[Video] Top 5 Reasons to Relocate to Waterloo Region

By Warren McNeil

Here is a video that I put together for people considering relocating to Waterloo Region.


Here is a transcript of the video:

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 3
Waterloo Region is Canada’s Technology Triangle. There are many high tech companies in the area. One of the worlds fastest growing companies, Research in Motion  is based out of Waterloo. If you are a techy, this is the place you need to be! (source: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/08/17/rim-blackberry-fortune-fastest-growing.html)

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.

Other references:

http://www.grt.ca
http://www.techtriangle.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Waterloo 
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/17/f-crime-2008.html

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-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil
Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage
( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118        
8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca
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Kitchener-Waterloo sets record for sales in January 2010


By Warren McNeil

According to the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate board the numbers are in for January 2010 and we are up 64% in unit sales over 2009. This is great news and the main reason for this is increase is because of the low interest rates and a high level of consumer confidence. 

“This year we are off to quite a different start compared to last year, which is really encouraging,” said Ted Scharf (pronounced Skarf), the President of the WREB, “January is traditionally a slower month for residential sales. These results show that there is definitely demand in the market and the traditional mindset of waiting until spring just doesn’t seem to be as strong. ” 

 

Another interesthing point that I read is that the average house price in Kitchener-Waterloo increased by 12.3% because of an increase in sales of homes over $400,000.

My experience with the market is that stuff is selling really quickly. I find it difficult to get into see properties fast enough. The good deals seem to go really quick!!!

To see the full article, go to:

http://news.therecord.com/article/666766

and the KWREB press release
http://www.kwreb.on.ca/Stats/January%202010%20Media%20Release.pdf

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-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil
Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage
(                  519.579.4110         ~               519-498-8118        
8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca

P.S. Looking for a condo or loft, check out our brand new website at www.LoftStyle.ca!

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Team

  Warren and Melanie McNeil Real Estate Agents



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How’s the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Market?

By Warren McNeil,

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 How is the Kitchener-Waterloo real estate marketestate 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-new free search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil
Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage
(  519.579.4110 ~ 519-498-8118 
8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca

P.S. Looking for a condo or loft, check out our brand new website at www.LoftStyle.ca!

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Team

  Warren and Melanie McNeil Real Estate Agents

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Rich Dad’ seminars deceptive: Marketplace – www.cbc.ca

By Warren McNeil,

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

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/01/28/consumer-rich-dad-poor-dad-marketplace.html

Video: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2010/road_to_rich_dad/main.html

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-new free search website.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil
Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage
(   519.579.4110
8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ClickThatHouse.com

P.S. Looking for a condo or loft, check out our brand new website at www.LoftStyle.ca!

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[Video] Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Realtor to Help You Sell Your House

By Warren McNeil,

I put together another video that will be helpful for people who are thinking about selling their house. I give you 5 good reasons why you should hire a realtor to sell your house. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I hope you enjoy it!

Here is a transcript of the video:

Hello again, I’m Warren McNeil. Real Estate Agent with Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener

Today I am going to talk about the “Top 5 Reasons to Sell Your House with a Realtor”. I know there are many sellers out there right now getting ready to sell their house this year. The primary goal when selling you house is to get the most money possible. And having a good realtor on your side will make sure this process is successful. Here are the “Top 5 Reasons to sell Your House with a Realtor”.

Number 5
Pricing: We know the real estate market and can recommend a price based on recent sales in the area. We also take into consideration the condition of the home and its location. Properly pricing your house could mean the difference between your house selling quickly or sitting on the market forever. The question you need to ask yourself is, do you want to sell your house or do you want to just put it on the market?

Number 4
Market Exposure: A good realtor will market your home to the fullest so that it gets the best exposure possible. The effectiveness of various marketing is always changing, therefore we must remain cutting edge and research what works and stay on top of current trends. In addition to the traditional marketing methods such as print advertising or direct mail we also  utilize the internet and social media such as Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to name a few.

Number 3
Experience: A good agent who sells lots of homes will be able to provide a high level of experience that will ensure that you get top dollar for you home and will also make sure that the process goes as smoothly as possible. Our experience will help reduce your stress!

Number 2
MLS and realtor.ca. MLS or multiple listing service is a database created by realtors which keeps track of all the homes that are currently for sale and those that have sold. The data in this database is very valuable and provides the realtor, sellers and buyers with information about the local real estate market. Realtor.ca is the main interface to this database and is searchable. Having your house listed in the MLS database will ensure that your house gets the maximum exposure to all prospective buyers anywhere in the world. There could be a buyer in China right now looking to relocate and is using realtor.ca to search the MLS for homes for sale in Waterloo. 

And the #1 reason to hire a realtor is to minimize risk and shift the responsibility. To act as a buffer between you and the buyer to ensure that emotions don’t get in the way. To protect your best interests and seek out qualified buyers. Dealing only with licensed realtors instead of complete strangers who may not have your best interests at heart. Shouldn’t you use a trusted professional to protect your single largest asset.

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-new free search website.

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil
Re/Max Twin City Realty, Brokerage
( 519.579.4110
8 www.TeamMcneil.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ClickThatHouse.com

P.S. Looking for a condo or loft, check out our brand new website at www.LoftStyle.ca!

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