A New Era at Royal LePAGE in Collingwood

  Exciting news is happening at Royal LePAGE in Collingwood. Since 1994, Royal LePAGE All Real Estate Services has maintained an enviable position in both the local real estate market as well as in the community as a whole. Our office has established a strong market share presence and we have contributed to the well-being of the community through charitable events such as our Annual Ski Day in support of Hospice Georgian Triangle and more recently via participating in the annual Royal LePAGE Shelter Foundation National Garage Sale supporting My Friend’s House.

  This past February, the Royal LePAGE Collingwood location located at 330 First Street, merged with Royal LePAGE Locations North Realty Inc. with office in Thornbury and Meaford.
  This merge brings with it many exciting changes within our organization that we will be rolling out over the next several months. As the largest real estate brokerage in the area, our combined experience, and expertise will be put to work for our past, present and future clients. From a vastly improved advertising strategy to an even stronger online presence, to the adoption of new technologies, these initiatives strive to put the real estate consumer at the forefront of every transaction. Our overall goal is to make our business truly client centric.
  Effective June 1, 2012, the name of our Collingwood office with change to Royal LePAGE Locations North Realty Inc. The exterior signage on our office at 330 First Street will be changed to reflect the new name and branding.
  One thing that will not change is our commitment to you, our Buyers, Sellers and friends. The service, integrity and professionalism you have come to expect from us will not just remain, but improve. Our new mission statement says it all. We will deliver Personal, Professional and Progressive real estate services to our valued clients.
  As a Broker with Royal LePAGE Locations North Realty Inc., I look forward to the bright future ahead for our brokerage. With three offices, close to 50 dedicated full time real estate professionals and a plethora of new and cutting edge tools for us to work with combined with the support of Royal LePAGE Canada, our clients will receive the utmost in professional real estate services. Next year (2013) will mark the 100th anniversary of Royal LePage. I can think of no better way to start the next 100 years of real estate service that with the changes taking place right here in Collingwood. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if I can help you achieve your personal real estate objectives.

Sales Surge in Grey Highlands & Municipality of Meaford

For those of you with real estate holdings in the Municipalities of Grey Highlands and Meaford, market activity in both of those areas this year; have shown a marked improvement over 2011. Unit sales reported through the MLS® system of the Georgian Triangle Association of REALTORS® (GTAR) through the end of April reflects sales increases of 48% in Grey Highlands while sales activity in the Municipality of Meaford are up 40%. Both of these two areas saw sluggish sales throughout 2011, finishing the year in excess of 20% below 2010’s results.

  Throughout the Beaver Valley, sales have no doubt been impacted by the closure of Talisman Resort. The facility has been a long term draw for the area, attracting skiers in the winter with golfers and others looking to escape the GTA in the summer months. The Municipality of Meaford on the other hand is typically a very stable real estate market. If anything, buyers have migrated to Meaford in recent years attracted by more affordable housing.

  The Town of Collingwood continues to be one of the busiest Municipalities in our region for real estate in 2012. Unit sales are up 28% through April and with the many new subdivisions that have sprung up in recent years, we are starting to see steady resale activity of these newer homes in places like Georgian Meadows and Creekside .

  Notwithstanding the less than spectacular ski and snowboard season, the Blue Mountains is seeing positive sales activity as well this year with unit sales up 23%. Lastly sales in Wasaga Beach and Clearview Township are up 16% and 2% respectively.

  Absent somewhat so far this year, are sales in the upper price ranges. Year-to-date through April there have been 12 MLS® sales reported in the $1.0 to $1.499 price range compared to 9 in 2011 an increase of 33%. Sales above $1.5 million however total just 1 property in 2012 as compared to 3 in the first 4 months of 2011. Between $700,000 and $999,999 sales are down 31% with 11 sales so far this year compared to 16 in 2011. Whatever the reason, upper-end buyers are definitely being more cautious this year.

Why I Am Glad I No Longer Live in the U.S.

Through a promotion and work transfer, I had the opportunity to live in the U.S from 1993 through to 1996.  While it was a great experience for both myself and my family, situations that have arisen south of the border over the past several years including 9/11 and the economic meltdown of 2008 certainly have made me appreciate being back home in Canada.
  I have followed the catastrophic collapse of the U.S. real estate market closely.  Every few months I go online to check on the value of my old home just west of Chicago, only to find that it's value has dropped further below what I sold it for back in 1996.  Whether or when the U.S. real estate market can regain some degree of normalcy or the U.S. can once again become a leading global economy is something we could debate for hours.
  An email is circulating that very effectively puts into perspective the plight of the American economy in a way that is easy for the layperson to understand.  It effectively looks as follows:

U.S. Tax revenue:            $2,170,000,000,000

Fed budget:                      $3,820,000,000,000

New debt:                        $ 1,650,000,000,000

National debt:                 $14,271,000,000,000

Recent budget cuts:              $ 38,500,000,000


NOTE: If you now remove 8 zeros from the above numbers and we pretend this is a household budget, here’s how things would look:

Annual family income:                                $21,700

Money the family spent:                              $38,200

New debt on the credit card:                       $16,500

Outstanding balance on the credit card:    $142,710

Total budget cuts:                                             $385


Most would agree, this is not a pretty picture and its affect on the Canadian economy remains to be seen.

Second Best April on Record for Area Home Sales

  Residential sales activity recorded through the MLS® System of the Georgian Triangle Association of REALTORS® remained very strong in April 2012, marking the seventh consecutive month of double digit year-over-year growth. 

 Home and condominium sales totaled 186 units in April, this was the second best April sales figure ever reported, the record was set back in 2002.  Sales this year also reflected an increase of 27% from April 2011.

    Some 543 residential properties have traded hands so far this year, up 22% from levels in the first four months of 2011, and the second best start to any year on record after 2002.

  New residential listings numbered 575 units in April 2012, up 9% from a year earlier and the highest level of any month on record.

  There were 1,656 active residential listings on the Association’s MLS® System at the end of April 2012, an increase of 4% from levels at the end of April 2011.

  At the end of April there was 9.8 months of housing inventory available on a seasonally adjusted basis, down from 10.3 months at the end of March. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.

  The value of all residential transactions in April was $56.4 million, jumping 37% from a year earlier. This was the highest monthly dollar volume on record.

  Total sales of all property types which includes vacant land, farm and commercial numbered 206 units in April, an increase of 22% compared to the same month in 2011. The total value of all properties sold in April 2012 was $60.5 million versus $48.9 million in April 2011, an increase of 22%.

  In my next posting I will review sales activity by Municipality and across the various price ranges.

Wilbur The Pot Bellied Pig

Watching Collingwood Council tonight (April 30th)  I can't help but commend the Councilors for keeping a straight face while debating the plight of "Wilbur" the pot bellied pig. A motion was put forth so as to allow pot bellied pigs to be kept within the Town's limits. Perhaps I am dating myself but the proceedings reminded me of the TV sitcom “Green Acres” (1965 - 1971) where a couple of the show’s characters Fred and Doris Ziffel, adopted a pig as their son “Arnold.” Click on the following link to see why I am comparing tonight’s Council debate on Wilbur with the high jinks of Green Acres.  It would appear that Wilbur is about to be run out of Town.  As in the following video, perhaps Wilbur needs to hire a high profile lawyer to plead his case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBpYQ7e9uQw