Main Street Grand Bend getting a major makeover

In case you haven't been back to the Bend since Labour Day, the Main street has been ripped up and it is going to look quite different when you see it next! More sidewalk, less Parking, making the Main Street more user friendly, unless you were looking for more FREE parking. The contractor, as they say is "Given er!" before the snow flies!

U.S.New Homes Sales Dip

Yesterdays London Free Press, reported that new homes sales in the U.S. dipped last month as the effects of a temporary tax credit for first time owners started to wear off. The 3.6% drop in September's new home sales, as reported by the U.S. Commerce Dept., was the first decline since March after a strong rebound during the summer. The good news is orders to U.S. factories for big-ticketed manufactured goods rose 1%in September.

Construction Progressing on Main Street

Nice to see some new building on the Main Street of Grand Bend. This Commercial building beside the Dairy Dip has expanded since summer. Looks like it will be living quarters above the Clothing store with a great view of the Lake from the second story! There are lots of changes happening on the Main Street this fall.

Fall Colours in Port Franks

Northville Crescent is one of my favourite roads and with the fall colours, where else would you like to be on a Sunny Sunday afternoon! This is old Highway 21, right beside Grog's Restaurant in case you were wondering.

Ottawa Trip to see the Colours

Jeannette and myself were in Ottawa earlier this month, to see my uncle and the fall colours. Didn't get to meet the Prime Minister but the area around the Parliament Buildings were full of colour!

Third Best Sept. ever for area Homes

Last month 708 homes exchanged hands in the jurisdiction of the London St. Thomas Association of Realtors a 7.9% decrease over Sept 2008. Year to date until Sept., sales have decreased 10.1% over the same period last year, but the average price for Sept. 09 has actually increased by 1.9% to $217,832. "Sales for September were the Third best on Record", says Joe Hough, president of LSTAR, "so it's wonderful to see September 2009 back up there".
Dale Ripplinger, President of the Canadian Real Estate Association, says "National sales activity in the third quarter is on track for a significant increase compared to the second quarter. Low interest rates and affordability continue to attract home buyers to the housing market. Consumer confidence continues to rise, which bodes well for activity in the coming months."

Great Lakefront for Sale!

With the market starting to recover now is the time to buy that resort property that you've always wanted! Prices are soft but sales have been very active these past 2 or 3 months. This lakefront cottage is just north of Grand Bend in the Norman Heights subdivision and has one of the best beaches around. Comes fully furnished and priced to sell.

Bank of Canada News Alert!

Economy grew 2% in Q3, says Bank of Canada. A report from the Bank of Canada says the Canadian economy grew by two per cent during the third quarter of the 2009 fiscal year and is expected to grow 3.3 per cent in the fourth quarter. That's great news for all of us.