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Nova Scotia

Seasons Come And Go An Unusual Comparison

Larry Matthews: Real Estate Agent in Enfield, NS
As we approach the end of what has been a reasonably easy winter weather wise, I find myself thinking how much life and the weather have in common. Weather brings sunny days and stormy days as life brings good days and bad days. The one common denominator is that with patience the stormy weather will pass. Weather has the four seasons each year; spring ,summer, fall and winter. Life can be compared with childhood, adolescence, adult and old age. In both cases many days are unpredictable. We know we can’t control the weather and although we may exert great effort we come to realize there are many things in life beyond our control.

I recently read two books. I love to read and I usually have a number of books placed within easy reach around the house. These two books were Steve Jobs (of Apple fame) biography and Billy Graham (Of Christian fame) “The Journey”. As I was reading the two books at the same time I found myself comparing the two men’s lives and accomplishments.

I expected to be impressed with Mr Jobs and found I was somewhat surprised by him and his methods. I expected to read how Billy Graham had never doubted God, the way I have, and found he had. Although I was surprised by Steve I found him to be interesting and an obvious eccentric genius who changed the world. I also found him to be an example of how you do not have to treat people well to reap great rewards. Billy Graham is nearing the end of his life and Steve was facing the end of his life when his biography was written. Both have different perspectives on the here after. Steve thought there might be something. He hoped so any way. Billy Graham is convinced and tries to convince you to believe in Christ and thus Heaven. Billy makes a convincing case for how much God loves us. Steve makes a convincing case for following your dreams and doing what you want in life, not what some one else wants you to do
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Knowing he was going to die Steve quoted, “Almost everything-all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure-these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” He also quoted this, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the trouble makers, the round pegs in the square holes….the ones who see things differently--they are not fond of the rules…you can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things….they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones that do...THINK DIFFERENT !!”
Some interesting comments about death and life:

Here is what Billy said about death: “Most of all I take comfort in the hope we can have eternal life in Heaven because of Christ’s death and resurrection for us. I’ve preached this message almost all my life, and it means more to me now than ever before.” (Taken from Time in august 2007 after his wife Ruth’s death.)
In News week August 2006 He quoted: “I have a certainty about eternity that is a wonderful thing, and I thank God for giving me that certainty. I do not fear death. I may fear a little bit about the process, but not death itself, because I think the moment that my spirit leaves this body, I will be in the presence of the Lord.”
Here is some of what Billy said about life. “The Christen life is not a constant high. I have found my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘Oh God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.” “Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all, the key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to Him in trust and confidence.” (From his book “Just As I Am”)

The internet is full of quotes from both men. Two entirely different lives but probably two men who impacted more lives in the past 50 years than anyone else. So much accomplishments and such different philosophies.
I don’t know if they ever met or talked but I am going to impress upon you the importance of one common denominator, Death, that dreaded word. That dreaded end of life that we would ignore if we could. Both of these men understood the importance of death. You see if you accept you are going to die, life becomes more important. When you look at someone you love with the realization they are going to die they become more important to you. Death is part of life. Billy has the belief that life does not end with death. Steve wasn’t sure but both used death as a prime motivator. Billy, to lead as many people to Christ as he can before he dies and Steve, to lead as many people to apple as he could before he died.

So what is my point? I just happened to read these two books at the same time. I can relate to both these men. I am a Christen like Billy Graham (a speck beside a mountain) but a believer. I am a self made business person like Steve Job (Again a speck beside a mountain but an achiever.)
I have learned life is like the weather with good days and bad days and when we are going through a bad time (a storm) it will pass and the sun will shine again.

When we are young we think little of death and place little value on time. Maybe we are programmed that way. As young people we are advised by parents, teachers, employers, friends and others as to how we should live our lives. For Christians we have Sunday school and Church. I don’t remember anyone telling me I would someday die and that I only had so much time on this earth to accomplish what I wanted to do or what God wanted me to do. Maybe they did but the first time I felt that realization was when my mother passed away. I had lost a father, a step father and my youngest brother but it never dawned on me that my time was limited. I had always planned to build my mother her own little house and she passed away before I accomplished that.

You see it is Death that makes life worthwhile. Death is the goal post at the end of life. For Christians, death is the gateway to Heaven. Once you realize you are going to die, each day becomes more important. Once you realize your loved ones are going to die, your relationships become more important.
Death is not to be feared. Death is to be used as a catalyst to make the most of your life. I believe both Billy Graham and Steve Job utilized the knowledge and realization that their time here on earth is limited as a catalyst for tremendous and extraordinary accomplishment. Perhaps this realization is something we all could apply to our own lives. Just a thought.

Spring is coming and I’m looking for Robins!

Larry

Latest mortgage rates from Nova Nortgage

Merv Edinger & Associates: Real Estate Broker in Halifax, NS
MyMortgagePros.comWelcome to the February issue of the News & Rate Advisor.
Current Discount Mortgage Rates Feb 2012
Variable Rate 2.80%
1 Year 2.89%
2 Year 2.99%
3 Year 3.09%
4 Year 3.19%
5 Year 3.29%
7 Year 3.99%
10 Year 4.49%
Prime Rate 3.00%
* Rates subject to change and OAC.

Canadian Qualifying Rate Feb 2012
Rate 5.14%
Source: Bank of Canada

Current Posted Mortgage Rates Feb 2012 Feb 2011 Feb 2010
1 Year 3.20% 3.50% 3.60%
3 Year 3.95% 4.35% 4.15%
5 Year 5.14% 5.44% 5.39%
Source: Bank of Canada

Nationwide Building Permits. Dec 2011 Dec 2010 Dec 2009
Residential $4,470,717,000 $3,742,934,000 $3,837,709,000
Commercial $2,376,879,000 $1,911,467,000 $2,122,994,000
Total $6,847,596,000 $5,654,401,000 $5,960,703,000
Source: Stats Canada - preliminary figures

Current Bank & Prime Rates Feb 2012 Feb 2011 Feb 2010
Bank Rate 1.25% 1.25% 0.50%
Prime Rate 3.00% 3.00% 2.25%
Source: Bank of Canada

Average House Prices by Province Dec 2011 Dec 2010 Dec 2009
National $347,801 $344,551 $337,410
Yukon $343,284 $336,698 $231,167
Northwest Territories $368,543 $375,218 $271,963
British Columbia $513,583 $523,990 $495,903
Alberta $351,350 $341,999 $350,896
Saskatchewan $259,641 $241,971 $240,271
Manitoba $259,453 $232,648 $201,722
Ontario $356,338 $343,257 $331,410
Quebec $267,342 $256,106 $235,904
New Brunswick $153,089 $142,813 $148,559
Prince Edward Island $128,106 $144,327 $131,227
Nova Scotia $224,508 $211,971 $200,194
Newfoundland $258,750 $255,517 $231,107
Source: CREA - Most Recent Month Reported

Average House Prices by City Dec 2011 Dec 2010 Dec 2009
Yellowknife $368,543 $375,218 $271,963
Vancouver $689,057 $700,773 $627,582
Victoria $469,484 $496,814 $522,211
Edmonton $315,658 $310,885 $319,201
Calgary $392,661 $381,308 $394,300
Saskatoon $312,834 $300,693 $291,554
Regina $273,919 $251,690 $241,644
Toronto $451,436 $433,887 $411,931
Hamilton-Burlington $315,940 $324,590 $285,795
Ottawa-Carleton $335,330 $325,031 $311,604
Quebec City $250,888 $249,964 $231,235
Montreal $320,808 $304,684 $285,356
Fredericton $168,580 $142,642 $136,999
Saint John $162,859 $165,770 $178,037
Halifax-Dartmouth $254,228 $273,182 $246,380
Winnipeg $268,977 $239,183 $209,963
Source: CREA - Most Recent Month Reported


NOVA Mortgage

7 Mellor Ave Unit 1 Dartmouth N.S

Matt Cell 902-237-4472

Roger Cell 902-478-7909

Fax 902-434-1462

roger@novamortgage.ca

matt@novamortgage.ca

Thinking of selling your home? Call me! We have qualified buyers looking for...

Merv Edinger & Associates: Real Estate Broker in Halifax, NS

remax nova halifax real estate

Hello! Thank you for visting our blog. We have qualified buyers who are currently looking for the following:

1) A semi-detached home in Eastern Passage-Dartmouth

2) A 1 or more bedroom condo or home on the Halifax penninsula with a deeded parking space & a balcony or outdoor area for under $250,000

3) A bungalow in Portland Hills for under $380,000

4) A home with a double detached garage for under $310,000 in Dartmouth, Fall River, Enfield, Elmsdale areas

5) A 3-4 bedroom home in Colby, Woodlawn, or Forest Hills upto $250,000 prefer that it not be a bungalow.

6) A 3-4 bedroom 2or more bath home within 45-60 minutes of downtown Halifax with stables, barn for horses & is appropriately zoned for keeping them.

Please keep in mind that we are aware of homes currently listed on the mls system & we do charge a commission for our services plus, unfortunately, HST.

If your home meets any of these needs & you are considering selling, please give us a call at ( 902 )497-1217 with the details regarding your property.

Thank you again for your consideration,

Merv Edinger & Associates

http://www.MervEdinger.com

Condos in Halifax, Nova scotia - A top pick for investors!

02-13-12
Paul Viau
Paul Viau  : Real Estate Agent in Halifax, NS

The Condos in Halifax sales for January are in. The pending condo sales ratio to active listings
have never been higher. I've tracked the data for 3 years now and it's usually below
10% . It peaked last year at 11.5 %. 41 Pending sales / 260 actives = 15.7%!

The inventory is a bit low for this time of the year, but this is unprecedented! - Data date - Feb 05/12

Condos in Halifax

The MLS(R) sales for homes is fairly healthy at 254 Homes sold in HRM (Halifax
Regional Municipality) . They are up marginally over last year.

I had a look at peninsular Halifax just to see if that made a difference but
that too remained even. All data from Condos Nova Scotia Blog

The interest in condos is real and it's been affecting Halifax since Mid- October
when they announced the Irving Shipyard Contract. At first we thought it was
just a spike in the data, but on-going condo in Halifax sales seem to tell the story!

Investors are scooping up $200,000 to $300,000 condos! The interest rates
are super low. People just wanting a safe place to put their money are making
close to 10% ROI on their money. When investors get to be a certain age
they get a bit more careful with their money.

Halifax has always been slow and steady ,but always going up. The rate was always
2 - 3 % every year. This was why during the global recession that occurred in 2007
2008 we never missed a beat!

In areas like Lakeside, Spryfield etc: the returns can be even higher but there are
no condominiums in those areas.

http://condosnovascotia.ca is the property of Stages Real Estate

Paul Viau is licensed to sell real estate in the Province of Nova Scotia.
Condos in Halifax

Do open houses sell homes? ABSOLUTELY!!

Merv Edinger & Associates: Real Estate Broker in Halifax, NS

Many real estate agents tell their sellers that open houses are a waste of their time because they don't sell the home. However, these real estate agents are only looking at open houses from the possibility of themselves picking up the buyer for the home.

I look at them differently. It is true that I rarely pick up the actual buyer for the home a am doing the open house on, but I DO often find THE BUYER, who has their own agent, for that home. Often, seeing other buyers actively looking at a home, hearing their comments, will strike a chord with a buyer & create the urgency to get their offer in on the home. Even yesterday, I held an open house on one of my listings. A buyer came through. Then they returned with their parents for a second look. Within 30 minutes of having left the open house, I had received a call from their agent to get back in with them in the evening. And they tell us that they will be writing an offer this evening.

Do open houses work? Absolutely! Are they worth my time? Absolutely. If it results in a sale for my clients then it is worth my time as that is the reason they hired me. It is just a tool in the toolbox for marketing the property & myself.