A lot of great things have been said.
Sandy from the city of Maple Ridge was talking about $ 1 billion bridge project and how it will improve transportation and Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Real Estate market will become very attractive to Langley and Surrey buyers where average house price is $630,000 compared to $560,000 in Maple Ridge. Sandy has also mentioned how nobody knows about us and that's true. The world has no idea what a gem Maple Ridge is and it's our mission to let them know. Silver Ridge is considered one of the most sustainable communities in Canada and it's located in Mapel ridge!.
CMHC presented many forecasts including new housing starts, price, inventory, population growth etc. They are projecting prices to drop another 9% and new house starts will be around 20,000 (it is a little bit less than this year) next year. I'm a bit sceptical about this because I don't think there will be that much new development in the next year. Builders might put projects on hold which CMHC doesn't know yet:)
TD's Brad Jackman was great. The smartest thing he ever said was that each and every one of us has contibuted to this recession. Couldn't agree more. North American society is a consumer society. We need new cars every 3 years, new houses, new games, new clothes. We're users. We are following trends a lot. We're being brainwashed by the media and advertisement. I think it's a great opportunity for everybody to reevaluate their values and just be more careful with spending.
The other thing Brad mentioned was that we've been here before and we made it. And we'll make it this time. And house prices will double by 2026. Stock market already has recovered by 20% since it's crash this fall. Did anybody notice??? House market will recover, it's just correcting itself. BC has a lot of jobs and low unemployment rate. We are in recession but it's not the end of the world. The only thing I know is that smart people buy today. Olena 778.991.3293
December is one of the slowest months with everybody getting ready for Christmas. You can do only that much this month. You can keep on networking and I think it's a great idea. So what are you doing this month in order to get ready for the new business year of 2009?
I decided to focus on organizing my business. I thought my sellers need a very nice self-explanatory Pre-Listing/Listing package. I'm working hard on it. I just want my sellers to go "Wow" when they're reading it and see true benefits of listing with me. Ane there are many benefits!
I also decided to focus on my Tri-Cities, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge Home and House for Sale website. The goal is to make it useful and informative for my visitors in these tough times. I mean, no offence to anyone, there are so many standard templates with the same blah-blah-blah. I decided to make my website straight to the point, no extra information, just only what sellers/buyers need. That's what I would liek to see. I'm trying to put myself in their shoes and it's not that hard because I'm still fresh in this business. I'm still working on it. Any suggestions are welcome.
I need to work on my Buyer's package, haven't even started. May be someone has great ideas?! Would appreciate it.
Overall, this is a month of building the fundamentals for my business in 2009. I think we all need to do it now and be ready! Also, still thinking about my Christmas gifts ideas. Any ideas? What do you do?
What are you up to this month?
As I have mentioned in my previous post RE/MAX ridge-meadows, TD Canada Trust and CMHC have organized an Economic Outlook Seminar on Wednesday, December 10th at the ACT. You can read more about it on my Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Home and House blog.
One of the speakers was Sandi Blue from the city of Maple Ridge. She announced that City is going to give a lift to the 224th Street in the downtown next year. They will widen sidewalks and remove the center tree line for better access to restaurants and shops along the street. The construction will start in January and end in May just before the festival season begins.
We did it, it happened last night on Dec 10th, 2008 at the ACT in Maple Ridge, BC. Huge success! Close to 200 people attending. I think it was a great idea from one of the owners of the RE/MAX ridge-meadows realty in Maple Ridge, BC. RE/MAX and TD worked hard. All RE/MAX ridge-meadows REALTOR®s have invited their clients and the event was advertised in the Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge newspaper.
We have rented a room in the local theatre, served refreshments and allowed time for people to network. People were required to sign in at the front and each of them was given a package that included RE/MAX info, CMHC forecasts, Maple Ridge plans for the nearest future and TD's economics special report. The seminar lasted for about 2 hours with questions/answers time at the end.
We had 4 speakers: Sandi Blue from the City of Maple Ridge, Alex Turner from CMHC, Rainer Weininger from RE/MAX ridge-meadows realty and Brad Jackman from the TD Waterhouse. Each of them had a great speech and presentation. The main topic was what's going on with our economy, why did it happen, what are the forecasts for the next year, how long will it last and what's in the future for Maple Ridge.
The main purpose of the seminar was to educate people about current market conditions, show how it is in reality and why it's a good time to buy. Media and television do not portray the situation exactly the way it is. Like any business media needs money in order to stay in business and they have only 2 sources of income: advertisement and the news that make peopel to tune in.
I will cover in my future posts what was exactly said during the seminar. It was brilliant and I have learned so much myself. Everybody did. We even had REALTOR®s from competitorss offices attending:)
Stay tuned.
Bank of Canada did it again this morning. They have announced 0.75% cut in the prime rate and said more to follow early January. Although all 5 commercial canadian banks said they will pocket 0.25% in order to improve profit margins. Thus for regular customers the rate has been decreased from 4% to 3.5%. Which makes variable mortgages even more attractive.
Also the bank has officially announced that Canada is in a recession and they will be doing everything they can to keep the inflation under 2% mark. I finally decided to find out what exactly recession means as I don't know more about it than it's something bad and the last time it has happened was in 1981. So, Wikipedia says that recession basically is a reduction of country's GDP for at least 2 quarters. I also found out that the US are officially in recession since December 2007. An interesting fact is that 1981-1982 recession has lasted for 2 years. I was also trying to find out any prediction on how long the current recession will last but no luck. I guess nobody has a crystal ball:)
So going back to interest rates, it's good news. I think only 2 numbers put a smile on my face today: interest rates and gas prices:) Is it a good time to buy? Of course it is. I will post this week on the reasons why I think it's a good time to buy. Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Real Estate markets have not seen prices like today's for many years and if you combine it with historically low interest rates (the lowest since 1958) you get a good deal.
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Real estate listings, foreclosures, first time buyers info in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody from RE/MAX REALTOR® Olena osipov on www.olenaosipov.com
Olena Osipov is a reliable Real Estate Professional with 7+ years of Real Estate investment experience, 5+ years o
f Customer Service experience and a Bachelor of Commerce. I bring a new energy to every detail, whether you are buying or selling a property. I work hard to get homes both on and off the market quickly, efficiently and easily by using a comprehensive marketing program which includes weekly real estate market reports and, most importantly, home staging. With this program, I keep you up to date on the current market conditions, ensuring you receive the best price possible. I specialize in residential sales in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Tri-Cities. I speak English, Russian and Ukrainian.
My philosophy as a REALTOR® is that I owe you a duty of care, a duty to listen and to provide an honest service. Being out of country, out of province I know myself what it's like to have an honest real estate professional working with you towards your goal. I know how it feels to move into the house that is right for you and your family, to sell the house for the right price and be happy with the choice of the real estate professional. And this is the service I provide to my clients.
Alex Osipov works as our Marketing Director taking care of all marketing from brochure design to website maintenance making sure we market your property like nobody else. He brings over 15 years of experience from working in well-known agencies in Europe, Middle East and Canada. Alex also runs his own Graphic and Webdesign Studio and has managed to become an International Abstract Artist. He's our local star and was recently featured in the Maple Ridge News.
I also believe in Miracles. Do you? RE/MAX has always been more than selling homes. I believe in giving back to the community. RE/MAX Offices consist of full-time real estate professionals, who live, work and give back to the community in which they serve everyday! RE/MAX is proud be the EXCLUSIVE REAL ESTATE SPONSOR to the Children's Miracle Network; an international non-profit organization, which consists of 170 children's hospitals including Vancouver's own BC Children's Hospital providing state of the art, life-saving care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The hospitals treat 17 million children each year for every disease and condition imaginable including cancer, pediatric AIDS, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell anemia, birth defects, asthma and accidents. Supporting Children's Miracle Network hospitals is the most effective way to save the lives of children throughout our city and the rest of North America.
I specialize in resale and new construction homes. I regularly post updates on new construction projects that appear in Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Tri-Cities areas.
I enjoy working with first time home buyers as I'm young, energetic and outgoing myself. I have been a first time buyer myself recently and I can understand the needs of this category of people. I love sharing my knowledge and expertise in the real estate with people who are eager to learn. I have comprised a comprehensive Buyer's Package that I will be more than happy to share with you. Just visit my Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Real Estate website and send me an email with a request.
Maple Ridge 
About: Maple Ridge District, incorporated in 1874, is a fast growing community with a population of 73,000 people. Situated on the shores of Fraser River and nestled against the Coast Mountains, Maple Ridge retains its small town feel nestled within the surrounding farmland yet being a suburb of Vancouver allowing access to all the features of the big city.
Location: Maple Ridge is located 45 kms east of Vancouver, 25 mins to Mission and 40 mins to Abbotsford and US border. It's a 20 minute drive to Coquitlam Centre and/or the Freeway into Vancouver.To the North there are the mountains with Golden Ears park. To the east - the Fraser Valley.
Leisure & Entertainment: Maple Ridge has become a year-round centre of festivals and festivities like the Jazz and Blues Festival, Caribbean Music Festival, Maple Ridge Country Fest and the Santa Claus Parade. It offers the ACT, performing arts centre, state-of-the-art leisure/youth centre complex, library and indoors ice and curling rinks.
Parks & Lakes: Golden Ears Provincial Park, Albion Fairgrounds and over 30 other parks including 2 water parks. Allouette, Mike's and Whonnock Lakes offer great fishing and swimming activities. Maple Ridge also offers 6 golf courses.
Shopping: Save on Foods, Extra Foods, Cooper's Foods, London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, Zellers, Liquidation World, Haney Place Mall, Valley Fair Mall, Rona and numerous shopping plazas.
Education: Public schools include 18 Elementary Schools (at least 4 of which are French Immersion), 5 High (Secondary) Schools. For more information visit www.sd42.ca. If you're interested in private education for your child you have a choice between 4 institutions: Meadowridge School, James Cameron School, Maple Ridge Christian School and St.Patrick School. There is also a Ridge Meadows College.
Future Projects: The Golden Ears Bridge is a new six-lane bridge under construction between Langley and Surrey on the south side and Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows on the north side crossing the Fraser River. The new bridge, owned by TransLink, will have a clearance of 40 metres, and with a span of 968 m (3175 ft.), this will be the longest extradosed bridge in North America when it is completed in 2009.
Real Estate: Maple Ridge real estate market offers a variety of housing options with a lot of newly constructed homes at affordable prices. From acreages, farmland and estate areas to affordable condo, townhouses and homes with easy access to all amenities, Golden Ears Park and numerous trails. It's a perfect place to raise your family. It is still one of the most affordable communities in the Greater Vancouver area.
Many clients are asking me quite often if the house prices will go up after Golden Ears and Pitt Meadows bridges are complete. My opinion is that the prices have already gone up in the anticipation of the bridges coming. But once the bridges are finished we will see people selling their homes in Surrey and Langley and buying in Maple Ridge where average home price is much lower than in those areas. The other thing about bridges is that they help the home prices to be more or less stable in the area and many people are moving to Maple Ridge because of the significantly improved transportation system.
Pitt Meadows 
About: The District of Pitt Meadows was incorporated in 1914 and borders Maple Ridge on the west side and Port Coquitlam on the east. The population numbers approximately 13,800. Agriculture is vital to the area and its residents. Pitt Meadows farmers grow a variety of crops but are most famous for specialty crops such as blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries. The Pitt Meadows Airport is the only airport in the Fraser Valley that is located on the north side of the Fraser River. It offers a variety of services, including daily flights to Victoria, charter flights, helicopter rides, flying and parachuting lessons and sightseeing tours. There is also seaplane access.
Location: Pitt Meadows is considered the "Gateway" to the Fraser Valley and is 40 mins by West Coast Express passenger train service and 1 hour by car from Vancouver's downtown area and Stanley Park. It's a 15 minute drive to Coquitlam Centre and/or the Freeway into Vancouver. It is situated on the north side of the Fraser River at its junction with the Pitt River.
Leisure & Entertainment: The library, leisure centre, Cineplex movie theatre. The natural topography and physical features support boating, canoeing, water-skiing, fishing, swimming, bird-watching, cycling, walking and horse-back riding. The dikes along the river provide an extensive trail system for your enjoyment. There are many waterways to use and discover.
Parks & Lakes: There is approximately 10 parks, a water park and 1 outdoor swimming pool in Pitt Meadows. Pitt Lake, on the City's northern boundary, is the largest tidal lake in North America. The three golf courses are the Pitt Meadows Golf Club, Golden Eagle Golf Club, Meadow Gardens Golf Club and the Swan-E-Set Bay Resort.
Shopping: Superstore, IGA, Safeway, Winners, Homesense, Michaels, Petcetera, Pier One, Jysk, Canadian Tire, Staples and numerous shopping plazas.
Schools: 4 Elementary Schools and 1 High (Secondary) School. For more information visit www.sd42.ca. For higher education there is a Ridge Meadows College.
Future Projects: The Golden Ears Bridge to Langley and Surrey, scheduled for completion by 2009, is stimulating new economic opportunities in Pitt Meadows. There is another bridge that's coming for Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge areas. The Pitt River Crossing is part of a long-term initiative to improve highways in Greater Vancouver. The Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Interchange Project include a proposed new bridge that will replace the existing swing bridges and an interchange to replace the current Lougheed Highway and Mary Hill Bypass intersection.The new bridge, proposed to be located between the existing bridges, will have three lanes of westbound traffic and four lanes of eastbound traffic. It will provide up to 16 meters of marine clearance and facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.
Real Estate: Pitt Meadows real estate market has experienced a rapid growth during the past years. In 2009 we will see continued development of a corporate business park, retail centres, additional commercial centre expansion and several residential developments. As Maple Ridge's real estate market it offers a great mix of older and newly constructed homes.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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