Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S.

Hydrostone Place - Photo taken 06/02/2008 Completion date June 30/2008

is a "boutique" condominium developed and designed with you, the discerning buyer, in mind. When you purchase a Hydrostone Place home, you are selecting more than a prestigious residence – you are investing in a lifestyle.

Situated just minutes from downtown Halifax, Hydrostone Place is within a walking distance to the historic Hydrostone Market that offers trendy cafes, unique shops and renowned eateries.

Exterior construction consists of brick and stone complimenting the historical architecture of the timeless neighborhood, while keeping the location sensitivity in mind.

One and two bedrooms suites are available with features such as large wrap around balconies and are designed around a modern open concept for optimal space utilization.

The suites are tastefully appointed with ceramic, engineered hardwood and carpeting; distinguishing Hydrostone Place from the rest.

This twenty five unit condominium is designed to ensure the evolution of a small cohesive community.

Here are some popular floor plans:

Suite Name	Number of Bedrooms	Floor Plans (PDF)
The Magnolia	1 bedroom + den	Magnolia
The Gardenia	1 bedroom + den	Gardenia
The Mimosa	2 bedrooms + den	Mimosa
The Hibiscus	2 bedrooms + den	Hibiscus
The Hyacinth	2 bedrooms + den	Hyacinth

The Developer.

BACK TO MORE CONDOS

If you would like more information and pricing please feel free to contact myself at 902 -499-2950

Or you may e-mail me at pviau@gmail.com

See my site at homesearchnovascotia.com

More condos at homesearchnovascotia.com

Halifax is ready to take advantage of the massive demographic shift in the retirement population. It seems that while the younger population is leaving, the older population who moved west in the 80s and 90s are returning in mass. they are coming from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto. They are selling their big houses and putting half in the bank and investing the rest in one of many condos available in the Halifax market.

To list some of the big ones include

Shepards landing -high-end oceanfront development downtown

Shepperd's Island - again high-end oceanfront development in Dartmouth.

Morris Street -Leston Court

Falkland Street - uptown condominium living.

Maitland Street - the Brickyard.

In trendy central Halifax there' two new buildings .

There's the Hydrostone Place.

and the Gladstone Ridge Towers.

For those that don't want to live downtown -there is Royal Summit. On Regency Park Drive.

there's a lot more to choose from so stay tuned! I'll eventually link to and discuss each individually and have pictures.

Right now I'm favoring down Royal Summit. Absolutely the easiest to get out of and get to the airport or where or where ever . Regency Park Drive will connect to Lacewood and shopping. For now it's my pick of the week.

Halifax – A job shortage crisis?

I recently read Gerald Walsh’s column on trends to watch for in the workplace in 2008.

I guess with the recent exodus of skilled workers to places like Calgary it’s becoming tougher

and tougher to fill skilled job positions.

“Forget about hiring the ideal candidate” he says. “You’re going to have to hire

the closest to ideal candidate and “train up” through mentoring, training and coaching.”

“Younger managers will be in over their heads.” These newly appointed managers will get younger

and younger and face workplace situations they have never encountered before.

Employers will be faced with putting in things like health and wellness programs, flextime, additional

vacations and better benefits. Flextime - meaning the 8:30 to 5:00 mentality no longer fits.

“Less demand for education and more demand for training.” As much as I support getting

a formal education its going to become less important in today’s world. Training will

move toward community colleges and trade schools. As long as the economy remains strong

and there is a premium on workers this trend shall continue.

I am hearing that IT jobs alone face a 1000 job deficit in the coming year in Halifax. With all this good news we should be able to attract people to the Halifax area and reverse the westward trend.

Well, it’s been a mixed bag that’s for sure! It started out strong looking like things were going to bounce back after a dismal 2006 in St. Margaret’s Bay. The buyers showed up in mass and it looked like a blockbuster season. Then hardly anyone bought. A slump in the Calgary market was a major player blamed in the slowdown with a correction there at roughly $50,000. The eastern surge is evident as

people are retiring early, returning home and buying condos and oceanfront. There is a market for Higher priced luxury Homes as well.

The buyers just are not ready to dish-out the huge bucks for properties that haven’t seen an update for 20+ years. A further $50,000 reduction in properties led to no sales with a couple of surprises seeing two overpriced listings sell. However, this goes to show that new or newer homes will sell!

As far as sales go for 2008? Your guess is as good as mine I guess. The whole Halifax / south market inc. St. Margaret’s Bay, East Chester , Chester Basin is a great long term investment. The word on the street seems to be that there will be no increases in value till mid 2009. One word of wisdom I have for sellers is that dated homes don’t sell without big discounts in pricing. Location for boaters isn’t always a trump card either without improvements to property.

People will snap up land and build now that we finally have options on that front. But when the 7-8 lots are gone, expect big increases in lot prices as the 2.5 acre minimum will push prices up considerably.

The other trend will be the buying of tired properties and renovating for profit. It seems the differential between new and old houses has grown. It is a great opportunity for investors although it will require a bit a leap of faith. Good returns for those willing!

Feb 21/2008

The Bank of Canada is meeting on the first week of March and it looks like there is room for a rate cut. I am also hearing rumors of even more cute to come in coming months. If that is true - The season will be extremely busy with perhaps a bounce-back!