Helen and I decided to have an adult night out, after the week we had, we felt we needed it. My wife's car (my car before I re-acquired my Real Estate License) was terminally ill, and we needed to do the humane thing and put it down... after 467,000 kilometres, my mechanic told us that the car needed repairs that would cost us more than the car was worth, and that there would be no guarantees on how long it might last.  After a week of searching, my wife chose a car, and we picked it up on the weekend.  We wanted to go to a movie and dinner, but Bridesmaids, the movie we had been considering, was only playing once, at 9:30 p.m. in Barrie and that was way too late for us ;-) We wanted to go somewhere different, and have been "Sushied" out... Chinese didn't thrill us, and though we though... 07/19/2011

    This past week we saw stories in Canada's national news papers regarding changes the Canadian Competition Bureau is attempting to make in how the Real Estate Industry functions in this country. As per usual when there is a news story about my industry the comments that follow in the online versions of the papers are quick to be filled by anonymous posters who think sales people are nothing short of unworthy thieves looking to swindle them at the first chance. My initial thought while reading some of these comments earlier this past week was 'if ignorance is bliss why do these posters always sound so darn angry?'  I had a few more substantial thoughts as the week went on that I will share with you here. Most would agree there is a general blue collar disdain accompanied by a belief h... 07/17/2011

I get the sense from the news stories this week that Canadians are in for another run of doom and gloom national headlines predicting drops in Canadian real estate prices. TD Bank is predicting a quieting of the market and value drops for homes due to changes in lending rules, increased lending rates and slower job growth. The first two points TD sited in an article the other day happened over a year ago and as for job growth, it has fluctuated for at least the past two or three years.  None of the above has dramatically impacted on home prices so far, at least not in Barrie Ontario. Buried within the story if you read beyond the first few lines is the fact that Toronto and Vancouver are the main focus of their forecasts. If and when we see home prices going down anywhere in Canada it ... 07/14/2011

  Most of the home owners who choose to try and sell their homes on their own to avoid the fees of a licensed Realtor have it all figured out so this post is for the buyers out there who may be looking at those privately listed homes, (sellers who hope to soon change hats and be buyers should thank me for the advice too.) A high number of owners who choose to list privatly will have had their homes recently evaluated by a professional Realtor but are convinced their home is worth more than the professional market value assessment report reveals. It is one of the hazards of the profession when you tell people the truth about thee value of their home, some respond to like you have just told them their children are stupid and ugly. Overly ambitious sellers almost always decide to list priv... 07/08/2011

Click here to join 07/08/2011

  We know, you don't want a mortgage... you want a home! Are you RENEWING this spring?? Don't renew your existing mortgage until you talk to me! Did you know that 88% of Canadians renew with their existing lenders and 55% of those Canadians, pay a higher rate than if they called a broker to work on their behalf. Don't be a statistic - Call now! (705) 727-9992 and ask for Shelley Click HERE to get approved. TERM POSTED OUR RATES* 6 Month 4.45% 4.45% 1 Year 3.70% 2.75% 2 Year 4.05% 3.30% 3 Year 4.55% 3.40% 4 Year 5.19% 3.38% 5 Year 5.69% 3.54% 7 Year 6.49% 4.69% 10 Year 6.85% 4.99% Variable Rate 2.20% Prime Rate 3.00% Cost per $1000 $5.01 * Cost per $1000 based on 5yr fixed term rate compounded semi-annually.   * Rates may vary provincially and are subject to change without notice OAC. Ra... 07/04/2011

Its the last week of June and your house prominently displays a for sale sign that has been there since the ground was still wet from the melting winter frost.  People have been through with their Realtors week after week for what seems like eternity. You have been living on edge, like your in-laws are going to pop by at any moment. In fact you and your family have developed some pretty regimented domestic habits over the last two or three months.  There have been fleeting moments of panic with those calls to you at work from Real Estate firms confirming afternoon showings for their clients. "Did I really make the bed before I rushed out this morning, did the kids remember to flush before they ran out the door for the school bus?" Others want to see your home during what used to be the... 06/27/2011

06/24/2011

The fury of the 2011 spring real estate market has faded in Barrie. Many homes were sold yet many more remain on the market picked over by buyers much more knowledgeable of the market than the average Barrie buyers of the last decade.   It was pretty much taken for granted in the first eight or so of my eleven years as a Realtor, that on any given weekend there would be hundreds of excited home buyers coming up from the Greater Toronto Area to take advantage of the lower priced homes they had heard about in our market. Many over that time would come up and buy in the same day which allowed for many over priced homes to find a buyer. Once an over priced home sold it set a new president on price for any comparable homes yet to be listed and this in effect is what drove home values up by d... 06/23/2011

06/18/2011

  Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of theBarrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. came in a little softer in May 2011 compared to April, but nevertheless recorded a year-over-year gain due to falling sales in May last year. Home sales numbered 449 units for the month of May, up two percent from the same month in 2010. While this is an improvement from the double digit declines seen in the last few months, it was entirely a story of falling sales in May last year. Within the City of Barrie, home sales numbered 271 units in May, also up two per cent from year-ago levels.“We’re really looking at a much more stable market this year than we had last year,” said Catherine Garbe, President of the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS®. “That can be diffi... 06/17/2011

Misconceptions of Landlord and Tenant Rights for Ontario Real Estate Investments I recently had a discussion with a client about residential leases and landlord rights. It seems there is some misinformation regarding the rights of the tenants, and the rights of the landlord while drawing up a lease for tenants for an investment property. This can be resolved in one fell swoop, The Residential Tenancies Act 2006. In a nutshell the Act  supersedes all written leases that we as landlords draw up and have our tenants sign. The ACT IS YOUR LEASE. What I mean is that although you can stipulate post-dated cheques ( for example) as a requirement before a new tenant moves in, it is not in the act and therefore can not be forced. If you were to end up before a tribunal, the judge would refer to ... 06/04/2011

Barrie Advance - Letter to the Editor   May 24th, 2011   BARRIE - Many ideas shared with Barrie City Council in past end up filed under the heading "things we don't have  money for".  There is one other category at Barrie City Hall for ideas. I'd like to see the following two on that list at least long enough for some public feedback and due consideration. That other category is "things we can't afford to do but we're going to do anyways". First, the city should acquire that detracting contaminated dirt patch that sits at our Five Points and convert it into a proper town square complete with a fountain, benches, food vendors, a downtown police community kiosk, perhaps a broadcast booth for a local radio station, and a corner stage for music and theater activities sponsored by the new t... 05/24/2011

With many home buyers choosing to stay put as opposed to selling their home in the current marketplace, remodeling projects are gaining new ground. However, before you set out on your remodeling project, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) advises homeowners to make sure they're getting the most value out of their remodeling dollars. In my years of experience as a Barrie real estate professional, I have seen first-hand how the right home improvements can add to your home's value...especially today when equity has been so hard hit. Wise remodeling decisions will also help command a higher selling price if and when it comes time to put your home on the market. To help guide you, NARI offers the following suggestions when considering a remodeling project: • Exterior ... 05/20/2011

Once again CREA states that Canadian real estate ( home) prices have risen and because of that adjustments upward are required for the next 6 months.  They say that these adjustments are due to the recent solid price gains in Vancouver. Now I am astonished at the studpidity of that statement. CREA is fighting to maintain a certain amount of respectability from all the backlash from recent changes to commission structures, so why would they issue such a mis-leading statement to the press? Does it help local real estate agents who can now go to their clients and say "see, look at the stats, prices have gone up again....". Misleading public statements from CREA only diminishes their respectability. Yet these statements make great headlines so I guess the press announces it.   I am stating ... 05/12/2011

  I became aware of an interesting statistic a while back.  Within Simcoe County each adult personally knows at least 3 to 5 people who earn their livings through the business of selling real estate.   For every for-sale sign you see in front of a house or building in Barrie, Innisfil, Oro or Springwater for example there are 2 to 4 Realtors who were almost certain it was to be their sign.   That final selection of just one Realtor may have come down to dollars and cents, it may have been a random selection from amongst a few, and occasionally the listing goes to the Realtor who gained favour by way of a personal endorsement from someone they know and trust.   Another statistic of greater frustration to my business senses at least is the fact that each person knows at least 4 people (fa... 04/29/2011

We know, you don't want a mortgage... you want a home! Are you RENEWING this spring?? Don't renew your existing mortgage until you talk to me! Did you know that 88% of Canadians renew with their existing lenders and 55% of those Canadians, pay a higher rate than if they called a broker to work on their behalf. Don't be a statistic - Call now! (705) 727-9992 and ask for Shelley Click HERE to get approved. TERM POSTED OUR RATES* 6 Month 4.45% 4.35% 1 Year 3.70% 2.75% 2 Year 4.05% 3.40% 3 Year 4.55% 3.50% 4 Year 5.19% 3.79% 5 Year 5.69% 4.04% 7 Year 6.49% 4.79% 10 Year 6.85% 4.99% Variable Rate 2.20% Prime Rate 3.00% Cost per $1000 $5.28 * Cost per $1000 based on 5yr fixed term rate compounded semi-annually.   * Rates may vary provincially and are subject to change without notice OAC. Rat... 04/22/2011

04/08/2011

There may have never been a better time to buy a home than right now. Earlier this month, interest rates dropped again -- the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 4.79% from 4.93%, according to loanrateupdate.com -- and there is still plenty of inventory, keeping home prices relatively low in our area. Those positive factors, however, are often offset by tighter lending standards, causing many to shy away from applying for a mortgage. As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, however, I have learned that it really boils down to four main factors that will impact a lender's decision: Your ability to make a downpayment - usually between 3% and 20% of the purchase price -- of course, the larger the downpayment, the better your odds of securin... 04/04/2011

Typical condo pricing considerations include location, condo building design, natural views and square footage.  When searching in the MLS for condos in Barrie, there can be many reasons why some condo units are priced higher than other similar units with the same floor plan layout or a similar unit within another condo building. Let’s explore a few considerations: 1)   Amenities and Finishing – during the pre-construction stage of a condominium building, the original purchasers will have had a choice of at least three different packages – basic, middle of the road and high-end.  You should be aware of these packages and if the unit owner has done any extra work to the bathrooms or kitchen area. 2)   Age of the Condominium Building – the age of the building can be a factor in determinin... 04/04/2011