I am a little apprehensive saying this because as soon as I say it, we will be hit with a big snowstorm. I hope Spring is here? I love Spring for a few reasons. I always know when Spring is here because I get to go to the Elmira Maple Syrup festival. Who doesn’t love Sapfest! I can picture those pancakes now.. Yummmmmy!! The second thing is I get to open my fish pond. Hopefully my fish are OK this year. There were a couple of really cold nights. We have had really good luck over the past 5 years so I am expecting this year to be the same.
The other way we can tell Spring is here is the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate market heats up. I can tell this year is going to be hot. Buyers are “chomping at the bit” to get out house hunting. Some already are.. The biggest issue though is the lack of inventory. There are lots of multiple offers going on and buyers are paying more money for houses. Sellers are getting top dollar for their houses. The is great for sellers but not so great for buyers. With that said, interest rates are still low. I think the key thing buyers should consider is the money they are saving in interest from the bank is offset by the prices they are paying for the houses. Move-up buyers will get more money for their houses but they will also pay more money for the house they plan to buy.
What does this all mean? To me it means that it is still a good time to buy despite the higher prices. Not all areas are effected. So you can still get good deals if you look for them. Research is important before making decision.
It is important to get out and see everything that is available and act fast when you find the house you like.
Thanks for reading!
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
Buyers are in the market right now looking to buy houses. However the biggest problem is low inventory levels. In January, the number of active listings was down 33% over 2009.
Our team has been doing lots of market evaluations for people lately so we know that it’s going to be a busy spring.
Now is a good time to sell because of the following reasons:
less inventory can work in the sellers favour. less competition
low interest rates for buyers making it easier to buy
there’s an abundance of buyers
the minimum downpayment requirement is still 5% and not 10%
the olympics are over. Not sure if that’s a good reason but it sounded good
higher offer potential
multiple offer potential
The next three months are going to be really interesting.
Thanks for reading!
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
People relocate for a variety of reasons. Maybe you are looking for a new job, better quality of life or your are just looking for a change. Waterloo Region has alot to offer and is a wonderful area to move into. Here are the top 5 reasons to move to Waterloo Region.
Number 5:
We have a very low crime rate compared to other cities in Canada. In a study done in 2007, Waterloo Region was ranked the fourth lowest crime rate in Canada. So if you are looking for a safe place to live, look no further. (source http://www.techtriangle.com/invest)
Number 4
We have some of the best Universities and Colleges in the world here. University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier and Conestogo College.. A lot of very successful companies were formed by alumni who went to these schools. Companies such as Research in Motion makers of the world reknowned Blackberry, MKS and QNX to name a few.According to Wikipedia, University of Waterloo is also known as the Silicon Valley of the North.
Number 2
Easily accessible. This is one of my favourite reasons. KItchener-Waterloo and Cambridge are extremely accessible. The highways travel down the middle of each city which makes getting around the cities very convenient. If you work in Toronto or London, we are only one hour away. Late last year, GO busses started offering their services here from Toronto.
And the number 1 reason to relocation to the area is:
The cost of living here is very affordable. House prices are about 1/3 less then Toronto. The average house price for a single detached home year-to-date was approximately 297,000 for 2009. We have a very strong real estate market with a good selection of different home styles. If you work in Toronto, you can drive a little to save alot.
There are so many more reasons. These were just a few that I thought were worth mentioning. Let me know what you think. If you live in the area, tell us what you like best about Waterloo Region.
Thanks for reading!
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
This is a question that gets asked almost every day. However the answer is a lot more complicated then just saying “it’s good” or “it’s bad”. Each area of the Kitchener-Waterloo real estate market is different. For example, according to the KW real Estate Board, condos in Kitchener-Waterloo had an increase in 2009 of 2.2% over 2008. Freehold condos increased by 2.2% and single detached homes increase was 0.3%.
In order to get a really accurate evaluation of the market, we need to isolate the area that you are most interested in. For example, lets look at freehold condominiums in Waterloo West less then 10 years old. The next thing we do is pull up all the freehold townhouses that sold within the last year. Feb 1, 2009 – Feb 1, 2010. I get the following information.
Freehold Condominiums in Waterloo West less then 10 years old (Feb 1, 2009 – Feb 1, 2010)
units sold 83
average sale price: 249,500
average list to sale price ratio: 98%
average days on market: 38
Now lets do the same comparison for Feb 1, 2008- Feb 1, 2009
Freehold Condominiums in Waterloo West less then 10 years old (Feb 1, 2008 – Feb 1, 2009)
units sold: 59
average sale price: $250.439
average list to sale price ratio: 99%
average days on market: 62
As you can see there is quite a bit of difference. Last year, there were 30 more freehold condos sold then in the same period in 2008. The average sale price was pretty much the same. In 2008 the list to sale price was higher then 2009. The average days on market was alot better in 2009 then in 2008.
What’s my point here? Well it’s simple, each area of the market require seperate analysis to get truly accurate data. From now on, my response when somebody asks the question, “How’s the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Market?” will be, it all depends on what information you are looking for. For Kitchener-Waterloo as a whole, I would say great!
Anyways, thanks for reading!
We are a full-time real estate team in Kitchener Waterloo area. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo or Cambridge areas. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
I came across an interesting article regarding the Rich Dad workshops in Kitchener. I receive mailings from this company all of the time and I just ignore them. I guess there are alot of people that up in arms over the training program. I can’t say much about it other then what I read in the CBC article.
View full article at: Title: ‘Rich Dad’ seminars deceptive: Marketplace
If you go to any seminars like these, make sure you pay close attention to the underlying message. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Do your research before spending any money.
Thanks for reading!
We are a full-time real estate team in Kitchener Waterloo area. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo or Cambridge areas. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website.
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Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate — Tags: buyers and sellers, Canada, elmira maple syrup festival, full time real estate, good deals, hot real estate market, kitchener real estate, kitchener real estate statistics, kitchener waterloo active listings, kitchener waterloo average days on market, kitchener waterloo real estate board, Kitchener Waterloo real estate statistics, kitchener waterloo unit sales, Kitchener-Waterloo home sales, Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate, Ontario, pancakes, Real Estate, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Remax, sellers market, top dollar, Waterloo Region —
wmcneil @ 9:14 am
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