Eugénie Eckler Oakville, Ontario

We are almost 4 months into the year and the sales numbers are heading into the right direction.

With respect to residential units sold, there has been a 34% increase over last month!

The average residential sale price in Oakville has also risen by 3% from last month.

The Town of Oakville is a beautiful lakeside community with a strong heritage, preserved and celebrated by residents and visitors alike. Founded in 1857, this striking town has become one of the most coveted residential and business centres in Ontario, and for good reason:

• Great neighbourhoods
• Great places to do business
• Quality schools
• A full-service acute care community hospital
• Proximity to Lake Ontario and recreational areas
• Easy access via QEW, 403, 407 and GO Transit
• Charming shopping districts in the downtown core

If you are thinking of relocating to Oakville, you have picked a great place to live!

www.EugenieEckler.ca

Well today was one of those days when the dog starts howling WAY too early for any human to be awake... he gets hungry and I swear he sounds like a rooster in his attempt to get me up. His name is Zeus and so now my husband and I affectionately refer to him as our ZOOSTER.

Since there was no point to get back to sleep; I curled up on the couch with my first issue of YES! A family member gave us the subscription to this ad-free, nonprofit magazine "dedicated to building a just and sustainable world". www.YesMagazine.org/store It is printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper.

The topic for this Winter 2009 issue is Sustainable Happiness. I sat there reading article after article about living with less and being happier doing it and actually felt myself becoming sad! Here, the two of us live in a 3700 square foot, newly built home, meanwhile always wishing we had the extra money to: Put up some window treatments (there are tons of windows and we have been living in a fishbowl of sorts since moving in), Install a backsplash & granite (the kitchen, otherwise looks great but I am a Realtor after all), Furnish our master bedroom (at the moment, the only item in this room is our bed & a TV... yikes talk about anything further than a sanctuary), Paint the place (all the walls are that horrible builder egg shell white that feels like I am forever in a hospital ward) etc... etc... ETC... I really could go on but I will spare all of you the details. THE POINT IS... why oh why do we live in this enormous house, when it is just the two of us with our 2 dogs and a single cat? The idea was we would GROW into it - the idea was to have 2, 3 maybe even 4 kids! We are both 33, trying to build our careers and I just don't see THAT happening! (at least not the 3 or 4).

In all seriousness, the magazine was a pleasure to read and really opened my eyes about what we need vs. what we want. (I should mention that the magazine has an obvious environmental MO which is great). This blog is not to say that we are going to sell the place... I mean we do call it home and love the idea of having a 'project' every once in a while to look forward to doing together. We will be 'trying' to start a family soon (maybe just a small one if we can pretend that our bedroom is actually an intimate space)! But, we can adopt other idealogies about 'trimming the fat' and trying to find happiness in the simplicities of life. This idea is not a novel one but every time I think about it, I come up with examples of how this can be done and without too much effort.

So, I write this to see if any of you feel the same... are there simple things you can change to take the pressure off of having and getting and acquiring? I am sure some of you have started doing this already and some others have adopted this lifestyle a long time ago... good for you... it takes work and dedication but I think in the end, for every thing we can live without, perhaps the happier we can be!

I moved to Oakville, Ontario last year and LOVE it...

What a beautiful place to call home and raise a family- no kids yet but hopefully one day...

We take our dogs on walks along the dozens of trails here... Our home backs on to a ravine...

Only a 5 minute drive to the lake and an adorable 'downtown' community that boast tons of great restaurants, shops and cafes.

If you are planning on moving to Oakville... look me up... I can help you find a home that is right for you!

www.EugenieEckler.ca

416-720-4646 (direct)

As most people are... I am on Facebook and just joined a group called FACEBOOK BUSINESS EXCHANGE...

There was a question posted about what one could do to improve their business (this group is not specific to any type of business in particular). Here are my two cents:

1) Have goals- small ones at first and reward yourself once you achieve them. *It is a great opportunity now to goal plan for 2009... what do you want but more importantly, what are your goal actions to get there?

2) Become present on the net- least expensive way to spread the word about your business and network like mad!

3) Tell everyone you meet what you do for a living and give them a card. Depending on what type of business you have- make everyone feel a little extra special and let them know you 'will take care of them' if they contact you. Everyone likes to feel special and taken care of.

4) Don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today and while you are at it - start your day early... I just think about my big cup of morning coffee and I can hop out of bed at any hour... well, at least by 7:00AM !!!

5) Treat everyone with respect... be nice to them even if they are not going to do business with you. You can call this avoid burning bridges, the secret or just plain common sense!

Active Rain is riddled with advice on what to do for your business, how to pave the road for your own success and I think you can never read about sound advice too often... a lot of things are harder said than done- we need to be reminded daily... go ahead, post your own 5 tips...

Being a fairly new resident of Oakville; I was pleasantly surprised to have a representative from Welcome Wagon show up at my front door. Now, I hadn't heard of this service before but it is a very welcoming visit! What began in the 1930's in the tradition established by the pioneer women who drove covered wagons out to meet new settlers with fresh water, food and supplies- Welcome Wagon Hostesses call on friends and neighbors carrying messages from the community. If you are a new resident of Oakville - contact Welcome Wagon for a friendly visit... info@welcomewagon.ca

Other communities may have the same or a similar service...