We found Stan, Janet and Blair's dream home on a thursday last month and negotiated a great purchase price and closing terms. We listed their current Barrie home the following tuesday and received an acceptable offer two days later on the following thursday. Stan Janet and Blair can't wait for their lives to change July 31st. when they move into their new digs on 4.3 partly wooded acres in Oro with a pool, spring fed pond and a 450 sq ft out building to be aptly dubbed "the hangar". Congratulations guys.                                                           06/21/2009

The Ontario Real Estate Association has been pushing for increases to the amounts the Province will provide home owners in the Energy Savings Program. The new program, initiated  to encourage us to make our homes more energy efficient through financial rebates and incentives is being reworked to reflect some of the recommendations of OREA.   Visit the site (click below) for a breakdown of rebates that you may qualify for.   Ontario Energy Savings Program   06/12/2009

Niagara West Conservative MPP Tim Hudac raises a challenge to the provincial Finance minister to consider a reprieve from the charging of Land Transfer Taxes for just one year in order to stimulate the real estate and housing industries that are at the core of our economy. This makes far too much sense I am afraid for it to ever be put into practise. I personally know a few young couples struggling to save their down payments and closing costs to buy their first homes that would be ready to act today if the government were to implement this.   06/10/2009

In June 2007 a new City Council had a host of plans and concepts for Barrie's future developement. Some were inherited from past council and many are well underway. Some have evolved, been retired or are still to begin. Have a look at this presentation from June 2007 which shows Barrie through the crystal ball of planners. Barrie City Centre Report   06/10/2009

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: June 2009 Once it has been passed, the Barrie-Innisfil Boundary Adjustment Act, 2009 will extend the southern boundary of the separated City of Barrie to include approximately 2,293 hectares of lands currently in the Town of Innisfil, which is in Simcoe County. These lands are contiguous to Barrie’s current urban structure. This will enable Barrie to plan to extend its existing urban services to these lands. This is critical for the successful implementation of the provincial policy framework in the Simcoe area. If passed, all real property of the Town of Innisfil and the County of Simcoe in the lands affected by the boundary change would transfer to the City of Barrie on January 1, 2010. Bylaws If the proposed act is passed, the City of Barri... 06/09/2009

An audio introduction for new subscribers and links to some valuable websites. Bookmark this page to your favourites for future reference over the course of your home buying journey and start exploring the hundreds of informative posts available at this site . CITY OF BARRIE DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS SCHOOLS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS INTERACTIVE MAP GEORGIAN COLLEGE RVH "A" CHANNEL BARRIE EXAMINER BARRIE ADVANCE WEATHER LIFE AND TIMES KEMPENFEST SCENIC BARRIE DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL TOURISM BARRIE SERVICE CLUBS LOCAL TRANSIT GO BUS/TRAIN GOLF     HotBarrieListings.com Introduction 06/09/2009

Mike and Shelley discuss the steps and the details of preparing yourself financially to buy a home.   06/05/2009

  I have investment clients looking for 3 or more unit residential buildings to purchase in Barrie. Give me a call if you think you have property to sell that may interest them. 06/02/2009

The “Baby Boom” generation is quietly fading into the whispering tranquility of retirement. NOT! This is the same group that branded the 60’s as the decade of peace, love and Rock and Roll, at least until they became distracted with defining the tastes and trends for food, fashion, entertainment and the cars we have driven for the last four decades. No this bunch isn’t likely to quietly fit themselves into the retirement patterns that their parents followed. The leading edge Boomers turn 65 in 2010. Those around 50 now are finding themselves with no practical need for the 4 or even the 3 bedroom homes that likely sheltered their now gone children. For many that same home has little or no mortgage to pay out and has most certainly appreciated handsomely over time. Most in the 50 to 65 ag... 06/01/2009

  This year has got to hold the record for in progress - road repair projects here in Barrie. There are at least as many orange road cones placed around our streets as there are tax payers I think. City Hall could make a few bucks if it were savvy and rented out advertising space on some of them to Barrie Realtors. Why not, I think we single handily finance the local transit system  by paying to place our glowing faces on buses, benches, recycle bins and bus shelters all over town. The nice thing is the majority of long over due road repair and widening projects are getting done now and not being dragged over years and years. Another thing I notice around Barrie is not only are the roads busier in town on the weekends of late, the driving style of many is gradually becoming more aggress... 06/01/2009

Location , location. It might sell the neighbourhood but it wont necessarily sell your house. Your home needs some assets that will set it apart in its price range and make it stick in the minds of the potential buyers who will be visiting your and probably a half dozen or so other homes before and after on that day. We are taught that certain things will help to sell a home. An updated master bath with a soaker tub, a modern kitchen with higher end appliances and walk in closets are features that along with having your home well staged and clutter free will score it points with buyers who will be filing through to give it the once over. If making gender specific remarks might get me in trouble then let me apologise here and now, as the rest of this article will be my observations over ... 05/25/2009

The credit crises in the US has had a lesser impact on the Canadian Real Estate Market. The spring market in 2009 is showing some signs of stress but also opportunity for those looking to buy a home. Listen to what Shelley Black of Mortgage Alliance in Barrie had to say about financing and the great rates currently available to Barrie and area home buyers in a recent conversation we had. 05/02/2009

Schools are the number one consideration of home buyers with children.The urban planning behind the City of Barrie has given easy access by its residents to schools and other community resources. Most of Barrie's elementary and secondary students live within walking distance of their schools. Have a look at the interactive map and the list of Barrie and area elementary and secondary schools. Public bus services link all areas of Barrie to our Secondary schools and to Georgian College. Simcoe County District School Board"The mission of the Simcoe County District School Board, serving diverse growing urban and rural communities in the Huronia and Georgian Bay region, is to ensure students reach their full potential to become responsible and contributing members of an ever-changing global ... 04/19/2009

When's the last time you thought about your mortgage? Do you know your rate? Do you know when your term is up for renewal? Do you know what happens if you don't renew your mortgage? Many Canadians don't. It's no wonder when it comes time to renew a mortgage, many people fall into the auto renewal trap. An Angus Reid survey, commissioned by ING Direct found that more than a quarter (27%)of Canadians with mortgages that have come up for renewal allowed their mortgages to automatically renew – meaning they didn't perform the same due diligence upon renewal as they did when they first got their mortgage. Letting your mortgage automatically renew often means you missed an opportunity to save money. The same survey found that 40% of Canadians waited until 30 days or less before their closing... 04/17/2009

A bitter reality of the economic changes we have been going through is the growing number of homes up for sale, repossessed by the lenders and listed under power of sale. At any time in the past ten years the number of power of sale listings registered through the Barrie and District Association of Realtors rarely climbed above three. As of this afternoon the number of residential properties under power of sale was 42, down slightly from earlier this year. The opportunity for obtaining a property at the lower end of market value or less presents itself as it is in the best financial interest of the lenders in possession to unload the property and eliminate the costs and liabilities associated with having a home sit vacant for a long period of time. Donald Trump spoke this week on a morn... 04/17/2009

Barrie has about 2000 homes for sale right now. Imagine sanding in a crowd of 2000 people, what could you possibly do to attract attention (positive attention) to you? Every seller wants their home to sell fast and fetch top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it isn’t luck or chance that will get your home sold in a market saturated with listed properties. A well thought out plan and some professional know how on sprucing up your home is going to make it stand out from the 8 to 10 other properties a home buyer is likely to view in one weekend afternoon. Here are some good tips and examples of how to prepare a house and turn it into an irresistible and marketable home though the sale of the subject property for $20k over list is wishful thinking today and more reflective of that... 04/15/2009

  Up to 15% credit back may be had from the federal government to offset the cost of home renovations. The 15-per-cent credit may be claimed on the portion of eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000, but not more than $10,000, meaning that the maximum tax credit that can be received is $1,350. The credit can be claimed on eligible expenditures incurred on one or more of an individual's eligible dwellings. Properties eligible for the HRTC include houses, cottages and condominium units that are owned for personal use. please click here for more details  Home Renovation Tax Credit 04/12/2009

The weather in the first week of April is as confused as the Robins and those optimistic drivers who took their snow tires off in March.The Real Estate market has been about as predictable as the weather has been over the past year. Finally the buzz around my office has returned and my cohorts can once again look you strait in the eye without their voices going up two octaves when they reply on being asked "how's things going?" It is getting busy once again. Buyers have left the den, seen their shadows, yes and more importantly they are seeing mortgage rates are at record lows and the neighbourhoods are thick with an abundance of listed properties containing anxious vendors waiting for an offer to come to them. Average prices are down over last spring and this spring's market is the fi... 04/07/2009

  Lately I have been finding that the smart Realtors are calling for a professional Home Staging consultation on every listing. Why the change? A few reasons. With so much competition on the market right now, they realize that to make their listing stand out from the crowd online  they need to get their clients motivated to prepare their properties for sale. Realtors know that if they list properties not ready to show they will see their marketing expense balloon out of control.Properties that have not been prepared do not show well online. Bright paint colours and vibrant patterns do not allow buyers online to see the features of a home. Plus clients are letting their Realtors know that they do not want to languish on the market like they see so many other listings in their neighbourho... 03/29/2009

While leave the office, I got a phone call. Elderly voice was asking for an appointment; she sold her previous home with HomeLife 21 years ago, and now was time to sell again, so she called us. She told me that she was interviewing several Realtors and would like me to come in as well. I did my research, took pictures, surveyed the neighbourhood, delivered my Home Sellers Tools CD, and was ready to talk to the owner the next day. Nice, elderly couple welcomed me into their home. From the street, small looking home surprised me with the light and spacious interior. Tidy and fresh with non of the unnecessary clutter, the home was ready to be listed, the owners ready to hear what I had to say about it. Going over the recent sold and currently listed properties, I could see that they were f... 03/26/2009