There is no denying that Barrie has for some time been considered by many to be a bedroom community to the GTA. The lure of a smaller, less densely populated community where drive by shootings are the stuff of Hollywood movies and kids can safely walk to school presents a welcome and affordable alternative to Big City living that has added momentum to Barrie's continuing population growth.Housing demands in the Barrie region have contributed to the increases in housing prices which in under 20 years have more than doubled in the Barrie area. Does the prediction that we may have hit a ceiling on price and are possibly due for a correction in Barrie hold any merit? I can't see how.Realtors would just as soon not see local real estate price itself out of reach of the average first time ... 10/16/2007

The following are the 10 top Canadian cities to invest in Real Estate in Ontario, Canada (source: REIN - The Real Estate Investment Network): Kitchener, Waterloo, CambridgeBarrie - OrilliaDurham Region (Whitby, Pickering, Ajax)MarkhamHamilton - BrantfordBramptonOttawaTorontoOshawaWhitchurch - StouffvilleReceiving honourable mention are:St Catherines, Guelph, Orangeville, Aurora and New Market, London and Mississauga.If you are thinking in investing or moving to Barrie, Give us a call. We are ready to help you!Peter & Patricia ClarkeReal Estate Sales RepresentativesHomelife Nu-Key Realty Ltd.English Direct: 705-716-7611Spanish Direct: 705-796-7211Bus: (705) 733-1222Toll Free: 1-888-999-4036http://www.barrieproperties.com/www.InmobiliariaEnBarrie.com Real Estate for Real People!  - Hablam... 08/30/2007

Source: The Quarterly ReportSimcoe BusinessBarrie is considered the second best place in Ontario to invest in Real Estate. The Real Estate Investment Network (REIN), Canada's Leading Real Estate Education and Research Organization, has placed Barrie second in it's report on the top 10 towns in Ontario for Real Estate Investment.The 2006 Canada Census showed Barrie is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. This census says that Barrie's population is now 128,430 and it is expected to grow to almost 244,000 by 2031.If you are thinking in investing or moving to Barrie give us a call. We are ready to help you!Peter and Patricia ClarkeReal Estate Sales RepresentativesHomelife Nu-Key Realty LtdDirect English: 705-716-7611Direct Spanish: 705-796-7211Real Estate Website - English: ww... 08/30/2007

I was just reading about stories of abandoned animals when people lose their homes in foreclosures or power of sales (Canada).I just CAN"T BELIEVE how anybody can abandon their Pet without food or water and left them behind. Pets are part of the family once you get them and we need to be responsible for them for EVER! It seems that in May alone, authorities found 23 abandoned animals in a house in Lake Carmel, N.Y.; 20 birds in a Lorain, Ohio, house; 24 horses on a Bixby, Okla., property; and more than 60 cats in a home in Cincinnati. All of these properties were in foreclosure, and most of the animals were injured, infected, dehydrated and starved nearly to death. I know how hard may be to lose your home but your pets can not pay for it! If you're facing foreclosure and are unable to c... 07/11/2007

Park Place is a 200-acre mixed-use development planned for the former Molson Park property. Once complete, it will be home to: a prestige business park; medium format retail, one of Canada’s first "lifestyle" centres featuring up-scale retail, exciting restaurants, hotels and entertainment; industrial/manufacturing buildings; and a 20-acre environmentally protected area with walking trails for everyone’s use. The "lifestyle" centre will be one of the first of its kind in Canada. The pedestrian-friendly outdoor village will offer residents and tourists an up-scale, attractive venue for shopping, accommodations, dining, leisure and entertainment. The prestige Business Park will feature office buildings for corporate head offices. Second floor offices in the village will be highly sought a... 06/13/2007

Front line Baby Boomers must be getting tired of the bombardment of not-so-subtle reminders that they are edging ever closer to their retirement years. Seems like overnight commercials went from trying to coax them out of that Jello tree to trying to woo them into a new side door step in bath tub and a bevy of performance enhancing pills. I know I have endured far more than my fill of  TV commercials that feature happy-go-lucky Silver haired couples skipping slow-mo, hand in hand through sun drenched meadows of wild flowers!!! (I needed to vent on that.)Looking to the future of real estate and how the market will evolve based on demographics and population forecasts - then pro actively positioning yourself for these changes is how some will manage to come out far ahead of others who pay... 06/12/2007

  Barrie, June 4, 2007 – To mark National Clean Air Day and in a demonstration of their opposition to an ethanol refinery being located in the middle of their city, Citizens Against Refining Ethanol in Barrie (C.A.R.E.) will release 418 biodegradable balloons into the air to signify the 418 tons of pollutants that will be emitted each year if the Ontario Ministry of the Environment approves a highly controversial chemical plant for Barrie.  Anyone seeing a balloon overhead is in the potential emissions’ path and is encouraged to call CARE at 705-309-2273 (CARE) to report the sighting. Who:              Citizens Against Refining Ethanol in Barrie (CARE in Barrie)  What:             The release of 418 biodegradable balloons representing one for each ton of pollutants to be released each ... 06/05/2007

Home buyers are faced with an assortment of expenses in addition to the purchase price of their new home; do they really need to add a $250 to $300 title insurance policy to that? Though increasingly popular, title insurance is not a requirement when purchasing a home in Ontario but considering its benefits you could well decide it is a worthwhile component of your overall real estate investment that will prove to be a bargain on the remote chance its protection is called to task. Title insurance helps protect you in the event that previous forgery and fraud has taken place in obtaining or transferring title on the property that you have purchased or intend to purchase. Though the odds of personally being the victim of such an incident are low, the incidence across the country are far ... 05/30/2007

Some people don't understand how important the staging is...other people don't even know what it is.My father is an architect as well as my baby sister so I have been around homes and interior design all my life. My father used to have all of this collection of interior design books and my home was always decorated like a magazine home.I really have a passion for it and I really think that it is VERY IMPORTANT to use staging techniques to sell a home faster and for top dollar. In fact, most of the homes that we have staged have sold faster...We offer this staging service for free to our clients because everybody wins. Clients sell their homes faster and for more money and we also win because we do our job.Below you can see a picture of one of my staged homes. There are 3 different views... 05/24/2007

I usually don't like to discuss things that are controversial but I have to say that I'm happy about the new bylaw implemented by the City of Barrie about imposing the Cat By-Law.I have a little guy who likes to innocently play in his sand box in the backyard. Before buying a covered sandbox (which the cats still feel the need to "mark their territory"), they'd forever be doing their duty in my child's play area. Okay, it's not like I send my child over to other people's yard to do his thing. I don't have animals that go on other's property to do their duty for others to step on. I appreciate if owners could take care of their animals so I don't step on anything I shouldn't be! Okay, I don't want this to sound like a rant and just want to inform. So here they are from the City of Barrie... 05/22/2007

Oh my goodness! R-E-L-I-E-F! I'm so happy that on Saturday, June 9th, the neighbourhood exchanges is happening in Barrie. I have just had no time to do my spring cleaning or time to plan or commit to doing a garage sale. You know what it's like! The children are growing, not playing with their "baby toys" anymore and the rec room which I was so excited to have as the "children's space" has just turned into one big storage area. So, get your poster/flyer by clicking here that you can print off and says you're participating and people are more than welcome to take the item you're leaving on your front yard. Time to get rid of those items big or small that have just been an aggravation and you didn't want to pay extra $ to have thrown away. Hey, like the adage says "one man's (or woman's) ... 05/22/2007

Finally we are beginning to see the construction of the rails of the Go Train in Barrie.My Husband and Partner Peter and I are very excited and think that the price of homes and Real Estate in general are going to be affected positively (for sellers). The history has shown that the train in cities such as Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, etc, has implied more people moving to this cities and keeping their jobs in the Big City (Toronto). This obviously means and increase in the demand of Homes and a change in pricing and appreciation of Real Estate Properties.I am very excited as well because it would be easy to go to Toronto for shopping and entertaining, especially in the winter, since I hate the driving in the snow.I think that the Go Train means a lot and I love it.If you know some... 05/16/2007

 Northern Ethanol Inc. is seeking approval to build an Ethanol refining Plant in our town of 130,000 people in an area that has housing and 5 schools within a mile and a half radius.Their PR people are trying to make this proposal sound like a sweet deal for the City. This is contrary to everything I am learning about Ethanol plants. I take no stand on the use of ethanol but I don't think a plant inside of a tourist town  on the shores of a beautiful freshwater lake is good for anyone. I have no personal experience to go on nor do the residents of Barrie. I attended a meeting lat night of a group that is opposing this proposal and I am curious to learn from anyone who has had experience with a proposed or existing ethanol plant in their town to share their experiences. Please consider ... 05/10/2007

One of my "obsessions" when listing a house is taking great pictures for the home's Brochure as well as the mls.Most of my clients say they have passed on listings when they don't have pictures or they have very bad ones. I can't believe when I see bad quality pictures now when everybody can have access to a digital camera. A picture tells a thousand words as the saying goes. But, when it comes to listing photos, a bad picture can tell a negative story and can hamper your ability to sell a house for the best price possible. In CREA's most recent survey about mls.ca®, consumers said they want photos and lots of them when they are searching for homes on-line. But dark, out of focus photos are not what those consumers had in mind. Not only the camera, a tripode & lighting are important. Ta... 05/10/2007

Source: EdgeNews http://www.orea.com/index.cfm/ci_id/4846.htm According with EdgeNews, Canada's housing market got off to a surprisingly strong start in 2007 with average house prices rising in all major markets surveyed, according to a first quarter report released by Royal LePage Real Estate Services. The combination of resilient consumer confidence, moderately low interest rates and improved affordability across most of the country led to greater than expected activity during the typically slower first quarter. In Ontario, Ottawa's housing market experienced record activity in the first quarter. Toronto's housing market has once again been characterized by high levels of competition, particularly in the most sought after neighbourhoods of Central Toronto.This sounds pretty good, spec... 05/10/2007

Alberta and Russell Neice always thought of Barrie just as a place to pass by on the way to cottage country, but four years ago that all changed when they took a detour and fell in love with the city's downtown waterfront."It's magnificent," said Alberta, 68, from her new condominium overlooking Barrie's Kempenfelt Bay. The Neices, who had spent all their lives in the Steeles and Yonge area of Toronto, were so impressed with what Barrie had to offer that they put a down payment on a home in one of the new 16-storey condominium buildings on the waterfront. They moved in a year ago."We love it here; the people are so friendly and Barrie has everything we need without all the traffic jams," said Alberta Neice. They are not alone. Data released from the 2006 census yesterday indicates that ... 04/13/2007

TORONTO, March 15 /CNW/ - There are not enough apartments to rent in Barrie and those that are available are unaffordable for the average worker.These are the findings of "Where's Home? The report is produced by the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) and the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF)."It's a volatile and disturbing situation," says ONPHA President Deborah Schlichter. "The people who drive this province's economy can't afford to live here now, even if they can find an apartment. And we have not built for the future."The report shows that between 1995 and 2005, there has been a net loss of 13,000 rental housing units in Ontario. This is in part due to the demolition of rental housing, as well as the conversion of many units to condominiums. It also reflect... 04/13/2007

INNISFIL, ON, April 4 /CNW/ After five years of consultation and planning with the local community, the County of Simcoe and environmental groups, the proposed Big Bay Point Resort has received the 'thumbs up'. The resort plan has been dramatically downsized to contain 1600 condominiums and 400 hotel rooms and a 1000-slip marina on the western shore of Lake Simcoe just south of Big Bay Point. More than a third of the 600-acre site has been set aside as an environmentally-protected area, between a championship golf course to the west and the marina/condominium site to the east.     The Town of Innisfil, the County of Simcoe and local ratepayer and environmental groups as well as the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation authority are on the record as being in support of the resort plan, which... 04/11/2007

This past year’s census showed Barrie as the fastest growing urban region in  Canada. The Real Estate Investment Network recently called Barrie one of the three best Canadian cities to invest.                                            What makes Barrie such an alluring place to live? It’s a combination of many things. Its Barrie’s close proximity to a major urban Centre (Toronto) yet it is far enough away to have its own identity. Barrie has an ideal layout for a city of its size, with easy access to all amenities. You are never more than ten minutes from where ever you need to be and surrounded by Ski hills and golf courses. Barrie is situated around a beautiful bay that is viewable from the many hillside residential areas surrounding it. The bay itself is clean enough to swim and hos... 04/11/2007

It makes good financial sense for first time buyers to consider a town home as the first home they own. As average home prices in Ontario increase the percentage of first time home buyers who financially qualify to purchase a detached home in good livable condition decreases leaving townhouses and condos as the feasible option for those who want to enter into home ownership.On the plus side, a townhouse typically requires less maintenance cost and effort, less energy to run and taxes take a smaller chunk out of the wallet than a detached home of equal square footage. Be prepared to lay out a minimum of $50,000 more for a detached home as well.Homes above the $300,000 mark in the current Barrie market are taking longer to sell and owners are experiencing a growing discrepancy between lis... 03/28/2007