We had a snowy and bitterly cold week which, I suppose, one has to put up with when living in our great country. With the promise of warmer weather on the way, here's this week's post on the top 10 things I love about living in Westvale.
#6 Parks and Trails
The Westvale neighbourhood in Waterloo is fortunate to have wonderful trails, parks and greenspace. ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on February 9, 2011
January is traditionally one of the slower months for real estate sales. I often cite two reasons: cold, snowy weather and a pile of bills from the Christmas season. This January saw 264 residential MLS sales versus 294 in January 2010, a decline of 10%. As you'll recall, last January saw relatively little snow and mild temperatures. The average ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on February 2, 2011
It's time once again for Westvale Wednesday where I share one of the top 10 things I love about living in Westvale.
#7 The Boardwalk at Ira Needles Blvd.
A recent addition to the Westvale neighbourhood has been the massive 1 million square foot commercial development depicted above. The Boardwalk is located at the end of University Avenue West and Ira Needles ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on February 2, 2011
Another week has flown by and once again, it's Westvale Wednesday. Today's instalment of the top 10 things I love about living in Westvale is:
#8 Great elementary schools
One of the primary components of a vibrant community is its schools. Westvale is very fortunate to have 2 great schools within its boundaries: Westvale Public School and Holy Rosary Catholic ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 26, 2011
Buying your first home in Kitchener Waterloo can be confusing enough. Recently, the federal government made 3 changes to mortgage policy through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation(CMHC) that created further confusion. While I read a great deal about the changes, the analysis of the impact of the changes was sorely lacking. So if I'm a first time buyer in ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 22, 2011
When I was a kid, I used to read a series of mystery books involving the Hardy Boys. Each book would see the brothers tackle and solve a mystery. Real estate doesn't have many but recently, when a client took possession of their resale home, a mystery ensued.
Remember the excitement of buying your first home? As a Realtor, the experience ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 21, 2011
After another busy week, it's Westvale Wednesday. Here is the second in a series of posts on the top 10 things I love about living in the Westvale neighbourhood of Waterloo:
#9 The Westvale Carnival and Fireworks
The Westvale Community Association holds a number of family events throughout the year and this is surely the most popular. The annual event is held ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 19, 2011
As expected, power of sale listing activity was relatively quiet during the holiday season. Active residential listings under power of sale totalled 11 as of January 15, 2011, down from 14 in mid-December. I would expect an increase in power of sale listings over the next few months as the government has moved to make it harder for distressed homeowners ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 17, 2011
The new year is always an exciting time in real estate and as I survey the year to come, 2011 will be no exception. First, let's look back and see how we did with last years forecast. My Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Sales Forecast 2010 called for a return to a more traditional market where 2/3 of the buying and selling was done between January and June. The ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 10, 2011
I received a Tweet today from Inman News that announced ZipRealty was closing 11 offices in the U.S. in an effort to "achieve positive cash flow". What's so significant about the struggles of ZipRealty? ZipRealty is a real estate brokerage company with a relatively new business model. The brokerage offers seller clients up to 25% off their listing commission ...
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on January 10, 2011