You can’t miss the sign for the new YAARDSALE business as you cross the bridge coming into Meaford.  It’s bold, bright letters beam out from this corner location and have surely caused more than one person to wonder if there is a spelling mistake.  There is not.

Yaardsale in the newest store in the area selling consignment home furnishings.  With decent quality and clean pieces, this is no yardsale junk shop but rather, a perfect alternative for those looking to buy quality furnishings at affordable prices.

Every time we buy something new, chances are that natural resources were depleted in it’s making, not to mention carbon emissions.  Buying used goods is a wonderful way to recycle and reuse things that are in perfectly great condition and often unique and of better quality than some of the stuff I see in warehouses today.

On Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that over 100 shoppers ventured in for opening day and sales were brisk.  Dining sets, end tables, beds, pictures, mirrors and dressers offered a good choice of selection which is not bad for a store that just opened.  I noticed quite a few people talking to proprietor, Wayne Cole about items they’d like to bring in for him to sell.  I imagine the inventory will increase in the weeks to come.

Yaardsale has just launched a website featuring the main pieces for sale as well musings from Mr. Cole called, appropriately, ColesLaw.   Store hours are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 pm, Saturday 10-6 and Sundays by chance.

People who are moving to the Georgian Triangle area often ask about school information for the area. 

There are a wide range of choices in the public, separate and private sectors.  The first consideration is which County you will reside in.  Homes located in Grey County (including Blue Mountain, Meaford and Grey Highlands) fall under the Blue Water or Bruce-Grey District while properties in Simcoe County (including Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Stayner and Creemore) fall into the Simcoe District.

Below is a list of options with links to each school website.  As of September, 2010, full-day Kindergarten will also now be offered at Admiral Public School, Clearview Meadows and St. Mary’s.

For those interested in school ratings, two links are provided at the end of this list.  Regardless of what they say, I can tell you that families in each of these schools are fiercely proud and will tell you that theirs is the best!

SIMCOE COUNTY

School Boards:
Public:   Simcoe County District School Board 
Catholic:    Simcoe – Muskoka Catholic District School Board

Extended French Programs offered at the following schools:
Admiral Collingwood
Collingwood Collegiate Institute

Schools in Collingwood:
Admiral Collingwood Elementary School  K – 8
Cameron Street Public School K – 8
Connaught Public School  K – 8
Mountainview Public School  K – 8
St. Mary’s Catholic School  K – 8

Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI)  Gr.  9 – 12
Jean Vanier Catholic High School  Gr.  9 – 12

Georgian College

Nottawa:   Nottawa Elementary School  K – 8
Duntroon:   Duntroon Central Public School   JK – 8
Creemore:   Nottawasaga & Creemore Public School  JK – 8

Stayner:
Clearview Meadows Elementary School  K – 8
Byng Public School  K – 8

Stayner Collegiate Institute (SCI)  Gr. 9 – 12

Wasaga Beach

Birchview Dunes Elementary School  K – 8
Worsley Elementary School K- 8
St. Noel Chabanel Catholic School  JK – 8

GREY COUNTY

School Boards
Public:  Bluewater District School Board
Catholic:  Bruce – Grey Catholic District School Board

Extended French Programs offered at the following schools:
Meaford Community School
St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School
Georgian Bay Secondary School

Schools in Thornbury:  Beaver Valley Community School  JK – 8

Meaford:
St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School   JK-5
Meaford Community School  JK – 8

Georgian Bay Secondary School   Gr.  9 – 12

Maxwell:  Osprey Central School JK – 8

Flesherton:  Grey Highlands Secondary School  Gr.  9 – 12

Private Schools:
Clearview Montessori School  Pre-school through Gr. 6
National Ski Academy 
Pretty River Academy Pre-school to Gr. 12
Silvercrest Christian School  JK – 8
Rocklyn Academy Special Needs, Female, Secondary

Check School Ratings and Reports:
Fraser Institute School Performance Reports (Ontario)
Search EQAO School Reports and Test Results

Still in the spirit of wrapping up the 2008 statistics, here is a chart showing the change in the average sale prices between 2007 and 2008 by area within the Georgian Triangle.

Average sale prices can be skewed significantly by a few really high or low sales so they are not necessarily a fair representation of prices however, they do show the general trends by area.

Interestingly but not surprisingly, both Collingwood and Wasaga Beach registered an increase in values.  More rural areas such as Grey Highlands and Clearview showed the greatest declines.

Right now, we sure are seeing buyers being very reluctant to jump in despite great prices and mortgage rates.  Consumer confidence is not high but I have noticed a real uptick in showing activity over the last week.

Related Posts:

An Easier Way To Follow The Collingwood Real Estate Market
Just How Bad Is The Georgian Triangle Real Estate Marke Now?

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

After reviewing, crunching, tabulating and charting, I finally have a report to share on the 2008 Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board performance.  The Georgian Triangle area traditionally includes Collingwood, Blue Mountain, Wasaga Beach, Clearview, Grey Highlands and Meaford however, the data in some cases captures a wider area that includes towns on the edges of our typical trading area. 

It’s a tough undertaking to provide you with the fairest and most unbiased data because as Mark Twain once said, “Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.”  The outcomes change depending on the data used and variables like areas, types of properties, time frames and values all change the picture.  For this reason, I’ve used a variety of approaches and have provided data that you can interpret as you wish.

Three Important Points to Ponder: 
1. Our MLS® system uses average sale prices rather than median prices.  Neither is an exact science but when used comparatively, it gives us a general sense of trends only.  For example, the absence or presence of very low or very high-end sales can dramatically alter averages within small sampling groups.  In recent months, both TD and National Bank-Teranet have developed new way to measure house price indexes and the results showed dramatically different results from traditional measurements.  What they did show is that house prices have not declined as much as believed in Canada.
2. 2008 data is being compared only to 2007.  You should note that 2007 was a record sales year that represented the market peak.
3. The data on these charts is cumulative for the year and does not show trends.  For example, most of the decline in prices occurred in the final quarter of 2008.  That signals a new trend is underway.  (December and 3rd quarter only data to follow in a post coming to you soon.)

Nonetheless, we have what we have.  Below are data charts which you can click on to enlarge (‘cause who can read this little stuff?).

Summary
• Total sales activity has declined since May (not just the final quarter as believed)
• The total number of listings increased in every month of 2008 except for March
• The sales to listing ratio is firmly into the Buyer’s market zone.  This ratio is measured by dividing the number of properties sold by the number listed.  A ratio of under 40% suggests a Buyers market, 40-50% is a more balanced market and over 50% is typically considered to be a Sellers market.
• The 12 month average sale price for single family residential units in the major communities of the Georgian Triangle is down about 7.5% although Collingwood is actually up slightly.  If you exclude sales under $100,000 and over $1 million, the pictures changes substantially with the average sale price in 2008 down just 1.9% over 2007 using the same parameters.  In this case, the average sale prices are actually up in both Collingwood and Wasaga Beach.
• The average sale price of condos in the Georgian Triangle was up marginally for the year.
• There were 1634 active listings (all types) on the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board MLS® at years end.

All in all, this is not as gloomy a picture as the media has portrayed.  There has been more of a decline in the number of sales rather than price although, the trend is that prices are clearly moderating now.  Stay tuned for the 4th quarter report examining this trend closer.

All MLS® data and/or statistics obtained from the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board.

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

It won’t be a surprise to anyone to hear that the month of November was a dismal one in the real estate market.

While local MLS® listings for the month were only up slightly over 2007, sales were down exactly half over November of last year.  There were 82 sales in total of which 62 were residential sales.  Of those 62, only 53 were within our traditional Georgian Triangle Board area.  These included:

Collingwood  12 sales with an average sale price of $206,417
Wasaga Beach  16 sales with an average sale price of $225,719
Meaford    9 sales with an average sale price of $278,111
Clearview    7 sales with an average sale price of $209,071
Blue Mountains    5 sales with an average sale price of $360,400
Grey Highlands   4 sales with an average sale price of $274,403 

Most of the sales were priced between $150,000 and $250,000.  Averages have to be taken lightly since, with these low volumes, one high or low-end sale can quickly affect the averages.  The total dollar volume was down by 60% for the month compared to one year ago.

In the higher-end, sales were off again quite dramatically with no sales for the month over $800,000 and just 3 sales over $500,000.

Year-to-date, the total number of sales is down by just over 20% while the total number of listings is up by 9.5%.  The sales to listings ratio for the month was just 22.47% and is at about 30% YTD meaning that it is a strong buyers market in all areas now as less than a third of properties are selling at the present time.

There are presently 2065 active listings in our Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board MLS® system.  Sellers need to really sharpen their pencils and based on the large number of price reductions coming through each day, I’d say that is happening in most cases.  For buyers, there are some great deals to be had.

The other story here is that with this low number of sales, we are building up more pent-up demand than ever.  There are many people wanting to buy who are nervous about the market and are waiting for things to change.  Still others are waiting for their personal portfolios to improve and others, waiting to relocate into the area but having homes to sell elsewhere.  When the market recovers, and you bet it will, things may climb quicker than some expect.

All MLS® data and/or statistics obtained from the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board.

Related Posts:

Signs of the Real Estate Market Bottom 
Was Real Estate A Good Investment Ten Years Ago?

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

After endless bad news, I’ve noticed the media has been starting to report the odd bits of good news with respect to the Canadian real estate market.  In some areas of the GTA, sales and prices rose last month.  Across Canada, CMHC states that, after comparing month-over-month change in adjusted prices, the price trend is now beginning to rise again for the first time since the beginning of the year.

Here are highlights of our Georgian Triangle marketplace based on data collected through the MLS™ system of the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board:

•  Total number of new listings were down slightly in August but are up 8% YTD
• The number of residential sales in August were down 27% compared to the same month last year
• Number of residential sales YTD are down 13.4%
• YTD average sale price is down slightly compared to a year ago.

Looking at specific areas:

• Collingwood is on par in the number of sales with last year for the month and YTD and, the average sale price is up suggesting balanced market conditions exist in-town
• Clearview is down marginally over last year and has moved into a buyer’s market range
• Meaford sales are down by just 16 units YTD and this area continues to have the highest sales to list ratio, suggesting it is still balanced
• The Town of the Blue Mountains is down slightly YTD in number of units sold and pricing although almost on par with 2007
• Wasaga Beach had another tough month with 38 sales in August 08 compared to 57 in the same month last year with units sold down 24% YTD.  The sales to listing ratio is still at 39% and the 12 month average sale prices are also up slightly

Over-all, there are 2140 active listings in the MLS™ system as at months end.  The most active price range is from $150,000 to $250,000.  Sales over 1 million dollars are down 50% from last year with 8 such sales YTD compared to 16 by this time last year.

We should remember that 2007 was a record-breaking year and also, that new home sales are not captured in any of these statistics.  While it’s clear the run-up has ended, we are still seeing fairly balanced market conditions in most of the Georgian Triangle with moderate price increases.  Both Buyers and Sellers need to sharpen their pencils, be realistic and thoughtful in their decisions based on specific market data that should be provided by their REALTOR™.

Related Posts:

Housing Market Outlook Report Released

A Look At Real Estate Market Conditions in Collingwood & Blue Mountain

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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

It’s hard to pick up a paper these days without reading a great deal of doom and gloom about the Canadian economy.  Plant closures, inflation, gas prices and real estate fill the pages and fear has finally hit the consumer.

There is a great deal of discussion about the “crash” in the real estate market but, is it true?  I myself had one of my best months in May and have been so busy I’ve hardly had time to check on the statistics until now.  So what is going on?

Statistics are easily manipulated and interpreted to suit the intent of the reader which really, is odd given that raw data is raw data.  Let me show you what I mean.

According to the statistics collected from our MLS® system by the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board, sales for the month of May were down 21% compared to the same period last year.  Scary, huh?  But let’s look closer.

21% actually represented only 49 sales, in a huge area covering from Meaford to Wasaga Beach and everything in between.  Year-to-date, sales are down just 4%.  The total dollar value of the sales is on par with a year ago.

Then, I took a look at price bands.  Sales of properties priced from $200,000 to $600,000 are actually up.  Sales above and below this level are down except for those over one million dollars which are equal to last year.  Hmm, not so bad.

Then I looked at residential sales only eliminating commercial properties and the picture was very different.  Residentially, sales are down 2.3% year-to-date and the sales to listing ratio has dropped from 38% to 35%.  A drop for sure but hardly earth-shattering given that 2007 was the second highest sales year on record. And prices?

The average sale price was $286,000 at the end of May compared to $278,000 last year.

The number of residential sales in Clearview, Wasaga Beach and Meaford were down in the first five months. These were previously the most active markets so it’s not really a surprise.  What about Collingwood and the Blue Mountains you ask?  Sales levels were actually up.  Be careful of those statistics and remember what they are being compared too an inflated sales boom.

So, don’t panic.  Yes, I think the boom of hyper-inflating real estate prices has stopped but is that a bad thing?  I don’t think so.  Sellers will need to be more realistic in order to sell and buyers can take time to be more thoughtful.  The market has not crashed and while we are indeed going to weather adjustments for some time to come, the future continues to be bright for South Georgian Bay.

Related Posts:

South Georgian Bay Growth Continues in Record Numbers
Real Estate Prices Are Still Going Up
Should Economic Concerns Affect Your Real Estate Strategy?

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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who is ready whenever you are!

I’ve just spent the last hour or so scratching my head over economic theories.  The rules I was taught says that when supply exceeds demand, prices go down and when demand exceeds supply, prices go up.  Nope.  Not so.  Not true.  Not in our area anyway.

The first quarter of 2008 is already complete (where in the heck did that time go?) and the stats are in.  Here are some highlights from the residential market data taken from our Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board Multiple Listings System (MLS®) data:

 

Listings 
The number of residential listings in the Georgian Triangle areas as a whole is up 32%  from last month with 252 new listings registered.  This is down 12% from March 2007.

Sales
The number of residential sales in March was up 15% over the previous month with 98 properties sold.  This is down from March ’07 when 107 units sold.
Sales in the first quarter of 2008 were up slightly compared to the first quarter of 2007.

Prices
Here’s the rub.  Although the supply is up more than the demand, the average sale price   (based on a 12 month average) was up at the end of March ’08 by 7% over March ’07   and is even up for the last few months.  In fact, the current average sale price of a residential property in the Georgian Triangle is at an all-time high of about $293,000.

Clearview  $322,200
Collingwood  $246,500
Meaford  $257,500
Blue Mountain $467,000
Wasaga Beach  $251,900

The sales-to-listings ratio is now at a buyers market level in every area except for Wasaga Beach and Meaford but we have not seen this translated in prices.  Not yet anyway.

So here are a few of my thoughts on this.  The market has performed better year to date than many expected and, the rise in the average prices continues.  Having said that, sales in the last two weeks of March appear to have dropped dramatically and I suspect April numbers will be less positive.  The listing inventory is increasing, the sales to listing ratio is dropping and the number of expired listings is also increasing.  These are indicators of a slowing market.

The big question we all have on our minds is, will the spring bring renewed life to the market?  Will world news and media doom frighten buyers or will consumer confidence and low interest rates propel continued activity?  What do you think?

Related Posts:

Was Real Estate A Good Investment Ten Years Ago?
Comparing Georgian Triangle Real Estate to Ontario Norms
How Should Economic Concerns Affect Your Real Estate Strategy?

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

On Monday, Garth Turner’s new book, Greater Fool:  The Troubled Future of Real Estate, will be out in bookstores across Canada.  Chances are it will get some pretty good media coverage and everyone will be talking about his predictions of a real estate crash.  Since I believe in self-fulfilling prophecies, he could be right but, not for the reasons he touts.  He could also be wrong.

This former business editor, infomercial guy and now politician has a penchant for making predictions but so far, he’s generally been wrong.  Like in 1987 when he predicted a real estate recession was at hand.  In an article in today’s Toronto Star, it says,

try to find a respected Canadian economist who buys into Turner’s pessimism.  People at the University of Toronto’s economics department, the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and University of British Columbia’s Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate couldn’t find one for us.  While most seem to think a gradual softening is likely after 10 years of constant price increases, a U.S. style meltdown doesn’t appear to be on anyone’s radar.  I think you will have a very tough time finding any economists who agree with Turner on this, says Tsur Somerville of UBC.

But he could be right.  Or he could be wrong.  Don’t know yet, do we?

So, here’s what I know:

People were still lining up to buy condos in Toronto last week
I tried to book appointments on Monday to show five different properties on Friday. By Thursday, 4 of the 5 were sold and two had competing offers in place.
The number of residential sales in the Georgian Triangle from January 1st to March 14th this year is up 9.2% over the same period last year AND, the average sale price of those is up 8%.
Employers are still complaining of labour shortages.

Here’s what I think:

I would not be surprised if we see some correction in the market over the next 18 months or so.  After-all, how could we endure the endless negative press let alone impacts of the high dollar and the U.S. fall-out right next door?
I think any correction is more likely to be a slowing of sales volume rather than a decline in prices and, for some sectors, it may not be noticeable at all
There is a distinct possibility that if there is a correction, we could be exempt.  Yes, that’s what I said.  Did you know that even in the beleaguered U.S., there are areas where real estate prices have continued to climb?  Just asks the folks in Manhattan, San Francisco, Grand Forks or Salem, Oregon.  There is significant wealth (read:  staying power) here in the Collingwood Blue Mountain area that will provide stability when times get challenging.
Cycles are guaranteed.  Some day Garth Turner’s predictions will come true because what goes up must come down.  When a correction happens here, I believe it will be driven by an over-supply in housing stock rather than by a monetary recession. 

Yup, so far, I still stand by my predictions for the year and nothing has happened to rock that boat. Like Garth, I like to predict.  If he’s right by the end of the year, I’ll buy him a beer and if I’m right, well, Garth  you owe me a mention in your next book.  Okay, well, at least a glass of wine.  What do you think?  Tell me your predictions.

Related Posts:

Was Real Estate A Good Investment Ten Years Ago?
Comparing Georgian Triangle Real Estate to Ontario Norms
How Should Economic Concerns Affect Your Real Estate Strategy?  

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

If you love shopping for bargains and have the patience to poke and prod a little, you should check out the Meaford Factory Outlet.  It’s a large facility where they liquidate merchandise for quick sale and have a rapid and large turn-over.  You can find everything from dollar store items to large furniture pieces at bargain basement prices and the folks that work there happen to be pretty nice too.