February sales solid in the area...

Despite record-breaking cold, a total of 535 homes sold in February. "Given that the average number of February sales over the past decade stands at 489, I think it's fair to describe February 2015 as a good, solid month for home sales," says Carl Vandergoot, President of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®.

Also up for February were listings by 6.2% - while inventory - active listings end of period – was down a marginal 1.3%. The market continues to be a balanced one.

The average price of a home in the Association's entire jurisdiction, which includes Middlesex and Elgin Counties, stands at $248,056 Year-to-Date, down 2.4%. "This is an average price, rather than a median,” explains Vandergoot. "The figure will fluctuate based on what is sold at what price in any given month."

 

"It was nice to see that sales are still strong even in February. The market here in the Grand Bend area has been effected by the stormy weather we have been having this past month." Doug

 

Winter is here

February has turned into winter here in Grand Bend. The market and the phones were busy after Christmas with buyers looking forward to the spring. There is still a good selection of properties and if you can find what you are looking for now is a good time to buy that home or cottage, before this snow goes away and the market heats up!

Best July in Seven Years

The latest report of sales from the London St. Thomas Association of Realtors for July.

980 homes sold in July 2014, making last month the second best July on record, surpassed only by July 2007, when 1,009 homes exchanged hands. "This month's sales, like those of May and June, point to a strong recovery on the part of our local market," says Jim Holody. "The market was in lockdown during an exceptionally long, drawn out winter and unusually cool Spring. Now it's in overdrive."

781 detached homes exchanged hands last month, up 24%; condos were up 25.9%, with 199 sales. All in, sales were up 24.4%. Listings were also up – 15.9% for detached homes and 16.1% for condos, as were Active Listings End-of-Period (inventory) by 3.6%. The market remains balanced, making the playing field for buyers and sellers a level one. "These kind of numbers speak to an uptick in consumer confidence," says Holody.

This is great news for the Real Estate market in our area as Mark and I had the best July ever as well! It has been very active with a robust market in both the high and low ends. Nice to see that the market here in resort country has finally warmed up a bit after that cool spring!

 

Spring is Here

Finally.. Spring and the snow is almost gone! That was a long cold winter and we finally have the sun shining. The listings are starting to come in to the office as well, as the buyers have found Grand Bend again.

The Swans are Back

The Tundra swans are now back in the area and have been resting in the Thedford Bog, behind the Lambton County Museum. There is an active web site that will give you up to date locations of the swans at    ReturnOfTheSwans.com   hope you are able to come out to the Pinery area to see this annual event.

Why more home sellers are listing in January

 

With an uncertain housing market, more homeowners are opting to put their houses on the market in January.

Michael Stuparyk/Toronto Star file photo

By Mark Weisleder | Fri Jan 11 2013

 

Traditionally, January is a slow month for real estate as most sellers choose to wait until the middle of February in the hopes of capitalizing on the early spring market. However, given the uncertainty in the housing market right now, more sellers are opting to put their house on the market in January.

This presents an opportunity for buyers. Most people are reluctant to uproot their families during the school year, so that means less competition — and fewer bidding wars. Lenders will not be as busy, so buyers can expect a more efficient process to get approved for a mortgage to ensure they have financing in place before making an offer.
But there are things you simply won’t be able to inspect during the winter. Here are some tips for protecting yourself when making a deal during the winter months:
Sellers
Spruce up the outside: Use urns with light wood branches to brighten up the exterior of your home, to compensate for any overcast day or snow on the ground.
Get rid of the Christmas lights: homes that look dated on the outside give the impression that they are probably dated on the inside.
Make sure your fireplace is working during any showing, that the temperature is comfortable in the home and that any interior lighting compensates for what is usually grey lighting from outside.
Have pictures of your landscaping available from the summer and autumn, showing how beautiful your home looks year round.
Have available any inspections that you may have done on your air-conditioning unit or swimming pool before they were closed for the winter, as buyers will likely not be able to conduct inspections on these items and will have questions.
Consider inviting a company to do an environmental audit on your home in advance, confirming that there is no moisture behind the walls that could lead to mould and that you have sufficient insulation behind the walls.
Buyers
If there is anything that cannot be inspected because of the winter, such as the air-conditioning system or any swimming pool, then negotiate an extended warranty in the agreement, to give you until at least May 1, to inspect and have the seller be responsible for any damages. In addition, also negotiate a holdback of, say, $2,000 so that if a problem arises, the money comes out of that fund to fix it and you don’t have to chase the seller in court later.
Be careful about snow accumulating around the base of the home. It will be difficult for a home inspector to figure out whether the grading is likely to cause water problems in the basement later. Consider doing your own environmental audit to check for moisture behind any walls.
If the snow on the roof looks like it is evaporating faster than the snow around the house, it is likely a sign that there is not enough insulation in the home.
Check with your insurance company early as to whether you will have any difficulty obtaining insurance on the home; for example, by finding out whether there have been claims made in the neighbourhood about water damages or sewage backups.
Check whether snow accumulation makes it more difficult for street parking, as this may be the only parking available on certain streets. Also see how bad weather may affect your morning commute.
Check the last electric/gas bills, to determine how energy efficient the home is in winter.
People tend to hibernate and stay at home in the winter, so take the opportunity to get to know the neighbours before you finalize your purchase.
By being properly prepared in advance, buyers and sellers can negotiate a safe and successful winter home sale.
Read more stories from Mark Weisleder: click here.
Mark Weisleder is a Toronto real estate lawyer. Contact him at mark@markweisleder.com

November Sales Cool!

Sales of detached homes dipped 15.9% in November 2012, with 417 homes exchanging hands.  Sales of condos, however, were up 18.8%, with the result that, Year-to-Date, total sales are down only a modest 0.3%.  “With the exception of last month, condo sales have been quite slow over the past half a year,” says Barb Whitney, President of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR), “so it’s good to see that condos starting to move well again.” Altogether 512 homes sold, down 11.1% from the previous year.

New listings were down 12.9% for detached homes and 9% for condos.  Overall new listings were down 12.1%. Inventory – the number of active listings at month end – was also down 5%. However, “Sales to new listings ratio, a measure of market balance, confirm that our market remains a balanced one,” says Whitney.

Here in Grand Bend we are slowing down as well but the upper end properties have been selling, even in November, so Mark and I have been keeping busy.