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It's time for the 2012 Unionville Festival

It's that time of year again - the annual Unionville Festival arrives on June 1st to 3rd 2012.  This street festival is always a fantastic draw to the area, with locals and tourists flocking to walk the closed streets, enjoy the parade, and shop amongst the many local vendors.  The Stivers Mill hosts a fantastic Farmers Market, the Bandstand is loaded with a variety of entertainment, and don't miss the big parade at 10am on Saturday morning!


Unionville Festival Event Schedule:

Friday, June 1
on Main Street
6:30 p.m. Markham Stouffville Hospital Bed Races
7 – 11 p.m. Quincy Bullen Band, John Park Comedy Juggler
 
at the Millennium Bandstand
6 p.m  The Trevor Show
8 p.m. Bed Race Awards
8:30 – 10:30 p.m. Cece Pastor & Word of Mouth
 
Saturday, June 2
on Main Street
10 a.m. Festival Parade
 
by Crosby Arena
All Day Funzone
12 - 8 p.m. Beer Garden 
 
at Toogood Pond
11 – 2 p.m. Melody Ranch Band
11 - 2 p.m. Pondapalooza
Dusk Festival Fireworks
 
at Crosby Park
1:30 – 7:30 p.m. King of Nothing, The Tonedogs, Danny Marks and The Jack De Keyzer Band
 
at Starbucks
12:30 – 4:30 p.m. Oui B. Jamin
 
at the Stairs
1 – 5 p.m. Trading Hearts
 
at Blacksmith’s Bistro Driveway
1:30 – 5:30 p.m. Project Phoenix
 
at the Millennium Bandstand
1 – 3 p.m. Pierre Elliot Trudeau High School Band
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.  Markham Concert Band
 
Sunday, June 3
on Main Street
Rob Christian Band, George Olliver & Gangbuster, Tim Holland Puppet Tamer
 
at the Millennium Bandstand
11 a.m. Dan the Music Man
1 and 3:30 p.m. FindingRhythm Drumming Circle
2 p.m. Not Affiliated Big Band
4 p.m. MGB Rocks
 
at Crosby Park
11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Family Fun Activities, Treasure Hunt
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon rides

 

For more information be sure to check out the Unionville Festival website at www.unionvillefestival.com.

Real Estate Agents finally try to stop killing trees

LEGISLATION TO ENHANCE ELECTRONIC REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS INTRODUCED AT QUEEN’S PARK

Catching up with current technology, a private members bill co-sponsored by Progressive Conservative MPP Todd Smith (Prince Edward-Hastings) and Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre), if passed, would provide a much needed reduction in paper usage, typically assocaited with complex real estate transactions.

The legislation would facilitate the use of electronic agreements of purchase and sale by extending the legal protections afforded by the Electronic Commerce Act, 2000.

A side benefit we will expect to see, is a proliferation of robust software applications to allow real estate professionals to take advantate of the 'paperless' transaction process.  You could be signing for the purchase of your next new home on a smartphone or iPad!

From OREA Blog

Press Release

Follow conventional Real Estate wisdom, or take a chance?

Conventional Real Estate wisdom states that you should sell and buy in the same market. This Globe and Mail artilcle focuses on a couple who are selling today at a good profitable price, then renting for a while with the expectation of returning to the market after the downturn in prices.

What if the market does not turn down? They could become perpetual Renters.

At first, she and her husband thought about selling in the traditionally strong spring market, and then buying another home during the traditional summer slowdown. Now, they see no rush to buy back in. Instead, they will rent a four-bedroom house for a one-year period in which they’ll look at their options

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/mortgages/home-buying/ready-to-be-bold-sell-the-house-and-rent/article2418383/ via @globeandmail

 

 

An NHL-ready multi-use arena in Downtown Markham?

Thinking back to when I first moved into Markham back in 1971, the small town had just under 40,000 residents, and was certainly considered a bedroom community.  It is amazing to see how evolved the Markham and surrounding area have become, and it is great to see the careful thought and planning that is going into the Downtown Markham 20-year plan.  With over 300,000 people now calling Markham home, and with continued growth to come, the increased availability of top-tier facilities is a welcome addition to our town.

The Toronto Star has a good article today on the impact this 20,000 seat arena may or may not have on the local economy (See: Markham's NHL bait) 

If Markham succeeds, it could be another Winnipeg, whose “intangible” benefits from getting the Jets back would probably rival the GDP of Canada. @Torontostar

Artist's rendering of Downtown Markham ArenaIt will be interesting to see how this proposal pans-out, but overall it is great to see these types of facilitys coming to our area.


Some great tips and tricks for do-it-yourselfers

People are always looking for great tips to aid in their remodelling or staging of thier homes.  We've put together some great tips that we have found for your weekend projects:

 

  • Inexpensive way for a do-it-yourselfer to build larger 'faux baseboards' for a more contemporary look on a budget. Take a look at this simple step by step guide:  www.houseofsmiths.com
  • Increase your storage space and reduce clutter - use cupboard and closet doors for storage:  www.apartmenttherapy.com
  • Use wooden shutters to create interesting entryway organizers:  www.marthastewart.com
  • Mount your HDTV on IKEA poles to keep your walls hole and damage-free:  www.ikeahackers.net  
  • Label your paint cans with what they painted:  blog.makezine.com
  • Clean stains and marks in your stone countertops using peroxide and flour for an easy fix:  www.thisoldhouse.com
  • 5 Smart ways to use mirrors in small spaces, to maximise your visual space:  www.apartmenttherapy.com 

 

 

The average selling price in the GTA was $501,614 in March – up by 10 per cent in comparison to March 2011

Year over year figures are up again, as the Toronto Real Estate Board releases its monthly sales figures for March 2012.  
“The GTA resale market has not suffered from a lack of willing buyers this year.  Buyers have been spurred on by the positive affordability picture brought about by low mortgage rates,”
 Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver
We expect to see York Region to remain strong throughout the spring season, with inventory levels increasing as more homeowners put their real estate on the market.
Report via TREB

Is your neighbourhood hot or not?

You can visualise the housing market in each of the MLS zones of the GTA using this great Google map tool, courtesy of the Toronto Star.

TREB (Toronto Real Estate Board) analysts  compared each zone’s average number of listings to the area’s average selling time in order to establish how long it would take for all the property to be sold off.

Click the image below to see a current map visualization (new window will open):

 

 

Win a road hockey game with the Toronto Maple Leafs!

RE/MAX & the Toronto Maple Leafs are proud to announce the RE/MAX Home Street Advantage Contest with the Toronto Maple Leafs!  Watch the video:

As a valued RE/MAX friend/client, I would like to invite you to enter into this amazing contest! Imagine playing road hockey on YOUR street with 9 of your friends and members of the Toronto Maple Leafs! All you need to do is log in to Facebook and ENTER NOW! 

Follow this link to enter on Facebook

Good luck!

 

*Must live within 80km of the City of Toronto to be eligible to enter.

No consensus on house price trends

The Toronto and GTA housing market has often been difficult to analyse housing sales trends, and that is reflected this week with very different opinions on the future housing pricing trends.  

CREA says prices topping out

National home prices continued to rise in February, but the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) said Friday that evidence pointed to a market that was “topping out.”

“MLS HPI trends for February show that home price growth is generally slowing,” said Gary Morse, CREA President. “At the same time, price gains and trends differ among housing markets tracked by the index.”

via: http://www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca


RE/MAX predicts 'heated' spring market

Canada’s housing market won't be cooling down just yet, with a new report by RE/MAX pointing to a growing number of bidding wars in markets across the country.

“Major Canadian real estate markets continued to show exceptional resiliency throughout the first quarter of the year, with strong demand and diminished supply setting the stage for a heated spring 2012,” according to the Re/Max report.

via: http://www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca

With the diverse nature of the Greater Toronto Area housing market, both views can be correct.  We expect to see continued strength in desireable areas (like Unionville, Markham and Stoufville), and with the currently limited for-sale inventory available, housing prices in these areas are likely to remain strong.  

Competition Bureau looking to exploit your privacy

Competition Bureau Threatens to Dismantle Privacy Safeguards of Home Sales: 75% of Ontarians Opposed

March 14, 2012 - Today, the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) released the results of an Angus Reid Vision Critical poll. The vast majority of Ontarians clearly expressed their opposition to abandoning the privacy safeguards of the current MLS® System.

When asked about the consequences of the Competition Bureau's actions, Ontarians expressed concern:

 

  • 75% of Ontarians believe that personal information such as name and final sale price should be kept confidential by REALTOR® professionals. Commissioner Aitken wants to release this information.
  • 70% of homeowners do not want their personal contact information released to the public. Commissioner Aitken wants to release this information.
  • 67% of Ontarians oppose any measure to make personal contact information such as name and address available to others who are not subject to a professional code of conduct. Commissioner Aitken wants to release this information.

 

"The results of this poll are overwhelming," said TREB President Richard Silver." TREB strongly believes that REALTORS® have an obligation to protect consumers' personal information. That's why TREB and REALTOR® Members are fighting for the privacy rights of consumers."

The Competition Bureau is taking action that would force TREB to abandon the safeguards in the MLS® System and make personal information publicly available on the Internet, threatening the privacy and safety of GTA consumers.

If the Competition Commissioner gets her way, consumers' private information, which is currently protected on our secure MLS® System, would become freely available on the Internet, including:

 

  • Seller's name and address
  • Property floor plans
  • Sensitive Property access information
  • Negotiated sale price
  • Mortgage details

 

"Ontarians clearly oppose what Commissioner Aitken is trying to do. They've said they want their personal and private information kept confidential," said Von Palmer, Chief Government and Public Affairs Officer and Chief Privacy Officer for TREB.

If Commissioner Aitken gets her way, Ontarians won't. Privacy matters. TREB is standing up for GTA consumers. Visit www.ProtectYourPrivacy.ca for more information.

Greater Toronto REALTORS® are passionate about their work. They are governed by a strict Code of Ethics and share a state-of-the-art Multiple Listing Service.

Real Estate market stays hot in York Region

The numbers are in, and are again strong -- February home sales were up 16% (as compared to 2010) for the Greater Toronto Area.  Some highlights from last months numbers:

 

  • York Region's average resale price was $584,973 (GTA average is %502,508)
  • Markham had 338 sales, Richmond Hill 263, Vaughan 351
  • 60% of sales in February were fully-detached homes
  • Average sale price of a semi-detach in Markham grew to $452,000

 

With low interest rates being maintained, we would expect the market to continue on the same trajectory for the near future - expect near-term prices to climb slightly in the Markham, Unionville and Stouffville areas.

 

Unionville is still a strong 'sellers market'

Another good article from the Toronto Star today, describing how Toronto is still primarily a sellers market, quite different from how the Vancouver market has cooled considerably recently.

Toronto is still “a bit of a seller’s market” but moving toward a buyers market while the Vancouver market has cooled to the point where bidding wars are largely a thing of the past and buyers have moved back into the driver’s seat, Warren noted.

Markham and Unionville again are maintaining a strong sellers market, as 'for sale' inventory of detached homes is very low.  Despite Toronto's pricing flattening considerably, the highly-desireable areas of Markham Village and Unionville continue to reach new heights.  It's shaping up to be an impressive spring season!

Via Toronto Star

Choose your Realtor wisely.

A great article in the Toronto Star this morning, regarding the ethics of a Realtor in British Columbia.  Many people would be surprised at how often some agents try to bend the rules! If you are trying to change a legal agreement, get legal advice!

B.C. realtor fined $258,000 for selling home twice

The lesson is that sellers who think they can change their mind and get out of a deal, should a better offer arise, must beware of the consequences.

Read more here: http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1137879--real-estate-agent-fined-after-high-handed-and-outrageous-behaviour

Via The Toronto Star