Have you ever heard of a SUN DOG?

According to a wiki explanation I found, they are an atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light in the sky, often on a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.  They are caused by ice crystals called diamond dust drifting in the air at low levels.

Here is a fantastic photo sent to me by my client (and now friend), E.H. Scott that he took yesterday morning from his back deck up on the mountain.

We are so lucky to live in this gorgeous area of Ontario.

Boy oh boy, the real estate market is hot.  I always said the recession would end quickly and the demand would be stronger than predicted but wow, this is really something.

In an area that includes Collingwood, Clearview, Blue Mountains, Meaford, Grey Highlands and Wasaga Beach, sales in the first two weeks of September are already up 7% compared to the same period last year.  Personally, this week in real estate will likely set a new personal record in my 20+ year career.  Last week-end, three of the properties I had listed for sale all sold and two involved competing offers.  Properties that have been listed for a long time are suddenly selling with multiple offers in many cases.

If you look at this mornings paper, an article on the first page of the business section talks about how Canadian banks got through the recession relatively unscathed and are now on an acquisition spending spree.  On page 2 of the same paper, you can read about the 90 banks that closed in the U.S. this year.  As Canadians, we seem very confused by those messages.

I can’t help but think about the naysayers who put off buying over the fall and winter when prices were low, interest rates were low and there were no buyers competing for the same properties.  THAT was the time to buy but people were afraid and far too influenced by media reporting on a sub-prime crisis that didn’t even exist here in Canada.  As soon as the media turned positive, buyers returned in force but many have paid a price for that delay.  For example, I sold a condo to some folks a few months ago in a development up near Blue Mountain.  Based on sales in the same development in the last two weeks, the unit they bought mere months ago has already seen a rise in value of about 10%.  That means people buying the same condo today will spend about $20,000 more than they would have just months ago.

Right now, we’re seeing sellers return to the market as confidence increases which means that for a while, we’ll see a rise in the inventory of properties for sale.  That will quickly clear out at which point prices will climb more dramatically and we’ll head into an inflationary period.  By the time the Bank of Canada’s commitment to keep the prime rate low ends mid 2010, the conditions will likely exist that lead to rising interest rates.  I really think that by late 2010 and early 2011, we’ll face much higher rates which will cool the real estate market back to stable levels.  In the meantime, prices will rise.

I don’t want to sound preachy but I’m speaking from my truest beliefs.  If you are still sitting on the fence when it comes to buying real estate, you may want to get off and get moving.  Waiting could cost you in higher prices AND higher interest rates.  Why wait for that?

You know a Federal election is nearing when the local MP comes to town handing out cheques.  While some of us may not be too keen on going to the polls yet again, it’s still awfully nice to see higher levels of government inject some cash into financially-strapped municipalities that are continually having to  juggle property tax dollars.

Such was the case on September 10th when Simcoe Grey MP, Helene Guergis handed the Town of Collingwood a cheque for $1.5 million from the Community Adjustment Fund toward water and sewer infrastructure costs for the new Eden Oak Industrial Park to be developed on Poplar Side Road.

Every community wants to expand it’s employment base and for Collingwood, the proposed new 136-acre park is sure to attract new opportunities for job creation to the area.  According to the Economic Development department, over 37% of Collingwood’s labour force comes from outside of the town so this is good news for all area communities as well.  In addition, the presence of new industries in the area, will improve the tax base captured outside of the residential market which is good news for homeowners as well.

It is now hoped that these funds will be able to speed up the towns work on bringing servicing to the site resulting in a first phase of 50 acres being ready by next spring.  With this funding announcement combined with the developers contribution to the costs, taxpayers will shoulder only about $100,000 in expenses.  Not a bad deal if you ask me.

On the matter of jobs, I’ve noticed a distinct increase in the number of job vacancies being advertised in the area.  Many are entry level or low-paying jobs but some are not.  Hopefully the new industrial park will attract upstart, high-tech, knowledge based, clean industries with fair-wage jobs to replace the many lost in our community over the last decade or so.  Meanwhile, self-employment continues to be a major sector of the local economies as the population continues to grow and opportunities are numerous.

I was reading a column in the local paper written by Canadas most decorated citizen,  Richard Rohmer.   He does a wonderful job of summarizing why Collingwood is THE finest community perhaps in all of Ontario.  Please read it, it gives a great snapshot of what’s happening in our fair town.

Anyway, I then got thinking about the number of famous people who live or have lived in South Georgian Bay.  People like hockey legend  Jason Arnott, and  Susan Clark from the TV show,  Webster.  We sadly just lost Opera Singer and Actor, Jan Rubes.   For Better or For Worse cartoonist,  Lynn Johnston was born here.  Add to the list, world figure skating champion and motivational speaker, Barbara Underhill and, musician and Juno winner Kim Mitchell  (Some time I’ll have to tell you the story about walking in on him by accident).  Of course we are also home to now famous, Canadian Idol finalist Drew Wright and Juno nominees, Midway State.

There are countless other musicians, celebrities, sports figures, business tycoons, senators and politicians who call South Georgian Bay their home or second home. You’d be stunned by some of the world figures who are currently looking for property in the area.   I think Mr. Rohmer has it right when he says, “This is some great place to live.”

About a year and half ago, I wrote on this blog  about the Province’s new Places To Grow legislation.  Basically, the province is looking at the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) area of Ontario, which includes Simcoe County as being an area in dire need of some long range planning.  And rightly so. 

The GGH is home to almost a quarter of Canada’s entire population and it is projected that an additional 3.7 million more people will live in the area by 2031. Read that again.  Amazing, isn’t it? We cannot accommodate that type of growth in the same sprawling fashion of the past without resultant disaster and so, the plan was developed.  The over-arching intent of the plan is to improve quality of life and contribute to prosperity and diversity while protecting our environment. The plan contains four major sections: where and how we will grow, infrastructure to support growth, protecting what is valuable and implementation.  It considers where new development must be concentrated, revitalization of downtowns, identification of employment lands, transportation and connectivity, creation of more complete communities and curbing sprawl.

With much controversy, Simcoe County completed its plan earlier this year however, the plan was not supported by some local Mayors such as Collingwood’s own Chris Carrier.  Since then, it seems the province doesn’t like it either and they have now stepped in to amend the plan.

Under the provincial plan, it reallocates population and jobs from northern Simcoe municipalities to five major centres including Barrie, Collingwood, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Orillia and Alliston.  Strangely, both sides for against both plans use the same arguments for not liking one or the other.  For example, the Environmental Defence group  thinks the provinces plan spurs urban sprawl yet detractors of the county plan say exactly the same thing.

In the end, I think the county blew it.  They were mandated to follow certain principles of smart growth and they didn’t.  The McGuinty government has shown some teeth in standing behind their vision.  Which one is correct remains to be seen but no matter what, the pressures of enormous growth continue to present enormous challenges in planning the future of our region.  The good news is that the bar in planning has been raised to new heights and that is sure to lead to better outcomes in the end than what we have had in the past.

Through another blog site  that I participate in, I’ve had the good fortune of getting to know a number of other REALTORS® from across the country.  One of those is Kathy Clulow from RE/MAX Scugog Realty in Uxbridge, Ontario. 

Kathy and her hubby, Barrie vacation in the Collingwood – Blue Mountain area each year and recently made time for lunch with yours truly.  I always learn something from our conversations and very much enjoy the time spent together.

Kathy shared a few photo’s with me from their recent trip.  The first was taken at Northwinds Beach in Craigleith which is known as the home of board sailing.  She captured a kite boarder in mid-flight:

The second shot here is a remarkable capture of the Inukshuk at Sunset Point Park in Collingwood at sunset:

Isn’t it awesome!  Thanks Kathy and I look forward to seeing you both again soon.

Happy Canada Day!
Are you looking for something to do around the area today?

I just happened upon a website that I never knew existed but thought it worthwhile to share with you.
 
The site bills itself as the official travel and tourism website for Georgian Bay.  It’s a well put together representation of the Georgian Bay coastal communities and, I especially like the “Top 10 Things To See and Do” section.

As a resident of the area, I still find information on sites like these that I never knew about before.  Our area is blessed with such a bounty of great things to see and do that the appreciation I have for living here never wanes.

On a recent art studio tour, my hubby John and I wandered up to the beautiful Pretty River Valley about 10 minutes south of Collingwood.  The Valley is tucked into the Niagara Escarpment amid thousands of acres of parkland, streams, hills and breathtaking views.  Lo and behold, what did we see?  Reindeer!

It would seem that Santa is taking a summer vacation at the eco-friendly Pretty River Valley Country Inn and who could blame him?  It’s a wonderful place to escape from the city or the North Pole.

The view from the air is so different than what we sense on the ground.

I recall flying over the Georgian Triangle in a small plane a few years ago and being simply amazed at what I saw.  The shoreline looks like something you’d see in a travel brochure.  There is FAR more undeveloped land than I realized before and, many inland waterways I had never really noticed.  Since I can’t take you up on a flight at the moment, here’s a photo taken by one of Chris’s relatives this spring from the top of Blue:

RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada, Generation X purchasers are poised to replace aging baby boomers as the major force in recreational property markets across the country, according to a report released today by RE/MAX.

The report found demand for recreational properties from Gen Xer’s (those born between 1965 and 1980) has nearly doubled over one year ago.  “Much of the activity in the marketplace today has to do with the mindset of this particular generation,” says Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President, RE/MAX of Western Canada.  “More important than the investment aspect is the commitment to lifestyle.  The purchase of a waterfront home or a condominium is more than a simple transaction to Gen X purchasers – owning a recreational property underscores their dedication to family and balance.”

Click here to read the full report.