About Simcoe County, ON

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently released their first quarter 2012 publication which gives us some insight into the state of the market at the end of 2011 and some shifts in the market which indicate changes to come in 2012 for the Barrie real estate market.

There are three main conclusions that the CMHC has drawn from the close of business in 2011. (1) New home starts shifting from single-detached to higher density dwellings, (2) An increase in existing home sales and (3) Barrie's real estate market continued to remain balanced.

(1) Higher Density Home Starts Increase

New constructions has shifted away from single-detached homes and towards higher density dwellings such as rows or apartments. According to CMHC the ratio of single-detached homes to total starts has been trending down since 2007. This downward trend indicates that Barrie is becoming more urban. It is also due to an increase in demand from both aging baby boomers and cost-conscious younger buyers for more affordable high density homes. This is not the case however in Innisfil and Springwater Township whose markets have only seen a slight decrease in the ratio of single-detached starts to total starts.

(2) Existing Home Sales Increase

The price gap between new home sales and existing home sales continued to widen in 2011. The average price of a new single-detached home in 2011 was $418,000 and the average price of an existing home in 2011 was in the range of $282,000 to $249,000. Because of this price gap some buyers looked to the existing homes in order to save on cost.

(3) Barrie Market Remains Balanced

As a whole in 2011 the Barrie market saw steady sales activity and flat new listings. This pushed the sales to new listings ratio higher but still within that of a balanced market. Homebuyers in 2011 remained cautious and most focused on homes with lower price tags. Mortgage rates remained low and full time jobs continued to increase giving buyers the security they needed to enter the market. Sales increased faster than new listings which indicates that first time buyers also returned to the market.

Please feel free to contact me any time to learn more about the Barrie real estate market and be sure to forward this article on to any friends or family that may be interested as well.

Sincerely,

Peggy Hill

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Wal-Mart Canada to spend $750 Million to expand and update facilities in Canada.

Wal-Mart Canada, which currently operates 333 stores across the country, is planning on 73 new projects to expand/update, relocate or create new centres, more than half of them supercentres with full service foodmarts.

These projects will add 4.6 million square feet to Wall-Mart's operations in the next year. These moves should create 14,000 new jobs over the next year.

With Target scheduled to open 24 stores in Ontario by April of 2013 and other U.S. retail giants like Kohl's and Nordstrom eyeing expansion into Canada, this looks like a move to cement Wal-Mart's standing in Canada.

Boob Tour Coming to Alliston!

Where: Hornet's Nest (New Tecumseth Recreation Complex - 2nd Floor)
When: 7:30 p.m. February 9th, 2012

The Boob Tour is a Stand Up Comedy Troupe touring to fight Cancer. Proceeds from this show are for the Relay For Life Alliston.

Tickets, $25.00, are available at the Hornet's Nest, Carline Automotive Services (Victoria St E), or by calling Patricia Durbano @ 705.435.8832

Kiss Cancer Goodbye at Mike's Family Restaurant, Alliston!

Mike's Family Restaurant, 52 Wellington St. W, Alliston is normally closed on Mondays. For the last two years, owner, Mike Toukas and his staff have started a February tradition of opening Mondays for breakfast and donating all profits to the Canadian Cancer Society.

For this fundraising endeavour, the staff volunteer their efforts to ensure as much money as possible can be donated to this worthy charity. In the previous two years, this month-long event has generated $35,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. The target this year is $34,000.

Drop by for a meal on February 6th, 13th, Family Day the 20th, and/or the 27th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

On Family Day, the Junior C Alliston Hornets will also be helping out and Mike's Family Restaurant will also be open for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Other ways to contribute are:
A Kissing Wall - for $1.00, people can pucker up and leave their lip prints on the Kissing Wall. The "best lips" will be chosen at the end of the month and the winner will be awarded a prize.

A Memory Wall - for $5.00, people can have the names of their loved ones posted on the Memory Wall.

A Raffle - $5.00 tickets with prizes of a 60' Panasonic TV, Toronto Maple Leafs Lazy Boy Chair, $1,000.00 in cash. Three $500.00 prizes will also be awarded.