About Simcoe County, ON

I was at the new Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls over the weekend. An impressive facility. Over 1600 people from across the province were there for the PCPO annual general meeting, keeping the tills of hotels, restaurants and other merchants ringing over the weekend in this city of under 85,000 that is otherwise comatose at this time of year.

I couldn't help thinking how well such a facility would work in Barrie Ontario. We are within an hour of the GTA, home to millions of people and Canada's economic engine. We are almost 2 hours closer to the nearest international airport. Kempenfelt Bay may not hold the distinction of being one of the top 7 natural wonders of the world but it is awe inspiring none the less and as far as outdoor activities go, the region has far more to offer than standing around watching water fall over a cliff.

Barrie is now on the radar with major Canadian Banks as a choice location for its data centres.

Having this dinstinction now we should be boldly promoting Barrie’s prime potential as a future convention destination to our leading financial institutions who have both the means and track record for establishing large scale convention/arts centres. I think most of us can think of a few in town Barrie locations that could accomodate a full scale convention centre. In addition to hosting conventions and the arts, what better location can you name in Ontario to host boat, cottage, sports or home shows? The spin off business would be significant for Barrie.

Two Steady Years in the Canadian Real Estate Market Forecasted by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Crown Corporation insures Canadian Mortgages.

CMHC calls for moderate growth in 2012, forecasting housing starts in the range of164,000 to 212,700 and sales of existing homes to be in the range of 406,000 to 504,500, and 2013 housing starts to be in the range of 168,000 to 219,300 with the resale market to be in the range of 417,600 to 517,400. Among key factors backing CMHC's prediction are low interest rates and a "moderately" expanding economy.

To read the complete article from the Business News Network or to see a video commentary of the CMHC forecast, click here.

YuKi Sushi, Alliston Ontario, the "new" Sushi Restaurant in town.

OK, "new" is relative. But I finally walked over to the Southwest corner of Victoria and Paris streets and tried the fare at Alliston newest and only Sushi Restaurant.

I decided to order a Bento Box and an order of Edamame and walk back to the office and sample the fare of this intimate restaurant in downtown Alliston.

I sampled the Salmon Bento Box, which included a salad, miso soup, sashimi, sushi and a roll.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The food was fresh, very tasty, and I found the Miso soup and Edamame not salty at all, which seems to be my most common complaint.

Now, this restaurant, is not an "all-you-can-eat" restaurant like Sushi Hama in Bolton or Akira Sushi in Barrie. What you might fall short in quantity, I feel you will gain in quality. I think there is enough variety in the dinner choices to satisfy almost everybody and enough choice in the a la carte menu for evening the discerning sushi palate.

I have not seen dishes like the Goma-ae (Japanese Style Spinach Salad), Spicy Sashimi Salad (Sashimi and vegetables tossed in a spicy sauce), Chirashi (Assorted Sashimi on a bed of rice), nor a la carte Sashimi like Maguro (Tuna), Albacore (Longfin Tuna), Izumi dai (Tilapia), Ika (Cuttlefish), Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) in any of the local "all you can eat" sushi restaurants.

If you live in New Tecumseth or surrounding area, you no longer have far to drive to sate your craving for fine Sushi.

The fare at YuKi (pronounced You-key) Sushi, located on the West side of Paris Street south of Victoria Street, 16 Paris Street, Alliston is anything BUT yucky!. Helen and I will soon be back for dinner.

phone: 705.250.6254
YuKi Sushi

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently released their first quarter 2012 publication which gives us some insight into the state of the market at the end of 2011 and some shifts in the market which indicate changes to come in 2012 for the Barrie real estate market.

There are three main conclusions that the CMHC has drawn from the close of business in 2011. (1) New home starts shifting from single-detached to higher density dwellings, (2) An increase in existing home sales and (3) Barrie's real estate market continued to remain balanced.

(1) Higher Density Home Starts Increase

New constructions has shifted away from single-detached homes and towards higher density dwellings such as rows or apartments. According to CMHC the ratio of single-detached homes to total starts has been trending down since 2007. This downward trend indicates that Barrie is becoming more urban. It is also due to an increase in demand from both aging baby boomers and cost-conscious younger buyers for more affordable high density homes. This is not the case however in Innisfil and Springwater Township whose markets have only seen a slight decrease in the ratio of single-detached starts to total starts.

(2) Existing Home Sales Increase

The price gap between new home sales and existing home sales continued to widen in 2011. The average price of a new single-detached home in 2011 was $418,000 and the average price of an existing home in 2011 was in the range of $282,000 to $249,000. Because of this price gap some buyers looked to the existing homes in order to save on cost.

(3) Barrie Market Remains Balanced

As a whole in 2011 the Barrie market saw steady sales activity and flat new listings. This pushed the sales to new listings ratio higher but still within that of a balanced market. Homebuyers in 2011 remained cautious and most focused on homes with lower price tags. Mortgage rates remained low and full time jobs continued to increase giving buyers the security they needed to enter the market. Sales increased faster than new listings which indicates that first time buyers also returned to the market.

Please feel free to contact me any time to learn more about the Barrie real estate market and be sure to forward this article on to any friends or family that may be interested as well.

Sincerely,

Peggy Hill

Take a tour of Manhattan condos in Barrie, Ontario – the city’s only residence that combines urban and nature. In this video, we walk you through a chic 606 square foot bachelor condo. For more information and virtual tours, please visit Pratt Homes.