About Halifax County, NS

Predictions for the Halifax Real Estate Market 2009

The New Year is upon us and who knows what is in store for 2009. 2008 was a tough year on everybody. With all the doom and gloom in the financial industry it is safe to assume that in 2009 we may be in for a rough ride here in Canada. Hot Real Estate markets like Calgary, Vancouver, and Fort Mac Murray have seen a drastic declines in the number of sales and prices have tumbled.

What is in store for us in the Halifax Real Estate market? In my professional opinion I think Halifax is positioned nicely to not feel the sting of this so called recession we are in. Last year we saw a 6.5% increase in average price and this year TD financial fore casted another rise in price but only by 2%. This is a modest increase but it is still an increase unlike other markets in Canada or the United States where the average price has gone down in some places by more than 50%.

I see the first half of 2009 being a buyer's market, right now we are seeing record volumes of inventory and days on market has increased. Combine those two and there are deals to be had. Interest rates are getting close to an all time low which will help more buyers get into their next home.

If you are looking to buy a home this year make sure you get a Realtor to represent you in the transaction, it could be worth thousands of dollars in your pocket. A strong agent who understands this market is going to get you a better bang for your buck.

In the next few months look for new changes to my blog. In the meantime if you are looking to buy or sell Real Estate in Halifax, Dartmouth and surrounding areas you can email me at andrewperkins@exitmetro.ca.

Andrew Perkins

Your Halifax Real Estate Expert

In this time of uncertainty, let's choose to be proactive and optimistic.....let's believe in ourselves and regard obstacles as opportunities! With good health all things are possible!

May the new year be everything we wish it to be.....Happy 2009!

I met a potential buyer client when sitting an open house recently; being new to the business, I was excited with the possibilities. She stayed to chat for quite a while and I thought this could be the real deal!

She readily gave me her contact info and a couple of days later I followed up with her and made suggestions as to how to proceed. With her permission, I added her to my prospector list so she could get the scoop on newly-listed properties and added her to my online newsletter. I also invited her and guest to our office client Christmas party. I have not heard back from her......

So now I am wondering....is this a bit like a first date? You want to make a good first impression, show interest and yet not present as desperate or clingy. I must remember she doesn't know me personally and perhaps felt that I might become too pushy. So I made no further contact with her, feeling that the ball is firmly in her court.....and of course there's always the possibility that she just may not be a truly motivated buyer.

So here's the question......with a motivated buyer, how many touches are appropriate to show your prospective client that you are a top-notch real estate professional, without being perceived as an over-anxious first date! ;-)

If I wanted to search for a foreclosure property or home in Nova Scotia, are there any sites I can access for free that would list the properties and how much they are going for? I want to monitor it and see if any properties come up that I may be interested in.

I checked the court system web sites, sherrifs web site etc but cannot find any listings and I know there are approx 75 homes in the foreclosure process at least.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

HRMbyDesign will increase vibrancy and beauty of downtown Halifax

HRMbyDesign has engaged the public in a democratic, community-led process to determine the vision for our downtown and to establish new policy that will make the vision a reality. Over the past two years the citizen-led Urban Design Task Force has consulted, engaged and communicated with thousands of members of the public to ensure that the resulting plan creates a vibrant, exciting and beautiful downtown for residents and visitors. It is a plan that balances our rich past with a vibrant and beautiful future. Without this plan, we will continue to see parking lots on our waterfront, vacant and underused properties throughout the downtown, crumbling heritage resources in need of support through legislation and incentives for restoration, and an ongoing out-migration of young, highly skilled workers looking for a dynamic and progressive place to live and work.

This Plan will neither encourage nor allow 30 high-rises in the central business district, nor will it encourage the demolition of heritage resources. On the contrary, HRMbyDesign will provide strengthened heritage protections and directs any future tall buildings to those areas where tall buildings already exist, thereby preserving the heritage heart of the downtown. Finally, HRMbyDesign is creating new planning policy and has no ability to influence applications being processed under current policy.

The establishment of the Barrington Street Heritage Conservation District (HCD), HRM's first ever HCD, will occur with the adoption of the Downtown Plan. It will help protect and conserve this continuous, well-defined heritage area through improved demolition and rehabilitation guidelines, and a tax incentive and grants program designed to stimulate the revitalization of this historic streetscape.

Improved demolition control is also being sought through provincial legislative amendments to help protect the stand-alone heritage buildings not located in the Barrington Street HCD, and through the identification of two other future heritage conservation districts - Historic Properties and Barrington Street south. Heritage design guidelines in the new Design Manual will guide appropriate development and design of buildings integrated with, and next to existing heritage buildings both inside and outside of HCD's.

Another protection for heritage exists within the proposed development approvals process and proposed downtown land use by-law. Under the existing development agreement process, new development projects can be negotiated to heights up to the ceiling of the Citadel and Ramparts View Planes. We have seen this occur countless times over the years, as evidenced by the many tall buildings in our central business district. In many cases, HRMbyDesign is actually reducing heights below those attainable under current policy, to a pre-established maximum that has been agreed upon by the public throughout this process. These heights have been widely consulted and are informed by the local neighbourhoods, adjacency to heritage conservation districts or other tall buildings, view planes, access to public open spaces such as the waterfront boardwalk, and many other factors. Further, the new bonus zoning agreement process will provide protection 2 for heritage through onsite restoration or improvements as a public benefit to be provided by the developer.

Excerpted from www.halifax.ca website

I am an avid supporter of this plan. Halifax needs to move with the times and create an exciting downtown core. I was driving in the downtown area today and there are too many buildings not being occupied. The downtown core needs to be the heart of the city. I hope this plan gets final approval and moves forward. I will keep you posted as things change.

If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Halifax, Dartmouth and surrounding areas you can email me at andrewperkins@exitmetro.ca.

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Andrew Perkins

Your Halifax Real Estate Expert