Spring Market is in Full Bloom!

By Warren McNeil,

The spring market is upon us and we are really seeing things starting to pick up. The market here in Kitchener Waterloo is balanced. We are enjoying a stable market. Re/Max released a report Monday that stated that first-time buyers have the benefit of selection and can take their time when looking for a house in Kitchener Waterloo. This doesn’t mean that houses are taking longer to sell because we are still seeing multiple offers in some situations. It means that there is enough inventory for buyers to take their time searching.  Although the average home price for a house in Kitchener Waterloo is around 285,000. First-time home buyers are paying  more to be in better areas. Condos are also very popular right now with buyers looking for new construction in the downtown Kitchener and uptown Waterloo areas.

Time will tell what the effects of the increase in interest rates will have on the real estate market. For now the rates are still low and things look pretty stable here in Kitchener Waterloo.

Thanks for reading!

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Connect with us on the following social networks Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamMcNeilRemax
websites: www.TeamMcNeil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.KitchenerLofts.com, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Team McNeil’s Kitchener Waterloo Business Directory

I recently setup a business directory that includes contacts for all the service professionals that we work with everyday.

The video below is me explaining the directory and why I set it up.

The directory is located at http://www.teammcneil.com/blog/your-local-business-directory/

If you would like someone added to the directory, contact us and we will review the contact.

Thanks for reading!

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Connect with us on the following social networks Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamMcNeilRemax
websites: www.TeamMcNeil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.KitchenerLofts.com, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

It’s been a little while since I blogged about anything. We have had a busy past couple of weeks. I know, “Excuses, Excuses!!”.. Things are going well with the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate market. We had a slow summer but the market has turned around over the past month. Sales are up again. We are also up over last year despite the slow summer.

Kitchener downtown is undergoing a major transformation with a bunch of new condominium projects. Waterloo also has serveral other condo developlments in the works. It is an exciting time for our area. Andrin homes is in the process of building their sales centre downtown. I think I read that the sales centre will open at the beginning of 2011. 

Mel and I are looking forward to the 4th quarter. We believe the Kitchener Waterloo market will close strong for 2010.

This weekend the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest festival begins. The festival lasts for about a week and apparently is the closest to a German Oktoberfest festival you are going to find. There is a little of something for everyone. Food, drinking, games, parades and much more. This festival is the largest Barvarian Festival in North America. A couple of my favourite things about this festival are the beer nuts and Oktoberfest sausage! For more information, see http://www.oktoberfest.ca/

Tonight we are hosting a client appreciation party to give thank to all our clients who have worked with us in the past, present and future. If you read this blog, we have a few extra tickets available. If you would like to see a performance of “Separate Beds” in St Jacobs, please contact me and I will make sure that I get tickets to you.

Thanksgiving is also this coming long weekend. We hope everyone has a good weekend and eats lots of Turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving & Ein Prosit!

Thanks for reading!

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Connect with us on the following social networks Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamMcNeilRemax
websites: www.TeamMcNeil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.KitchenerLofts.com, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Tara Perkins – Globe and Mail

Royal Bank of Canada raised mortgage rates for the second time in two weeks, setting the stage for another wave of hikes by major banks as they grapple with higher financing costs.

“This is just the beginning,” said Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce economist Benjamin Tal. “There is no reason to believe that this will stop at this point.” Indeed, by late Tuesday Bank of Nova Scotia had already followed suit, matching RBC’s 25 basis point hike on fixed-rate mortgages. Bankers at rival institutions were weighing their options.

RBC kicked off the increases in March when it increased the price of fixed-rate five-year mortgages by 0.60 percentage points to 5.85%; many rivals followed suit. Following Tuesday’s move, RBC and Scotiabank’s posted rates will be 6.10%.

Executives are balancing their desire for market share with their need to pad profit margins. For instance, most banks increased their rates two weeks ago after RBC did so. Bank of Montreal, which has lost market share in the mortgage market and wants to win it back, has been heavily promoting a special five-year rate for customers who sign up for mortgages with a term of 25 years or less. Other banks also have special rates.

But even BMO’s rates are poised to increase. Though the bank didn’t boost its five-year rate Tuesday, it will soon. “We wanted to give consumers an opportunity over the next few days to come in and get pre-approved and locked in at 3.95%,” said Jane Yuen, senior manager at BMO.

“Traditionally banks generally move in relative lockstep to changes,” said Craig Alexander, deputy chief economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank. “Having said that, there’s no guarantee that everyone will follow the leader.”

When one or more banks have a higher posted rate, they can adjust the rate that customers are actually paying in order to meet their market-share goals, he added.

As a result, most homeowners wind up paying a rate that’s discounted from the posted rate. The actual rate that a customer pays depends on a variety of factors including their financial situation, whether they use a mortgage broker, and how good they are at negotiating.

Peter Aceto, the chief executive of ING Direct Canada, said it was inevitable that mortgage rates would rise, but he expected the increase to be more gradual. “I would have thought it would have been a bit more gentle,” he said.

ING Direct has decided not to boost its rates again for now. Mr. Aceto noted that the bank, which makes use of the Internet rather than an expensive branch network to reach customers, has lower costs than the larger banks and can therefore afford to charge less.

However, he noted that the banks’ funding costs continue to rise. And he pointed out that the banks have “rate holds” that oblige them to hold on to rates for customers – ING Direct has a 120 day rate hold for instance. “It’s pretty likely in this environment that your funding costs are going to be higher in 90 days or 120 days,” he said. “RBC may have been thinking about that risk.”

Marcia Moffat, RBC’s head of home equity financing, said the bank increased rates again because its funding costs have risen further in the two weeks since it last raised rates.

Royal Bank is Canada’s biggest mortgage lender, with a portfolio of roughly $148.5-billion.

Many bankers said they have seen a large number of customers with variable-rate mortgages choosing to lock-in to fixed-term rates in the last two months.

Ms. Moffat suggested that could be wise. “Most times in history variable-rate mortgages have been more cost effective than fixed rate,” she said. “But there have been a couple of points in history where that hasn’t been the case, and where you would have been better off to have gone with fixed versus variable, and I would say that this could be one of those points in history.”

Funding costs for five-year mortgages are heavily influenced by the yields on five-year government bonds, which have been rising.

Bond yields, in turn, are being influenced in large part by the market’s growing expectation that the central bank will raise rates more quickly than previously believed.

While many experts are predicting that the Bank of Canada will increase rates by 75 basis points before the end of the year, the market seems to be adjusting beyond that, Mr. Tal noted. RBC’s five-year fixed mortgage rates have now gone up 85 basis points.

Source:  Globe and Mail: Canadian Banks Raise Rates As Finance Costs Rise

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

Connect with us on the following social networks   Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

Lower Mainland real estate west of the Fraser Valley hit a new money milestone in March — for the first time, the average price for a single detached home hit $1 million. “If you look at our market in the last 12 months, [it's] probably the hottest real estate market in the world,” realtor Paul Eviston told CTV News. According to the B.C. Real Estate Association, there were 1,344 single detached homes sold in greater Vancouver last month, at a total cost of nearly $1.35 billion. “When we look at the price of a single detached home, in March it was the first month ever that we saw that price crest a million dollars,” the association’s Cameron Muir told CTV News.

Click here to read the full news story.  Vancouver real estate hits million-dollar milestone

Copyright Source: CTV.ca

This is amazing, their prices have climbed 23.3% in the last 12 months. I guess the Olympics have really helped their real estate market. The warm weather has also played a big part in getting buyers out to buy houses. Be sure to watch the video at the above link..

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                www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks    Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

For the past little while I have really been wanting to write something about the team advantage and what it means to be part of a team. Over the past few days our team has been down in Niagara Falls to receive some team-based real estate training. We were very fortunate to go with our entire team. We felt this was benefical to us because we were able to take better advantage of all of the different breakout sessions and take in more information then we probably could of if we went by ourselves.

During the main keynote, the main speaker showed a video on team work. Please take a second to watch this amazing and hilarious video.

This video really hit home for us. Besides being very entertaining, it really demonstrates the power of a team. The first guy who started singing by himself didn’t make much of a song but as each singer came in, the song started to take more shape.. This is how we view our real estate team and the way it benefits our clients.  We know that we can’t be everything to everyone but our team can be. The team advantage allows for us to share ideas as well as keep each other accountable. This in turn provides for a stronger environment for us to work in as well as enables us to better serve our clients. This is why we chose to work as a team.

Another experience we had was when Michael “Pinball” Clemens came on stage. What a powerful and engaging speaker. Pinball was a very successful CFL football player and coach for the Toronto Argonauts.  He talked about his family, his experience as a player and coach. He was very modest and didn’t brag about his past successes. As a matter of fact, the reason he stopped coaching football was because he wanted to put his family first. I think the best thing I got from his talk was that when we work as a team,  anything we do, effects what our team mates do.. For example, if I am not pulling my weight, then it is not only effecting me, but my other team mates as well. When we build up our other team mates, then we build ourselves up. I really liked the way he interacted with the audience on this point and I can see how he would have been an amazing football coach.

This quote from Pinball says it all:

If a team is one and you and I are on the same team, it means that I am you and you are me.

Check out this video and the above quote can be found at about 2:40 of the video.

If you ever get the chance to hear Pinball speak I think you will find that his message is powerful and motivating. He will definitely help you understand the power of having a strong team. A team that has team mates helping each other  succeed. A team that is working for the same goals and not working independently.

A team should be a single cohesive unit that incorportates the efforts of every member to create a positive outcome and not working independently of each other.

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                www.TeamMcneil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.LoftStyle.ca, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

Connect with us on the following social networks  Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

Here is a video I did for sellers who are thinking about selling their houses in Waterloo Region. Please check out the video and if you have any questions or comments please let us know…

Here is the transcript for the video:

Hi There, I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil at Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener

Today I am going to talk to you about a few things you need to do before selling your house.  Selling your home can be a simple and straightforward process if you follow the right steps.  In order to get top dollar and avoid headaches, it is important to do a few things beforehand. 
Here are 5 things you can do before selling your house.

Number 5 – Get a Market Evaluation
The first thing you should do is get a market evaluation on your house so you know exactly how much you house is worth before you do any work.  A realtor will advise you on things you should do and not do when preparing the house for sale. We will make recommendations on things such as updating, repairs, decluttering or staging.. You might not need to spend as much money as you think to get your house ready.

Number 4 – Mortgage information
If you have a mortgage on your house, you should find out if there is a penalty to pay out your mortgage early.  We recommend calling your lender to find this information out.

Number 3 – Make repairs and perform other maintenance items
It s a good idea to do any necessary repairs around the house. We also recommend that you replace furnace filters, fill the water softener with salt, replace burnt out light bulbs, fix broken door handles and replace any cracked or broken windows. Consider hiring a home inspector before you sell your house so that you can find out if there are any unknown issues. If you fix the issues beforehand, then you can avoid surprises later when the buyer does their home inspection. The money you spend now on repairs, maintenance and home inspection could help you get more money later.  Contact us if you would like us to recommend a good Waterloo area home inspector or other skilled professional.

Number 2 – Declutter, Depersonalize, Paint, Clean and Stage

-          Decluttering: Decluttering will allow the buyer to visualize how big and spacious the rooms are in the house. People who are selling their houses often use their garages to store items from the house. Other options are offsite storage or storage pods.

-          Depersonalizing:  You should also consider depersonalizing your house. This is a touchy area and all I am going to say is just put yourself in the buyer shoes and try to view the house through their eyes.  Keep an open mind and remember that the goal is to sell the house for the most money.

-          Cleaning: One of the cheapest things you can do is clean. Buyers love looking at clean houses. If you are unable to clean on your own, consider hiring a cleaning service to help you. It will be the best money you ever spend.

-          Painting: Painting is one of the best things you can do to make a house feel fresh and clean and to add more appeal.  If you are unable to do a good job yourself, consider hiring someone to do it for you.

-          Staging: Hire a staging profession to stage your home. It is amazing what a professional stager can do to help you get more money for you house.  

Contact us if you’d like a recommendation for a professional organizer, a professional stager, a painter or a cleaning service.

And the Number 1 thing to do before selling your house is: Determine the best possible price
Pricing is the single most important thing to consider before selling your house. Your house will be worth a certain value based on its location, updates, condition and the recent sold comparables.  When you hire an agent, don’t list your home with the agent who wants to overprice your property just so they can get the listing. List your house with the agent who takes the time to go through the comparables and provides valid reasons for their price recommendation.   Homes that are overpriced often sell for less.

Whether you are a move-up buyer, relocating or downsizing, selling you house can be a smooth process if you follow these steps. 

 If you are thinking about selling your house in Waterloo Region and you would like to get started with a free online market evaluation of your Waterloo area home, please visit our website at www.clickthathouse.com or call us at 519-498-8118. Thanks for watching and see you next time!

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

Connect with us on the following social networks       Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax

Thanks for reading!

Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
Connect with us on the following social networks Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamMcNeilRemax
websites: www.TeamMcNeil.com, www.ClickThatHouse.com, www.KitchenerLofts.com, www.ElmiraRealEstate.ca

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-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

Connect with us on the following social networks     Facebook: www.facebook.com/teammcneilremax