Winnipeg, MB

I've been bitten by the blogging bug and although it's technically past my bedtime I just felt the need to post something since I now have a shiny new Rainmaker account! I just want to start off by saying that I have been 'lurking' on here for a few years now, actually since before I even got into real estate. Though lurking sounds like something creepy one does in the shadows, it was more like I was reading the featured posts everyday and commenting on many of them, albeit without my photo beside my name. Now that's been changed and I've lost my shroud of mystery. Oh well, It's for the best!

I'm going to share a little tidbit of information that is actually a part of my, oh humble am I, extremely useful and helpful buyer's guide. I include a few lines down at the bottom for buyers to add in anything else they think of that they might need and it becomes basically a shopping list to take to Rona or Home Depot.

When transitioning from renting to homeownership it is helpful to have an idea of what types of tools you will require around the home, below is a list of the most commonly used tools that a homeowner needs:

For The Home:

• Hammer
  
• Pair of Pliers
  
• Cordless drill
• Level
• Spackle
• Putty knife
• Measuring tape
• Adjustable wrench
• Extension cord
• Plunger

For The Yard:

• Snow shovel
• Rake
• Lawn Mower

I've gotten some excellent feedback on this and know a few ex-renters who've said they wish they had something like this when they bought their first home. Now don't laugh, some renters really haven't purchased a lot of these items before and may not even think of some of them when they're caught up in the excitement of house hunting and finalizing the deal on their first dream home.

Any more ideas on what could be added to the list would be great, or if you have anything similar that would complement this item to assist renters in transition that would be wonderful to share!

Or 'Why I want to move to Wolseley'

I feel kind of like an umpire at a baseball game cheering for one team. As a real estate agent I know the entire city of Winnipeg really well. I don't feel it's right for me to pick favourites, and it seems especially counter-productive to blog about a neighbourhood that I don't even live in. Especially when there's really nothing holding me back from moving there as my dream condo (see image) is on the market right now at a very reasonable asking price. And especially because I love my current neighbourhood (guess what my next blog is going to be about!) And especially because getting other people where they want to be is my full-time job. But I'm just not in a position to get over there, yet, for a number of reasons. Hopefully that condo stays on the market for a while longer...

According to my research Wolseley is sometimes referred to as Winnipeg's "granola belt", though I've never heard this term, it does seem fitting. This neighbourhood is known for being home to many of the city's environmentally-minded folks. They've successfully stopped the city from mosquito fogging for the past few years in a row.

Some of the local attractions, besides the gorgeous character homes (but maybe that's just because I love, love, love real estate) include access to downtown and the trendy surrounding neighbourhoods, the convenience of being adjacent to Portage Avenue is unbeatable. The neighbourhood has its own arts festival, its own residents association and its own blog. How's that for a close-knit community feel? Apparently eight percent of the residents in this neighbourhood have home offices, compared to four percent in the rest of Winnipeg. No wonder my dream condo includes a den. I work from home (and my car, client's kitchen tables, the odd Starbucks and on very rare occasions, my brokerage office). If everybody in this neighbourhood sits in their kitchen every morning and crunches on granola, then this neighbourhood was made for me. Well actually, I eat oatmeal for breakfast, but it's close enough!

If Winnipeg had Google Street View I'd recommend a virtual walk through here. It's like Wellington Crescent for the rest of us! (Never heard of Wellington Crescent? Stay tuned.)

August was a busy month! One of the hi-lights for Realty Executives Frist Choice was our 'Build Day' with Winnipeg's Habitat for Humanity and Homes From the Heart. From the minute we put our hard hats and steel toes on, we were busy- lugging, carting, laughing, & a lot of fun! with of course the odd photo op. It was an impressively organized day! We were so well taken care of with dedicated foremen and Cliff Palmer assuring quality control!! ...snacks and a fantastic lunch! We accepted the 'Adopt-A-Day' Challenge and our team helped with the post-build phase. There will be 15 homes completed for families by the end of this year. 53 kids and their families will live in these 15 homes. And we are so proud to say... We helped build it!! And we got the t-shirt to prove it! The Realty Executives First Choice Team!!!

August, based on prices in general being slightly better in comparison to last year, recorded its best dollar volume result ever for this month at $231 million.August 2009 also saw WinnipegREALTORS® record its 8th million dollar plus home sale which is equal to the most sales ever sold in one year in this price range.

Also noteworthy, is year-to-date sales activity in comparison to the same period last year is improving and coming within a few percentage points now of WinnipegREALTORS® January forecast. It predicted home sales would be down 5% from last year and house prices up in the low single digits as opposed to double-digits like the past six yea

"August 2009 is looking very much like August 2008 and that is just fine by me," says Deborah Goodfellow, president of WinnipegREALTORS®. "Both of these months rank among the best for this time of year and indicate Winnipeg's real estate market is on a solid footing with buyers confident in moving forward in their purchase decisions. Helping this along are news reports of a national market recovery and Manitoba faring better than most other provinces in employment and GDP growth."

HOME STAGING IN WINNIPEG, MB

My team and I did HOME STAGING for a beautiful house in an older established area in Winnipeg. Our HOME STAGING revealed its great features such as coved ceilings, original hardwood floors, octagon tile in the bathrooms, a unique layout both on the main floor and second floor, with 4 window benches throughout the house. Two beautiful fireplaces (one wood and one gas), a kitchen that would be a dream kitchen for anyone and a great colour scheme. The house has many upgrades and that gave us a great base to work with when doing the HOME STAGING.

We used the majority of the homeowners furnishings, bringing in only 3 pieces of rental furniture and a variety of rental accessories.

Everyone who previewed the house said "WOW". That is what we wanted the WOW factor and we achieved it. The house had first showings on July 27 and SOLD the week of August 26th.

This was a higher end property with a higher price point and HOME STAGING did give the value added to help sell the property.

Here are a few photos to show the finished product.

visit my web page to learn more

Susan Macaulay

cell:204-981-0037

e-mail: clarityoverclutter@mts.net