Collingwood, ON

Some days I feel like the Georgian Triangle is the most expensive area in the province and on other days, not so much. It varies depending on whom I'm dealing with that day and what it is that I'm viewing, appraising, listing or looking for. Is there a way to really know how real estate in the Collingwood and Blue Mountain areas compare to other places?

Last week, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released their "Housing Now" report which provided a picture of the residential housing market in Ontario. As a bit of statistics junky, I've always found this particular report to be of value to me in my role as both a REALTOR® and a Market Value Appraiser (MVA).

When looking at our real estate board MLS® statistics for the local Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board, I get useful information however, comparing those to provincial averages adds a whole new dimension to understanding what is happening in our local marketplace. One of the more interesting pages in this regard is the MLS® Residential Activity report for the province as a whole.

A tally of provincial MLS® activity for 2007 shows that the average residential sale price in Ontario was $299,544. This is just marginally higher than our Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board average of $289,388. As our territory is relatively large, we do have variances in areas where the contrast is greater. For example, in the Town of The Blue Mountains, we ended the year with an average residential sale price of over $460,000 (which incidentally is higher than Toronto's average) while Collingwood came in at just under $246,000. Provincial averages will of course be the same. Prices in Toronto are vastly different than they are from Elliot Lake I'm sure. But averages do have value in that they give us a sense of our place in the pecking order.

Provincially, there were over 213,000 residential, MLS sales last year; an increase of 9.5% over the number of sales in 2006. In the Georgian Triangle, we captured about .7% of all provincial sales with 1475 units; an increase of 13.7% over the previous year. That is an important stat as it suggests we have positive migration continuing at a significant rate and, this does not even take into account the large number of new home sales that are not captured in our MLS® data.

So, it's all good. Thanks CMHC.

There is a magical place in Collingwood and it's one of the towns best kept secrets.

It's called the Magic of Children Art Gallery and as far as we know, it is the only child centered art gallery in Ontario. Founded by a local artist, the Magic of Children started with shows over 14 years ago. I can remember when my own children had their artwork displayed in a "Magic" show in the library over a decade ago. Seeing their art on public display encourages the creativity in children and promotes self esteem. Can you imagine how a young person might feel to see their very own works framed and hung in a gallery?

Last year, a local business family, the Saunders, donated second floor space above their retail store to the Magic of Children organization so they could establish an art gallery. The building itself has quite a history since it was first built as a book store in 1890.

In 1953, Jack Saunders opened a photography studio in this space as a commercial business that was established after he served in the Navy during WW2. He was a radio operator during the war but learned his photography skills while providing navy pals with photos- obviously an entrepreneur at heart! Jack took thousands of photographs including local school pictures, shipyard launches, weddings, businesses and buildings in Collingwood and the area and many local families recall visits to the studio to mark important family events.

(You can click on this button to see a little show for yourself.)

It's fitting that now the Magic Gallery is in his former photo studio where his tripod marks can still be seen in the floor. Later, his son David took over the business which by then focused on selling stationary and office supplies. He operated it out of another building but moved it back to 57 Hurontario in the early 90's. The building was then restored to its former glory and was one of the first historic building restorations on Hurontario Street.

Jack Saunders passed away in 1994 but he always loved children and art. His grandson, Joe Saunders says that Jack would be happy to see the Magic Gallery exhibiting art and producing programs that help foster the advancement of children's creativity.

Currently the gallery is run by volunteers including Director Marion Lewis who is a veteran producer, performance artist and director of arts spaces. She is the founder of A Space in Toronto which is considered the first artist-run gallery in Canada. She is currently advising the Art Gallery of Ontario's Canadian Department for an exhibition that is part of the grand re-opening of the new building in September 2008.

The hours of operation are not yet firmly established as they await signage but generally you can find Marion on-site weekends from 11am-4pm and ‘by appointment' during the week. Call Marion at 444-0911 to arrange a visit and, to ask for directions. The entrance is so tricky to find that it's almost a secret. But it's a good secret that is worth telling.

The year is starting out strong here in the Georgian Triangle.
Sales for January 2008 are up 17% over the same month a year ago and this is the part where I say, "Whew" since so far, my predictions are holding.

Here are some quick MLS® statistics from the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board for January. (The numbers in brackets are from January 2007.)

Number of Properties Listed For Sale: 415 (396)
Number of Properties Sold: 107 (91)
Number of Expired Listings: 200 (196)

Sale Prices:
$100,000 - 200,000 38 (29)
$200,000 - $300,000 34 (33)
$300,000 - $500,000 18 (16)
$500,000 - 999,999 6 (6)
$1,000,000+ 2 (3)

On top of this, Wiarton Willie claims spring is just around the corner heralding an early spring market with further interest rate decreases too. That news made me so happy that I went out and bought some potted tulips this morning. Gee, I love good news, don't you?

Let's face it, at this point in the year, predicting sales trends is like predicting the winner of a horse race.  Nonetheless. with just three weeks having passed since we left the post, it's fun to see which areas are off to the fastest start.

As a reminder, the Georgian Triangle area includes Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview, Town of the Blue Mountains, Meaford and Grey Highlands and, all MLS® data and/or statistics have been obtained only from the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board.

As of January 18th,  there have been six condo units sold in the Georgian Triangle in 2008 which is exactly how many had sold at this point in 2007.  The surprise though is in single family homes which are up about 40% with 42 homes sold on the Multiple Listings Service (MLS®)  versus 30 at the same time last year.  I also know from visiting local new homes sales offices that, at least in a few cases, sales have also been brisk this month.

Much of the gain so far this year has been in the Town of Blue Mountains with 9 MLS® sales this year compared to 3 at this point in 2007.  Each community has gained except Wasaga Beach which is more or less on par.

Of course it is far too early in the year to predict how the year will unfold just as the first lap in a horse race is not an indicator or which horse will win.  It is nice to know though that consumers are showing strong confidence in our Georgian Triangle real estate market.

Ready When You Are!  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.