Marg Scheben-Edey - Collingwood, Ontario

After writing about 500 posts over 3 years on my "other" blog connected to my personal website, I decided it might be fun to shake things up a little. Over 3,000 people a month are reading that blog now and I'm sure some are getting a little tired of only hearing or seeing my point of view!

A while ago, I read about something called The Disposable Memory Project in which the originator sent out disposable cameras around the world. It struck me as a GREAT idea and a creative way of seeing things through other people's eyes. Then I got thinking... why not try it in my own marketplace of South Georgian Bay?

Over the past few weeks, I've released five, Kodak disposable cameras. One was released in each of Collingwood, Meaford and Clearview, Wasaga Beach and Blue Mountain. A clear, plastic ZipLoc bag contains the simple instructions that asks people to take a picture anywhere in the Georgian Triangle that they think reflects life in the area. Within 24 hours after, they are asked to pass the bag and it's contents, which includes a record log, to a total stranger or to leave it where it is likely to be picked up. The person who snaps the last picture on the film is asked to mail it back to me in the pre-paid enclosed envelope that is in the bag. It's really that simple.

I am so curious. Will the cameras ever find their way back to me? How long will it take until one arrives back? What kind of pictures will we see? Will some of the photographers drop me a line to tell us their part in this story?

As cameras are returned, I'll post the pictures on my blog. I'm sure my readers and I will enjoy seeing some other points of view.

Everyone has surely heard about the fall from grace of our local MP for Simcoe-Grey, Helena Guergis so we won't even go there. One of her last acts before being expelled from the Conservative caucus though was to bring some very good news to our area.

Georgian College will receive an investment of $4 million for a new Collingwood Campus through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). While Georgian has had a presence in Collingwood for many decades, it has been a part-time campus more or less with locations spread out around the town. In a recent media release, Brian Tamblyn, President and CEO of Georgian College stated, "This investment in a new, permanent home for Georgian College serving Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview Township, Meaford and Town of the Blue Mountains, will go far in helping to address short and long-term economic needs of the entire area. A new consolidated campus will allow Georgian to continue to expand its enrollment by as much as 20 per cent annually."

I've also heard that the College will have degree granting capabilities through its University Partnerships Program. For a very long time now, Collingwood has identified the need for a full-time post-secondary education facility in the community. Mayor Chris Carrier and Collingwood Council are to be congratulated for their significant efforts in bringing this about. While the location has not yet been announced, rumour has it that it will be located in the new Industrial Park at the south-east end of town.

P.S. Ski Season Passes On Sale
You can save the PST on your 2010/2011 ski pass for Blue Mountain if you hurry. The 5 x 7 ski pass allows you to ski 5 days a week, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm and 7 nights a week too from 4:40 pm to 10 pm. If you buy your pass for next season before April 30th, the cost if just $169.00 plus GST (no PST). Check it out at www.bluemountain.ca

I once listed a house for sale in Collingwood where a suspected murder had taken place. I consulted with two lawyers about disclosure requirements and got two answers: one was to follow the instructions of my client and the second was more of a question: would want or need to know this and, then make my decision from there. I'll tell you what happened later.

In an interesting seminar that I attended earlier this year, the instructor neatly categorized property stigmas into three categories:

1. Pure Stigma where a property has been psychologically impacted by a suspected or actual event such as haunted homes or, properties where a murder, suicide or death occurred
2. Physical Stigma where a physical problem has affected the property such as UFFI, mold, asbestos, lead-based paint or oil tanks and,
3. Neighbourhood stigmas when the house is located in an area known for a high crime rate or in a neighbourhood where a suspected or known criminal resides.

REALTORS® have a duty to discover and disclose facts about a property that could affect a purchaser's decision to buy a property. Our Standards of Practice lay-out our obligation to discover facts and to the avoid error, misrepresentation or concealment of those facts. We can also not exaggerate or advise on matters outside the scope of our real estate license or, break rules of privacy and confidentiality. It's a tricky area, especially in Ontario where rules of disclosure of stigmatized properties are not clearly spelled out in any legislation.

The question comes down to, what is a fact? If a house contained lead-based paint and it was removed, it is a fact and there is no question it should be disclosed. But is a haunted house a fact?

My own policy is to always disclose all known stigmas and to let the potential buyers decide if it matters to them or not. For Sellers, I doubt they'd like to endure the pain and expense of a lawsuit where a judge can decide if it matters or not. For buyers, it is important to ask the questions and, to deal with a local REALTOR® who knows about local issues, stigmas and their effect on property values. By discovering and factually disclosing pertinent stigmas, I sleep well at night knowing the right thing has been done. My reputation relies on it and so do my clients.

About the house I mentioned. We did disclose the stigma and the house sold. Sadly, there were two suicides and a fire in the house in later years. Maybe the house was cursed. Maybe not. No matter what, I have always been thankful that the buyers were fully informed.

The month of March proved to be strong start to the spring market and potentially a sign of having put the recession fully behind us - at least for now.

Sales in the Georgian Triangle last month reached the highest level on record for any March since 2004 with a total of 200 MLS® sales in all areas serviced by the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board for all types of properties. Of the 200 sales, about 135 were single family homes and 24 were condominiums. There were also 25 vacant land sales. The number of new listings also climbed sharply with 614 new listings in March; a level not seen since May, 2008.

The 12 month average, residential sale price has returned to 2008 levels in most areas and is now at its highest level ever in some areas. Condominium sales continue to show a sharp rise compared to the previous two years and they have now returned to peak 2007 levels. 65 condos sold in the first quarter of this year with an average sale price of $237,000. These sales occurred across our area in all price ranges and follow the pattern of buyers moving to condominium living being reported in larger urban centres. We've also seen a return of recreational buyers and investors for this type of property. Only Thornbury has been slow to absorb the existing inventory of condominiums in that community.

In Collingwood, the sales-to-listing ratio hit 50% for the first time in years signaling a return to a sellers market; particularly for properties priced under $300,000. There was a resurgence in the higher-end market as well with 16 sales reported over $500,000 with two sales exceeding the $2.3 million dollar mark. Clearly, all signs point to a continued strong spring market.

The following information was obtained from the MLS® statistics provided by the Georgian Triangle Real Estate Board. It covers all areas serviced by the board. The first number is for March 2010 with March 2009 and 2008 results in brackets:

Total Number of Sales in all areas reported: 200 (106, 133)
Total # of new listings in all areas reported: 614 (500, 413)
# Active Listings as of March 31st: 1964

The following data is limited to Collingwood, Clearview, Grey Highlands, Meaford, Blue Mountains and Wasaga Beach areas only and, reports MLS® data for the first quarter of 2010:

a) March only Single Family Residential Sales: 123 (56, 91)
b) First Quarter Totals:

YTD Single Family Residential Sales 240 (134, 248 )
12 mos. Average Sale Price: $311,159 (262,243, 292,140)
Note: Even if sales over $999,999 are removed, the average sale price is still up by about 10% over last year).
YTD Sales-to-Listings Ratio: 29.16% (18%, 36.16%)
YTD Condo Sales: 65 (42, 56)
YTD Farms Sold: 2 (1, 6)
YTD Vacant Land Sold: 32, (16, 32)
YTD Commercial Sold: 8 (9, 10)

Statistics can be helpful but also misleading when not applied to a particular scenario. If you are looking at buying or selling in the Georgian Triangle area, it is important to consult with a REALTOR® to obtain detailed information about the statistics as they apply to your particular interests or needs.

If you are looking for such information in our area, send me an email or give me a call and I'd be happy to provide you with the latest sales data for your neighbourhood and property type.

My favourite photographic contributor is at it again. E.H. Scott, a client of mine who lives atop the Niagara Escarpment to the south of Collingwood, sent these two photos he took on March 27th. The first was taken at 20:53 in the middle of Earth Hour and, the second at 21:45, after Earth Hour had finished. You can clearly see that after Earth Hour, the glow in the sky from Collingwood - Blue Mountain is much greater.

According to the president of Collus (our local utility provider), Collingwood's consumption dropped 5.6% compared to 9% last year. This could be due to a number of factors since the same trend was seen across Ontario. For example, it was cold that day. It could also be due to lower consumption patterns become a norm on a regular basis thereby lessening the impact of of turning things off or down during Earth Hour.

I had a most interesting chat with Collingwood's Mayor, Chris Carrier, yesterday about the many cutting-edge and exciting new opportunites that are emerging around environmental opportunities for municipalities, home owners and builders. Things like energy cooperatives, geothermal or solar installations for entire developments, use of land-fill methane to fuel generators and trucks... there is a great deal of innovation out there and exciting times ahead. Ontario's new Green Energy Act has certainly accelerated this trend to a surprising degree.

As an Accredited Green Broker™, keeping on top of "green" trends is a passion for me. If you are thinking of buying a new-to-you home, let's talk about how you can minimize that second price tag of utility and comfort costs.