In the midst of all the news that is going on in the world, I read a newsarticle today that I found really disturbing! It downright makes me mad!! The incident took place in Stratford which is about 30 minutes from Kitchener-Waterloo.
I can’t believe that people can be so evil. The swan would not leave her eggs because of instinct so she was completely defenseless. Her mate was not around and I imagine if he was he would have been killed as well. The vandals also took the eggs!
I really love animals and when I hear things like this I wonder what is wrong with some people. They must have a mental problem or something. Why would someone do this? There is nothing to gain from it.
Sorry about the depressing blog post. I just wanted to post my thoughts!
Thanks for reading!
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Buying an Investment Property For College/University Bound Students in Kitchener-Waterloo
I recently helped a family who had a daughter going to the U of W. They were looking to buy a house so that she could live there with a couple of friends during her term at the university. The reason why they were doing this was so that they could avoid paying for a rental. Instead of paying high rental costs for student housing, they decided to buy a house and pay the money they were going to pay in rent towards their own investment.
We are seeing more and more people doing this. I have another person who is still deciding whether this is a good option for them. Some people are afraid to commit to a mortgage on a property like this. This is totally understandable because it is still a huge commitment.
Those that do decide to go this route often come out on top. If you add up the cost of renting an apartment or paying for university accommodations (residence) then you will soon realize you can pay that towards your own mortgage and receive appreciation on your investment. Even if you factor in very low appreciation (3-4%) per year, you will still come out with some extra money at the end even after you factor in the real estate fees and land transfer tax. Even if you break even, you can look at it from the point of view that you didn’t have to pay rent.
So what kind of house should you buy? Like any investment, it all depends on what you wish to achieve. Some people only need a single one bedroom apartment style condo where others want to buy a house which they can have other people/friends/fellow students share in on the costs.
Check out this video I recently did:
Here is a complete transcript of the video
Hi There! I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil at Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener Do you have a son or daughter who is going to the University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier or Conestogo College in Kitchener Waterloo area? Then maybe you are deciding whether you should rent or buy a home. Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking of buying a house or condominium during their term at University or College.
1. Difficulty in Finding Good Quality Rentals - Sometimes it can be difficult to find good quality rentals. They are not always in the best condition and the good ones usually rent out quickly. The last thing you want is to rent something that is not taken care of or is very costly.
2. Control: When you buy a home, you will have more control over choosing things such as location, type of home, size and other features such as garages and parking. Most rentals have many limitations. When you are the home owner you will have much more control and enjoy piece of mind!
3. Equity – When you purchase a house or condo your monthly mortgage payment could be the same or less then what you would pay monthly for rental accomodations.. Since you have to pay something monthly anyways, why not pay it towards your own investment instead of somebody elses. Build equity and hopefully you will gain lots of appreciation in the future when go to sell!
I hope you found the information here useful. Thanks for reading and watching!
Thanks for reading!
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Today Mel and I went for lunch at an awesome little cafe just west of Elmira. The cafe is a mennonite run operation and was formerly the Club 86. The restaurant had all of the charm of a quaint little country cafe. Prices were amazing. We both had soup, sandwich, pop, coffee and a piece of pie. The total cost came to $18.00 for two people. The menu was simple and offered light lunches which consisted of soups, salads, sandwiches and breakfast. What I found really neat was the restautant was part of a house. It also had a large building beside the house that would work well for weddings or banquets.
The cafe is conveniently located between Listowel and Elmira on highway 86. If you are looking to get away from the busyness of the world and want a quick bite to eat and a delicious piece of pie, checkout this little cafe!
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
The Table below shows the most relevant real estate data for the month of April 2010 and compares it with the previous month and the previous year, (previous month) March 2010 and (previous year) April 2009, respectively. This information is for single detached only in all areas.
WATERLOO REGION
(ALL Areas)
(April 10)
(April 09)
%CHANGE
09/10
(Mar 10)
%CHANGE
Mar/Apr
UNITS SOLD
482
SOLD
417
SOLD
+15.6%
432
SOLD
+11.6%
AVERAGE PRICE SOLD
$331,366
$289,948
+14.3%
$326,930
+6.4%
ACTIVE LISTINGS
(END of PERIOD)
1373
ACTIVE
1722
ACTIVE
-20.3%
1291
ACTIVE
+11.1%
AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET
43 DAYS
59 DAYS
-27.4%
39 DAYS
+10.3%
SALE PRICE TO
LIST PRICE RATIO
98.5%
97.5%
+1.0%
98.1%
+0.3%
The above information is believed to be correct errors and ommissions accepted.
So the spring/early summer market is just steaming along. Things are still really busy. From the above graph, the number of unit sales increased by 15.6% over the same month last year. Average house price is also up 14.3%. Keep in mind this is based on same month last year. The average YTD sale price is $325,788 and last years (2009) YTD was $285,464 which is a 14.1% increase! Not too bad for sellers trying to maximize their sale price. Average days on market haven’t changed much.. Houses are selling quickly..
I expect things will cool a bit in July and then pick back up again in September. This is just my speculation. May and June will be busy months.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
What are your plans this weekend? Camping, BBQ/Cookout, house cleaning or just lazing around the house. Whatever your plan, if you are a in Canada, you will have an extra day. Victoria Day or May 2-4 weekend is this coming weekend. This weekend to me is the official start of summer. Time to take the Christmas lights down!
When I was younger I used to think that people would go to the Beer Store and pickup a “Two Four” and celebrate May Two Four weekend. Not sure if this was a play on words or just a coincidence. Nevertheless, it was something I thought of.
This weekend I plan on taking it easy. We normally like to either go to the cottage or do yard work. In terms of working on Victoria Day, I find that if the weather is nice, people like to go out and look at houses so it could be a busy work weekend for us as well.
I think the drive-in would be a good thing to do on a long weekend like this. Pack up the car, bring your favourite snacks and take in a movie at the Guelph Mustang! I can hear the jingle, “Let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobbbbyyyyyy and get ourselves a drink!”…
Please leave your comments if you have any fond memories of past May Two Four weekends.
Filed under:
Uncategorized —
wmcneil @ May 31, 2010 10:02 pm
Those that do decide to go this route often come out on top. If you add up the cost of renting an apartment or paying for university accommodations (residence) then you will soon realize you can pay that towards your own mortgage and receive appreciation on your investment. Even if you factor in very low appreciation (3-4%) per year, you will still come out with some extra money at the end even after you factor in the real estate fees and land transfer tax. Even if you break even, you can look at it from the point of view that you didn’t have to pay rent.
what you wish to achieve. Some people only need a single one bedroom apartment style condo where others want to buy a house which they can have other people/friends/fellow students share in on the costs.
Today Mel and I went for lunch at an awesome little cafe just west of Elmira. The cafe is a mennonite run operation and was formerly the Club 86. The restaurant had all of the charm of a quaint little country cafe. Prices were amazing. We both had soup, sandwich, pop, coffee and a piece of pie. The total cost came to $18.00 for two people. The menu was simple and offered light lunches which consisted of soups, salads, sandwiches and breakfast. What I found really neat was the restautant was part of a house. It also had a large building beside the house that would work well for weddings or banquets.
house. Whatever your plan, if you are a in Canada, you will have an extra day. Victoria Day or May 2-4 weekend is this coming weekend. This weekend to me is the official start of summer. Time to take the Christmas lights down! 
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