180 Gordon Condo Project

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A Memorial Park Meets a Townhouse Condo Project

Yet another condo/stacked townhouse project is planned for Guelph.  This particular project would likely be designed with students in mind given it’s central location.  The piece of land involved in the application to the City of Guelph is located at 180 Gordon Street.  This location is on one of the busiest streets in Guelph and at the gateway to the downtown core.  Situated on the Speed and Eramosa River convergence, and a short walk to the University of Guelph along with being on a main bus route, you can’t imagine a better location for such a project.

180 Gordon 300x168 180 Gordon Condo Project

There is some concern about the effect that the development might have on the area but quite frankly, it is currently a brown field location!  What can be worse than what is there now? Marianne’s Park is located adjacent to the property and there is some fear that the park and it’s purpose would be diminished somehow. The background behind the park is admirable and upon learning it’s history, I understand why she has “friend’s” defending her future.  If you don’t know the history, it is a memorial park dedicated to Marianne Goulden. Goulden worked to support women who were victims of domestic violence and was murdered in 1992 by her common-law partner. I am compassionate towards these kind of memorial parks, but also speak honestly and freely about how they effect their surroundings.  In this case, although located on a busy street, not Screen shot 2012 02 02 at 3.57.04 PM 300x168 180 Gordon Condo Projectmany residents even know of its existence.  I believe that it will serve a better purpose having a notable building as it’s neighbour rather than an ugly, possibly contaminated brown field. The focus and attention of a new building may serve a broader purpose and draw insight and attention to a shameful issue of domestic abuse of women.  My guess is that a few more people might stroll through the park as part of their daily routine or commute and become enlightened, just as I have become enlightened as I learn about this development. Perhaps I too would never have known about this memorial park.

For more information about this and other exciting Guelph developments please fill out the form below. Read more about this development here at the Guelph Mercury

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Do you Want Your Home Sale Information Publicly Broadcast?

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Do you Want Your Home Sale Information Publicly Broadcast?Here we go again!  I have attached a news release to this post which contains some disturbing developments.  Please read.  The question is: When will it stop? Ok the real question is: What information relating to real estate is private? Do you want the public to have internet access to the prices you bought and sold for in addition to the details about your home?

There is much to say, but please read and comment below.  I am interested in what you feel about your information being broadcast publicly so that buyers can do their own research.

Read Here

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Yarmouth Street Condo Conversion Project

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PROJECT UPDATE:

This Downtown Guelph condo project is almost ready for public viewing.  Units will be renovated with hardwood, open concept, granite counters, glass showers and more…  Price is still being adjusted but will start from $189,900 to $250,000.  To be included in the pre sale walkthroughs, please fill out the form below.

Yarmouth Street Condo Project

Another downtown condo project is nearly ready for release. This project, however is not the construction of a new building, instead it is a condo conversion project of an existing 8 storey building on Yarmouth Street in downtown Guelph.  The condo project which was part of an agreement between Gummer Building Owner, Skyline and the City of Guelph, which permitted this development as a condition to complete construction of the Gummer Building Project.

416166747 c56aa0fce7 225x300 Yarmouth Street Condo Conversion ProjectThe Yarmouth Street condo conversion will have 72 units ranging from 840 sqft and 1460 sqft with price ranges from the $180′s to $230′s. Because the building is currently a rental building, only 5 to 8 units will become available at a time, as they become vacant.  Each unit will be renovated with a modern downtown feel.  The common areas and lobby area will also be renovated.

For more information on this project please fill out the form below.  We will keep you posted and get you into the pre-release sale.

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Gummer Building Guelph

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The work on the Gummer Building is set to resume according to a recent article reported in the Guelph Tribune.  The project sat idle for more than two years.  Skyline, a Guelph born company owns the building and has agreed to restart construction after getting an approval to convert one of it’s other existing downtown apartments in condo’s.

Gummer Building 300x209 Gummer Building GuelphThe Gummer building which was one of three downtown Guelph buildings destroyed by fire on Easter Weekend 2007, is being redeveloped.  The historically designated building will keep it’s stone facades and mixing in modern design. Inside it will contain high end commercial and residential units.  The current plans include 11,000 square feet of street level retail space, two floors of office space, totalling over 22,000 square feet.  The exciting part for my client base will be the 20 or so loft style, one, two, and three bedroom residential suites.  It is not known if these units will be condos or strictly rental. I can’t wait to hear more about this landmark project!

If you would like to here more about this exciting project or other Guelph developments please fill out the form below.

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Canadian Mortgage Advisor | Surprise The Bank Is Not Moving

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Surprise! The Bank Isn’t “Moving”

Canadian Mortgage Advisor | Surprise The Bank Is Not MovingThe Bank of Canada left its overnight lending rate unchanged which many had anticipated. It is unlikely that the Bank of Canada will increase the rate until the end of the year, or even next spring, with too much uncertainty in the air.

Japan is going to see severe impacts to its economic output this year, and as a result that will have a ripple affect due to supply chains that rely on Japanese parts.

Europe isn’t without its challenges along with the USA, who will likely see another 3 million homes hit the foreclosure market in the next 18 months. The US Fed won’t be moving their rates anytime soon, which leads me to believe the Bank of Canada’s hands are tied. We can’t afford to have our Loonie increase in value compared to the US dollar, which is what an increase in the Bank Rate would facilitate. A higher exchange rate makes it harder for us to sell our exports south of the border…

Interestingly, the Bank predicts core inflation to track under it’s target of 2%, which is another reason why the Bank Rate can stay put for a while. Total inflation has some people scared, hence the rise in Bond Yields (and fixed mortgage rates as a result) but I would let that scare me out of my variable rate mortgage. Every time we get good news the bond yields jump, and every time we get negative news they drop. Expect this trend to continue and as a result fixed rates will track close to 4.1% for the next 6 months.

Please feel free to contact us if you are thinking of buying property or refinancing your mortgage. We’ve got the experience and knowledge that can help save you thousands.

Warm regards,

Chris

–

Christopher Bisson

The Mortgage Centre

Toll-free: 866-838-4366 x1003

www.mortgageconcierge.ca

via Canadian Mortgage Advisor: Surprise! The Bank Isn’t “Moving”.

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Affordable Condo Project Downtown Guelph

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I recently read another interesting article in the Guelph Mercury regarding property developments in Guelph.  It seems that although the general buzz from local developers and builders is that Guelph is an unfriendly place to build homes, behind the scenes there are several projects being proposed.  Perhaps the new players are  out of town voices proceeding in an unbiased fervor, recognizing the immense opportunity that Guelph offers and scoring big.

Nevertheless, this article is not to dwell on the position of the city and its development policies, but to focus on the fact that there are indeed exciting things happening around the city.  The latest development proposal is a six storey residential building on 3-7 Gordon Street.  The property sits directly across from Guelph’s Farmers Market.

Affordable Condo Project Downtown GuelphThis 57 unit building is another affordable housing project. A similar project was introduced to Guelph by Deerfield Homes in Guelph’s east end on Mountford Drive.  The Mountford Drive project was the first of its kind in Guelph and was slow to catch on.  Many people were confused by what “affordable housing” really meant.  Soon people overcame their fears and the project blasted ahead with great success.  The Market Commons project will be similar and will likely be even more sucessful now that Guelph is used to the concept.

The units will start as low as $149,900 and will be approximately 20% less than the market rate. There are also “payment free loans” of up to 10% of the condos value and does not have to be repaid until the owner sells the property.

This development is the latest of several proposed developments.  W.C. Wood site on Arthur Street, a 18 stoery luxury building on the corner of Macdonell and Woolwich Streets and a few other proposals for the downtown core have surfaced over the last 6 months.  The residential component of the downtown core is important to the growth strategy of the City and is expected to grow from 3000 residents to 9000 by 2031.

If you are looking for more information about these developments or wish to be put on our list if you are interested in purchasing a condo please fill out the form below.

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Insulation Update

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Insulation Update

Does this winter have you wondering about your insulation? Everyone knows that home insulation provides tremendous energy savings, but most homeowners have questions about it. How do you know if you need more insulation? What can you do to improve it—without tearing your home apart?

The first thing to know is that for homes built before the 1970s, insulation was not a high priority in construction. These homes may benefit from adding insulation as well as filling the window and door gaps that naturally occur as the house settles over time. The good news is it’s easy to improve your home’s energy efficiency, no matter what its age.

insulation house large leaks2 300x228 Insulation Update

Start at the Top – One of the first places to insulate is the attic. You can add loose-fill or batt insulation easily and cost-effectively. Just remember that if you think you may have vermiculite insulation, don’t disturb it—it may contain asbestos, so call a professional.

Fill the Spaces in the Walls – For your walls, you can choose to blow loose insulation directly into the wall. It’s fast and you’ll only have to patch the wall afterwards, rather than replace the entire surface. On the other hand, if you’re remodeling, you may have open walls and an opportunity to choose from many insulation options including blankets, rolls, rigid insulation and others.

Go Beyond the Walls – Many homeowners see savings from insulating electrical outlets, crawlspaces and doors. A rule of thumb is: a 1/8″ space between a standard exterior door and the threshold is equivalent to a two square inch hole in the wall. Realigning your doors and replacing the door sweep are easy fixes.

Consider Replacing Windows – Weather-stripping your windows can reduce energy loss. However, up to 50% of a home’s heating and cooling needs results from heat gain and loss through windows, so actually replacing your old windows may provide the most savings.

Insulation Adds Up to Big Savings – When you insulate, not only do you start saving money on your energy bills, the government also provides financial benefits to homeowners who make their home more energy efficient. Be sure to save your receipts.

Improvements like adding insulation can often add to the resale value: potential buyers will want to know all about them. And even if you’re not quite ready to move yet, you can still enjoy a cost savings and a comfortable home.

Fotolia 14233676 M 300x225 Insulation UpdateBuying a House?  Let Dita and Andrew guide you through the process.  Seamless, stress free house hunting.

Click Here to Begin Your Journey!

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GDAR – Launches advertising magazine

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As the times change, real estate professionals need to change as well. With the increasing demand for online home searches, in addition to the influence of green alternatives, the Guelph and District Association of Realtors have become the first Real Estate Board in Canada to own their own publication. The costs of which are much more inexpensive than the former local newspaper alternative, since there are no profits taken. This cost saving translates into more advertising bang for the buck for the REALTOR®  which in turn benefits the home owners. The REALTOR® now has more freedom to advertise in multiple venues since costs have been reduced.  GRE Update GDAR Launches advertising magazine

The Guelph and District Association of Realtors is also proud to be responsible for saving approximately 10,000 trees a year because of the utilization of drop boxes instead of door to door delivery. Some people will argue that this is not reaching as many people. This is true but the people that it does reach are truly interested in real estate, not just checking out houses or seeing which agents are still in the business. Think about for a minute, how you use the former Guelph Homes section of the weekend paper. If you are like me and most other people I know, you quickly cruise the paper looking for nice pictures, then toss it. Most people go online to see homes. The Association has approximately 300 drop boxes around Wellington County, with more to come. Make sure you check out the online version to keep up to date.

What About Open Houses?

You can still find open houses on Realtor.ca or MLS.ca, along with your brokerage of choice website. You can even find a list on GDREB.ca It is a change of the way we do business, and it is our responsibility help make the change a success!  You can help by spreading the word.  Tell your friends where to go (not that way), use the icons below to share on on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Thanks for listening.

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A Conversation With a Private Home Seller

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I couldn’t resist adding this funny cartoon to this blog.

This funny cartoon lends humour to the process of selling a home on your own.  The pride of selling your home by yourself and saving commission in the process is energizing and no doubt rewarding. When the representatives from companies such as the Property Guys do their sales pitch in your living room, this is one of the emotions they try to zone in on.  They want you to be excited at the prospect of saving thousands of dollars! They assure you that you can do it on your own and there is no need for those money hungry, pretentious real estate sales people (Joe Schmo as they like to say). I am telling you that YES you can sell a home on your own and some people do it quite well.  I will also tell you that I have clients who BUY several private sales every year.  Why? Because they can take advantage of people that “want to save commission” as the cartoon above illustrates.  I don’t mind because they will ask me to help them re-sell it a few years after.

If you are thinking about selling your home privately please talk to the Property Guys or your preferred private sale assistant company, but make sure you talk to a real estate professional as well. With Real Estate professionals you don’t have to pay for their services up front, nor do you have to worry about the intricacies of contracts, current laws, FINTRAC (government money laundering and terrorism), the Competition Act, Grow Op regulation, insurance issues, fraud and the list goes on. The greatest reason in my opinion is knowing the current real estate market, which translates into what  a buyer should pay for a house and not get shafted.   It’s not about commission.  Buyers want real estate people involved in guiding them to make informed decisions on the biggest purchase of their lives and having the commission already built into the price by the sellers is very convenient especially when it takes so long to save for a down payment, they don’t want to shell out more upfront money. To them it is worth the extra $10 a month on a mortgage payment.

Remember its not about the commission!

So what is your house worth? Click Here

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Home Inspections for Sellers

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Home Inspections… for Sellers

Most people think a home inspection is something that happens somewhere between making an offer and before closing on a home. But for a number of reasons, more homeowners are choosing to have their own home inspected before putting it on the market.

home inspect Home Inspections for SellersThe reason is simple: uncovering problems early on enables you to fix them, often making it possible to add value to your sale price. An inspection is designed to reveal any potential problems a house may have—and that’s true for both buyers and sellers. Sellers may benefit from gaining this kind of detailed information about their home, so that they can choose to handle problems long before the negotiation process is underway.

Many sellers also report that their buyers feel more comfortable when the information from a pre-sale inspection is shared early on, even if the buyers choose to have their own home inspection as well.

In short, a pre-sale inspection can reduce the chance of a surprise and help speed the closing process, which would otherwise have been delayed by scheduling repairs and having the buyers confirm they were completed properly. Because for buyers, making an offer contingent upon a home inspection is about saving expenses and trouble—not to mention providing confidence in what may well be the biggest investment they ever make.

Even if you’re not a buyer making an offer, or a seller thinking of listing a home in the next few months, a home inspection can provide homeowners with a thorough to-do list for maintenance—or even a little peace of mind. If you have any questions about inspections, please don’t hesitate to call or email.

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