Welcome to 3 Lloyd cook drive, Snow Valley Highlands, Springwater

Simply gorgeous! That’s how we described it to the owners when we were walking around having a look. There is something about this home that says english country feel yet with high end modern finishes. The main are of the home comprises of a lovely  family room area open onto the kitchen with it’s large kitchen, plentiful cabinetry  and large island. The counters are all sparking granite and because this home faces south on the rear the kitchen and family room are flooded with light. As we were sitting at the kitchen island discussing the merits of our clients home it was all I could do to stop myself pulling on offer out of my bag and buying it myself !

Read the rest of this entry

 When it comes to selling your Barrie home, the following question often comes to mind: What will happen to your existing mortgage when you sell and are there any costs to breaking a mortgage?

 As a Barrie homeowner, you most likely have been paying a mortgage loan ever since you bought the house. The word Mortgage actually comes from the Spanish word ‘Mort’ or translated ’Till death’! The borrower, that’s you, gives the Mortgage and in return you receive some remuneration, I.E. Cash. The Lender holds your debt (Mortgage) until you either repay it or you become deceased,(Mort). In English, it is basically a loan obtained from a credit institution such as a bank or lending company to help finance the purchase of a home as part of a buying agreement. During the term of the loan and over time, the outstanding loan (Debt) will become significantly lower due to consistent monthly repayments. Read the rest of this entry

Hi all,

Just north of the Barrie Real Estate area you will find a wonderful ski resort called “Ski Snow Valley”. If you have never been to the Barrie area before and you are coming here this winter to look at our Real Estate then bring your skis with you. We have several good Skiing and snow boarding areas just north of the city. Read the rest of this entry

I was fortunate enough this week to be invited to listen to Paul Ferley from RBC. Paul is the assistant economist for the Royal Bank and focuses on long term trends in the economy. As a quick disclaimer, this article contains my interpretation of Pauls presentation and is not repeated in its entirety. I’ll try to keep this fairly brief so it won’t become a financial sleep zone. So first the good news, “there shouldn’t be a double dip recession!”, the Royal Bank is looking for growth in the economy to be slow but steady, around 2% in Gross Domestic Product.
Read the rest of this entry

I want to keep you updated with the Barrie Real Estate Market. There have been many negative stories recently about how the market is “slipping” or that “prices are starting to fall”. I thought I would take a look at some facts about the numbers in the Barrie Real Estate area,  because it isn’t doom and gloom, the press likely won’t report this. Read the rest of this entry

Home sales down in July

Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie District Association of REALTORS® Inc. were down considerably in July 2010. A slowdown in demand in Ontario had been widely expected in July, with many purchases having been brought forward into the first half of the year in advance of the introduction of the HST.

Read the rest of this entry

This very cute and well maintained home is situated along hwy 26 just outside Barrie and within the popular school district of Forest Hill. The present oweners have lovingly maintained the home with more recent upgrades including painting, bathroom, windows, bathroom and basement areas. In particular the home benefits from a good sized south facing rear yard with childs climbing frame. Read the rest of this entry

62 Budds Mill in Minesing , Snow Valley

Located just outside Barrie this home is just over a year new and is situated in an upscale executive sub division just a few minutes from Snow Valley Ski resort. Initially designed by Reid and modified and built by Steve Witty (Custom homes) this home has some unique features. With a separate entrance to the basement extended family members will be well taken care of and at the other end of the home on the 3rd floor the loft has been converted into a large open planned family room / childs play room. The views from the upper levels extend northerly across the Minesing wetlands and Southerly over the rear yard.
Read the rest of this entry

There was a really interesting article posted in the Globe and Mail this morning. (Thank you Katherine for bringing it to my attention). It concerns the levels of debt that Canadians are taking on and looks at various cities around Canada to try and figure out the net growth of wealth in certain cities. The full article is contained within this link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/want-to-boost-your-net-worth-live-in-a-mid-sized-city/article1640442/?service=email

Of course in my usual way I just felt compelled to reply to the post. Debt can be a widely misunderstood  term and I thought I would share here my post on the globe and Mails website.  Hopefully this is thought provoking and no too antagonistic. Read the rest of this entry

Press release from the president of the Barrie Association of Realtors.

Sales activity cools in June

Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie District Association of REALTORS® Inc. came in well below last year’s record levels in June. Home sales numbered 461 units in June 2010, down 19 per cent from the record in the same month in last year. On a year-to-date basis, however, activity was still up 12 per cent compared to the first six months of 2009. New listings rose five per cent from a year earlier to 767 units in June. While still up, the Read the rest of this entry