The initial phase of the 200 acre Park Place retail and business park is  scheduled to finally open later in 2011. Further phases will open in each of the next few years. Given the high volume of traffic along Mapleview Drive, the main east west thoroughfare in Barrie's south end, many residents of Barrie have voiced concern that this development will add to existing traffic congestion. I disagree to a point. Once Park Place opens the south Barrie shopping traffic will become more dispersed. Most south end shopping traffic heads to the west side of the 400 hwy at present, a larger portion of that volume will soon head to the East side for new shopping dining and entertainment alternatives that will be available within Park Place.  People will begin to choose alternate routes to sout... 02/15/2011

  Congratulations on your decision on moving to Barrie Ontario!  Barrie is a wonderful lakeside city located 45 minutes north of Toronto on HWY 400.  The Barrie waterfront on Lake Simcoe (Kempenfelt Bay) offers five kilometers of public walking trails, multiple parks and a marina.   Moving to Barrie - Downtown waterfront view   The historic downtown has many shops, restaurants and nightlife for everyone to enjoy.  With many cultural and festival events throughout the year, you can enjoy the community with sporting events to waterfront festivals. Because of what the City of Barrie has to offer to residents, many condos have been developed along the waterfront.  You can learn more about Barrie Condos by visiting the Barrie Condo Team website and viewing our online guide to all the condomi... 02/15/2011

There have been lots of positive signs coming from Barrie's newly elected council and administration. First off we see an active push to keep the downtown Barrie High school, Barrie Collegiate right where its is. This is vital in keeping our downtown core alive. The Simcoe School Board believes that closing it would best suit their needs from a financial perspective, but Mayor Lehman and council are all behind keeping it open. A private/ public partnership is required and now is the time to get creative. Keeping an active school like this going is vital in maintaining real estate values. This is a story we will be following for some time. Secondly the Allandale Train Station revitalization is beginning to take shape. The thought that in the next few months we could see a GO train pullin... 02/14/2011

02/11/2011

  "Don't underestimate the power of social media  in getting the job done" Join the Barrie Real Estate Page and open up a pipeline to up to date local Real Estate news, advice and market reports Click the image above to get started 02/11/2011

02/09/2011

So you've found your dream home, in the right area for a great deal, but it's just a little bit "less than perfect" and you didn't budget for improvements. Well for buyers with good credit there's no need to worry! A great new program from the Laurentian bank allows purchasers to tack improvement costs onto their mortgage. The program allows purchasers the opportunity to do any neccessary home improvements immediately after taking possession. Improvements could include: finishing the basement, installing new windows or a new roof, updating the kitchen and the bathrooms, installing an energy efficient furnace or water heater, landscaping, installing new flooring or building an addition. The program also allows buyers to get "cash back" from Laurentian bank to cover a 5% down payment, if ... 01/28/2011

  With the potential of a federal election being called in Canada this year the last thing many would expect a sitting government to do is make fiscal decisions that could possibly be unpopular.  Politicians behave more like grandparents in an election year, sneaking candy to the kids to win favour. However, Federal Finance minister Jim Flaherty is making sure we eat our vegetables this week by implementing more changes to Canadian mortgage rules that will be unpopular with some but should help to further ensure our overall financial stability, completely in contrast to the behavior patterns that started the United states spiraling down the rabbit hole for the past few years.The changes made this week are not drastic by any means. After March 18th, Canadians will no longer be able to g... 01/23/2011

There are some seasoned ad copy writers in my business who can wax poetic with the best. Few can more elegantly expound the virtues of gleaming hardwood floors, or pontify so profusely the transcendency of a spaciously sprawling spread with  endless anecdotes, sticky and dripping with participle phrasing with as much weight as the windy word-smith known as the Realtor. (phew) The problem with words from a stranger, notably one working in commissioned sales is, they are typically met with a healthy dose of skepticism, and in the case of pitching the particulars of a home for sale, often the subsequent visual reality fails to live up, leaving the reader and their imagination feeling short changed. Pictures on the other hand are rarely doubted because what we see is typically what we get. ... 01/21/2011

Real Estate Investors can take heed with the new mortgage lending rules recently announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. In a nutshell ( no need to write a long commentary on something simple), creating tighter lending rules will create an increase in renters for the greater Simcoe County including Barrie and Orillia. An increase in renters is a good thing for those interested in investing in real estate outside of the usual RRSP format. ( Unless of course you want to use your RRSP as a 2nd mortgage and use that for investment real estate....well that is another story....) These rules in reality will affect the fringe first time buyer. The actual increase on a mortgage payment will roughly be 100 a month or 1200 a year. The first time buyer is a strong component of the rental pool i... 01/18/2011

Real Estate Investors can take heed in the fact that Barrie is serious about transforming the heart of downtown Barrie. Roger Brooks, the guru of downtown revitalizations, was in town again thanks to the BIA to discuss how to "re-brand" Barrie. It seems "Ontario's Premier Waterfront" just doesn't cut it anymore according to Roger. He clearly let all know that a premier waterfront can be found anywhere ...especially in Ontario. Barrie needs to re-brand itself with something unique that sets it apart from the other hundred towns in Ontario.  For those considering investing in Barrie, these kinds of initiatives are very encouraging. Roger believes that Barrie has more to offer besides its beautiful waterfront. He pointed out that the downtown is begging to be redeveloped. And the good news... 01/15/2011

It’s incredible to realize that after over 15 years in real estate, its still an amazing industry to be part of. I say that because I thought I knew it all a few years ago. And yes I am still learning. Investment ( commercial) real estate has 2 faces for me now. One is the investor looking for that next cash positive property in Barrie or Orillia and the other is a developer looking for a property that they can change to a higher and better use. The first part of my real estate career has been spent looking for ( and buying) investment property like a nice student rental up near Georgian college or a small apartment building in Midland.   The past 2 years however I have focused on project managing and land development. And this experience has been eye opening to say the least. I sudden... 01/10/2011

Barrie Downtown Train Station Late 1800's .................................   Market Square & Town Hall 1880's .................................   Barrie Examiner - Dunlop & Mulcaster Street  1875 .................................   Collier Street 1875 .................................   Simcoe Steam Brewery - Mary Street 1880's .................................   View some more recent Barrie area pictures taken by me :  Barrie area images       01/08/2011

  Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. posted a solid end to the year, with December sales coming in above a five-year average for the month.   Residential sales numbered 193 units in December 2010, down just seven per cent from a very strong month of December in 2009. The small year-over-year decrease was a considerable improvement from the large double-digit declines that had characterized the previous seven months. This was reflected in the seasonally adjusted figure, which jumped 14 per cent to reach the highest level since April.   Annual sales activity totalled 4,105 units in 2010. This was down five per cent from levels in 2009, and stood one per cent above 2008.   “December was a strong month for home... 01/06/2011

2011 will be a good year for condo sales in Barrie.  Nautica condos located on Barrie's waterfront continued with success with many sales and leases in 2010.  We expect more spring-time listings to appear in this building.  Contact us for a condo tour today and we will go over all the different condo layouts and unit upgrades within this building. This way you are ready for the spring season and be able to act fast when the right condo with the right view becomes available.   There are two townhome condo units in the White Oaks Rd - Minets Point area of Barrie.  These units are great for young professionals or boomers that are looking for an active lifestyle.  They are located right on the waterfront walking trail and have lake views from the top floor balcony.   Bayshore Landing condos... 01/03/2011

  2010 will be remembered by many in the Real Estate industry as the year the market came back to earth. Old timers will see it as the end of another cycle in the market while newer Realtors who came into the business within the past ten years are adjusting to a different pace.The past ten years has seen year after year interest rate drops and year after year home value increases that out performed many blue chip stocks. We saw years of steady exodus by families from the greater Toronto area to more affordable lifestyles in the  Barrie area and home builders doing their best to keep pace with demand, turning most of the remaining undeveloped tracts of in town lands into subdivision communities.  We saw young families putting all their resources into that first home only to have their ho... 01/01/2011

Right up there with our physical health, our financial health is our  next most burning concern isn't it?  This would explain why any time any place, people keep asking me what their house is worth. I should know, after all I am a Realtor. I walk amongst the oracles of acreage whose civic duty it is to appraise and apprise at the whim of all who approach. I found myself seated at a table with three couples a few weeks back, a dinner honoring those involved with fund raising efforts for our local hospital expansion. A table circled by one Realtor, three Doctors and spouses. An acknowledged assemblage of individuals who curiously enough seemed more interested in my knowledge than each others as the evening progressed. Over our time together two of them disclosed to me what they had paid ... 12/19/2010

Bayshore Landing Condos Barrie We updated our guide to Barrie Condominiums to include new images, floor plan PDF and content about the Bayshore landing condos. "Bayshore Landing suites are comprised of an assortment of layouts and views of the city." The goal of the Board of Directors is to make Bayshore Landing the finest condominium address north of Toronto.  At the Barrie Condo Team | Royal Lepage Barrie – we believe that this is a fantastic vision for a condo board!   11/23/2010

Throughout 2010 the Barrie economy has been recovering from the recession, this trend will continue into 2011 but at a slower rate of recovery. According to the Housing Market Outlook from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), employment levels will almost meet pre-recession levels by the end of 2010. The increase in employment will continue into 201, but at a reduced growth rate. Full time employment is recovering for the considerably large 25-44 age group. This group will begin to grow again in 2011 increasing the number of first time home buyers. The recovery is lead primarily by the Services sector as these industries are showing the most strength and generally have higher wages. The employment level on a whole rose nominally from 2009 to 2010 but is forecasted to in... 11/19/2010

  We know, you don't want a mortgage... you want a home! HELP! Seeking Home Owners doing renovations! Want to be a Movie Star??? I am looking for clients that need financing for a renovation project - large or small - that would like to have their project filmed. If you or anyone you know are interested - please give me a shout! (705) 727-9992 Click HERE to get approved. TERM POSTED OUR RATES* 6 Month 4.45% 3.75% 1 Year 3.35% 2.40% 2 Year 3.60% 2.99% 3 Year 4.25% 3.29% 4 Year 5.19% 3.39% 5 Year 5.44% 3.39% 7 Year 6.09% 4.60% 10 Year 6.40% 4.95% Variable Rate 2.30% Prime Rate 3.00% * Rates may vary provincially and are subject to change without notice OAC. Rates Last Updated: Thursday, November 18, 2010 Rates courtesy of: Shelley Black Phone: (705)727-9992 Fax: (705)727-0945 Email: sblac... 11/18/2010