July 9, 2010
With the recent heat wave across Ontario, we have seen a definite increased interest in cottage real estate. Our summer season is in full swing with the area provincial parks full with campers and most cottages getting lots of use.
If you’ve been thinking about buying your own piece of cottage country, this is an excellent time to get into the market. Overall, our listing inventory is up 31% from 2009, which means there is an excellent selection to choose from. For example, you can get into a comfortable 3 bedroom cottage with access into Whalley Lake and year round maintained road for only $214,900.
If you’re more of a do-it-yourself type, we have a 15 acre parcel on Murdock Lake with a private road access and 689 feet of waterfront for $114,900.
And who said it was expensive to get into the cottage market?
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June 15, 2010
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Suzanne Wintrob, writer for the National Post’s Home section and was very happy with what she did with the material (and other REALTORS) gave her to work with. The information contained within the column is excellent and should help buyers and sellers, new and seasoned both, to understand what makes the waterfront real estate market “tick”, and what the long term prospects are.
You can read the full article here.
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May 18, 2010
Today, CREA reported on their website that the Parry Sound area that home sales were up considerably from the previous year, as were the number of listings on the market. Probably a combination of the yearly spring and continuing robust local economy.
Read the entire article here.
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May 6, 2010
Yesterday morning, I attended a home inspection at a cottage on Lake Manitouwaba. It was a warm, mid-spring day, with the sun occasionally poking its head out from the clouds and a moderate south-westerly breeze blowing in from the lake. As the morning progressed, the on-shore breezes became lighter and intermittent, allowing voracious clouds of blackflies to descend on to the unsuspecting inspector, cottage owner and buyers.
Luckily, my clients (the buyers) heeded the Boy Scouts motto (be prepared) and arrived with a full bottle of Deep Woods Off. Insect repellents containing DEET certainly seems to be an effective solution to biting insects such as mosquitoes and blackflies, but there are plenty of other “less toxic” solutions floating around.
A recent article on the Northern Living website suggests avoiding bananas and eating plenty of garlic to ward off biting insects. Read the entire article here.
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April 27, 2010
Last year I wrote an interesting (and somewhat popular) post featuring the much misunderstood blackfly. As blackfly season is early this year (by about 3 weeks), I’ve decided to republish these little known facts:
- Black flies (unlike mosquitoes) do not attack at night and will seldom bite indoors or even in a vehicle. Once they sense they’re trapped their attention seems permanently diverted to escape
- Only females bite and use blood for egg development.
- Black flies are strongly influenced by colour, finding dark hues more attractive than pale ones. Light-coloured clothing is a much better choice than dark-coloured clothing.
- On humans, bites are most common around the hairline, the neck, behind the ears and around the ankles.
- Black flies have several natural predators, which include birds such as swallows and other insects (i.e. dragonflies). Attracting these insectivores with feeders or by creating suitable habitats should naturally help control black flies.
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April 11, 2010
It’s interesting to see that the main stream media is starting to pick up on facts that we in the local real estate market have known for a long time. Within the next year, they’ll probably start talking about real estate bubbles and how much prices are going up.
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March 13, 2010
Here’s are seven excellent suggestions for selling your home or cottage, courtesy of Zillow
Understand first of all that there IS a difference between price and value. Price is the amount you are asking for the property. Value is buyer perceived, and this perception of value is influenced by many factors such as location, features, condition, comparison to other purchase option, etc. By attending to details that can have a positive impact on the value, sellers can significantly increase their chance of attracting qualified buyers willing to pay the asking price.
Some tips to achieve a positive impact on value are:
* Perceived size impacts value, even more so than actual square footage. Open floor plans make a room feel bigger than larger spaces with smaller rooms. Showing property that is furniture free, or at reduced clutter, helps to make the space feel bigger.
* Vacancy increases sale-ability. Property is easier to show and easier to sell, and quicker to take possession of when it is vacant at the time it is offered for sale. Evidence of problems to take possession of the property — such as encroachments, or tenants who wont allow buyer tours — negatively impact value. Vacancy also helps the buyer walk through the property imagining ownership. Sellers should remove personal trinkets and family pictures as well as being conveniently absent during a buyer tour.
* Cosmetics are important.
– Fresh paint will always add more value than it costs.
– Clean or new carpet/flooring adds more value than it costs.
– Landscaping adds more value than it costs. At the very minimum, make the entrance area neat.
– If you can, add some colorful flowers and new sod.
* Take care of the obvious! The spot on the ceiling from the roof leak takes thousands of dollars from the perceived value and the offer price.
* Condition affects value. Do a seller’s home inspection to identify and fix the problem BEFORE closing. No point holding up your check a few extra days; plus a failed buyer’s inspection could cost you the sale. Buyers will often bargain down your asking price to accomodate for property condition and repairs.
* If you can, remodel/update the kitchen and master bathroom. These two areas have a big impact on home buying decisions.
* Strategic renovations impact value and your bottom line. Don’t spend more money to renovate the place than you can recapture in value on the sales price.
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