There's an old fable about a chicken who thinks the sky is falling because he got hit in the head with a falling acorn. The moral of this fable is to have courage and not to be a "chicken". This "disaster is imminent" message is a common theme in the media today. It appears the residents of Waterloo Region know better.
In what can best be described as a stable market, ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on April 3, 2009
Waterloo's top employer Research in Motion(RIM) defied analyst's expectations today in announcing fiscal 4th quarter profits easily eclipsed last year's results. RIM now has 25 million subscribers and is growing market share in the midst of a sluggish global economy. These results are a huge positive for the local economy and for Wateroo Region real estate. For the full ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on April 2, 2009
There is an emerging trend for city folk to become town and country folk. The reasons for this trend are many and varied. For some, it comes down to price - more house and land for less money and lower property taxes. For others, they want to escape - the houses that are too close together, the noise, traffic, air pollution, litter and crime. Others see their ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on March 30, 2009
In the latest budget, the Ontario Liberal government intends to harmonize the Provincial Sales Tax(PST) with the Goods and Services Tax(GST) effective July 1, 2010. Century 21 Home Realty supports the Ontario Real Estate Association in strongly opposing this tax increase. We cannot afford added costs involved in buying and selling real estate at a time when ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on March 28, 2009
An analysis of early March MLS sales activity in Kitchener-Waterloo point to a relatively healthy market. Unit sales for the first 2 weeks of March totalled 151 versus 225 for the same period in 2008 representing a 33% decrease.
However, the average sale price year-over-year declined by less than 1% and the list-price to sale-price ratio was a robust 97.6%. The average days on ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on March 19, 2009
Preliminary sales figures for February 2009 point to mixed results. The Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board saw 290 residential sales which paled by comparison to the 405 sales in February 2008. This equates to approx. a 28% decline in unit sales making it the lowest total recorded in this decade.
However, in my opinion, the glass is half full. Active listings ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on March 3, 2009
Century 21 is featured on the Air Miles home page for the month of February.
Collectors can earn 121 Bonus Air Miles reward miles when buying or selling a property through Century 21.
Gold collectors qualify for 200 Bonus Air Miles reward miles.
For details and to print a coupon, visit www.Century21.ca/Air_Miles/bonus_offers
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on February 12, 2009
Preliminary figures from the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board show residential unit sales in January 2009 totalled 217. This figure represents a decline of approx. 28% from January 2008's total of 301. Active residential listings in Kitchener-Waterloo total 1240 or almost a 6 month supply. This would indicate a buyer's market.
However, to put our local real estate ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on February 3, 2009
Over the last number of years, veteran market watchers(those over age 40) always wondered when the local real estate boom would end. My answer was "when the rates go up considerably or the jobs disappear." As recent job losses and layoffs have unfolded, we've once again discovered real estate markets are cyclical. The local market has shifted and a buyer's ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on February 3, 2009
Preliminary results of unit sales in November 2008 indicate a market shift has occurred. In Kitchener-Waterloo, 240 residential properties changed hands. This represents a 40% decline over November 2007 when 400 properties were sold. There are currently 1330 properties for sale which equates to approximately a 5 1/2 month supply.
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 6, 2009