Fall in Grand Bend

Fall is here and the trees are turning colours with the maple trees having such a brilliant display. Grand Bend is very colourful at this time of year and it is quiet as well!

Great trip out to BC.

Jeannette, Mark and myself just got back from Beautiful BC. and as Mark says, "there are a lot of trees there". Saw the salmon run up the Adams River, the Gold rush town of Barkerville and the old Mayra Canyon Rail line at Kelowna, so we were busy and drove too many miles.

U.S. housing starts rise unexpectedly increase in September

RBC reported that housing starts in the U.S. unexpectedly rose by 0.3% in September to an annualized pace of 610K units, representing the third consecutive monthly increase, following August’s 10.5% increase to an upwardly revised 608K annualized units (previously reported 598K) and July’s 2.0% rise, and the fastest pace of starts since April. Market expectations going into today’s report were for a 3.0% decline to 580K annualized units. Building permits, however, surprised to the downside by falling 5.6% to an annualized 539K and compared to market expectations for a slight 0.7% rise to 575K.

September sales continue cooling trend

Last month 475 detached homes and 114 condos exchanged hands – a total of 589 sales. “Over the third quarter of this recovery year, we’ve seen sales that are more like those of the early two thousands than the period leading up to the global financial crisis,” observes Richard Thyssen, President of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®. “Given that 2001 and 2002 were both banner years in our market, that’s news we can live with.” Year to Date sales continued to outpace last year’s by 2.7%. “The flurry of activity we saw in the latter part of ’09 and the first two quarters of 2010, as fence-sitters waiting out the recession got back in the game and buyers hustled to avoid paying the HST has subsided. Now, it’s back to business as usual.”

Closing your Cottage Checklist

Just got an email from Cottage Country, about closing down the cottage for the season and thought you might like some ideas.

The task seems daunting to the average cottager. But, it's not so bad. Here's a check list to make things easy for you.

■Make sure you have your security system in place.
■Void all water pipes to avoid freezing.
■Shut down the propane.
■Remove all food, and anything that may attract animals.
■Defrost and unplug the refrigerator.
■Place an open box of baking soda inside the refrigerator to keep odors away.
■Scatter moth balls in the attic and anywhere small animals or bugs might gather.
■Anti-mildew boxes can be purchased inexpensively to help prevent dampness.
■Cover windows with shades for storm protection and theft prevention.
■Store the barbecue.
■Store patio furniture.
■Make sure all garden tools are safely put away to help prevent break-ins.
■Check the sump pumps to ensure they're working.
■Organize snow removal.
■Tell your neighbors you're done for the season, and be sure to leave your home phone number so they can reach you if necessary.
■Take summer pictures of your cottage to use for advertising purposes.

Thought these were a good idea...so thank cottagecountry.ca

Welcome to Steve Riddell

Steve Riddell has joined our Exeter office and will be selling in the South Huron, Grand Bend to London area. Steve is a long time resident of Exeter and welcomes his friends, family and anyone looking to buy or sell real estate to give him a call at the Exeter office ..519-235-3777

HST blamed for the slowdown, reports Royal Lepage!

A recent survey conducted by Royal Lepage in Ontario and reported in the September issue of REM says that people in Ontario and B.C. have misconceptions about how the HST affects real estate transactions. Many home buyers incorrectly believe HST applies to the sale price of resale homes. The HST applies to the purchase price of a newly built home and fees for services and commissions associated with any real estate transaction, but it does not apply to the purchase price of resale homes.