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After two excellent months of sales in the $250,000 and under price range we are short on inventor in the price range; not the other ranges.  If you are thinking of selling & your home is worth under the $250,000 mark, now is the time to list.  If you are a 1st time home buyer,  be patient, there is deals out there but not many.  Watch the new listings and act fast or they will be gone.

CMHC followed suit with the Government of Canada and stopped the ability of Investors to buy with 5% down; it must now be 20% down, but still better than it was 2 years ago where it was at 25% down.  On a $200,000 a downpayment would be $40,000 instead of $10,000.  A big difference!

You may be leary that interest rates will rise after July… THEY WILL!! Not significantly but they will go up in tiny amounts at a time as not to shock the market.  Do not let rates scare you!

Remember, if you are not sold in 3 weeks, REDUCE REDUCE REDUCE!!

Call Trevor Shaw at (705) 791-5004 to get the results you want!!

I deal within Barrie, Innisfil, Essa, Springwater, Oro and all around so don’t be shy! I’m just a phone call away to help you out in any way that i can!

As we head toward the end of February, we have had a very strong first 2 months in Real Estate here in Barrie.  It has been 24% better than in the first 7 weeks of the year.  Strong sales have depleted our inventory though and there is currently a shortage of well priced listings.  Good for Sellers but Bad for buyers.  If this trend continues in to the month of March, we could see a very tight market with competing offers.

Income properties are in high demand as investors have roughly 50 days remaining to buy with only 5% down instead of the new rule at 20% down.  In the last 7 days, there has been 3 legal duplexes listed under $250,000 and all sold with competing offers within the first 2 days on the market.  So if you are thinking of buying or selling a duplex, do it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, as demand will fall at a 20% down payment.

Economy here is smooth as Honda Alliston is hiring again and offering overtime to employees.  Consumer confidence is high as well so should be a great spring.

Remember if you are not sold withint the first 21 days, then you are not price corrected.

Call Trevor Shaw 705-791-5004 to get the Results!

According to a spokesman, The Bank of Canada will not raise its interest rates to cool the country’s hot housing market.

Those who fear a bubble worry that many people are taking advantage of cheap money to buy homes they wouldn’t be able to afford once rates rise, leading ultimately to a crash in prices.

Lane said the bank understands the concern, but it uses its lending rate to keep inflation in check for the whole economy and the housing market is “only one of several factors” that influence inflation.

Canada’s residential real estate market is forecast to remain unusually strong through the first half of 2010 as economic conditions across the country improve and the stimulus impact of low interest rates continues to stoke demand, according to the latest Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast. 

As confidence in the recovery builds in early 2010, increases in average house price levels and overall market activity are expected to continue. The gradual erosion of affordability driven by higher house prices and the expected late-year modest upward movement of interest rates, together with an improvement in listings supply as confidence improves, are expected to bring the market back into balance in the second half of the year, when home price increases are expected to moderate.

Trevor Shaw
Sales Representative
RE/MAX Chay Realty Inc., Brokerage
Dir: 705-791-5004
OFC: 705-722-7100

According to statistics provided by the Canadian Real Estate Association, the total home sales recorded in December 2009 on the MLS® System totalled 207 units, 56 per cent above levels in the same month in 2008. This is the seventh consecutive year-over-year increase.

The fourth quarter of 2009 was the strongest on record. As a result, annual sales in 2009 surpassed level reported in 2008.  Activity totalled 4,326 units in 2009, up seven percent from the previous year, in a year of Recession.

The total sales activity in the Barrie Region numbered 213 units in December, up 58% year over year.  The total value of all properties sold in December 2009 was $55.4 million, an increase of 50% from the previous December.

The average price for homes sold via the Association’s MLS® System in 2009 was $263,959. This is virtually unchanged from the average price of $264,034 in 2008.

The number of active residential listings on the Association’s MLS® System dropped 26 per cent from a year earlier to 1,043 units at the end of December 2009. This is the eighth consecutive month in which active listings have declined from the peak levels of 2008. The last three declines have all been in excess of 25 per cent.

Trevor Shaw

Sales Representative

Re/max Chay Realty Inc., Brokerage

OFC:  705-722-7100

CELL: 705-791-5004

Barrie’s unemployment rate has dropped for the first time since April 2008 in the fourth quarter of 2009.  Since the economy here has turned around at the end of the second quarter of 2009, fifteen hundred (1,500) full time jobs have been added.  All of this is positive news for Barrie and the housing market in general.  Spring looks as though it will be strong, a portion of people will want to be sold before the HST comes into effect.  Do not panic about the HST, as it only affects on the commission of the sales representative and not the house price; but it will also be on legal fees, appraisals and home inspections.  It is not going to add thousands of dollars to the bottom line amount, however it will add approximately two to three hundred dollars ($200 to $300) per deal.

If you are thinking of Selling and want free information call us direct at 705-791-5004.

Trevor Shaw
Sales Representative for Re/max Chay Realty Inc., Brokerage
Independtly Owned and Operated
Cell: 705-791-5004
OFC: 705-722-7100

Below, please find the following media release from our President, Wendy Elzner.

MLS® home sales activity in the area served by the Barrie District Association of REALTORS® Inc. continued to climb in November 2009. The current strength of demand stands in sharp contrast to the weak activity levels of one year ago.

According to statistics provided by the Association, MLS® residential sales totalled 329 units in November 2009, more than double the level of activity in the same month last year. The large year-over-year gain reflects the extent to which demand has recovered from one year ago, when news of the global financial crisis hammered consumer confidence. 

On a seasonally adjusted basis, MLS® sales were up three per cent month-over-month in November 2009, reaching the fourth highest level on record (seasonal adjustment removes normal seasonal fluctuations).

“November was another strong month for sales activity,” said Wendy Elzner, President of the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS®. “The difference in the resale housing market now, compared to one year ago, is night and day.”

The total dollar value of all MLS® home sales amounted to $86.9 million in November 2009, up 110 per cent from levels reported one year ago.

Total MLS® sales activity in the Barrie region numbered 338 units in November, up 102 per cent year-over-year. The total value of all MLS® properties sold in November 2009 was $88 million, an increase of 103 per cent from November 2008.

The year-to-date average price for homes sold via the Association’s MLS® system in November was $280,112, up three per cent from one year ago.

New residential listings numbered 431 units in November 2009, down five per cent year-over-year. This is the eighth consecutive month in which new listings have declined from year-ago levels.

The number of active residential listings on the Association’s MLS® system dropped 25 per cent from a year earlier to 1,507 units at the end of November 2009. This is the seventh consecutive month in which active listings have declined from year-ago levels, and the largest year-over-year decrease in a decade.

The Barrie and District Association of REALTORS® Inc. covers a geographical area that includes the City of Barrie and part or all of the surrounding townships, including Springwater, Oro-Medonte, Innisfil, Essa, Bradford-West Gwillimbury and Clearview. The Association provides continuing education, Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), statistical information, and many other services to its members.

According to Gregory Klump, Chief Economist for CREA, the Canadian Real Estate Board, sales activity have continued to set new monthly records in July, August, September, and October.  CREA now forecast that the national activity will reach 460,200 units up 6.6% from last year and new sales forecast in 2009 puts activity about on par with annual activity in 2004 but below levels between 2005 and 2007.

As of November, Ontario has seen record level activity.  The forecast for sales is that it wil rise 7% to 492,300  units in 2010. The raised outlook for MLS sales activity for 2010 puts annual activity 5.5% below the pre-recession peak recorded for 2007, but slightly above figures for 2005 & 2006.

The forecast increase in activity for 2010 reflects significant weakness in activity recorded in the first quarter in 2009. Monthly activity in 2010 is expected to trend downward from recent heights but the sharp drop in activity recorded in the first quarter of 2009 is not expected to repeat in 2010.

Always a reminder, if you aren’t sold, then you are not price properly.   Your home should be sold in the first 2 weeks or 2 weeks after a price reduction has been made.   The current average days on market for the last month is 52 days and for the past year it has been 53 days.  Homes continue to sell daily, make your home the next one sold.  

Call us to get a free market evaluation on your home and to get SOLD!

MLS® home sales activity reached the highest level ever for the month of September in the area served by the Barrie District Association of REALTORS® Inc.

According to statistics provided by the Association, MLS® home sales activity totalled 422 units in September 2009. This is a 20 per cent jump year-over-year, and represents the fourth consecutive increase from year-ago levels.

The current average days on market for the past year is 52 days with an average sale price of $250,719, however if we take a closer look, in the last 30 days, our average days on market is 47 with an average sale price of $262,442.

The Barrie Real Estate market is still going strong.  In our team, we have sold 9 homes and we have 2 that are sold conditionally.  Our market is price driven.  If buyer’s do not think your home is priced right, then they won’t put in an offer.  If you are not sold in the first 14 days or after you have done a price reduction, then you are not price correctly.

Call us to get a free market analysis of your home.

I do apologize for the delay.   Our office has been very busy doing market evaluations for numerous homes.  The housing market in Barrie is still going strong.  We have just had the third month in a row that was better then 2008.  The Canadian Real Estate Association showed August 2009 to be 18.5% better than August 2008 across the entire country.  We reflecct that here in Barrie, in our 9th month of the year, 5 of which have been better than the previous year.  If you are not sold in 21 days, do something about it.  Do not wait, be proactive - paint, clean or reduce your price.  Consumer confidences is high and there are buyers looking.  Call for a second opinion. Its FREE.  We have 3 agents on our team and we are ready to assist you in any way or just answer any questions that you have.