Collingwood Can Learn From Other's Mistakes

When the shipyards closed in 1986, Collingwood was handed a tremendous opportunity to regain its waterfront and this was partially secured when plans were established with the Fram Building Group to construct The Shipyards, a residential housing project which included a proposed pedestrian walkway along the water.
As a native of Toronto it was unfortunate to see Toronto's waterfront ultimately offer such limited access to the public. The Gardiner Expressway has taken a lot of the blame for having created a barrier between Torontonians and Lake Ontario. The reality however is that a significant portion of Toronto's waterfront with the exception of Ontario Place and Queens Quay has become dominated by expensive high-rise condo projects. It is these and not the Gardiner that has created the barrier that prevents the public-at-large from accessing what should be the crown jewel of the city.
I lived in Chicago for four years during which time I always admired how that city had maintained abundant access to its waterfront with parks, marinas and venues such as the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium etc. As a frequent business traveler throughout the U.S., I visited about 45 out of the 50 states and saw first-hand what numerous U.S. communities had done to take advantage of their waterfront locations not to mention the preservation of their architectural heritage.
Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco for example is a major tourist destination with annual visitors numbering into the hundreds of thousands. The ability for people to access a waterfront, to sit at an outdoor café, shop, even to just stroll around looking at the water, passing boats etc. has an almost hypnotic affect. Whatever the reason, people are naturally drawn to water and Collingwood has a tremendous opportunity to development this major attribute into both a cultural and economic phenomena.
This past week, Collingwood Council viewed a conceptual plan presented by its Leisure Services department to transform the waterfront area into a facility that would draw upon and service the needs of recreational boaters. The plan would call for increased boat dockage eventually totaling approximate 500 slips. There would also be a provision for amenities such as washroom and laundry facilities and a variety of other services. This plan should also however focus of pedestrians, giving both The Shipyards and other Collingwood residents as well as visitors to the area, ample opportunity and reason to visit what might ultimately be one of the main economic drivers to the area. We have at our doorstep one of the most remarkable and scenic bodies of fresh water in the world. Our waterfront represents a unique opportunity with limitless potential and I would urge our Council to explore the development of this valued asset. We may not have the warm year-round weather of a San Francisco, nonetheless we still have the makings of a great waterfront venue that can be used and enjoyed several months of the year. Ultimately it was the accessibility to the water that set the foundation for this community's future and that opportunity is before us once again. Let's not make the same mistake that Toronto and other cities and towns have done by isolating the public from one of the very features that makes our town the draw that it is.

Our First Garage Sale A Great Success!

This past Saturday, over 100 Royal LePage offices across Canada held a Garage Sale in support of the Royal LePage Shelter foundation. Here in Collingwood, this event proved to be both a lot of work, a lot of fun and in the end was a very successful fundraiser for our first effort.
We raised over $1,650 with 100% of these proceeds going to support the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation which supports the needs of women and children that are the victims of family violence. Proceeds from our local event will go to support My Friend's House.
On behalf of those of us with Royal LePage Collingwood, I would like to thank the many clients, friends and the public-at large that supported our efforts with their donations of unwanted clothing and other items as well as for their purchases. In addition, a word of thanks goes out to Tim Hortons who provided free coffee and donuts, to Boston Pizza for their donation of pizza for our hard working volunteers and also to Burl's Creek Family Event Park for supplying tables for the sale.
This was truly a fun event for a great cause. Fundraising events such as this are a tremendous way for we as REALTORS® to give back to the very community(s) we make our livings from and the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment we receive is reward enough for all the hard work. Thanks again to all of you that participated in helping us make this day the success that it was.

Timing-The-Market Is Like Playing the Slots

The most frequently asked question that those of us in real estate are faced with these days is what’s happening with prices? Despite the fact that real estate sales activity has diminished in recent months, the demand for area property hasn’t and it has been proven repeatedly that a depressed market is typically followed by sustained periods of robust real estate sales and increasing prices. This stems from the pent-up demand that has resulted from buyers having sat on the sidelines for weeks if not months as they try to “time the market.” Real estate sales have in fact has led us out of many an economic downturns and this will likely be the case this time as well.
If you are a buyer attempting to “time the market” you are no doubt holding off making a purchase with the belief that both prices and interest rates may or will drop. As such, you are not trying to “time” just one aspect of the market but two which makes the perfect timing of your purchase even more unattainable. Buying real estate should not be treated like the purchase of a stock, mutual fund or priming that one particular slot machine for the big pay-off. Real estate is typically purchased based on family and or lifestyle needs yet when we are in a market that has shifted towards a decline that very same purchase gets more driven based on price.
Prior to entering real estate I came from a corporate background much of which involved manufacturing. As the quest for improved quality became ever increasingly more important for virtually every business no matter what your product, the goal was to strive for “zero defects,” a virtually unattainable goal that meant to reduce your costs while improving customer satisfaction. For buyers, trying to time-the-market the market is a lot like the unattainable goal of “zero defects.” The only way in which you will ever know when prices have bottomed out is when they have already started to increase. By then you’ve missed the bottom and perhaps the chance to buy the perfect property for your family and lifestyle which is what the purchase should have been based on all along.
My prior goal with every buyer client is to find them the property they need and want in the price range they can afford. In addition to this I also Endeavour to ensure they obtain good value, a property that will be a good investment and one with good resale potential. Right now the market is filled excellent opportunities for buyers to obtain just that. The selection of MLS® listed properties has never been better. Prices are stable and interest rates for those requiring a mortgage are exceptional. Now is in fact the “perfect storm” for buyers and those waiting to “time-the-market” may well miss the opportunity of a lifetime.