Mark Tesolin Complete Source for Windsor Real Estate

The housing inflation that has characterized the housing market in the United States has drifted northward, it seems, according to a report by Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. In a study of nine Canadian cities, seven of them have housing stock that is overvalued by $32,000-87,000. Housing prices were compared to what they would be in a market where home prices and rents would be in balance. Other factors taken into account include mortgage rates, costs of home ownership, and long term price appreciation.

While Toronto prices are in balance and those in Edmonton below by 8%, prices in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, and Winnipeg are at least 20% too high. The housing prices in these cities rose 87% between 1997-2006. During the same time period, housing in the Unites States rose 132%.

Whether prices fall in Canada depends on the supply of available unsold homes or discrepancies between the number of available units vs. the number of people ready to occupy them. Because Canadian lending policies have been more conservative than in the Unites States, there is more equity in homes which may allow the market to regulate itself in time. Only in Vancouver are prices expected to decline.

For information about great places to live in Windsor, call your Prudential Select Real Estate Agent Mark Tesolin at (519) 972-5505 or visit http://marktesolin.com

While it is not official yet, all signs are pointing toward Windsor as the location for Nissan's next improvement. Nissan and Chrysler have recently announced an assembly partnership that involves each company doing what they do best. Nissan will be building the Dodge Hornet for Chrysler and Chrysler has agreed to build the 2011 Titan pickup truck for Nissan. This expansion seems to pave the way for Chrysler to build the 2010 Nissan Quest or its replacement at the Windsor Assembly Plant.

This would be a win-win situation for all involved, especially the 4,600 members of the CAW Local 444 at the Windsor plant. Due to the decline in sales of minivans, there has been a worry that the plant would lose its third shift and along with it hundreds of jobs, but if Chrysler takes on the Nissan minivan it will mean a thriving assembly plant.

Nissan has not had a good record with its minivan, whereas Chrysler has been setting the bar for the minivan industry for decades. The success of the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town and Country have also enticed Volkswagen to have its 2009 Routan minivan built in the Windsor assembly plant. Sources at the Windsor Assembly plant and the Windsor-Detroit auto industry say the Nissan deal has been in the works for months and they expect it to be announced within the next few weeks.

For information about great places to live in Windsor, call your Prudential Select Real Estate Agent Mark Tesolin at (519) 972-5505 or visit http://marktesolin.com

Windsor is home to Coulter's, "Ontario's largest furniture store" which boasts 80,000 square feet of showroom, a quality stock of North America's best furniture manufacturers, and a colorful history.

Coulter's started as a family business in Essex in1863, when James Coulter started a lumber business and then, after relocating to Windsor, a coal business in hopes of supplying entrepreneurs in Detroit. Later generations of Coulters replaced coal sales with fuel deliveries to business and residential customers in the 1950's when the demand for coal dropped. Always ahead of marketing trends, Coulter used its location on Windsor Avenue, a block east of Windsor's main thoroughfare Quinlette St,. to open a small retail outlet that sold custom fireplaces, equipment, and screens to the public. By 1958, Coulter's opened a small showroom of colonial furniture. The endeavor was so prosperous that Coulter's sold its fuel business and fleet of trucks to Texaco in 1969 - in anticipation that natural gas would overtake the demand for home heating oil.

Coulter's soon expanded their offering beyond colonial furniture but maintained their commitment to only offer the finest brands. They saw their market as both Canada and nearby Michigan. As Craig Coulter put it in 2005 "We are able to undercut U.S. prices while offering excellent value. Also, there is no duty, no U.S. tax, no Canadian GST (goods and services tax) nor PST (provincial services tax), so our American customers can buy as much as they want of well-designed, high-quality home furnishings. I sincerely hope the Canadian dollar drops again; a lower dollar is much better for our manufacturing exporters, too. We have delivery trucks in Michigan every day now. We also occasionally export to Europe; we have local customers who have relatives there."

The business includes two locations, both open seven days, and offers design services. The store guarantees quality, selection, and best prices - a winning combination.

For more of the fascinating Coulter story, visit their website at www.coulters.com and check out http://www.furninfo.com/absolutenm/templates/Article_Retailing.asp?articleid=5164&zoneid=5 .

Need a house in Windsor to showcase your Coulter bargains? For information about great places to live in Windsor, call your Prudential Select Real Estate Agent Mark Tesolin at (519) 972-5505 or visit http://marktesolin.com.

Thinking of buying or selling your home? Here's some interesting data from August, 2008 from the Windsor-Essex Board of Realtors.

Compared to a year ago....

Market Activity is down 3.44% YTD and 11.94% in August. 7880 homes have been listed this year vs. 8161 last year.

Sales are down 6.58% YTD and 18.18% in August. 3404 home have been sold this year vs. 3181 last year.

For the 389 homes sold, the average price is down 1.35% YTD and 5.10%. Average selling price YTD was $164,280 vs. $165,068 last year, while the average selling price in August was $166,099 vs. $170,018 last year.

In terms of home sold by price category,

$ 60,000 - $99,999 73

$100,000 - $119,999 45

$120,000 - $139.999 52

$160,000 - $199,999 71

$200,000.- $299,999 83

$300,000 - $399,999 22

$400,000+ 10

Although this chart does not indicate how many listings fell in each price category, the numbers suggest that sellers of low to moderate priced homes are more likely to sell, while buyers can find plenty of good, affordable homes in the area.

What kind of home is most likely to sell?

Ranch 76

Raised ranch 73

2 Story 63

1 ½ Story 48

Bungalow 47

South Windsor had the highest number of listings and sales for the month.

Your Windsor home awaits. For information about the latest listings in Windsor, call your Prudential Select Real Estate Agent Mark Tesolin at (519) 972-5505 or visit http://marktesolin.com.

It's a week before Halloween, a popular holiday that in modern times means donning costumes, decorating your home in orange and black, carving a pumpkin, and trick or treating - maybe for UNICEF or maybe for a stock of candy that children hoard and parents raid for their favorite chocolate bar.

Though it's generally considered a fun time, it's also a great time to start a new tradition in your household or in your life. Take a look at this link to blog posted by Ann Arbor, MI realtor Kathy Toth: http://activerain.com/blogsview/750995/Ghosting-It-Forward-Pay-It-Forward-for-Ann-Arbor-NeighborsFriends-before-Halloween

In the spirit of the movie Pay It Forward, the Ghost It Forward project promotes anonymous acts of kindness to friends, neighbors, and total strangers. For more information, check out the link above or go directly to Ghosting It Forward.

Don't think there's a ghost of a chance you can own a home? For information about great places to live in Windsor, call your Prudential Select Real Estate Agent Mark Tesolin at (519) 972-5505 or visit http://marktesolin.com.