For those of you who may not how this new trend of the future works, please don't hesitate to contact me and Ill show you how.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
PropertiesInStyle goes High Tech, again
For all you "techno geeks" out there, and I mean that in the nicest way possible, the QR code for my new listing is here.
For those of you who may not how this new trend of the future works, please don't hesitate to contact me and Ill show you how.
For those of you who may not how this new trend of the future works, please don't hesitate to contact me and Ill show you how.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Properties InStyle has a QR Code
Are you a techie, or are you up on the latest digital barcoding?
I attended a seminar the other day and learned about a new coding (see left) called QR Coding.
This will be the next "thing" that will transform the way we advertise, scan and read articles in the future.
So I thought I'd give it a try and I transformed my website URL into the new coding.
I attended a seminar the other day and learned about a new coding (see left) called QR Coding.
This will be the next "thing" that will transform the way we advertise, scan and read articles in the future.
So I thought I'd give it a try and I transformed my website URL into the new coding.
If you have and iphone, you can download the application from the app store (its free) and start scanning the QR codes you find in the workplace!
Try this one!!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Condos lead new-home sales in GTA
STEVE LADURANTAYE
REAL ESTATE REPORTER— Globe and Mail Update
Published Monday, Nov. 22, 2010 11:15AM EST
Seventy per cent of the new homes sold in the Greater Toronto Area in the second busiest October on record were high-rise condo units, according to stats released Monday by the Building Industry & Land Development Association.
High-rise condo sales were 27 per cent higher than last October, BILD said. Of the 30,914 new homes sold this year, 56 per cent have been high-rise condos.
More related to this storyNew house prices advance
New house prices sidebar
Canadian mortgage debt tops $1-trillion for first time
Sales of single-detached, semi-detached and town homes have fallen 32 per cent compared to last October, as more people opt for suburban condos rather than a more traditional home.
“Although the City of Toronto continues to account for the bulk of all condo sales, the biggest spikes in activity were in the Regions of Peel and York,” said BILD chief executive officer Stephen Dupuis. “The high-rise housing craze has started to spread to the suburbs and it's a trend which will continue to grow.”
He attributed the slowdown in new low-rise housing to price differences, with a high-rise condo costing about $75,000 less for a similar sized property.
“The high-cost of low-rise living is a reflection of the low levels of inventory available,” he said.
A regional breakdown:
Low rise sales
Durham -43%
Halton -29%
Peel -64.2%
Toronto -2.5%
York -1.5%
GTA -32%
High rise
Durham 11%
Halton 40%
Peel 164%
Toronto 14.2%
York 138%
GTA 27.2%
Dont forget to go to Propertiesinstyle.com for all your real estate information and the latest new listings entering the market. Call Geon van der Wyst today.
REAL ESTATE REPORTER— Globe and Mail Update
Published Monday, Nov. 22, 2010 11:15AM EST
Seventy per cent of the new homes sold in the Greater Toronto Area in the second busiest October on record were high-rise condo units, according to stats released Monday by the Building Industry & Land Development Association.
High-rise condo sales were 27 per cent higher than last October, BILD said. Of the 30,914 new homes sold this year, 56 per cent have been high-rise condos.
More related to this storyNew house prices advance
New house prices sidebar
Canadian mortgage debt tops $1-trillion for first time
Sales of single-detached, semi-detached and town homes have fallen 32 per cent compared to last October, as more people opt for suburban condos rather than a more traditional home.
“Although the City of Toronto continues to account for the bulk of all condo sales, the biggest spikes in activity were in the Regions of Peel and York,” said BILD chief executive officer Stephen Dupuis. “The high-rise housing craze has started to spread to the suburbs and it's a trend which will continue to grow.”
He attributed the slowdown in new low-rise housing to price differences, with a high-rise condo costing about $75,000 less for a similar sized property.
“The high-cost of low-rise living is a reflection of the low levels of inventory available,” he said.
A regional breakdown:
Low rise sales
Durham -43%
Halton -29%
Peel -64.2%
Toronto -2.5%
York -1.5%
GTA -32%
High rise
Durham 11%
Halton 40%
Peel 164%
Toronto 14.2%
York 138%
GTA 27.2%
Dont forget to go to Propertiesinstyle.com for all your real estate information and the latest new listings entering the market. Call Geon van der Wyst today.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
View Geon Van Der Wyst's profileFollow Me On Twitter!!!
by Twit Background
Click the icon and sign up to follow me on my daily schedule and routine and learn first hand when the hottest listings enter the market.
New listing
For Rent; at Yonge and Bloor
$1675/mnth including parking and locker and hydro
One bedroom, One bathroom with large kitchen. Sunny south view with Juliette balcony.
Great amenities include, guest suites, exercise room, 24hr concierge, ample visitors parking.
Directly across from Sherbourne Subway. Building overlooks Rosedale Valley Ravine.
Occupancy; Immediately.
Go to www.propertiesinstyle.com to see more information and photos
$1675/mnth including parking and locker and hydro
One bedroom, One bathroom with large kitchen. Sunny south view with Juliette balcony.
Great amenities include, guest suites, exercise room, 24hr concierge, ample visitors parking.
Directly across from Sherbourne Subway. Building overlooks Rosedale Valley Ravine.
Occupancy; Immediately.
Go to www.propertiesinstyle.com to see more information and photos
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Housing Set To Find Even Keel in Spring
By STEVE LADURANTAYE From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Low rates, inventories should bring equilibrium to market; October prices flat from year ago, but sales make third monthly gai
Record low interest rates and a lack of houses on the market have rekindled demand for Canadian real estate, helping to pull the industry out of its sales slump and setting the stage for the most balanced spring market in years.
The Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday that although prices were flat in October and sales slid more than 20 per cent compared with a year earlier, the market posted its third straight month of increased sales.
In a sign of stabilization after two years of wild fluctuations, CREA said October sales were halfway between the lows of December, 2008, and the record high of December, 2009.
Economists said October's data likely means the market bottomed out in July; while prices won't rocket to previous highs any time soon, it's unlikely they have much farther to fall.
"It seems to me the Canadian housing market has been either feast or famine," said BMO Nesbitt Burns economist Douglas Porter. "But now buyers are facing low rates on one hand, and daily volleys about how bad the market is on the other. That should keep things from getting overly hot, and gives me reason to believe we could have a balanced market in the year ahead."
After slowing in the recession of 2008, sales activity reached a fevered peak in December, 2009, as buyers rushed back into the market.
Average resale prices peaked at an all-time high $346,881 last May, causing concern that cheap money was driving prices to unsustainable levels. The average resale price in October was $337,842, CREA said.
The market came to an abrupt halt last July, with major regions such as Vancouver and Calgary posting sales drops of nearly 45 per cent and prices pulling back from May's high. Several factors were cited for the decline: The federal government introduced rules that made it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage, and Ontario and Quebec introduced harmonized sales taxes that made the services associated with buying a home more expensive.
Would-be buyers also faced a barrage of warnings from organizations such as the Bank of Canada, the OECD and International Monetary Fund, all of which have cautioned that as interest rates rise, many Canadians might not be able to make their mortgage payments.
But mortgage rates have actually dropped in the past three months and now sit at all-time lows. A survey by the Canadian Association of Mortgage Professionals released last week showed that Canadians are confident they could shoulder higher mortgage payments without too much difficulty, with 84 per cent saying a $300 monthly increase was no problem.
"There are many reasons to now be optimistic," said TD Bank senior economist Pascal Gauthier, who called for prices to fall 10 per cent from peak to trough but now expects to issue a more upbeat forecast later this week. "I think there are now limits to both the upside and the downside - things may have firmed up quicker than we expected."
With the number of houses listed for sale sharply lower than in July, prices are expected to stay firm as buyers compete the few homes available. The months of inventory - the amount of time it would take to sell everything that is for sale, at the current rate of sales - sat at 6.2 months in October, down a full month compared with the July figure.
That doesn't mean prices are likely to catch fire again in the spring, when activity traditionally accelerates, but it should help keep prices from dropping as buyers and sellers hit the market in equal numbers.
"Affordability drives sales and record low mortgage rates are driving affordability," said Phil Soper, the chief executive officer of Brookfield Real Estate Services. "I think next year should look a lot like the recent market - with relatively flat prices and fewer overall transactions."
Go to www.propertiesibstyle.com for new hot properties entering the market and call Geon van der Wyst today for your private showing.
Low rates, inventories should bring equilibrium to market; October prices flat from year ago, but sales make third monthly gai
Record low interest rates and a lack of houses on the market have rekindled demand for Canadian real estate, helping to pull the industry out of its sales slump and setting the stage for the most balanced spring market in years.
The Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday that although prices were flat in October and sales slid more than 20 per cent compared with a year earlier, the market posted its third straight month of increased sales.
In a sign of stabilization after two years of wild fluctuations, CREA said October sales were halfway between the lows of December, 2008, and the record high of December, 2009.
Economists said October's data likely means the market bottomed out in July; while prices won't rocket to previous highs any time soon, it's unlikely they have much farther to fall.
"It seems to me the Canadian housing market has been either feast or famine," said BMO Nesbitt Burns economist Douglas Porter. "But now buyers are facing low rates on one hand, and daily volleys about how bad the market is on the other. That should keep things from getting overly hot, and gives me reason to believe we could have a balanced market in the year ahead."
After slowing in the recession of 2008, sales activity reached a fevered peak in December, 2009, as buyers rushed back into the market.
Average resale prices peaked at an all-time high $346,881 last May, causing concern that cheap money was driving prices to unsustainable levels. The average resale price in October was $337,842, CREA said.
The market came to an abrupt halt last July, with major regions such as Vancouver and Calgary posting sales drops of nearly 45 per cent and prices pulling back from May's high. Several factors were cited for the decline: The federal government introduced rules that made it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage, and Ontario and Quebec introduced harmonized sales taxes that made the services associated with buying a home more expensive.
Would-be buyers also faced a barrage of warnings from organizations such as the Bank of Canada, the OECD and International Monetary Fund, all of which have cautioned that as interest rates rise, many Canadians might not be able to make their mortgage payments.
But mortgage rates have actually dropped in the past three months and now sit at all-time lows. A survey by the Canadian Association of Mortgage Professionals released last week showed that Canadians are confident they could shoulder higher mortgage payments without too much difficulty, with 84 per cent saying a $300 monthly increase was no problem.
"There are many reasons to now be optimistic," said TD Bank senior economist Pascal Gauthier, who called for prices to fall 10 per cent from peak to trough but now expects to issue a more upbeat forecast later this week. "I think there are now limits to both the upside and the downside - things may have firmed up quicker than we expected."
With the number of houses listed for sale sharply lower than in July, prices are expected to stay firm as buyers compete the few homes available. The months of inventory - the amount of time it would take to sell everything that is for sale, at the current rate of sales - sat at 6.2 months in October, down a full month compared with the July figure.
That doesn't mean prices are likely to catch fire again in the spring, when activity traditionally accelerates, but it should help keep prices from dropping as buyers and sellers hit the market in equal numbers.
"Affordability drives sales and record low mortgage rates are driving affordability," said Phil Soper, the chief executive officer of Brookfield Real Estate Services. "I think next year should look a lot like the recent market - with relatively flat prices and fewer overall transactions."
Go to www.propertiesibstyle.com for new hot properties entering the market and call Geon van der Wyst today for your private showing.
Friday, November 12, 2010
All signs point to a healthy market
November 5, 2010 -- The Greater Toronto Area resale housing market remained in step with recent months’ activity in October. With 6,681 homes changing hands last month, activity declined 21 per cent from October 2009 when there were 8,476 sales.
The market’s year-to-date performance meanwhile, remains quite positive. Sales to the end of October reached 75,582, an increase of one per cent compared to the same point in 2009.
Taking a closer look at last month’s numbers, there were 3,930 transactions in the 905 Region and 2,751 sales in the 416 Area. In the 905 Region sales activity was marginally stronger than in the 416 Area. As compared to October 2009, when there were 4,922 sales in the 905 Region, activity decreased by 20 per cent. In the 416 Area transactions decreased by nearly 23 per cent compared to the 3,554 homes that changed hands in October 2009.
As the market has reached balanced conditions following a particularly lively period that occurred in the latter half of last year and the first several months of 2010, year-over-year changes with respect to both sales activity and average prices have been consistent throughout the GTA across all housing types.
In contrast to the moderate number of transactions in October, there continue to be very strong results with respect to selling prices achieved. The average price of a GTA home last month was $443,729, a nearly five per cent increase over the October 2009 average of $423,559. In the 416 Area price growth was marginally stronger than in the 905 Region. The 416 Area’s average price of $491,157 climbed five per cent, from $464,212 a year ago. In the 905 Region, the average price of $410,529 increased nearly four per cent from October 2009’s average price of $394,205.
Although a number of factors have contributed to healthy prices, chief among them is the fact that interest rates have remained very low, making the cost of carrying a mortgage affordable. Further, market conditions have tightened compared to the previous month. With 18,305 homes available for sale throughout the GTA last month, October’s active listings decreased by nearly 10 per cent compared to 20,334 in September. Perhaps as a result of more limited choice, the pace of activity has increased moderately. The number of days that homes are currently on the market before being sold decreased to 31 days last month from the September average of 33 days.
Today’s balanced market conditions present an excellent opportunity to achieve favourable results regardless of whether you are planning to sell or buy your next home. To help weigh the odds in your favour, talk to a REALTOR® who can offer insight into market conditions in your specific neighbourhood, share sophisticated marketing know-how and bring top-notch negotiating skills to the table.To learn more about the benefits of working with a Greater Toronto REALTOR® visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard where you will find market updates, GTA open house listings, neighbourhood profiles, plain language explanations of commonly used real estate forms and more.
Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.
Go to PropertiesInStyle.com to view the latest hot listings entering the market!
The market’s year-to-date performance meanwhile, remains quite positive. Sales to the end of October reached 75,582, an increase of one per cent compared to the same point in 2009.
Taking a closer look at last month’s numbers, there were 3,930 transactions in the 905 Region and 2,751 sales in the 416 Area. In the 905 Region sales activity was marginally stronger than in the 416 Area. As compared to October 2009, when there were 4,922 sales in the 905 Region, activity decreased by 20 per cent. In the 416 Area transactions decreased by nearly 23 per cent compared to the 3,554 homes that changed hands in October 2009.
As the market has reached balanced conditions following a particularly lively period that occurred in the latter half of last year and the first several months of 2010, year-over-year changes with respect to both sales activity and average prices have been consistent throughout the GTA across all housing types.
In contrast to the moderate number of transactions in October, there continue to be very strong results with respect to selling prices achieved. The average price of a GTA home last month was $443,729, a nearly five per cent increase over the October 2009 average of $423,559. In the 416 Area price growth was marginally stronger than in the 905 Region. The 416 Area’s average price of $491,157 climbed five per cent, from $464,212 a year ago. In the 905 Region, the average price of $410,529 increased nearly four per cent from October 2009’s average price of $394,205.
Although a number of factors have contributed to healthy prices, chief among them is the fact that interest rates have remained very low, making the cost of carrying a mortgage affordable. Further, market conditions have tightened compared to the previous month. With 18,305 homes available for sale throughout the GTA last month, October’s active listings decreased by nearly 10 per cent compared to 20,334 in September. Perhaps as a result of more limited choice, the pace of activity has increased moderately. The number of days that homes are currently on the market before being sold decreased to 31 days last month from the September average of 33 days.
Today’s balanced market conditions present an excellent opportunity to achieve favourable results regardless of whether you are planning to sell or buy your next home. To help weigh the odds in your favour, talk to a REALTOR® who can offer insight into market conditions in your specific neighbourhood, share sophisticated marketing know-how and bring top-notch negotiating skills to the table.To learn more about the benefits of working with a Greater Toronto REALTOR® visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard where you will find market updates, GTA open house listings, neighbourhood profiles, plain language explanations of commonly used real estate forms and more.
Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.
Go to PropertiesInStyle.com to view the latest hot listings entering the market!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tweet Tweet!!
You can now follow me on the "Twitterverse"!!
search geonvanderwyst and find me and follow me!! Come join the ride!
search geonvanderwyst and find me and follow me!! Come join the ride!
October Price Growth Reflects Healthy Housing Market Conditions
November 3, 2010 -- Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 6,681 sales through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in October 2010. This represented a 21 per cent decrease compared to the 8,476 sales recorded in October 2009. Through the first ten months of the year, sales amounted to 75,582 – up one per cent compared to the January through October period in 2009."The annual change in sales and average selling prices has been quite uniform across the GTA and by property type as the market has balanced out from record levels of sales in the second half of 2009 and first few months of 2010," said Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Bill Johnston."The composition of GTA home sales does differ depending on location. Condominium apartments accounted for 42 per cent of total sales in the City of Toronto and almost 60 per cent of sales in TREB's central districts," Johnston continued. "In regions surrounding the City of Toronto, in contrast, low rise home types accounted for almost 90 per cent of transactions."The average price for October transactions was $443,729 – up five per cent compared to the average of $423,559 reported in October 2009. The average selling price through the first nine months of the year was $430,802."The average selling price in the GTA has continued to grow relative to 2009 because home ownership has remained affordable," said Jason Mercer, the Toronto Real Estate Board's Senior Manager of Market Analysis. "A household earning the average income in the GTA can comfortably afford the mortgage payments associated with the purchase of an average priced home.""The outlook for mortgage rates and income growth over the next year is favorable. The average home selling price could increase moderately next year and remain affordable for the average GTA household," continued Mercer.Median PriceIn October, the median price was $366,000, from the $357,000 recorded during October of 2009.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Look After Your Body!! You Only Get One!
Friday afternnoon; and as promised Im writing in my blog, though this time Im writing to vent, nothing to do with real estate.
As part of keeping my self healthy since my retiring from my professional dance career, Ive been working out at a gym across the street from my work. Stretching, cardio, some weights, then some more stretching. I thought Id go a little harder on the weight the last few weeks. Slowly I notice a bit of pain shooting from my shoulder-blade the next day. I ignore the pain as I always have throughout my career, and push through. After a couple of weeks, I notice a little numbing of my right hand and I lose strength in my hand. Ok, I think I better speak to someone....
I call one of my old favourite physios, Marla, and ask, "I can't use my arm, do you think there is something wrong"? She calls me into her clinic straight away and checks me out and commences treatment. Ive compressed a nerve in my C5/C6 spine.
After a week of intense physio and massage, there is no noticeable improvement so Marla sets me up to see the head physician of the clinic, someone Ive seen a few times before during my dancing days.
After seeing him, Marla came into the consultation room with me, the doc orders immediate x-rays. I get them done across the hall and they scoot right back to him on his computer screen. He calls me over. He showed me my rays, asking if I'd ever had a major trauma to my neck. Not that I can remember I say. We as dancers dealt with lots of pain everyday, just another pain I suspect. He shows me that there is little to no disc between my vertebrae and is compressing my nerve. Also the vertebrae where the injury is looks quite different to the others. OI VAY! No wonder. So he has ordered an MRI asap to see whats going on.
And that's where we stand right now.
You probably don't realise that this has just taken me about an hour to type this blog, most of which is to correct all the mistake I made fumbling around with my right hand. So frustrating.
Ill keep you posted of what happens next, though one day I will realise that I only have one body and need to look after it.
I guess I should call my parents before they read this before I tell them!!..
Look after your body!
As part of keeping my self healthy since my retiring from my professional dance career, Ive been working out at a gym across the street from my work. Stretching, cardio, some weights, then some more stretching. I thought Id go a little harder on the weight the last few weeks. Slowly I notice a bit of pain shooting from my shoulder-blade the next day. I ignore the pain as I always have throughout my career, and push through. After a couple of weeks, I notice a little numbing of my right hand and I lose strength in my hand. Ok, I think I better speak to someone....
I call one of my old favourite physios, Marla, and ask, "I can't use my arm, do you think there is something wrong"? She calls me into her clinic straight away and checks me out and commences treatment. Ive compressed a nerve in my C5/C6 spine.
After a week of intense physio and massage, there is no noticeable improvement so Marla sets me up to see the head physician of the clinic, someone Ive seen a few times before during my dancing days.
After seeing him, Marla came into the consultation room with me, the doc orders immediate x-rays. I get them done across the hall and they scoot right back to him on his computer screen. He calls me over. He showed me my rays, asking if I'd ever had a major trauma to my neck. Not that I can remember I say. We as dancers dealt with lots of pain everyday, just another pain I suspect. He shows me that there is little to no disc between my vertebrae and is compressing my nerve. Also the vertebrae where the injury is looks quite different to the others. OI VAY! No wonder. So he has ordered an MRI asap to see whats going on.
And that's where we stand right now.
You probably don't realise that this has just taken me about an hour to type this blog, most of which is to correct all the mistake I made fumbling around with my right hand. So frustrating.
Ill keep you posted of what happens next, though one day I will realise that I only have one body and need to look after it.
I guess I should call my parents before they read this before I tell them!!..
Look after your body!
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