The End of Telemarketers?

Like many businesses, the real estate profession continues to be impacted on a variety of fronts thus creating the need to look at alternate ways in terms of how we as REALTORS® conduct ourselves in the day-to-day activities of marketing and selling properties. Technology, changing consumer/economic trends and government legislation, have all contributed in recent years to alter the role of REALTORS® and way in which the real estate profession operates.
Coming this fall is the “National Do-Not-Call List. Commencing September 30, 2008 consumers will have an effective new tool with which to wage war against the dreaded forces of telemarketers. With this new legislation, telemarketers will not be permitted to call any consumer(s) whose number is listed on the national Do-Not-Call List (DNCL). Real estate brokers and salespersons ie: REALTORS® making unsolicited telephone contact are deemed as being “telemarketers” within the meaning of this legislation. This does not however preclude a REALTOR® from contacting consumers via other means such as direct mail. If a consumer, including “for sale by owners” places their telephone number on the DNCL then REALTORS® are not permitted to telephone or fax those persons. The main exceptions to this rule are calls to consumers who have given consent to be contacted. The Privacy Act already made it illegal for REALTORS® to contact the owners of properties for which the listing had expired and listing documents were subsequently changed to allow consumers to give their written consent to such contact. Further, the DNCL does not affect calls to a consumer with whom the REALTOR® has an existing business relationship nor does it pertain to calls made to a business telephone number.
REALTORS® are consumers as well and we too fall victim to the dinner hour calls by telemarketers selling all manner of goods and or services. The Do-Not-Call List is long overdue and like many of the other legislative changes that have impacted our profession in recent years is just one more requirement that will continue to change the face of organized real estate.

July 2008 Real Estate Sales Soften

The months of July and August can often be somewhat unpredictable in terms of real estate sales and this year has thus far proven to be no exception. After posting abnormally strong sales in July 2007, this year July sales reflected a 31% decrease in revenue over the same month last year. MLS® sales throughout the Georgian Triangle totalled $42.7 million last month compared to $61.9 million in July 2007. A total of 173 residential units sold during the month versus 231 sales in July of last year which reflects a 25% decrease.
The hardest hit municipality was Wasaga Beach which saw the number of residential sales drop 54% from 52 sales in July 2007 to just 24 this past month. Sales results in other area municipalities for the month of July compared to July last year are as follows: Clearview -26%, Collingwood -15%, Town Blue Mountains -16%, Municipality of Meaford +18%, Grey Highlands -45%.
Area wide sales year-to-date are down 12% both in terms of units and dollars. Listing activity for the year has increased with the number of new residential MLS® listings in 2008 up 9%. Buyers currently have a abundance of MLS® listed properties available to choose from and with prices remaining stable, now is a good time to buy. For a complete synopsis of area real estate activity for the first 6 months of 2008, see my 2nd quarter Georgian Triangle Real Estate Newsletter

Water Level Update

I spent this past week at my cottage on Manitoulin Island and was pleasantly surprised upon my arrival to see that since the last week of June, the water level on Lake Huron/Georgian Bay had risen significantly. After dipping near record low levels this past January, water levels in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay have rebounded thanks in part to last winter's heavy snowfall combined with an abundance of spring rain. Environment Canada reports that Lake Huron and Georgian Bay water levels are up 20 centimetres or 8 inches over July 2007. At the same time however Lake Huron is still 33 centimetres or 13 inches below its long term average. For those that were living in our area in the late 1980's, we are still 5 feet below those record setting levels. Last year saw Lake Superior's water level drop drastically last fall to its lowest level since 1926. This in turn affects the outflow of water to replenish Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Lake Superior as well has seen its water level return this year to near normal levels.

A five-year study is currently underway being conducted by the International Joint Commission that oversees the regulation of the Great Lakes. As previously reported in an earlier posting, the deepening of the St. Clair River both via dredging and erosion has been identified as one problem area that needs to be potentially addressed in order to stem the increased outflow of water from Lake Huron. Addtional information with respect to these issues can be obtained from the Georgian Bay Association.