$485,000	$500,000
Standard Two-Storey	$242,000	$235,000	$230,000
Standard Townhouse	$192,000	$186,000	$182,000
Senior Executive	$817,000	$840,000	$860,000
Standard Condominium	$255,000	$247,000	$240,000
Housing Type	Typical Description
Detached Bungalow	3 Bedroom single storey, 1.5 bathrooms, one car garage, 1,200 sq.ft. structure on a 5,500 sq.ft. lot.
Executive Detached Two Storey	4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, two car garage, 2,000 sq. ft. structure on a 6,500 sq. ft. lot
Standard Two Storey	3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, single garage, 1,500 sq. ft. structure with 3,500 sq. ft. lot.
Standard Townhouse	Condo or Freehold 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom, one car garage, 1,000 sq.ft. of living space.
Senior Executive	4 or 5 bedroom, 3 bath, two car garage, 3,000+ sq.ft. on a 6,750 sq.ft. lot.
Standard Condominium	2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 900 sq. ft. Living space

Housing Prices for Selected Ontario Municipalities

			Standard Two Storey			Standard Town house
Municipality		Apr - Jun 2007		Est. Taxes	Est. Monthly Rent		Apr - Jun 2007	Est. Taxes
	BARRIE	$242,000		-	-		$192,000	-
	Brantford	$214,000		$3,481	$1,300		$137,000	$2,230
	Burlington	$350,000		$3,100	$1,950		$225,000	$2,300
Etobicoke	(North)	$392,000		$2,600	$2,500		$295,000	$2,300
	Georgetown/ Halton Hills	$326,042		$2,400	$1,400		$196,202	$1,700
	Hamilton - Mountain	$290,216		$3,662	-		-	-
	Kitchener	$242,500		$3,750	$1,500		$199,500	$2,950
	Markham	$450,000		4,446	$2,000		$325,000	$3,211
Mississauga	(Meadowvale/Streetsville)	$329,000		$2,500	$1,500		$262,000	$2,100
	North Toronto	$638,500		-	-		$470,000	-
	Oakville	$350,000		-	-		$260,000	-
	Ottawa	$418,000		$4,350	$2,300		$269,000	$3,350
	Richmond Hill	$350,000		$3,000	$1,600		$245,000	$2,600
	St. Catharines	$189,000		-	-		$168,000	-
	Sarnia	$130,000		$2,160	$900		$110,000	$1,782
Scarborough	(West Hill)	$355,000		$2,700	$1,600		$250,000	$1,700

:: Toronto Mayor should hire David Blaine for his revenue task force ::

2007-10-25T18:17:00.000-04:00

Why when the need to find new revenue arises does Toronto City hall feel it necessary to soften or alter the perception of the blow and save some face with its taxpayers through the art of illusion?

Finding a fresh pocket to take the money from does not mask or distract from the reality. If the citizens of Toronto are required to fork over more money to cover its needs then all of the city should pay for those needs, don't put it onto the backs of new home buyers, don't penalize the guy picking up his weekend case of beer at the end of a hard week, every tax payer and service user should pay their share, but only after exhausting all efforts to find efficiencies within the system.

People are not idiots, a dollar from here, a dollar from there and another dollar from around there taken with the other hand is still three dollars. There is a system in place for collecting property taxes, why create additional and redundant revenue collecting bureaucracies that only add to the expense of running the city?

Just remove the bandage in one quick annual property tax yank and then get on with the business of governing the City of Toronto.

:: Penalizing Toronto new home buyers with more new taxes is wrong ::

2007-10-22T12:58:00.000-04:00

Sometime today Toronto residents, specifically all future home buyers should learn if a new and controversial municipal land transfer tax is to be passed in a vote by Toronto City council.

The most recent poll of council members shows 19 of Toronto's 45 councilors in favor of implementing the tax, 21 against it and the balance undecided or at least unwilling to comment on how they will likely vote.

Toronto is looking to new home buyers to alleviate some of it's budget shortfall and the growing deficit plaguing the city but one has to wonder if raising the bar on who qualifies financially to move into the ranks of home ownership won't have unforeseen costs of it's own.

Already considered one of the most expensive places in Canada in which to live, Toronto may face a loss of revenues from many current Toronto taxpayers who will decide moving outside of the city to places such as Barre is the the only option that will make buying a home affordable.

Placing a levy on one specific group to help cover costs for all is in my mind unfair.

Last week Toronto Mayor David Miller appointed a panel of professionals to review the city's spending and advise of any cost cutting measures.

Toronto council should address it's infamous spending problems first and save taxing young families looking for their start in life as a last resort only after cleaning its own house. If the will was there to do so The City of Toronto would find much of the needed revenues already exist.

:: Has Barrie hit a price Ceiling? ::

2007-10-16T09:14:00.000-04:00

There is no denying that Barrie has for some time been considered by many to be a bedroom community to the GTA.

The lure of a smaller, less densely populated community where drive by shootings are the stuff of Hollywood movies and kids can safely walk to school presents a welcome and affordable alternative to Big City living that has added momentum to Barrie's continuing population growth.

Housing demands in the Barrie region have contributed to the increases in housing prices which in under 20 years have more than doubled in the Barrie area. Does the prediction that we may have hit a ceiling on price and are possibly due for a correction in Barrie hold any merit? I can't see how.

Realtors would just as soon not see local real estate price itself out of reach of the average first time buyer or become so inflated that value is no longer a selling point to potential buyer clients champing at the bit at the south end of the 400 highway. Even with increasing prices, proportionately, Barrie will always offer a more affordable option.

Prices will continue to climb in Barrie based on inflation, rising building costs and in reaction to supply and demand but likely not near as dramatically as in the GTA.

The Greenbelt Act and the Places to Grow Act introduced by the Province have dramatically limited the amount of available land for future home building in the Golden Horseshoe.

The demand for residentially zoned raw land which has been high for the past two decades now far outstrips the availability in south central Ontario. This along with a growing population will continue to drive further out of reach the already sky high home prices in the GTA.

The existing population consists of many who will retire over the next ten years, no longer dependent on the city for income, (and no longer in need of their $600,000 appraised homes they paid $60,000 for in 1972) A good portion of this demographic has grown dizzy from circling wall mart parking lots trying to find a spot and will be ready to leave the hustle and bustle behind.

The new City of Toronto Act now gives Toronto's municipal government the authority to impose a range of powers including a controversial but imminent municipal land transfer tax. This is being spear headed by Toronto's mayor and is backed by much of city council.

The net effect is thousands of additional dollars a buyer will need up front when purchasing a home. That increase in expense is going to take away the ability to buy a home in Toronto from a substantial number of residents and drive many more north of the GTA where they can qualify to make their home purchases.

These added expenses and complications to the home buying process for GTA residents are going to feed the northward migration for years to come and will insure that the home you buy in the Barrie area today will continue to appreciate in value.

:: Newer isn't always better ::

2007-10-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

The owners of a home I was showing to buyers this weekend were having a garage sale. I glanced over the tables of chotchsky and assorted household items as we left. They consisted of the usual garage sale fare; a well intended but never used butt master exerciser, a yogurt maker, books and out grown clothes and toys.

A slick looking G.E. coffee percolator at the end of a table caught my attention. Tall sleek and chromed. Looking like new, it was a sharp piece of kitchen appliance up against any modern day made in China plastic knock off.

When I picked it up to scrutinize I couldn’t help but notice its sturdy weight and solid bakelite handle. When I got it home to give it a scrub and polish I noticed on the bottom it said “Made in Barrie Ontario Canada”.

This morning I made a debut pot of coffee. No bleached paper filters, no plastic baskets and reservoirs, just a solid metal urn and a few scoops of Maxwell house. It began to gurgle just seconds after pushing in the plug. Hearing the rhythmic sound of the water and watching it pulse through the clear class knob at the top of the pot took me back in time. Back to a time when products were designed and built to last and there was a good chance it was made in a town you had been to, perhaps by a friend or relative.

As I enjoyed my morning coffee, which tasted incredible by the way, I wondered how the paper cone filter coffee maker came to replace the perfectly good percolator. The only reason I could come up with is the percolator requires no throw away after market products to continue to sell the consumer. No disposable items that will end up in a land fill site along with a billion swiffer wipes, water bottles, mountains of excessive plastic consumer packaging and two short lived made in China black plastic kettles purchased by me within the last year.

:: Bank rate holds steady in September ::

2007-09-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

The Bank of Canada kept its benchmark overnight lending rate steady at 4.5 per cent on September 5th. The trend-setting Bank rate, which is set 0.25 percentage points above the overnight lending rate, remains at 4.75 per cent.

In a marked departure from recent statements made by the Bank in recent months, the announcement included no mention of the need for further interest rate increases to reign in inflation. Instead, the Bank emphasized a marked increase in uncertainty about the prospects for Canadian economic growth.

The Bank indicated that economic growth in the first of the year was stronger than expected, and that “it now appears that the Canadian economy is operating further above its production potential than was estimated in July.” Such statements are normally accompanied by a message that interest rates will need to rise to prevent economic growth from fueling inflation. However, the Bank also identified that spillover from the U.S. sub-prime mortgage market meltdown into the broader financial market “have led to some tightening of credit conditions for Canadian borrowers, which should temper growth in domestic demand.”

The Bank also said that the ongoing adjustment in the U.S. housing sector “could be more severe and spill over to the U.S. economy more broadly.” It also identified “uncertainty about the extent and duration of the tightening of credit conditions in Canada and, hence, about the tempering effect this will have on growth in domestic demand. “

“The decision by the Bank of Canada to hold interest rates steady was widely expected,” said CREA Chief Economist Gregory Klump. “By making no mention of the need for further interest rate increases, the Bank has signaled it will stay on the sidelines until financial market vertigo subsides, and the outlook for economic growth becomes clearer.” The next rate announcement is scheduled for October 16th.

When the Bank decided to raise interest rates steady on September 5th, the advertised conventional five-year conventional mortgage rate stood at 7.24 per cent – up 0.29 per cent over the peak reached last year. Competition among mortgage lenders remains stiff, which continues to help many borrowers negotiate discounts of one per cent or more off advertised rates.

The rise in mortgage interest rates since June likely encouraged many prospective buyers with pre-approved mortgages to get into the market before their lower pre-approved rates expired, and caused resale housing activity to accelerate. Once higher interest rates start to bite, resale housing activity will gradually ease back from the strong pace seen in the first half of the year.”

An increase in interest rates was factored into the CREA MLS® 2007 market forecast issued in August. “Sales broke all previous records in the first half of 2007, which will push annual MLS® home sales activity to new heights this year and reach the second highest level on record next year. Prices are also forecast to continue rising over the next two years,” Klump added. (CREA 05/09/2007)

:: Farmers state "Ethanol Refinery is a Win Win for Barrie" ::

2007-06-14T15:23:00.000-04:00

I fully appreciate the too often unrecognized contribution our local farmers have and continue to make to our community. Given that, I still have to question the statement made by the President of the Simcoe County Corn Producers in a letter to Barrie Mayor Aspden that an Ethanol Refinery would be a "win win situation for the City of Barrie, the local Economy and the environment."

There may be one win and that is the chance that our regional farmers will produce a portion of the corn needed to run an ethanol refinery in Barrie. How big a portion, will likely be influenced by the ability to compete on price with heavily subsidized US corn imported from "Mega" farms that receive two thirds of the multi billions of dollars per year in US federal farm aid. With our rising Canadian dollar that is not likely to drop any time soon, imported US corn gets even cheaper by the day.

In the US Midwest the international demand for ethanol producing corn has been responsible for dramatic shortages and price increases on foods dependent upon many traditional cash crops to produce. Fields that once contributed to food production are now used for more lucrative bio fuel-corn production.

Rail line re construction, more frequent road repair and the effects the odor of fermenting corn will have on tourism plus home and business values, puts the prospect of a financial "win" for the City of Barrie far into the future if ever. Why our previous Mayor welcomed an ethanol plant with disregard for the side effects to his city is baffling. Some say this was a one last gasp attempt by his former worship to kibosh the Park Place development which Borders the former Molson's property to it's south and east.

I have to assume that any farmer who has researched the clearly documented environmental and health risks and concerns associated with ethanol production would have great concerns if an Ethanol refinery was proposed one half mile up wind from where their livestock grazes let alone where their children live, play and go to school.

I respectfully wish all farmers due compensation for the hard work they do but not at the risk to the health and wellbeing of their children and grandchildren who may choose to live in Barrie.

For further information, please visit www.CAREinBarrie.com or call 705-309-2273 (CARE).

:: Park Place in Barrie - The 200 Acre Lifestyle Centre hoping to begin construction this summer ::

2007-06-13T23:39:00.000-04:00

Park Place is a 200-acre mixed-use development planned for the former Molson Park property. Once complete, it will be home to: a prestige business park; medium format retail, one of Canada’s first "lifestyle" centres featuring up-scale retail, exciting restaurants, hotels and entertainment; industrial/manufacturing buildings; and a 20-acre environmentally protected area with walking trails for everyone’s use.

The "lifestyle" centre will be one of the first of its kind in Canada.
The pedestrian-friendly outdoor village will offer residents and tourists an up-scale, attractive venue for shopping, accommodations, dining, leisure and entertainment.
The prestige Business Park will feature office buildings for corporate head offices.
Second floor offices in the village will be highly sought after by doctors and other Barrie professionals.
Space has been dedicated for industrial uses.
Park Place is dedicating approximately 10 per cent of the land (20 acres) to the City of Barrie, so that it can remain an environmentally protected green space, for everyone’s leisure use.

To access video and audio media further detailing Barrie's Park Place project - click here>>>

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Here's an extra Hundred thousand or so to start your retirement with ::

2007-06-13T09:48:00.004-04:00

Front line Baby Boomers must be getting tired of the bombardment of not so subtle reminders that they are edging ever closer to their retirement years. Seems like overnight commercials went from trying to coax them out of that Jell-O tree to trying to woo them into a new side door step in bath tub and a bevy of performance enhancing pills. I know I have endured far more than my fill of TV commercials featuring happy-go-lucky Silver haired couples skipping slow-mo, hand in hand through sun drenched meadows of wild flowers!!! (I needed to vent on that.)
Looking to the future of real estate and how the market will evolve based on demographics and population forecasts - then pro actively positioning yourself for these changes is how some will manage to come out far ahead of others who pay no attention. I came to a realization I must share with you. It is simple yet sound financial reasoning, and those who act will profit by and be grateful for this advice.

At some point in life after the kids have moved out into the world many home owners find stairs becoming more difficult to handle and the desire for a one level lifestyle is more predominate. Statistically that is the point when most make the decision to sell the 3-4 bdrm two story home often to move to a condo or bungalow. That shift is taking place right now at greater numbers than any point in history across North America.
Based on housing demand forecasts, over the next 10 years a bungalow in Ontario (and your market too no doubt) is likely to appreciate as much as 30% to 50% beyond what a two story home equal to it in price today will appreciate over that same time frame, This is the direct result of increasing demands for single level housing, demands that out strip supply. If your scenario fits, apply the appropriate math using your current property value to see what this could mean in potential dollars to you.

Those who have the foresight will sell the two story home and buy the inevitable bungalow now at today's prices. That amount of increase we spoke of over 10 years is then equity earned by you over that time time rather than becoming the additional amount needed to buy later. Money that would likely be taken from your life savings or by borrowing at a time when most are hoping to have more disposable income.

Demand for bungalows is only going to increase as the Boomer generation advances on. Something to think about.

BarrieRealEstateBlog.com HotBarrieListings.com

Clean Air Day Balloon Launch in Barrie

2007-06-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

Barrie Citizens Release 418 Balloons On National Clean Air Day To Protest Highly Controversial Ethanol Refinery

Barrie, June 6, 2007 – To mark National Clean Air Day and in a demonstration of their opposition to an ethanol refinery being located in the middle of their city, Citizens Against Refining Ethanol in Barrie will today release 418 biodegradable balloons into the air to signify the 418 tons of pollutants that would be emitted each year if the Ontario Ministry of the Environment approves the controversial chemical plant.

“The people of Barrie need to understand that they still have time to fight this and let the government know that the middle of the city is definitely the wrong location for Canada’s largest ethanol refinery,” said Warren Patterson, the owner of Botanix Garden Centre. “We have reviewed their submission to the Ministry of the Environment and what is under consideration is giving this start-up company approval to dump 418 tons of pollutants in the air of this community,” he said.

Concerned citizens have formed a group called Citizens Against Refining Ethanol in Barrie (CARE in Barrie) to help inform local residents and decision makers that the proposal to locate a 400 million litre ethanol refinery in the middle of a growing city of almost 130,000 makes no sense. “These facilities are classified chemical plants and there are reasons why almost all of the 120 or so of these refineries in North America have located in sparsely populated areas,” said local REALTOR^® Carl Rabinowitz. “As you look at the 418 balloons floating into the sky you begin to get a sense of how enormous this issue is for the future of Barrie,” he said.

All that stands in the way of 418 tons of pollutants being released into the community, thousands of rail cars shunting through an old spur line in a residential area and thousands more trucks delivering corn, gasoline and ethanol is approvals by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the City of Barrie. “The people of Barrie need to let the government know that tearing down the old brewery and replacing it with a chemical plant to employ 40 or 50 people on prime real estate in the middle of our city is an outdated economic development strategy from decades ago,” said Sonya Anderson, a local resident and mother of two. “This is the fastest growing city in Ontario, and this refinery could impact the quality of life experienced by tens of thousands of local residents well into the future. This is the wrong location,” said Anderson.

For further information, please visit www.CAREinBarrie.com or call 705-309-2273 (CARE).

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Revolutionary new device saves on home Energy ::

2007-05-13T13:22:00.000-04:00

Being, or at least appearing to be environmentally conscious has taken hold in Canada and the US. It is inevitable that once you have a mindset shared by a significant number of people, politicians begin to take notice and of course being the capitalist society that we are, so does the business community. An entire industry is emerging, catering to the growing masses who are more likely to hug than cut down the hundred foot Oak leaning precariously over the kids bedrooms.

I am all for any efforts that result in the reduction of damage we are doing to the planet though I am often frustrated by the approaches and attitudes taken by many who purport themselves to be the new caretakers of mother earth.

The glass half full result of high gas prices is increased demand for more energy efficient and alternate sources of transportation. My car gets good gas mileage. I am not ready to stuff my 6'4" carcass in to a smart car that looks like it came from a Kinder egg but I am making efforts in other areas.

The energy efficient fluorescents light bulb will soon completely replace the incandescent bulb. I am just waiting for environmentalists or someone in a position of power to come to the realization that "hey, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury." That mercury turns to carcinogenic dust for us to breath when we break one on the kitchen floor and at some point millions upon millions of them will be spent and making their way into our landfill. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

I have wandered here. What I really wanted to do in this post was point out that in one hour a typical clothes dryer will negate the energy savings gained from using 20 energy/flourescent bulbs 24/7 for an entire month. One of the best energy efficient devices man invented hundreds of years ago and it has been cast aside for the sake of perceived style. The clothes line.

Many residential areas have restrictive covenants banning the use of clothes lines. These were put in place back in the day when people were more concerned with seeing Mrs. Jones bloomers on the line than they were with pollution or energy prices. Most of these rulings are still on the books today though most people are unaware.

Some might respond here by saying "I'm not hanging my clothes out in that dirty air". Guess what?, that air is cleaner now than it was 60 years ago when most of us were burning leaded fuel and many were burning their garbage and heating their homes with coal and oil. The bigger difference today is our pollution covers a much greater portion of the planet, including the polar regions.

What is wrong with using a clothes line? It has a Norman Rockwell kind of aura to it and if millions of Americans and Canadians were to use one for at least part of the year, think of the savings to our pockets and to our environment.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Don't go home hunting without the "bear" necessities ::

2007-05-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

A rule of thumb that buyers and Realtors should treat more as the first golden rule of Real Estate purchasing is shop for your mortgage before you begin to shop for a home. Yes do some online research, check the weekend listings in the paper and even visit a couple open houses to establish what it is you want from a home and what price range your preferred home is going to fall within.

Beyond that, home hunting without first obtaining mortgage approval is akin to going bear hunting without checking first to see if you bothered to bring any bullets. Once face to face, “pretty sure” is the wrong answer.

Pre approved and pre qualified are not the same thing. Again using the bear analogy the pre qualified hunter has been told by a third party that he is most likely carrying bullets because he is in the woods and he has a gun. The pre approved hunter has had the gun tested, bullets counted and both barrels loaded.

A written pre approval for a home mortgage gives you concise knowledge of the price range of homes you should be looking within whereas the pre qualification is handed out without verification of your credit or income and is of no real worth. No sense in falling in love with the perfect home only to learn you are a few thousand dollars shy of putting your name on the mail box. (Visit http://www.OntarioMortgageTeam.com for some sound mortgage advice)

A pre approval from a certified lender will typically be valid for a 60 to 90 day period during which time you should consider that any credit purchases you make will change these results. (Resist the urge to go out and buy the new car or 60” Plasma TV until after your closing date)

Consider as well that should you come into competition with another buyer when making an offer on a home, the offer that is less likely to be conditional upon the buyer arranging a mortgage can carry added weight.

The next course of action is to team up with a Realtor who has given you good reason to believe they know the market you are interested in and find out if they position themselves as a buyers agent or as a sellers agent.

The agent with a full catalogue of listings in the papers each weekend is less likely to have or be willing to invest their own time to go out and view 30 homes over three consecutive weekends with potential buyers whereas the agent who focuses their efforts on buyers is more likely to adapt to your schedule rather than burden your efforts with their tight schedule.

Listing agents are paid a fee (commission) and in turn pay the buyers agent who brings a purchaser for their listing. The loyalty of the listing agent is to the vendor and their first order of business is to get the house sold and get the highest possible price in doing so.

The buyer is not required to pay added fees to the buyers agent and it is the job of the buyer's agent to negotiate the terms and price their buyer expects or move on to the next home that meets with the buyer's needs.

As a buyer, going it alone and without a mortgage pre approval makes absolutely no rational or financial sense given this knowledge and the competitive nature of real estate sales in Ontario.

Visit www.hotbarrielistings.com to begin your home hunting journey

gimmeshelter.ca BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: First quarter Canadian Home sales highest on record for MLS® ::

2007-04-26T08:43:00.000-04:00

National resale housing activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) reached the highest level of any quarter on record in the first quarter of 2007, according to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association. While resale housing markets in the United States have been weakening, Canadian markets are following a different trend and remain on solid ground.

A seasonally adjusted* total of 129,219 homes were sold through using the Multiple Listing Service® in all reporting markets in Canada in the first quarter of 2007. This is an increase of 2.9 per cent over the previous quarterly record, which was set in the third quarter of 2005. Led by strong gains in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Québec, sales activity was up by 6.9 per cent over levels recorded in the fourth quarter of last year.

New quarterly records for activity were set in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Québec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Sales activity also reached the second highest quarterly level on record in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Sales remained strong throughout the first quarter, but momentum showed tentative signs of easing as the quarter progressed.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, some 42,836 homes traded hands via the Board and Association MLS® systems in March 2007. This represents the third highest monthly level on record, and was down just 0.4 per cent from February 2007. March 2007 activity also came in just 1.3 per cent below the record set in January 2007. By contrast to the national trend, sales activity in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador set new monthly records in March.

Seasonally adjusted new residential listings on MLS® numbered 204,270 units in the first quarter of 2007 – the second highest level for any quarter on record. This represents an increase of 1.2 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2006 and was just 0.3 per cent below the highest quarterly level on record, which was reached in the third quarter of 2006. New listings reached the highest quarterly level on record in Alberta in the first quarter of 2007.

Seasonally adjusted new listings numbered 68,800 in March. This is an increase of 3.0 per cent from 66,811 units listed in February, and the second highest level for new listings for any month on record.

The quarterly increase in new listings was unable to keep pace with the rise in sales activity, so market conditions became tighter in the first quarter of 2007. This caused the national MLS® residential average price to rise more quickly. Average price climbed by 10.0 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2007 on a national basis, and set new quarterly records in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

The value of seasonally adjusted sales activity reached $38.1 billion in the first quarter of 2007 – an increase of 10.8 per cent from the previous quarter and the highest level of any quarter on record. This was the largest quarter-over-quarter gain in MLS® residential dollar volume in 3.5 years. New quarterly records for dollar volume were also set in every province.

On a monthly basis, seasonally adjusted dollar volume was valued at $12.7 billion in March, down just 0.1 per cent from the record reached in February 2007.

“The resale housing market remains remarkably strong throughout Canada,” said CREA Chief Economist Gregory Klump. “Tight markets make for sizable price gains, and the resale housing market is no exception. Sellers’ markets are tightest and price gains are loftiest in Western Canada. In keeping with that trend, CREA forecasts that price increases this year and next will be biggest in the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia.”

“The federal government recently raised the loan-to-value ratio requiring mortgage default insurance for the first time in 40 years, and now Canadians with a minimum 20 per cent down payment will be able to obtain a mortgage without paying the insurance,” said Ann Bosley, President of The Canadian Real Estate Association. The minimum down payment requirement was 25 per cent before April 20th.

“Rising home prices has had an impact on the ability of some Canadian consumers to save for a down payment on a home, and this change will make it easier for some home buyers to access home ownership. It will also ensure those consumers with smaller down payments will require the mortgage default insurance for a shorter period of time, which will add up to considerable savings in the long run,” said Bosley.

“A market adjustment for the maximum amount consumers can withdraw from their RRSP for a down payment under Home Buyers’ Plan is another change the federal government could make that would be beneficial to first-time home buyers,” added Bosley. “The current limit of $20,000 per individual has not been adjusted since the Home Buyers’ Plan was established in 1992, even though home prices and inflation have increased substantially since that time.” (CREA 25/04/2007)

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Single women represent a significant and growing portion of Canadian home buyers ::

2007-04-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

Although traditionally considered less inclined to buy homes than other demographics, single women of all ages are continuing to knock down barriers by purchasing real estate and tackling home repairs in droves.

According to a Female Buyers Report, 30% of single, never-before married women own their own home. For divorced or separated women that proportion is 45%, and for widowed women it’s 64%.

Poll results found that of the single, never-before married women who are not yet homeowners, 31% say they will potentially purchase their next home within three years. More than half (56%) of women who intend to purchase in the next three years are shopping for a property in the $150,000 to $350,000 price range, while 10% have slightly fatter pocket books and are looking for a property priced above $350,000.

Women today are earning higher salaries than ever before, and are much more financially independent than has been the case in the past. So it’s not surprising that women are distancing themselves from traditional patterns, like looking for a man to buy a home with, and are not intimidated by the home buying process. Of the women polled who intend to purchase a home in the next three years, 56% are willing to participate in bidding wars, in comparison to only 49% of men.

What’s more, the survey found that, of women intending to buy in the next three years, 25% said they are looking to purchase a ‘fixer-upper’ and plan to renovate it themselves. Only 9% intend to hire a contractor. Research shows that women in Toronto, Halifax and Regina are the most likely to undertake renovations.

According to the survey, the biggest factor driving women to buy homes is that it makes more sense to them than renting. Of women who own a home, 36% gave that as the reason they bought property. Other important factors include making a good investment, cited by 22% of female homeowners surveyed, and pride of ownership, cited by 13%. Simply put, women today are more financially astute than previous generations, and appreciate real estate as a long-term investment.

Women are eagerly learning all they can about real estate. When asked, “What methods will you use to educate yourself about home purchasing?” the top three responses were speaking with a real estate agent (83%), speaking with friends and relatives (78%) and using real estate and financial websites (64%).

The survey also found that 34% of women would forego a wedding reception in order to put a larger down payment on a house, as would 27% of men. Women and men are both moving away from tradition, as a 2004 survey found only 30% of women and 15% of men likely to forego a wedding reception in order to invest in a home. (CREA 17/04/07)

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Barrie Town Houses - A good first step ::

2007-03-28T13:53:00.002-04:00

It makes good financial sense for first time buyers to consider a town home as the first home they own.

As average home prices in Ontario increase the percentage of first time home buyers who financially qualify to purchase a detached home in good liveable condition decreases leaving townhouses and condos as the feasible option for those who want to enter into home ownership.

On the plus side, a townhouse typically requires less maintenance cost and effort, less energy to run and taxes take a smaller chunk out of the wallet than a detached home of equal square footage. Be prepared to lay out a minimum of $50,000 more for a detached home as well.

Homes above the $300,000 mark in the current Barrie market are taking longer to sell and owners are experiencing a growing discrepancy between list price, and the eventual sale price. Townhouses on the other hand are continuing to increase in value and in demand.

Town home values should continue along this trend for some time and it’s a safe bet that a town home purchased in Barrie today will witness higher percentage value increases in each of the next few years than homes in the higher end of the price range in Barrie.

That equity gain puts you in better stead with lenders down the road when the time is right to trade up to a bigger home. Realizing the dream of being able to own and comfortably carry the perfect home is a more likely possibility for those who recognize the steps to get there.

Many who skip those steps find the dream short lived when they have left themselves no financial buffer zone to ride out economic fluctuation. The first step is to get into the market today at a price that doesn't put you in a financial strait jacket and let that investment move you closer to the home you really see yourself in.

Barrie has a large assortment of townhouse developments dispersed throughout town.

If you want to learn more about Barrie Town homes and or receive updates on townhouses for sale in Barrie, give me a call I’d be glad to help you out.

HotBarrieListings.com

BarrieHomeworth.com

:: Driving in Barrie takes some getting used to ::

2007-03-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

I think the Barrie vs. Toronto theme in my last post carries over into this one. I just came in from running around every corner of Barrie this afternoon and what I notice is not only are the roads just a little bit busier in town on the weekend, the driving style tends to be a little more aggressive as well. I think much of the extra weekend volume can be attributed to commuters who make their way to Toronto Monday to Friday and today they are out doing their weekend routines.
To them I want to offer some encouraging words.

Relax, that light that is turning orange a hundred yards up ahead will be green again in about a minute and a half, hit the peddle on the left. I know you watched the light turn red then green then red again and again before you got through on Friday but that was at Bloor and Bathurst and there were twenty cars between you and the clogged intersection.
It's not the winning 6/49 ticket, it's just a Wal/Mart parking space!, you won't run out of gas looking for the next one like that time at Fairview mall, there are dozens more spots just like it in the next two isles. Save your horn for parade day.
That person driving 40km/hour ahead of you likely knows something you don't about the latest speed trap locations in town. I know. scared turtles can bolt for short distances at a faster pace than the community safety zone speed but take a breather and back off the bumper a bit. I'll bet you are less than ten minutes from your destination just like everyone else on the road in town right now, you spent more time at that intersection on Friday remember?
You and I both know you have just enough time to make that left before that oncoming car hits you, you see that kind of physics in action every week day south of Hwy 7. but there's a pretty good chance the guy coming home from the curling rink in the other direction isn't as confident as you and might just spill his fresh Tim Horton's coffee in his lap out of shock.
Careful on your choice of hand gestures, the middle finger pointed strait up is the signal for geese overhead to some local hunters. He needs to be focused on the road ahead, not gazing skyward for V formations of waterfowl. A simple wave or nod is the best and safest form of communication between Barrie drivers.

Relax, enjoy the weekend, it's one of the reasons you moved to Barrie to begin with remember? Before you know it, it will be Monday all over again.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Barrie vs. Toronto ::

2007-03-22T00:19:00.000-04:00

Barrie, a city of just over 125000 people situated around a clean swim-able bay just under 60 minutes north of Toronto and within 20 minutes of dozens of golf courses, ski hills and parks has long been a popular lifestyle alternative for Toronto residents who wish to escape the smog, crime and congestion that is part and parcel with a metropolis of over 3 million people. It comes at a price though, an affordable price.

Have a look at these pictures of listings in Barrie available for sale on this day and priced between $200k and $210k. When you're done, click on the link to a story in the Toronto Star a friend emailed to me from his 18th floor perch overlooking the concrete and flashing lights of Hog Town this morning.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/194213

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Barrie News -Barrie one of two best investment regions in Canada ::

2007-03-17T15:21:00.000-04:00

More and more experts point to the Barrie area as being a region of Canada most likely to see a prosperous future ahead of it. Here are some stories I read this week in the news that support this prediction.

:: Ontario is best place to invest
Rakshande Italia, National Post
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Even as Alberta leads Canada's growth, analysts predict that Ontario is the place for long-term investment, with its up-and-coming cities predicted to break real estate records.
"If I were to invest in the country, I'd say Barrie and the Kitchener- Waterloo region would be my two top choices," said Don R. Campbell, president of the Real Estate Investment Network and author of several books.
Mr. Campbell, who has studied Canadian markets for 15 years, said, "There is a short term slowdown in the [Ontario] economy but the fundamentals are strong and investors should invest today so they can benefit from good returns in 2008." click to continue

:: Families flock ever faster to vital cities on the edge
DAWN WALTON , RACHEL DE LAZZER and JAMES RUSK
Click to continue

:: Growth figures released by nation's number crunchers
Author: Julie DeBruin
Date: Mar 13, 2007

Barrie still has what it takes to bring in new residents, lots of them.
In fact, according to the latest Statistics Canada numbers released Tuesday, the city and its immediate surrounding area are the fastest growing click to continue

:: Canadian census sees cities surging
TENILLE BONOGUORE
Globe and Mail Update

Canadians are officially city folk, with four out of five people living in urban centres.
The first data from the 2006 Census puts Canada's national population at 31.6 million, a rise of 5.4 per cent since the 2001 census.
And most people are living in a metropolis. click to continue

:: Fear of Commitment leads to weak relationships ::

2007-03-12T22:49:00.000-04:00

Am I now giving couples advice on my Real Estate blog?

No, but I got your attention didn't I?

This post is directed at the thousands of people who will
be retaining the services of a Realtor to purchase a house this year.

Get a Buyer Agency Agreement Signed at the earliest opportunity!

What is the benefit to a buyer?

Well consider this. Suppose you walked into a busy TV store and like the dozens of others that day, when asked "Can I help you?" You reply "I'm just looking thanks"

The sales person will offer a few words on what you are looking at, become distracted by the next person to walk in the door and leave you to figure out the difference between digital ready and high def all by your self.

Imagine if you told that same sales rep who asks if you need help "Yes I want to know everything you can tell me about your Plasma TVs, and before I leave I am going to buy one and I am going to buy it from you".

That sales rep is going to trip over him or herself to provide you service and not likely even notice the other customers coming into the store. He/she is going to give you the information you need to make an informed decision and likely be more receptive when you try to negotiate the price that you want to pay.

In Real Estate, agents deal daily with inquiries from potential home buyers by email, by telephone, from people walking into the office or coming into an open house. The good agents treat everyone as a potential client even though most have a contact manager list as long as their arm of potential buyers with question marks beside their name that they cant bring them self to remove from the list, just in-case.

The reality is many buyers will jump around from agent to agent until they are ready to make an offer on a property. Most agents will try to divide their time and efforts evenly amongst the more recent of "potential buyers" on the list.

If you find an agent who has earned your trust why not tell them you want to sign an agency agreement and work exclusively with them?

How will this benefit you?

You have effectively told the Realtor "I am serious about buying and any time effort and expense you commit to me should eventually result in a home purchase".

You have just separated yourself from 99.9% of the other people who are vying for time with a Realtor and he/she is going to go out of their way to accommodate your needs, your schedule, and provide you all the information you need to make an informed decision and insure a smooth and rewarding purchase.

By blending with the masses and not forming a good business relationship with one Realtor or by waiting until you think you have found a home you want to put an offer on to settle on a Realtor, you only deny yourself the advantage of having the knowledge and input of a professional negotiator and facilitator on your team who may end up saving you thousands of dollars.

Someone who knows the ropes and the neighborhood, who can provide you with timely information on market conditions, all listings and their sales history and often give you a heads up on homes that are not even listed yet.

Buying a home is the biggest financial decision in most peoples lives. Make a sound business decision and commit to using the services of one Realtor from the start of your home buying journey.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden calls for Action ::

2007-03-03T11:23:00.000-05:00

The Inter-Governmental Action Plan (IGAP) is a study developed by a think tank formed in 2004 and made up of municipal and regional representatives from within Simcoe County along with representatives from the Province.

This group was set up to study and develop a growth/action plan for the area that will best accomodate the inevitable urban growth the region will see over the coming years. Consideration for density management, infrastructure requirements and ecological impact are the cornerstones of the study.

As far as Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden is concerned, enough study has been done and what is needed now is action. He believes that conclusions have been drawn and any further study will only rehash that which we know and at further expense to the taxpayers.

Mayor Aspen agrees with many of the conclusions and recommendations of the IGAP study but not the idea of a two tier governing system between the City of Barrie and the County as recommended by the study.

In a release from City Hall Mayor Aspden said, “The City of Barrie strongly believes that the time to act on the IGAP recommendations is now. We support the principle of long-range land use and infrastructure planning for the region but reject any further consideration of two-tier service delivery involving the City. We do not support more government, additional taxation, and red tape. As a separated City, Barrie operates the most efficient and effective type of government for our residents.”

Barrie currently has the physical space to accommodate another 45,000 residents but the IGAP research forecasts the need to accommodate a further seventy thousand beyond that by the year 2031. Additional land resources will be needed to meet these numbers not just for residential growth but to provide economic opportunity to support the increased population.

Attracting and implementing opportunities for existing commercial and industrial lands are concerns for present day Barrie. Hopefully action is what we do in fact see from Mayor Aspden and his council in the coming months.
gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Younger Canadian Mortgage holders sited as most fiscally aware ::

2007-02-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

Results from a survey conducted by CMHC in the latter part of 06 revealed that 75% of Canadian home owners put paying off the mortgage as soon as possible to the head of the to do list. At least half of those surveyed said the cash surplus when available was put toward paying down the mortgage. Younger home owners were sited as being the most fiscally aware when it came to the mortgage.

Also revealed was that 86% of Canadians prefer their lender to be a Canadian Institution and that 84% were satisfied with the mortgage product they had chosen. This is reflected by the fact that the majority of mortgage holders who have renewed recently stayed with the same lender although the number of people making use of a mortgage brokerage when renewing and refinancing continues to rise.

71% of Canadian mortgage holders who refinanced, did so prior to the scheduled renewal time mainly to free capitol for home renovation and debt management.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Barrie man's crusade to find fairness in the Oil Industry ::

2007-02-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

The big oil companies once again have us by the, well they have us where they like to have us.

Between a Rail Strike by CN and a fire February 15th at a crude processing unit of Imperial Oil's refinery in Nanticoke, Ont., we in Ontario and parts elsewhere are finding pump prices precariously close to the buck a litre mark despite drops in international oil prices.

Imperial oil has closed its stations. Other stations dependent on Imperial for supply have closed up this week as well. The remaining companies have pushed up their prices at the pump as a result. One spokesperson for the major oil retailers in Ontario stated yesterday. "By raising the pump price we are serving the publics best interests during this time of shortage. Higher prices will insure the limited supplies last longer than they would if prices remained consistent"

Logic we can all appreciate and benefit by. I can only imagine what might happen if I overpriced my listings by 40% to insure I don't run out of properties to offer for sale this year.

Bob Taylor who has called Barrie home for about a year now has brokered his own crusade and wants us all to take notice and take action. Specifically he is fumed at the difference between Toronto gas prices and the higher Barrie gas prices that drop down again as you head north from Barrie. You have to admire his willingness to do more than just mutter under his breath while taking it on the chin. Have a look at his web page. If only half as many Canadians as watched American Idle this week take up the challenge he puts forth on his website it will be interesting to see what could unfold. Click to view

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: How many Real Estate websites does it take to fill an Internet? ::

2007-02-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

It was a tight squeeze but I have managed to find room for two more Real Estate related websites within the Internet. The hardest part was finding two domain names that have not been grabbed up already.

Most of the obvious ones were scooped up long ago so anyone entering into the arena today has to be more creative and far reaching in finding an available internet domain name. "lefthandedrealestateagentdrivinghondacivicinbarrie.com" was still available but I decided it was too long for a business card.

My two new websites are designed for people who like to cut right to the chase.
If you are planning to sell you can now go to BarrieHomeWorth.com online, where you are greeted by a simple page giving you the opportunity to have an evaluation on your property done within 48 hours simply by filling in some key details about your property and clicking send.

HotBarrieListings.com is similar in setup, just fill in the key details of the type, location and price range of the home you want to find and click send. Later that same day you will be up to date on all current listings matching your search parametres. From that point forward you are kept apprised of all new listings meeting your home search requirements on the same day they are listed.

You receive an email follow up from me (no calls during dinner) and of course I'll likely hint at you for the opportunity of helping you to carry out your real estate sale or purchase.

At the same time, hopefully I have provided you with a useful and free service that will inspire you to find out more about me. (To do that you need to visit www.gimmeshelter.ca)

If you're still reading this, thanks.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: On the whole, things look pretty good ::

2007-02-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

Next time you think your world is falling apart, have a look at this. You might feel better.

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:

There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white

70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian

89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.

80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth

1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education

1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.

The following is also something to ponder...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in Canada and the United States.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

by Phillip M Harter, MD, FACEP

Stanford University, School of Medicine

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Second Suites in Barrie Homes ::

2007-02-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

Second suites in homes are nothing new. For those with the space, creating a basement apartment can be a sound approach to making home ownership more manageable. Qualified home buyers often consider homes of a higher caliber and price than they might otherwise be comfortable looking at once they factor in the financial returns possible from renting out a second suite.

The most recent statistics from the City of Barrie showed the number of "two unit" houses in Barrie at around 1500. These are two year old stats so that figure has no doubt grown. Of those suites known to exist by the City, only about 10% are registered. Of those that have applied for legal status roughly one in two applicants are successful in registering on first try according to the report.

Of those that don’t meet qualifications, most need some level of upgrading. The more commonly sited deficiencies are; missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, blocked means of egress, inadequate windows for light and ventilation, substandard heating plumbing and electrical and poor or deteriorated quality of the building (stairs, railings floors etc.)

The City of Barrie recognizes its growing demand for rental accommodation as well as the fact that second suites in residential homes is a viable means of addressing that need. At the same time the City of Barrie cannot compromise on health and safety standards by turning a blind eye to existing or future unregistered apartments.

The first thing to learn if you are considering a second suite is whether zoning for your area permits two-unit houses. Next is to know what is required for second suite to be deemed compliant. The library, the internet and a call to your City Councilor should provide you with the facts. You want to look for a copy of the Ontario building code, the Ontario Fire Code (re: two unit houses) and the Property Standards by-law. These will contain much of the information you need to create a compliant second suite.

There is a fee for application and registration that increases if a unit requires re-inspections due to failure to comply on previous inspections.

Only you and your family will know if the efforts and initial costs are justified in the return you will get.

A family with two small children purchased their first home through me four years ago. It was only by chance that one home we visited in our house hunting contained a second suite. After an evening with the calculator making projections they reevaluated their needs and came back to me with the decision to buy the home with the second suite. They created a savings account specifically for the incoming monthly rent cheques and allowed that income to accumulated into a healthy down payment that this spring they put on a new home, their dream home that four years earlier was out of reach.

They then made the decision to keep the first home and now rent out the upstairs as well as the basement suite. The incoming rent covers the mortgage and taxes and provides a three hundred dollar monthly surplus that they intend to use for a five star family vacation each year. The home has appreciated about $70,000 over four years and in addition to accumulating paid down principal they are hopeful it will gain at least another $100,000 in resale value by the time their two daughters are ready to start university.

By thinking long term, their decision to sacrifice the use of a basement four years ago has changed the direction and quality of their lives. Instant gratification often guides our decisions when shopping for a home but by tempering it with some financial foresight often you can move the bigger dreams within your reach.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: January Real Estate Stats show promise for a good year in Barrie

2007-02-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

MLS® sales in the region served by the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS® increased this January compared to both the previous month and the same month last year.
Click to continue

:: Flipper Nation :: Episode III: The flippin' Fight

2007-02-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks, the third episode of "Flipper Nation". Episode IV is still in the production stages. I'll keep you posted. In case you missed the first two episodes and like to see a movie from the beginning, check the links below.

Click to view Episode I

Click to view Episode II

:: New Home Starts - 12 month Synopsis from CMHC ::

2007-02-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

Housing Starts in 2006 Reach Their Second Highest Level in Nearly Two Decades Despite Cooling in December

OTTAWA — New home starts are estimated at 227,400 in 2006, surpassing the level in 2005, reaching their second highest level in nearly two decades. However, the seasonally adjusted annual rate¹ of housing starts decreased to 211,500 units in December from November's 229,300 units, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“Growth in 2006 housing starts was driven by low mortgage rates, solid employment and income growth, and a high level of consumer confidence. Even with the slowing trend in residential construction in recent months, new home starts estimated at 227,400 units in 2006 surpassed the level reached in 2005,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre.

“After two strong months in October and November, the volatile multiples segment fell in December and single-detached starts continued to trend downward, reaching their lowest level of the year. Housing starts are expected to remain strong in 2007, but are forecast to decrease to 210,900 units.”

December’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts declined 9.0 per cent from November to 180,000 units. Urban multiples fell 13.9 per cent to 93,400 units in December, while singles decreased 3.0 per cent to 86,600 units.

All regions saw urban starts fall in December compared to a month earlier. The largest declines were in the Prairie region and the Atlantic region where urban starts fell by 20.5 per cent and 17.9 per cent, respectively. Weaker activity in the urban multiples sector drove the decreases registered in both of these regions. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec recorded smaller declines of 7.1 per cent, 3.6 per cent, and 1.5 per cent, respectively.

Rural starts in December were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 31,500 units.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: View Some Quality Pictures of the Barrie Area ::

2007-02-01T16:55:00.000-05:00

Have a look at ScenicBarrie.com if you would like to see some great, and I mean great photographs taken in and around Barrie. This site has been around for a long time (in internet years) and it shows off Barrie well.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Flipper Nation :: Episode 2: The Blame game

2007-01-30T16:14:00.000-05:00

Click to view Episode I

:: Barrie Events Centre Sold to Developer ::

2007-01-29T15:02:00.000-05:00

I remembered as a kid going to the Barrie fair and trading money earned from cutting lawns over the summer holidays for corndogs, candy floss and hurling rides on the rock-o-plane. Later as a teenager going with a friend and his dad to the Barrie Raceway and placing my first bet on the horses. The Raceway buildings are now known (at least for a short while longer) as the Barrie Events Centre.

The Barrie Agricultural Society (BAS), owners of this large triangle of land at Essa rd. and the 400 highway going back to when Barrie was a small rural community have just sold the property for a tidy sum of 33 million dollars, a benchmark price per acre for land anywhere in Barrie. The property was purchased by Toronto-based real estate investment firm, Osmington Inc.

How will this land likely serve Barrie in the future? No doubt as a bloated retail developement that will compete for business with retailers in the Bayfield Street shopping district, the Mapleview Shopping district, the soon to be developed Park Place retail district and the Dunlop Street/down town shopping district that already finds itself challenged to attract and keep business by road construction mayhem and the rerouting of downtown traffic that is frustrating many.

City Hall planners better be on the stick in putting the plans together to see that this already busy and crucial traffic area does not become another traffic boondoggle for Barrie.

The Barrie Agricultural Society has plans underway to build new facilities in Innisfil, south along Veterans drive. I have no doubt they will do it up right and that the new facilities will rival the old. That project will cost roughly half what the Barrie location has sold for to develop according to Paul Timpano, BAS President.

It will be interesting to see if the well-to-do BAS comes up with some additional plans for within Barrie. That would be seen as a show of gratitude to all of us who contributed to their existence with our allowances and summer jobs over the past few decades.

gimmeshelter.ca HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com mikemontague.com

:: Flipper Nation :: Episode 1: The first flip

2007-01-09T17:45:00.000-05:00

The trend these days on cable television is real estate related how-to shows on buying, selling, fixing and or flipping property. A refreshing shift from the graphically detailed medical shows saturating the television a few years back and much easier to watch while eating dinner.
Here for your entertainment is episode one of Flipper Nation. A "mini series" with characters almost life like that follows their efforts to become Real Estate Moguls. Any similarities to known persons, living or otherwise could be coincidental.

Click here to view Episode II