Highway 26 Re-Alignment Nears Completion

After a couple of false starts, the long anticipated completion of the re-alignment of Highway 26 from Wasaga Beach to Collingwood is nearing completion with a scheduled opening date later this fall.  Work is currently underway to complete the beginning section at Wasaga Beach south of Mosley Street as well as on the terminus at the Collingwood end where the new road will merge with the existing Highway 26 by the Pilkington Glass plant.
  This new road will offer a much more efficient, safer and attractive approach to Collingwood and is something that is long overdue.  Initiated some years ago when the Provincial Progressive Conservatives were in power, the project was shelved when Dalton McGuinty and company were elected.  The delay has been so lengthy that although a good portion of the route was once cleared, sizable trees had once again grown back in place.  A portion of the road is now open off what is known as the local Collingwood Airport Road aka the Nottawasaga 33/34 Side Road to Mosley Street.
  What remains to be seen in the minds of many, is how efficient and safe the two roundabouts at Mosley Street and Poplar Side Road are going to work.  It's one thing to have single opposing lanes of traffic merge into the roundabouts such as at Poplar Side Road and High Street as well as on Mountain Road.  In the case of these newest traffic circles, there are two lanes travelling in each direction entering the circles which may result in some hairy moments for the more timid of drivers or for those simply not paying attention.  Time will tell....

Area Single Family Home Sales Up 12% in 2012

  Single family home sales reported through the MLS® system of the Georgian Triangle Association of REALTORS® (GTAR) are up 12% to the end of July compared with the first 7 months of 2011. A total of 806 homes have been sold versus 718 through the end of July last year.

  MLS® condominium sales remain unchanged from 2011 with a total of 184 condominiums sold year-to-date. What has changed however is the location of those sales. Condo sales in Collingwood during the first 7 months of 2012 total 117 properties up 16% from the 101 units sold year-to-date July 2011. Condominium sales in the Blue Mountains however are down 30% this year with 48 MLS® sales reported compared to 69 units sold in the first 7 months of 2011.

  Vacant land sales while not robust, are up 8% this year with 77 MLS® sales reported thus far. With an abundance of MLS® listed re-sale properties on the market and the high cost of building, many buyers are simply electing to purchase and if necessary renovate an existing dwelling versus engage in a lengthy building process.

Grey Highland Sales Up 57% in 2012

During the past 2 to 3 years, real estate sales through much of the Georgian Triangle have steadily come back following the most recent economic downturn which started in late 2007. By the end of last year, most area municipalities began to see a return to more consistent real estate sales activity.

Two exceptions were the municipalities of Grey Highlands and Meaford which in 2011 saw sales decreases in the 20% to 25% range. Seven months into 2012, this trend has completely reversed itself with year-to-date MLS® unit sales in Grey Highlands and the Municipality of Meaford up 57% and 18% respectively. No doubt the closure of Talisman Resort has had some impact on recreational property sales in the Beaver Valley, part of Grey Highlands. While Talisman continues to remained closed and is for sale, Grey Highlands real estate has once again become popular with 74 MLS® sales thus far in 2012 versus just 47 sales in the first 7 months of 2011.

The Municipality of Meaford which includes the former Municipalities of Sydenham and St. Vincent has up until last year seen steady growth as buyers have headed west of the major ski resorts in search of better pricing. Year-to-date MLS® sales total 67 properties, 10 more than what had sold during the first 7 months of 2011.

Year-to-date MLS® sales in the municipalities throughout our area are as follows:

• Clearview 97 sales up 3% from 2011
• Collingwood 204 sales up 7%
• Grey Highlands 74 sales up 57%
• Municipality of Meaford 67 sales up 18%
• Town Blue Mountains 95 sales up 17%
• Wasaga Beach 242 sales up 13%

  Market activity is expected to remain stable through the balance of 2012.  As we get through August and into September, recreational buyers begin to think about the coming ski season so certain segments of the market ie: condos and ski chalet sales typically increase through the fall months.