There has been a great deal of talk in the mainstream media recently surrounding the possibility that Canada is in a housing bubble. First, what is a housing bubble? According to Answers.com, a housing bubble is "a run-up in prices fuelled by demand, speculation, and a belief that recent history is an infallible forecast of the future." It begins with an increase in demand ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 2, 2010
Residential power of sale activity in Kitchener-Waterloo continued to decline in November. As of December 15, 2009, there were 9 active properties on MLS under power of sale in K-W versus 11 in mid-November. Four of these properties were condominiums and the remainder detached houses. The home above is in the exclusive area of Kiwanis Park. Note the challenge the photographer ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on December 15, 2009
I had the good fortune to visit Vancouver for the Century 21 Canada Conference this fall. It certainly is a beautiful city and I can definitely see the appeal of living there. However, I struggle with the cost of housing. Here is a current example. The home above is listed for sale at $795,000. It's described as "that perfect fixer upper in an amazing ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on December 8, 2009
November unit sales in Kitchener-Waterloo were up a sizzling 76% over November, 2008 according to figures released by the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board. A November record 422 properties changed hands versus 240 in November, 2008. Another November record was set as the median sale price in K-W hit $248,750 versus $234,500 in 2008, an increase of 6%. The return of consumer ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on December 7, 2009
Today's post deals with the challenges of buying a home in a seller's market. First, let's look at a bit of recent history. In November of 2008, fear and uncertainty were in the air. Overextended sellers were anxious to unload their properties at a discount. Buyers, following years of a seller's market, were finally in control. Unfortunately for buyers, ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on November 28, 2009
The local improvement in economic conditions appears to have led to fewer Power of Sale properties in October. Active listings under Power of Sale as of November 15th totalled 11 versus 12 in mid-October. Of these, 10 are in Kitchener and 1 in Waterloo.
Properties bought under Power of Sale in October declined to 10 versus 17 in September. Of note, there ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on November 17, 2009
As Realtors, we often struggle with how to describe rundown homes without offending the seller. Everyone has heard the real estate euphemisms "needs TLC"(tender loving care) and "lots of potential".
While researching the history of a home a buyer has interest in, I came across this subtle gem from 1995. In the Realtor remarks, the listing salesperson indicated the "owner retired ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on October 25, 2009
As of October 15th, there were 12 active residential MLS listings under Power of Sale in Kitchener-Waterloo. This marks a slight increase over the 11 in September. Of note, 2 were in Waterloo and the remaining 10 in Kitchener.
As for sales, September saw 17 residential properties sold under Power of Sale in K-W through the Multiple Listing Service. ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on October 21, 2009
The Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board reports 375 sales in K-W for September 2009 which represents a 15% decline over the 441 sales reported in September 2008. Of note, the end of $0 down and 40 year amortization program was rapidly approaching in September 2008 and sales were artificially high as a result. The median price for September 2009 sales in K-W was a September record ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on October 4, 2009
A recent headline in the Toronto Star read "Credit Card Defaults at Record Level". It indicated a record level of accounts being written off as uncollectable for 3 straight quarters.
So what does this have to do with real estate? Most real estate buyers will need a mortgage. As part of the approval process, the lenders will turn to a credit reporting agency to determine ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on October 2, 2009