Bettina Gouthro Grunwald SOUTH SHORE NS Real Estate

It's interesting the knowlege you pick up while having a REALTOR(R)'s licence, and researching topics for out-of-area buyers (on the South Shore of Nova Scotia). Is there flood plain coverage here? What about erosion... and can people use my "private" beach.

It gets to the point where you don't want to put Associate Broker on your advertising, because then you are "deemed" to know more!

Insurability for seasonal residents is one of my favourite niches though. Depending on where you've been before, Nova Scotia can be a lot different. Same with knowing the ocean and lake preferences, and why building in certain locations is a better idea than others.

Take for example, this listing near Petite River Winery. It is just above the ocean Fog Belt,

and has a groomed brook running through, with pond and fountain. Privacy from road noise was

important to the owners. It's tucked off the route to many sand beaches.

"Across the bridge and around a bend, so only your deer know the address".

It is hard to believe you can relax so effortlessly here. No gear to pack -- or Reno's to do --it's a vacation location and homeplace in one. But possibly everyone will want to visit. Some pull out couches could exist with a media room or pool table in the getaway 2nd storey.

This is a R2000 contemporary with character. The fairytale setting, has a low maintenance glen for the Great Blue Herons who visit too. The soaring interior is pure comfort and Canadiana done well.

Should you explore a sloped pasture for future grape vines? Or follow the treeline to extra building sites...The owners even thought to screen the deck floor in case of deisre for a enclosed porch onw day. Oooo I could live here!

So as for more outbuildings or even extended family cottages: With 11 acres of space, you wouldn't have to squeeze it in. This location offers peace and climate for now and future.

To catch the gorgeous exterior photos, and see if it is still available, please check below for an access link. Price and address are not given here to maintain privacy for the next owner.

It's a spot they may not want to share!

http://www.claussenwalters.com/listings/details_admin.asp?key=1402

~Bettina

A ways back I wrote about moving to Nova Scotia from a land of Boom and Bust: Alberta. Now that North America is digging itself out of the latest recession, it's time to reflect on what we found here and what keeps us from going back. Is it the scenery...? Check out the YouTube video below. Is it the people? Just ask my co-workers at the family oriented brokerage, or my husband's coffee roastery clients. They'd likely say "BOTH".

We considered British Columbia 13 years ago, and made a few buying trips even. Little did we know that the Whistler cafe we decided against pursuing would be the site of the 2010 Olympics!! However, the other opportunities on Vancouver Island seemed also 'not quite right'. It felt like the active Lifestyle went 24/7 -- because it did! Not much of an escape from the rat race of Calgary.

Then while looking on the Internet (way back in 1996) a chance link from a mountain biking site in BC, to a cycling site in the Maritimes, caught my eye. The scenery was stunning. The tourism descriptions were envious. And the real estate was either gorgeous or so affordable my jaw dropped.

So taking the plunge cold turkey, we came to stay. "It was a cold and stormy night" when we rolled into Dartmouth and almost turned around. Having never seen a downtown developed over 300 years, it was chaotic. However living in a B&B in Halifax for 3 months while searching for 'home' was almost like a mini-vacation. The Valley , which had caught our attention online with it's Victorian mansions and cheap land ended up feeling too isolated.

The South Shore of Nova Scotia however, had less heat & humidity and more mix of old and new. The tourist favoured areas were quiet, since it was winter. The beaches were heavenly... solitude and sand dunes. Even in the summers they are unspoilt by vendors or fees! There's also more lakes here than people -- almost. So many waterviews, so little time. Well, actually though, time ticks slower in NS. It's pretentious to quote, so i'll just summarize this saying, that belongs to someone else: "We're so far behind here, we're ahead".

Think about that. A sluggish but stable economy... little crime... also some stores that still close on Sundays. Even us REALTOR(R)'s have a Life, despite what those Canadian commercials say. So if you find this appealing, feel free to contact me about moving here, even part-time. Lunenburg County prices are down 6% according to Canada Mortgage and Housing as of March 2010. If you can be even further from the airport, the deals increase. Check out my other blogs for more photos, and talk to you soon!

~Bettina

PS> to get to: Moving to Nova Scotia? click the link below, or copy and paste it into your browser

http://bgouthrogrunwald.wordpress.com

Bridgewater Nova Scotia Real Estate

What greater compliment can be paid to Bridgewater Nova Scotia than "it's a hardworking town without pretences"! Most of the South Shore's major amenities and national employers are here. Small businesses also service the local population (approximately 8000) with a huge draw of another 40,000 people from outlying areas.

Many homes in Bridgewater allow you to feel like you're on a rural route, and yet walk to services offered by our largest town on the South Shore. Click on the blue text to see an example of such a home . It also has quick access to highway commuting and Big Box shopping locations.

Another house example: GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES 44 21 48, -64 31 10 . Check this one out on Google Earth via http://www.thinknovascotia.com/listings/details.asp?key=1336 as this is a WEBlog, and not an overt property advertisement. You can walk in the Lahave River park system, perhaps even to work, or play at the forthcoming Recreation centre.

Should these homes be SOLD by the time you read this feel free to contact me for others available. (We prefer not to archive former photos of homes for sale, and later have any privacy violations or Unethical sales lead generation).

Thanks for your interest!

~Bettina

REALTOR(R) Claussen Walters and Associates Ltd.

REblogged by Bettina Gouthro Grunwald from 7:29 PM

Labels: fall in Bridgewater, NS ( Lahave River ) on Blogger.com

Technology saves country real estate NOVA SCOTIA ????

BRIDGEWATER: There is a mad rush going on, to become Google savvy for Real Estate. Ever since our Streetviews got mapped on the coastal South Shore, we've all been able to save money and aggravation...

Now people can preview areas without getting lost or even buying gas! What this means for property buying, is that they can see a home the way it looked outside, back in the pretty month of June. They can also see if there is an unzoned car lot next door!!!

What this means for property selling, is that REALTOR(R)s can compare popular neighbourhoods virtually, in addition to Multiple Listing System photos and enthusiastic descriptions. After all, LOCATION LOCATION is most important.

For example, my local village of Pleasantville has starred in the following interactive portion of Google Maps:

View Larger Map

If you scroll up and down the "Lighthouse Route" on the South Shore, (hwy 331 on my side of the river), you will see glimpses of the salt water Lahave River. It's actually a cove that leads to Bridgewater from the Atlantic ocean.

This sunny sailing strip of Nova Scotia real estate is one of the many things that makes the South Shore special. There are unspoiled beaches and hundreds of islands in the protective bays. And of course, Lighthouses.

While not everything is mapped (you'll still have to venture out in your kayak to visit the islands you can't reach by the Crescent Beach causeway), the waves seem so real on Google you can smell the fresh air.

Visit my Blog in the future to hear the sounds of lakes and ocean here on the South Shore. But for now, a home looking for a loving new owner is in the Google Maps tour above.

Copy and paste into your address browser, or CLICK this link to see if it's still available: http://www.thinknovascotia.com/listings/details.asp?key=1144

Built when lumber was still milled dimensional and homes trussed onsite, this property is surrounded by well maintained homes and landscaped yards. There is a springfed community well and all owners have their own onsite septic systems.

A forward thinking concept taking hold in waterfront and even waterview real estate on the South Shore of Nova Scotia is dividing lots into 'condos'. Yes, you read me right! This allows more eco-friendly use of property into larger yards and combined septic beds.

Check back or subscribe to this blog's RSS feed to get more info on such a development. Or if you're really keen on anything mentioned here, you can make contact directly via the clickable media icons provided below. Or a phone call works just as well!

So, can I catch you fishing nearby one day? It's OK if you only want to move here seasonally to Relax too.

Yours in fun and family homes,

~Bettina

Informationen den Nova Scotia, Kanada "Ten Mile Lake" Wunderland:

• Lage: Nur 15 Autominuten von Liverpool mit seinen 2000 Einwohnern, sowie den schönen Sandstränden des Atlantik entfernt, finden Sie echte Natur an einem traumhaften See.
  

• Die Erschließung: Dies ist die einzige an diesem See. Sie besteht aus 21 Grundstücken direckt am See, sowie 8 mit Seezugang, in idealer Süd-Ost-bis Süd-West-Ausrichtung. Die Grundstücke sind vollständig erschlossen, d.h. mit Strom und Strasse bis zum Grundstück versehen sowie septikgeprüft.

• Das Projekt: Grundstücke sind groß genug, um Ihnen die nötige Privatsphäre zu garantieren. Suchen Sie sich Ihr Grundstück aus und bauen Sie Ihr Ferienhaus oder Ihren Ruhesitz.

• Ten Mile Lake: Der malerische, fischreiche See, in dem sich drei Inseln befinden, lädt zu ausgiebigen Boots- und Kanufahrten ein. Erleben Sie auf Ihrer Fahrt den "Loon", den Biber und andere Tierarten. Zu deisen Erschließung gehört ein Naturpark von 1 Million m2. Spazieren, joggen oder biken Sie durch den mit frischer Luft getränktem Wald

Lot Nummer 5 Groesse 24'280 m2, 268m Uferfront (6 Acres $59,000 Cdn.)

Kurzportrait "Ten Mile Lake" Nova Scotia

Ca. 2 autostunden vom Internationalen Flughafen und ca. 1.5 autostunden von hauptstadt Halifax. Nur 19km von Liverpool, wo Einkaufslaeden, Restaurants, Theater sowie die gesamte Infrastruktur einer Kleinstadt vorhanden ist. Ca. 30 autominuten von Bridgewater mit 8000 Einwohnern.

Fuenf autominuten (8km) vom Dorf Greenfield mit Einkaufsladen, Tankstelle, Post. Durch Greenfield fleisst der Medway River, ein bekannter Lachsfluss, ideal zum Kanufahren (20 km bis in den Atlantic) sowie zum Fischen.

Kejimkujik-Nationalpark, einer der groessten Naturparks von Nova Scotia ist 30 km. 15 autominuten zu den Sandstraenden am Atlantic. Und wenn Sie Golf-Lust packt, White Point Beach Golf Resort ist bei Liverpool.

Garantierte Ruhe, da Speedboote usw. nicht moeglich sind; ideal mit Kanus and Booten mit Aussenbordmotor. Trinkwasserqualitaet da durch Quellen gespiesen Ufer stein... sehr natuerlich. Ausgezeichneter Fischbestand wie Regenbogenforellen, Flussbarsch, Schmalmundbarch, Flussforeel, Killifisch. See groesse ca. 97 Hektar, Breite ca. 2km, Laenge ca. 5 km

Baeume/Flora sind WUNDERBAR. Gemischter Baumbestand mit Kiefern, Tannen, Ahorn, Birken, Eichen etc. sowie Farne, wilde Orchideen, verschiedene Wasserpflanzen (Seerosen usw.)

Kurzportrait - Nova Scotia KANADA Klima

Durch den Einfluss des warmen Golfstroms herrscht ein mildes Kilma. Es gibt warme Sommer mit viel Sonne (Sonnenscheindauer in Stunden/Jahr 1945h, Bodensee 1699h) und angnehmen Sommertemperaturen (22-30 degrees Celcius). Gemaessigte Winter mit wenig Schnee, ca. Kaelte bis -18 degree Celcius, praktisch nebelfrei am "Ten Mile Lake".

Farbenpraechtiger Herbst (Indian Summer) mit Temperaturen um ca. 20 degrees Celcius bis mittel Oktober.

Wiedersehn bis spater,

~Bettina

http://thinkNovaScotia.com