Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Ahhh a champagne Pirate ..now that I can get behind
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/case-study-on-beheading-bubbly/
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Overcoming Objections: Listing over Christmas
Great Video from Ben Kinney. We Don't want to list over Christmas
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Are You Mobile Ready?
Likely no business has experienced the change the internet has brought more than Real Estate.
So the question is are you ready or more importantly is the Website you spent thousands of dollars on mobile ready?
There is a terrific site that answers that question for you. Its called GO/MO and best of all its free and they send you a nifty little report you can send to your tech person.
Fast, effective and Free...gotta love that.
It began with Web sites, advanced to Email and now we love em and leave em with our auto listings on Matrix.Now we are faced with the growth of Mobile based Clients and that sector grows daily. By 2013 its expected that more people will use their phones than PCs to get online.
So the question is are you ready or more importantly is the Website you spent thousands of dollars on mobile ready?
There is a terrific site that answers that question for you. Its called GO/MO and best of all its free and they send you a nifty little report you can send to your tech person.
Fast, effective and Free...gotta love that.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
FIGHTING FOR MANITOBA HOMEBUYERS!
With less than two weeks to go, WinnipegREALTORS® is urging its 1600 members and the public to ask candidates running in the October 4th provincial election where they stand on the land transfer tax.
President Ralph Fyfe is on the airwaves with the following message.
Since it was first introduced in 1987, the land transfer tax has been a convenient source of additional income for the province... and an increasingly inconvenient cost for homebuyers!
Manitoba now has the highest land transfer tax rate in the country... the impact is ten times what it once was …and since the tax must be paid before a title is transferred, it’s become an increasingly unreasonable burden for people buying a home.
Ask your candidates where they stand on this tax grab.
Moreover, if you click on the image below it will take you to a number of comparables showing just how much more a homebuyer pays now in land transfer taxes for the same home purchased in 1987. One excellent example is a home built in 1904 in St. Boniface that sold for $75,500 in 1987 and $266,000 in 2010. The land transfer tax increased 1305 per cent from $227.50 in 1987 to $2648.00 in 2010. While at this site, check out some of the comments of the home buyers. Leaving the tax “as is”, is the furthest thing from their minds.
It is now quite evident that the land transfer tax needs to be adjusted so it is more revenue-neutral as originally intended. At minimum, WinnipegREALTORS® is asking the main political parties to commit to an examination and open public review of its original intent, purpose and impact as part of the 2012 budget process. 2012 will mark 25 years of no changes, aside from increasing the highest land transfer tax rate threshold of 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent in 2004 for any amount over $200,000. Manitoba
IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
‘Winnipeg Destiny’ comes full circle with Jets’ return
ROY MACGREGOR
WINNIPEG
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Workers prepare to move the 3,500-pound bronze Timothy Eaton statue to the second floor atrium area of the MTS Centre near the corner of Portage Ave and Donald St in Winnipeg, Wednesday, April 21, 2004. The statue will join two large bronze memorial plaques that commemorate the 315 Eaton's employees who died in the First World War and the 263 who died in the Second World War.
This city had all the luck it needed earlier this year when the NHL decided True North Sports & Entertainment could go ahead and purchase the Atlanta Thrashers and relocate the foundering team to Winnipeg as the reborn Jets.
The Jets left Canada 15 years ago in search of a better facility than the old Winnipeg Arena and will return to a much superior facility in the downtown MTS Centre, where the 1,360-kilogram statue to the founder of the once-great, now-defunct department store chain now sits in one of the rink’s corridors.
Winnipeg Jets unveil uniforms
The huge statue’s left toe shines as bright as brass where, over the decades, Winnipeggers have polished it with touches in hope of good fortune coming their way.
It was Timothy Eaton who revolutionized Canadian retail with his motto “Goods Satisfactory or Money Refunded” – something that will not likely come into play at the MTS Centre for some time to come.
Season tickets, it is said, sold out in a matter of seconds last June when they were offered to the general public – though it took nearly 20 minutes for the computers to process the transactions. The waiting list for future season tickets mushroomed so quickly True North had to cap it at 8,000.
It has been a case, CJOB sports director Bob Irving told listeners Tuesday, of unconditional “love” for a team that many believed had been lost forever 15 years ago. This total embrace by Manitoba fans suggests that there are neither high nor low expectations, but rather no expectations at all. It could be years, Irving thinks, before anyone will even think to criticize whatever the results are to be for this team of largely unknowns that will open training camp on Saturday.
Even despite the massive floods of this spring and summer, 2011 is going down as a year of triumph for this city once known as “The Bull’s Eye of the Dominion.” In recent decades, Winnipeg has seemed to be quickly overlooked compared to economic bull’s eyes farther to the west, Calgary in particular.
It is with sweet coincidence, perhaps, that the 2011-12 hockey season will fall on the centennial of Winnipeg’s previous great moment in the sun, 1912.
That glorious time, a mere two years before the First World War, is considered Winnipeg’s “High Noon” – a time when anything and everything seemed possible for this community built around the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers.
“All roads lead to Winnipeg,” claimed the Chicago Tribune of the day. And indeed it seemed they did. In merely 40 years, according to Winnipeg 1912 author Jim Blanchard, the community had grown from a mere village to Canada’s third-largest city. In the previous decade, the population had tripled to 170,000, with many believing it only a matter of time before it reached a million.
The place had a swagger that largely disappeared until the football Blue Bombers roared off to a 7-1 start to this season (a swagger somewhere diminished as they lost their next two matches). The city in 1912 was Canada’s most cosmopolitan as well as its youngest, with the great majority of its people under the age of 40. It was a city bustling with life and activity.
And the people believed in their community, erecting twin arches to the entrance that shouted out “prosperity” on one side, “progress” on the other. “We Canadians all believe,” said Dominion Magazine, “that 1912 will be the greatest year so far, in the history of the City of Winnipeg, of Western Canada and of this Dominion.” They called it “Winnipeg Destiny.”
But it wasn’t quite to be. War, shifting economies, changes in transportation and competition from other centres eventually meant “destiny” wasn’t going to be quite the way they envisioned it back in 1912.
But perhaps they were merely a century ahead of themselves.
Today’s Winnipeg is not the “Winterpeg” of snide Eastern jokes. Perhaps because so much of its commerce is underground its new prosperity has somewhat passed notice. Things, however, have been looking up lately – none so spectacularly as in the huge crane putting together that fascinating Rubik’s Cube of architecture that will become the Canadian Museum of Human Rights down by the shops and restaurants of the charming Forks.
There are new parks, new malls and construction about to begin on a huge new IKEA outlet – the middle-class’s ultimate measure of well-being. A new airport, a new football stadium and an improved convention centre are next on the list.
“When are Canadians going to realize that Winnipeg is more than floods, mosquitoes, homicides and winter winds?” Tom Ford asks in an op-ed piece in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Perhaps the hockey team will help.
There is, beyond doubt, a buzz in the city as the home opener – Oct. 9, versus the Montreal Canadiens – approaches. Even a meaningless victory this Monday by the Jets rookies in an exhibition match held in Penticton, B.C., gets front-page coverage. “Dream Debut,” lauds the Sun following the youngsters’ 4-0 win over a team of San Jose Sharks prospects.
“For several months now it’s been Jets, Jets, Jets,” says Rick Lefort, manager of Uptown Sports Cards & Collectibles in Portage Place Mall.
The official team jerseys will not even go on sale until early October and yet T-shirts and caps with the new team logo on are doing a brisk business.
“I’d give it a 9.5 out of 10 for excitement,” says Lefort. “But it’s going to be a lot higher once people are actually back in their seats.”
Timothy Eaton would be impressed.
Goods satisfactory – and not even yet delivered.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
July Real Estate Market
Spectacular weather in July which kept ice cream and beer vendors busy did not deter sellers and buyers from remaining engaged in the market after an exceptional June of over 1,500 MLS ® sales. While not as active given Winnipeggers’ penchant for taking advantage of a plethora of summer festivals and frequent trips to Manitoba
To no ones surprise, given a strong sales performance for this month and higher average sale prices in each successive year, dollar volume once again set a new record for month of July. It still however fell short of the $300 million monthly mark that was substantially eclipsed each of the two previous months. The average selling price in July for a residential-detached home was $254,486 – up nearly 7% compared to the July 2010 average of $238,441.
July MLS ® unit sales increased 4% (1,246/1,195) while dollar volume went up 10% ($288.1 million/$261.3 million) in comparison to the same month last year. Year-to-date MLS ® sales are up 3% (7,906/7,647) while dollar volume is ahead by just under 8% ($1.84 billion/$1.71 billion) in comparison to the same period last year. The 7% increase in new listings this month over the same month last year translated into an overall 1% increase in year-to-date listings from 2010. As of the end of July, 11, 767 listings have been entered on the MLS ® system this year.
“An improvement in new listings in July helped keep prices in check as the monthly average home price of over $254,000 is still under the year-to-date average of $256,000 and there were less above list priced sales too so buyers had a little more breathing room,” said Ralph Fyfe , president of Winnipeg REALTORS®. “However, inventory still remains tight overall, especially in a number of Winnipeg
What is really starting to emerge this year and was no more apparent than in July is what was referred in WinnipegREALTORS® 2011 January forecast speech as a ‘flight to affordability’.
“The Winnipeg Jets may be taking off too but in the real estate market the alternative flight path and clearly more affordable offerings of condominiums and single-attached homes in contrast to residential or single-family –detached is as real as a Goog at the BDI,” said Fyfe.
In July, condominium sales were up 23% while single-attached residential properties rose an astounding 76%. Year-to-date numbers are impressive as well. The former are outpacing last year’s sales at this time by 10% while the latter or single-attached are up 16%. Residential-detached property sales have increased less than 3% for the year and just over 1% for July.
The spread between the year-to-date residential-detached average sale price of $256,000 and the average sale price of condominiums and single –attached is $54,000 and $63,000 respectively. Not only are these two alternative property types more affordable, the highest land transfer tax in the country at 2% over $200,000 does not apply at all or very minimally if you were to pay the average price. For every $50,000 in value above $200,000, the provincial government collects $1,000 from the home buyer before they can take title to their new property.
For buyers of residential-detached homes in the southwest and southeast quadrants of Winnipeg
WinnipegREALTORS® is calling on Manitobans at 2muchltt.com to tell the provincial government they need to reduce the unfair burden of the Manitoba
As has been stated before, the impact of the land transfer tax is more acute with first-time buyers where every after tax dollar they save is critical to going towards the required down payment and closing costs (includes the Manitoba
For residential-detached sales in July, the most active price range was from $200,000 to $249,999 at 24% of total sales. Second busiest was from $250,000 to $299,999 at 19%. For condominium sales, the most active price range was from $150,000 to $199,999 at 42% with the $100,000 to $149,999 range well back at 22%.
Average days-on-market for residential-detached sales in July was 26 days, 3 days slower than June and 2 days faster than July 2010. For condominiums, the average days-on-market was 27 days, 5 days off the pace set in June and 4 days quicker than July 2010.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
2011 APRIL MLS® SALES MIRROR 2009 - Flood Situation and Effort Impact Sales
It is no coincidence the 2011 flood in Manitoba affected WinnipegREALTORS® MLS ® market as listings were down 15% from April 2010 and much closer to 2009 where we had some major flood issues to deal with like this year. MLS ® sales are virtually identical to 2009 and conversions of listings to sales are off in the same way compared to non-flood springs.
Listings were down significantly in some of the rural municipalities such as St. Clement and St. Andrews and diminished in Winnipeg MLS ® areas along the Red River (e.g. St. Vital, Frasers Grove, North End). Even Algonquin Park
No better example of how April MLS ® sales can be impacted by flooding is in 1997 where MLS ® sales were only 900 and then bounced back to 1,126 in 1998 and 1,162 in 1999.
As evident from softer sales performances in other major markets across the country, a federal election preoccupying many Canadian’s attention and concerns during the month of April may also have played a factor in reducing market activity.
April MLS ® unit sales decreased 13% (1,148/1,317) while dollar volume dropped back 11% ($268.8 million/$303.1 million) in comparison to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales are up 1% (3,681/3,626) while dollar volume has risen 5% ($839.3 million/$797.0 million) in comparison to the same period last year. MLS ® listings entered on the MLS ® system this year are down 3% (5,870/6,053).
“This April is an atypical spring market month so not withstanding the drop off in sales and listings activity, we think there will be better results in May based on our strong first quarter performance and good market fundamentals remaining in place as we move into our busiest time of year,” said Ralph Fyfe, president of WinnipegREALTORS®. “More evidence of how the flood was a factor this month is the marked difference in residential-detached and condominium sales activity. The latter was up 3% while single family homes decreased 15%.”
“As one of those homeowners along the Red River in St. Vital, I understand first hand how Manitobans put priority over saving their home compared to listing or buying one,” added Fyfe. “I commend the provincial government and the City of Winnipeg
For residential-detached sales in April, the most active price range was from $200,000 to $249,999 at 23% of total sales. The next busiest price range was from $250,000 tom $299,999 at 17%. Conversely, the under $99,999 price range had only 5% of total sales this month and in March.
Average days on market for residential-detached sales was 26 days, 2 days slower than last month and 5 days off the pace set in April 2010. Average days on market for condominium sales was 34 days, 1 day faster than last month and 11 days slower than April 2010.
Condominium sales were most prevalent in the $150,000 to $199,999 price range with 38% of total sales. Another 20% came from the $100,000 to $149,999 price range.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Best first quarter ever for Winnipeg home sales
Winnipeg’s red-hot resale homes market racked up its best March and best first quarter on record this year, according to new Multiple Listing Service (MLS) figures released today.
Winnipeg REALTORS said 1,186 properties were sold last month through its MLS. That was not only a seven-per-cent gain from the 1,110 properties that changed hands in March of last year, but it was the highest March tally in the association’s 108-year history.
ARTICLES
- Holy pricey house, BatmanIt was also the best March for dollar volume of sales, with $274.9 million worth of transactions. That was a 14-per-cent improvement from a year earlier, when $241.1 million worth of properties were sold.
The high level of activity boosted unit sales for the first three months of 2011 to 2,533 — a 10-per-cent improvement from a year earlier — and the dollar volume of sales to $570.5 million — a 15-per-cent gain. Both those were also new first-quarter records.
"The change in the mortgage amortization period from 35 to 30 years in March may have spurred more activity than we initially had predicted," said WR president Ralph Fyfe. "And with mortgage rates starting to inch up a bit lately, those buyers are looking even smarter now for getting a head start on the spring market."
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
New rules make condos harder to sell | Inman News
This does not apply to Canada yet but it is interesting and something I am sure we shall be looking at soon.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Winnipeg Real Estate housing market update
Manitoba Merv saw his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter. If you’re a seller - you can only hope we have 6 more weeks of real estate market like we did in February!
Despite the unseasonably cold February, 1,313 sellers put their houses on the WinnipegREALTORS® Multiple Listing Service® in the month (up 12% from last February) … and 781 sellers sold their properties through the MLS® (up 10% from February 2010).
As a result of 1313 new listings being added in the month – the listing inventory available for sale in Winnipeg rose to 2,450 units – up 16% from last year’s inventory. So there are more houses to choose from for buyers – the second highest inventory of resale homes in the past 5 years.
And with all those sales and home values escalating – the dollar volume for the month is also up 14% from last year at $171 million – and last February was a record February for dollar volume!
With great February numbers, the impact on year-to-date is nothing but positive. Listings in January and February are up 14% from the first two months of 2010. 2,454 homes have been listed on Winnipeg’s MLS® since the start of the year, and there have been 1,347 sales – up 12% from last year.
Dollar volume is already at $296 million – up 17% from last year’s two month activity.
20% of all residential detached sales were under $150,000. On the upper end of the scale, 22% of the sales were above $300,000 (including 5% over $500,000).
That leaves 58% of the residential detached market selling between $150,000 and $300,000. (22% between $150,000 and $200,000. 20% between $200,000 and $250,000. 16% between $250,000 and $300,000.)
And days on market for residential detached dropped to 26 days – 3 days fewer than February 2010.
The condominium market is healthy as well. There were 96 condo sales in February – 20% were under $150,000 … 18% were over $250,000 … 62% were between $150,000 and $250, 000. Days on market for condominiums averaged 24 days compared to 29 days last February.
The highest priced condo sale in February was $383,000 and the lowest priced was $72,000. The highest priced residential detached sale was $880,000 and the lowest was $25,000.
WinnipegREALTORS® president Ralph Fyfe reported on the positive February and year-to-date numbers. Fyfe said, “We never put too much stock in one or two month’s numbers. We wait for the results of a quarter or two to start to try to identify trends. But this year’s February numbers and year-to-date stats seem to be an early confirmation of what our analysts predicted in our January forecast breakfast for 2011.
“In January our forecasters predicted home sales will increase 0-2% over last year, Home prices will be up 7-9% (condos up 6-8%) and total dollar volume will increase 9-11%. January and February activity has certainly pointed us in that direction.”
The recently released discussion paper on Manitoba’s Rental Housing Shortage identifies that the absence of an active rental market can do nothing but continue to ensure that housing demand will outstrip housing supply and positive numbers for sales, dollar volume and average sale price will continue to climb. (Study available at www.winnipegrealtors.ca under “Position Papers”.)
Despite the unseasonably cold February, 1,313 sellers put their houses on the WinnipegREALTORS® Multiple Listing Service® in the month (up 12% from last February) … and 781 sellers sold their properties through the MLS® (up 10% from February 2010).
As a result of 1313 new listings being added in the month – the listing inventory available for sale in Winnipeg rose to 2,450 units – up 16% from last year’s inventory. So there are more houses to choose from for buyers – the second highest inventory of resale homes in the past 5 years.
And with all those sales and home values escalating – the dollar volume for the month is also up 14% from last year at $171 million – and last February was a record February for dollar volume!
With great February numbers, the impact on year-to-date is nothing but positive. Listings in January and February are up 14% from the first two months of 2010. 2,454 homes have been listed on Winnipeg’s MLS® since the start of the year, and there have been 1,347 sales – up 12% from last year.
Dollar volume is already at $296 million – up 17% from last year’s two month activity.
20% of all residential detached sales were under $150,000. On the upper end of the scale, 22% of the sales were above $300,000 (including 5% over $500,000).
That leaves 58% of the residential detached market selling between $150,000 and $300,000. (22% between $150,000 and $200,000. 20% between $200,000 and $250,000. 16% between $250,000 and $300,000.)
And days on market for residential detached dropped to 26 days – 3 days fewer than February 2010.
The condominium market is healthy as well. There were 96 condo sales in February – 20% were under $150,000 … 18% were over $250,000 … 62% were between $150,000 and $250, 000. Days on market for condominiums averaged 24 days compared to 29 days last February.
The highest priced condo sale in February was $383,000 and the lowest priced was $72,000. The highest priced residential detached sale was $880,000 and the lowest was $25,000.
WinnipegREALTORS® president Ralph Fyfe reported on the positive February and year-to-date numbers. Fyfe said, “We never put too much stock in one or two month’s numbers. We wait for the results of a quarter or two to start to try to identify trends. But this year’s February numbers and year-to-date stats seem to be an early confirmation of what our analysts predicted in our January forecast breakfast for 2011.
“In January our forecasters predicted home sales will increase 0-2% over last year, Home prices will be up 7-9% (condos up 6-8%) and total dollar volume will increase 9-11%. January and February activity has certainly pointed us in that direction.”
The recently released discussion paper on Manitoba’s Rental Housing Shortage identifies that the absence of an active rental market can do nothing but continue to ensure that housing demand will outstrip housing supply and positive numbers for sales, dollar volume and average sale price will continue to climb. (Study available at www.winnipegrealtors.ca under “Position Papers”.)
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Manitoba's Rental Housing Shortage 03-01-11
A discussion paper on Manitoba’s acute rental shortage, released today by WinnipegREALTORS®; calls for action now to turnaround a long protracted shortage of rental housing. Winnipeg’s .8% rental vacancy rate (lowest vacancy rate of 34 census metropolitan centres surveyed in the nation by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in fall 2010) is a contributing factor in making Winnipeg’s housing less affordable. It is also limiting good housing market choice and flexibility since rental is so scarce.
“ There are some areas of Winnipeg where there is virtually nothing to rent so invariably any house that becomes available for sale becomes the only choice for someone to bid on,” said Mel Boisvert, chair of the WinnipegREALTORS® task force that produced this discussion paper. “First-time buyers in particular are finding it difficult because the entry level market under $200,000 is shrinking noticeably due to escalating house prices.”
The 7th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey has for the first time dropped Winnipeg’s ranking from affordable to moderately unaffordable. We need to unclog the impediments and barriers to creating more rental supply. How can you continue to increase the number of immigrants without a plan to provide them with accessible and affordable accommodations?
The discussion paper raises a number of issues such as rent regulation and also looks at what role each level of government can play in helping solve Manitoba’s rental shortage.
“There is no magic wand or quick fix,” said Boisvert. “Hopefully, some of the solutions we put forward in the discussion paper will be considered. Doing more of the same is not an option.”
A good place to start is to bring housing stakeholders together to discuss how Manitoba can address the rental shortage in a manner fair to all parties concerned. More regulation is not the answer if you want to encourage the private sector to invest in and build more rental units.
The discussion paper can be found at http://www.winnipegrealtors.ca/positionPaper/Paper2011March.pdf
For further information, contact Peter Squire at 786-8854.
“ There are some areas of Winnipeg where there is virtually nothing to rent so invariably any house that becomes available for sale becomes the only choice for someone to bid on,” said Mel Boisvert, chair of the WinnipegREALTORS® task force that produced this discussion paper. “First-time buyers in particular are finding it difficult because the entry level market under $200,000 is shrinking noticeably due to escalating house prices.”
The 7th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey has for the first time dropped Winnipeg’s ranking from affordable to moderately unaffordable. We need to unclog the impediments and barriers to creating more rental supply. How can you continue to increase the number of immigrants without a plan to provide them with accessible and affordable accommodations?
The discussion paper raises a number of issues such as rent regulation and also looks at what role each level of government can play in helping solve Manitoba’s rental shortage.
“There is no magic wand or quick fix,” said Boisvert. “Hopefully, some of the solutions we put forward in the discussion paper will be considered. Doing more of the same is not an option.”
A good place to start is to bring housing stakeholders together to discuss how Manitoba can address the rental shortage in a manner fair to all parties concerned. More regulation is not the answer if you want to encourage the private sector to invest in and build more rental units.
The discussion paper can be found at http://www.winnipegrealtors.ca/positionPaper/Paper2011March.pdf
For further information, contact Peter Squire at 786-8854.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Arizona for dummy's
Taking a page from Jack Canfield there. Here is some great info for you if you are wondering where in Arizona seems like a good fit for you.
It seems like there are a few different demographics/price points in terms of what people are looking for here in Arizona:
1. Scottsdale condos for 120K-150K OR between 200K-300K(everyone seems to know that Scottsdale is the upscale resort town to be in)
2. 4 bedroom 3 bath homes that can be shared with a big family for 130K-160K (I usually find something for people in NE Phoenix, Surprise)
3. North Scottsdale home for 400K-600K in a community like Bellasera, Legend Trail, Terravita, Grayhawk, DC Ranch, etc
4. Luxury part time residence ($1 milion to 2 million) Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, or Carefree
1. Scottsdale condos for 120K-150K OR between 200K-300K(everyone seems to know that Scottsdale is the upscale resort town to be in)
2. 4 bedroom 3 bath homes that can be shared with a big family for 130K-160K (I usually find something for people in NE Phoenix, Surprise)
3. North Scottsdale home for 400K-600K in a community like Bellasera, Legend Trail, Terravita, Grayhawk, DC Ranch, etc
4. Luxury part time residence ($1 milion to 2 million) Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, or Carefree
Naturally these price estimates are generalizations….
When it comes to Scottsdale condos, people don’t realize how geographically large Scottsdale is. It was developed from downtown Scottsdale all the way north up to Carefree. Scottsdale gets newer, nicer, and more expensive as you go North.
Here are some condo deals in Scottsdale that I found.
I broke it down into 3 areas: Downtown Scottsdale, Scottsdale, and North Scottsdale
Here are some condo deals in Scottsdale that I found.
I broke it down into 3 areas: Downtown Scottsdale, Scottsdale, and North Scottsdale
These are all at least 2 bedroom, 1.75 bath or more. They are all in communities that have a heated community pool.
Note that they are listed in ascending price per square foot.
DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u579trhjhpj,12,1
SCOTTSDALE (BETWEEN INDIAN BEND & BELL) http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u579tprl7cf,12,1
NORTH SCOTTSDALE (NORTH OF 101) http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u579tnyz6wk,12,1
MOre on Buying in Arizona
My friend and Fellow Realtor has provided us with some additional Market info.
With a -25 and feels like -35 the thought of an Arizona escape is a bit more than tempting.
With a -25 and feels like -35 the thought of an Arizona escape is a bit more than tempting.
Here are a few more examples of properties and price points available:
Affordable quiet suburban Surprise, prices 80,000’s to 200,000’s http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u58bni52era,12,1
High-end exclusive neighborhood selected bargains Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley condos in the 200,000’s to mansions up to $2 million
Single family homes in Scottsdale 200K to 400K
Single family homes in Scottsdale 400K to 600K
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Curious about Purchasing in Arizona??
Lara Chubaty from Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty has been kind enough to share some need to know info on Arizona and what is happening in that market place,
From Lara:
From Lara:
Here is some real estate market info that I’d like to share.
If you or your clients should need info on the area, the buying process, implications for Canadians, or resources for lending to Canadians, just let me know.
It seems like there are a few different demographics/price points in terms of what people are looking for here in Arizona:
1. Scottsdale condos for 120K-150K OR between 200K-300K(everyone seems to know that Scottsdale is the upscale resort town to be in)
2. 4 bedroom 3 bath homes that can be shared with a big family for 130K-160K (I usually find something for people in NE Phoenix, Surprise)
3. North Scottsdale home for 400K-600K in a community like Bellasera, Legend Trail, Terravita, Grayhawk, DC Ranch, etc
4. Luxury part time residence ($1 milion to 2 million) Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, or Carefree
It seems like there are a few different demographics/price points in terms of what people are looking for here in Arizona:
1. Scottsdale condos for 120K-150K OR between 200K-300K(everyone seems to know that Scottsdale is the upscale resort town to be in)
2. 4 bedroom 3 bath homes that can be shared with a big family for 130K-160K (I usually find something for people in NE Phoenix, Surprise)
3. North Scottsdale home for 400K-600K in a community like Bellasera, Legend Trail, Terravita, Grayhawk, DC Ranch, etc
4. Luxury part time residence ($1 milion to 2 million) Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, or Carefree
Naturally these price estimates are generalizations….
When it comes to Scottsdale condos, people don’t realize how geographically large Scottsdale is. It was developed from downtown Scottsdale all the way north up to Carefree. Scottsdale gets newer, nicer, and more expensive as you go North.
Here are some condo deals in Scottsdale that I found.
I broke it down into 3 areas: Downtown Scottsdale, Scottsdale, and North Scottsdale
Here are some condo deals in Scottsdale that I found.
I broke it down into 3 areas: Downtown Scottsdale, Scottsdale, and North Scottsdale
These are all at least 2 bedroom, 1.75 bath or more. They are all in communities that have a heated community pool.
Note that they are listed in ascending price per square foot.
DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u579trhjhpj,12,1
SCOTTSDALE (BETWEEN INDIAN BEND & BELL) http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u579tprl7cf,12,1
NORTH SCOTTSDALE (NORTH OF 101) http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?u579tnyz6wk,12,1
If you have any questions about these properties, or about real estate here in the Valley, just let me know.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A New MLS® Dollar Volume Record Set for the Month of January
WINNIPEG – It appears some homeowners may have been a little more conscientious about keeping their driveways and entranceways shoveled and cleaned this month as listings were up noticeably from last January. Buyers were out and about as well. This resulted in WinnipegREALTORS® having its fifth highest January sales performance on record for MLS® sales. A new record January MLS® dollar volume was established too. Interestingly enough, with all the talk this year of another potential major spring flood, the best January ever at 660 sales (far surpasses anything since then) was in 1997.
One of the helpful byproducts of more listings this January is offering more choice to buyers. Proof of more balanced market conditions was the ratio of total sales price dollar value to total listings price dollar value dropped under 100%. A more heated market with lots of multiple offers will push the ratio above the 100% mark. Another indicator is the number of above list price sales in comparison to January 2010. For residential-detached, the higher than list price sales decreased from 35 to 31% and for condominiums, the percentage of above list price sales dropped from 24 to 10%. The big difference as well for condominiums was the large gains in ‘at list price’ sales from the same month in 2010. The majority of sales for both property types this month were ones under list price.
Of course, there are still a number of MLS® areas and highly sought after price ranges where existing inventory and new listings are being depleted quickly so while system-wide statistics show more balance, it by no means applies in all instances. You need to be calling a REALTOR® to seek professional advice and counsel on what is happening with respect to your preferred MLS® property type, neighbourhood, price range and supply.
Speaking of MLS® areas, the rural MLS® areas represented 28% of total MLS® residential-detached sales in January with R16 or the Steinbach and surrounding area leading the way with 26 sales. This rural MLS® area has become the highest annual WinnipegREALTORS® MLS® selling area the last two years running with approximately 400 sales each year.
January MLS® unit sales were up 16% (566/487) while dollar volume jumped 22% ($124.5/$102.1) in comparison to the same month last year. Current or new MLS® listings increased 16% and of those the equivalent of one in two sold in January.
“Jobs, immigration and low interest rates continue to keep our local MLS® market active as evident by one of our best January’s despite difficult winter weather conditions,” said Ralph Fyfe, president of WinnipegREALTORS®. “Given the strength of our local market, it is not as cyclical as it used to be and there is less concern with hesitating to put properties on the market early in the year.”
A good example of the pick up in listings and sales activity this year compared to last is in River Heights where some newly remodeled condominium apartments located on Taylor Avenue came on the market and resulted in a number of sales. These units were priced in the $150,000 to $199,999 price range - the most active condominium price range with 32% of total sales in January. They helped push condominium sales up 27%.
As for improvement in residential-detached or single family home sales activity year-over-year, besides the continuing trend of sales under $100,000 declining, the most notable increase is the dramatic jump in sales from $350,000 to $399,999. There were 34 sales compared to only 15 in January 2010.
Looking ahead, it will be important to see continuing improvement in the supply of MLS® listings to help moderate large price increases due to the strong demand for resale homes as a result of immigration and scarcity of good rental options in Winnipeg.
The most active residential-detached price ranges in January were the $150,000 to $199,999 and the $200,000 to $249,999 with 18% each of total sales. Not far behind was the $250,000 to $299,999 with 15% market share. January included two million dollar plus home sales with one selling for over $1.7 million. The average days on market to sell a home was 42 days, 9 days slower than the previous month and 10 days off the pace set in January 2010.
The average days on market to sell a condominium was 38 days, 12 days slower than the previous month but 9 days quicker than January 2010.
One of the helpful byproducts of more listings this January is offering more choice to buyers. Proof of more balanced market conditions was the ratio of total sales price dollar value to total listings price dollar value dropped under 100%. A more heated market with lots of multiple offers will push the ratio above the 100% mark. Another indicator is the number of above list price sales in comparison to January 2010. For residential-detached, the higher than list price sales decreased from 35 to 31% and for condominiums, the percentage of above list price sales dropped from 24 to 10%. The big difference as well for condominiums was the large gains in ‘at list price’ sales from the same month in 2010. The majority of sales for both property types this month were ones under list price.
Of course, there are still a number of MLS® areas and highly sought after price ranges where existing inventory and new listings are being depleted quickly so while system-wide statistics show more balance, it by no means applies in all instances. You need to be calling a REALTOR® to seek professional advice and counsel on what is happening with respect to your preferred MLS® property type, neighbourhood, price range and supply.
Speaking of MLS® areas, the rural MLS® areas represented 28% of total MLS® residential-detached sales in January with R16 or the Steinbach and surrounding area leading the way with 26 sales. This rural MLS® area has become the highest annual WinnipegREALTORS® MLS® selling area the last two years running with approximately 400 sales each year.
January MLS® unit sales were up 16% (566/487) while dollar volume jumped 22% ($124.5/$102.1) in comparison to the same month last year. Current or new MLS® listings increased 16% and of those the equivalent of one in two sold in January.
“Jobs, immigration and low interest rates continue to keep our local MLS® market active as evident by one of our best January’s despite difficult winter weather conditions,” said Ralph Fyfe, president of WinnipegREALTORS®. “Given the strength of our local market, it is not as cyclical as it used to be and there is less concern with hesitating to put properties on the market early in the year.”
A good example of the pick up in listings and sales activity this year compared to last is in River Heights where some newly remodeled condominium apartments located on Taylor Avenue came on the market and resulted in a number of sales. These units were priced in the $150,000 to $199,999 price range - the most active condominium price range with 32% of total sales in January. They helped push condominium sales up 27%.
As for improvement in residential-detached or single family home sales activity year-over-year, besides the continuing trend of sales under $100,000 declining, the most notable increase is the dramatic jump in sales from $350,000 to $399,999. There were 34 sales compared to only 15 in January 2010.
Looking ahead, it will be important to see continuing improvement in the supply of MLS® listings to help moderate large price increases due to the strong demand for resale homes as a result of immigration and scarcity of good rental options in Winnipeg.
The most active residential-detached price ranges in January were the $150,000 to $199,999 and the $200,000 to $249,999 with 18% each of total sales. Not far behind was the $250,000 to $299,999 with 15% market share. January included two million dollar plus home sales with one selling for over $1.7 million. The average days on market to sell a home was 42 days, 9 days slower than the previous month and 10 days off the pace set in January 2010.
The average days on market to sell a condominium was 38 days, 12 days slower than the previous month but 9 days quicker than January 2010.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
So much beauty and Talent in our world
Take 5 min out of your day to enjoy something beautiful and positive.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Highest Monthly Average Home Price at $252,000
December was a month to remember with WinnipegREALTORS ® recording its highest average monthly home sales price ever at $252,414. The previous high was June 2010 at $250,440. This record is not typical of a December. Historically, the highest monthly average sales price tends to be in the busier spring months. The month of the year is becoming far less significant as a determining factor of average monthly sales price and not surprisingly the preva iling tight housing market conditions is the primary cause.
A real driving factor behind the higher average sales price in December is the large influx of new immigrants in combination with historically low rental vacancy rates (currently at .8%). As a result, resale housing and converted condos become the most viable option to meet the shelter needs in the Winnipeg
Another December number worth highlighting is the dollar volume of over $150 million. It shattered the previous highest December dollar volume mark set in 2009 by 22%. Prior to 2009, no December dollar volume exceeded $100 million. Helping December 2010 along was another million dollar house sale in Winnipeg
Not to be outdone, December MLS ® sales of over 650 are the highest on record for this month and it is the second year in a row this month’s sales surpassed 600. Similar to December 2009 when one in three active MLS ® listings sold, December 2010 outperformed 2009 due to a higher inventory. A 14% increase in new listings added to the overall supply.
December MLS ® unit sales were up 5% (653/619) while dollar volume soared 22% ($153.0 million/$125.3 million) in comparison to the same month last year. 2010 MLS ® sales ended up ever so slightly to less than .5% (12,236/12,182) while dollar volume rose 11% ($2.73 billion/$2.47 billion) in comparison to 2009. 17,792 listings were entered on the MLS ® system in 2010; up less than 3% over 2009. Conversion of listings to sales fell below 70% in 2010; the first time it dipped below this percentage mark since 2001.
“The numbers do speak for themselves this month as homes were clearly part of consumer’s year end big ticket purchases,” said Claude Davis , outgoing president of WinnipegREALTORS ®. “As a result of this record December, WinnipegREALTORS ® was able to finish the year edging out 2009 in annual MLS ® sales and it eclipsed $2.7 billion in dollar volume for 2010 – another annual dollar volume record.”
“2010 will go down as a year with continued price pressure thus driving up dollar volume,” said Davis
He added, “In 2010, more affordable property types such as condominium townhouses and apartments were sought after as there was an increase in condo sales activity and fewer residential-detached sales.”
There was an actual 13% drop in residential-detached sales activity from 2009 to 2010 in houses selling under $250,000. Another sharp contrast between the two years is the fact residential-detached sales under $200,000 in 2010 represented 39% of total sales whereas in 2009 the percentage was 50%. In comparison, condominium sales under $200,000 captured 59% of total condo sales.
Whether it is choices of various MLS ® property types, MLS ® neighbourhood areas, street location, house size and condition, they all become factors in determining what a home buyer may qualify for to purchase. Given the ebb and flow of our dynamic housing market with the factors noted above, buyers should be contacting a REALTOR® to advise them on what options best suit them.
The most active residential-detached price range in December was the $200,000 to $249,999 price range with 20% of total sales activity. This was the case for the year with this price range leading the way with 23% of total sales activity.
The average days on market for residential-detached sales in December was 33 days, 1 day off last month and 2 days quicker than December 2009. The year finished off with an average days on market of 27 days, two days quicker than 2009.
Condominium sales in December were most dominant in the $150,000 to $199,999 price range with 35% of all sales while the $200,000 to $249,999 price range was not far behind at 31%. For the year, the most active price range by far was from $150,000 to $199,999 with a market share of 33%. Trailing a distant second was the $100,000 to $149,999 with 22% of total sales.
The average days on market for condominium sales in December was 26 days, over a week faster than last month and one day slower than December 2009. For 2010, average days on market for condo sales was 30 days, a 3 day quicker turnaround than 2009.
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