Archive for July, 2012

Residential Resale Prices in Canada

Posted on: July 30th, 2012 by Kris Sherry No Comments

Are you curious to know how our market in Ontario – and that of Ottawa – stacks up against other places in Canada?

This information, published by the Canadian Real Estate Association will give you an idea.

 

AVERAGE RESALE PRICE ($) ANNUAL CHANGE (%)
2010 2011 1Q2012 2010 2011 1Q2012
CANADA 339,212 364,289 368,485 5.8 7.4 1.6
OTTAWA 327,225 343,701 353,684 7.7 5.0 2.9
ONTARIO 342,590 366,390 384,990 7.5 6.9 8.6
BRITISH COLUMBIA 505,178 561,304 546,114 8.5 11.1 -4.1
ALBERTA 352,301 353,394 354,456 3.1 0.3 -0.2
QUEBEC 241,456 259,057 256,697 7.1 7.3 2.3
NOVA SCOTIA 206,186 212,512 223,214 4.8 3.1 5.9
P.E.I. 147,196 149,617 188,936 0.8 1.6 28.1
NEW BRUNSWICK 157,240 160,545 157,119 1.5 2.1 -1.8
MANITOBA 222,132 234,604 239,911 10.3 5.6 4.0
SASKATCHEWAN 242,258 258,386 271,741 4.0 6.7 8.0
NFLD & LABRADOR 235,341 251,581 266,459 14.0 6.9 6.3

 

If you are curious to know the current market value of your home, I would be delighted to do a CMA (Current Market Assessment) for you with no obligation.  It is always a good idea to know how your largest asset is doing on the market.

Kris

Changing Housing Needs

Posted on: July 23rd, 2012 by Kris Sherry No Comments

As we move through various stages of our lives, our housing needs change.

  • When we are young, single and broke, we look for a great rental apartment.
  • When we are secure in our first job, we look for a starter home.
  • When we have established a relationship with a partner and start to have children (or just grow up a little more), we look for a bigger/better home.  At this stage of our lives, we almost always upsize, not downsize.
  • When the kids leave, we start to think about moving to a smaller, but functional home.
  • When we no longer want the responsibility of grass-cutting and gardens, we may look for a condo apartment (back to square one, but with equity).
  • When everything becomes too much, we look for a retirement home.

Every move from one stage to another comes with its own set of challenges. The steps can be fun, exciting and rewarding – or they can be difficult and exhausting.

My role is to make sure each one of my clients enjoys a positive experience when it comes to buying or selling (or renting) a place to live…..whether it’s their first home or their last…..a large home or small, a rental apartment or a seniors’ condo.

Give me a call and let me in on your housing plans, needs and thoughts – and  let me know how I can help.

Kris

Making the Most of your Summer Vacation

Posted on: July 16th, 2012 by Kris Sherry No Comments

If you are thinking about buying a home – brand new or resale – there are several good reasons to spend your summer vacation time working on this large project.

In summer, there aren’t as many buyers out there looking – weather is hot and folks are away.  This gives you more opportunity.

You also have the time to do this properly.

  • Identify exactly what you want (or need)
  • Get mortgage approval before you start to look (i.e. establish the budget)
  • Research the pros and cons of buying new or buying resale
  • Interview a number of real estate professionals and choose an agent (this point holds true even if buying new)
  • Make sure you fully understand the process and all of the inherent steps
  • Carefully view homes or models that meet your criteria
  • Review your research
  • If appropriate, make an offer
  • Celebrate

If I can help you to get started, give me a call.

Kris

Ottawa Market Update – June 2012

Posted on: July 9th, 2012 by Kris Sherry No Comments

The Ottawa real estate market is certainly consistent!  There was a slight decrease in the number of residential properties sold in June 2012 compared to June 2011.  Looking back over the past 10 years, a marginal decrease from May to June seems to be “the norm” and this year is no different.  The general feeling is that our market continues to be a stable and steady one.

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,660 residential properties in June through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system, compared with 1,719 in June 2011, a decrease of 3.4%.

The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in June in the Ottawa area was $352,800, a slight decrease of 0.1 per cent over June 2011. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $278,447, an increase of 0.8 per cent over June 2011. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $373,756, a slight decrease of 0.4 per cent over June 2011.

If you have any questions about the market – or would like to know the value of your home, please give me a call.  I’d love to hear from you.

Kris

What Canadians Can Be Proud Of

Posted on: July 1st, 2012 by Kris Sherry No Comments

While there are many more serious things we can be proud of – here are a few that are light-hearted and fun!  See how many of them you already knew!

Canadians can be proud of:

  1. Smarties
  2. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp
  3. The size of our football fields, one less down, and bigger balls
  4. Baseball is Canadian – First game: June 4, 1838 – Igersoll, ON
  5. Lacrosse is Canadian
  6. Hockey is Canadian
  7. Basketball is Canadian
  8. Apple pie is Canadian
  9. Tim Hortons beats Dunkin’ Donuts (a US company)
  10. In the war of 1812, started by America, Canadians pushed the Americans back … past their White House. Oh, did I mention that we also burned their White House?
  11. Our civil war was fought in a bar – it lasted a little over an hour
  12. A Canadian invented Standard Time
  13. The Hudsons Bay Company (aka ‘The Bay’) is the world’s oldest company
  14. The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3 minutes —- (not sure we needed to know that :-)
  15. We invented: Ski-doos, the jet-ski, Velcro, Zippers, Insulin, Penicillin, Zambonies, and the telephone
  16. A Canadian invented Superman

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Kris