Headwaters 2012 Equine Forum

 

Real Estate Agents and Restaurant Owners aren’t the only ones who have first-hand small business experience. What some have stopped noticing is that our farms all across Canada have succeeded as small businesses and partners in many corporations. Just last week, I went to join some very interesting professionals who either own or operate small businesses. They are a part of the Hills of Headwaters Destination Development & Equine Forum. What they do is support the dream of making Headwaters a hotspot for tourism and development. Shelley Peterson was one person that really caught my eye. A successful author and actress who owns a stable that is home to over twenty horses. She is not only an attraction herself, but as is her barn, Saddle Creek, which is the setting in two of her more recent published novel. She spoke on video to us about the focus of keeping money in the local economy.

There was also John Downey. He and his family own a dairy farm which has been operated by them for three generations. His story is inspiring, hearing how his parents were able to build the farm and make it run, later having John join the work after college and now having his kids help him out. They have attractions such as home-made ice cream and a bakery. They also host parties and school trips.

Key note speaker John Nicholson, a well known man who has been the Executive Director at Kentucky Horse Park since 1997. He has completely turned Kentucky Horse Park upside down in every good sense of the saying. His knowledge and assertiveness has KHP being known as the finest equestrian competition facility in the world. He has convinced the USA to allow the World Equestrian Games and was the President for the competition in 2010. He has been awarded the Special Eclipse Award which is the highest honor in the Thoroughbred industry, on behalf of the Park and in 2010, the Prestigious Equine Industry Vision Award from the American Horse Publications for “outstanding leadership, creativity and meritorious contributions to the equine industry” and many more.

These great people succeeded and continue to succeed because of their contributions to the community. They bring in tourists to our towns which keeps the economy going. We will flourish because of our willingness to work together and brainstorm great ideas on how to keep the countryside an attraction. Not many see places and farms with rolling hills like ours anymore. Now, with the help of the Headwaters Horse Country Movement, the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association and our regional residents we can keep the Hills of Headwaters growing as a destination for years to come.

Ontario Renovation Program

The majority of us know that Home Ownership can be a difficult duty. The cost of living today is high and with so many responsibilities to your family and not enough hours in the day, projects around the house can fall to the bottom of the list.  Well I have a solution for you! The program below is like winning a home renovation lottery. Dufferin County has become a part of the Ontario Renovates Program. What this Program provides is financial assistance to home owners or renters to make necessary upgrades to their home to make it more livable. However, this offer doesn’t come without a catch…or at least criteria.

To enter yourself into this program, you must:

-Be eighteen or over

-(when renting) obtain permission from Landlord

-be making a gross income of $82,600 or less

The home also has to be valued at $366,655 or less and the maximum grant given is $3,500.

We all need a helping hand once in a while and this is what the ORP is here for. If it is yourself or someone you know that needs this kind of help, you can contact Juli Griffin, who is the head of Dufferin’s ORP at these contacts:

County of Dufferin

Community Services – Housing

229 Broadway, Unit 4

Orangeville, ON

Email: jgriffin@dufferincounty.on.ca

Phone: (519) 941-6991, ext 2404

 

Remember that enrolling in the Program is confidential and you are entitled to that confidentiality. The people of ORP are here to work out an opportunity for you so go for it! This is your chance to make your house more welcoming than ever before.

Real Estate Incline

The Market’s looking up everyone! If anything, the time is now to sell your home. This is a synopsis of an article based on sale comparables of last year to this year. Though there were less transactions, which is merely due to mortgage restrictions, the economy is gathering itself up again. Read below for more info!

 

“Greater Toronto Area (GTA) REALTORS® reported 5,879 transactions through the TorontoMLS system in September 2012. The average selling price for these transactions was $503,662, representing an increase of more than 8.5 per cent compared to last year.

The number of transactions was down by 21 per cent in comparison to September 2011. However, it is important to note that there were two fewer working days in September 2012 compared to September 2011. The majority of transactions are entered on working days. On a per working day basis, sales were down by 12.5 per cent year-over-year.

“While sales have been lower due to stricter mortgage lending guidelines, we continue to see substantial competition between buyers. The months of inventory trend remains low from a historic perspective, which explains the strong price increases we are experiencing,” said Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Ann Hannah.

September average selling prices were up compared to last year for all major home types. Price growth was strongest in the City of Toronto, including for condominium apartments with eight per cent year-over-year growth. All benchmark home types included in the MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI) experienced year-over-year price increases, with substantially stronger increases for low-rise home types.

“Barring a major change to the consensus economic outlook, home price growth is expected to continue through 2013. Based on inventory levels, price growth will be strongest for low-rise home types, including single-detached and semi-detached houses and town homes,” said TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis, Jason Mercer.”

 

If you ever need to know more about trends and declines in the market, you can always call and ask me. I have access to the latest top stories and the juicy details on how we can sell how home the fastest! Have a great day to all!

 

-Sarah

Just Around the Bend

When buying a home, you want to make sure you’re searching in ideal areas. An average family, for example, will look for areas that have short commutes, parks, and schools that are in the area of the home that they are touring. An average older person, however, would be looking for places that are nearby places of worship or recreational centers for their quieter lives. Things like these make all the difference in your home buying choice that can also add on to the price of the homes. Making small sacrifices will most likely be a part of your overall decision but will be completely worth your while, assuming that they would only be small sacrifices.

There are also certain things that you should avoid when buying. Areas that surround water treatment plants aren’t too great, the smell can be too overwhelming some days. Being too close to train stations and yards including subway underpasses can be noisy and dangerous for anyone. You’ll probably want to avoid Fire Houses, Hospitals, and Police Stations as well. Even though they are keeping us all safe, it’s not very appealing to live where sirens will be sounding. Busy highways and streets are a huge factor when you’re making a home buying decision. If it makes you’re commute a little less dreadful then that’s ok, but you really shouldn’t live near them when you have smaller children. The streets are not regulated with “Watch For Children” signs and they’re bad news for many accidents. Searching in slummier areas should be something else for everyone to avoid, too. You never know what types of people are lurking in alleyways and on quiet streets so avoid being near clinics and bars.

Another factor is weather. Does it rain a lot? Are there worse storms that blow through this area? Do Tornados come through here? Depending on the lifestyle and home that you are looking for, weather can be very important to avoid or strive for in an area. You could be looking at a very nice home with a really ideal price but did you ever stop and think that weather might hit this area very hard? Lots of rain can affect your basement and sewage. If the home floods too much due to weather conditions, it’s not really worth the buy.

You will also want to avoid looking in places that make you go over budget, staying at least $10,000 under your budget should allow a little wiggle room for any possible changes that might need to be made. Looking in newly renovated homes will not please you in price so look at home that could have the carpet torn up to reveal a rustic hardwood or kitchen cabinets that could be painted over easily.

I found a checklist the other day that will be useful when looking at homes. You can print it off or you can hire me as your agent to get as many as you need and as you tour homes, you can write down what applies to the homes.

You’ll want to make several copies of this checklist and fill one out for each home you tour. Then, comparing your ratings later will be easy: http://www.sarahlunn.com/account/3fb6b08b597d28e4/pdfs/checklist.pdf

Take Charge

 

Have you ever had a person speak down to you, as if you were lesser? Has it ever been done to you by a real estate agent? Some agents may think that they know a lot more than others and can control how you sell your home or what you buy. If you won’t buy something that doesn’t look good on you from Le Chateau or H&M, then why should you buy a home that just doesn’t feel right?

I support the knowledge of the client. If you brush up on your real estate knowledge and current real estate sales, no real estate agent should get in your way. As a client, you are entitled to opinion, suggestions, or even changing your mind about buying or selling your home.

Unfortunately, there are adult bullies that think that their own opinion matters most.  You should never let someone push you around and force you into hastily making a very big decision. If there’s ever an issue will your agent, whether they’re lazy or just plain rude, you can always seek refuge with me. All you have to do is search for homes that you like and if they’re off the market or a bit out of price or commute range, I can give you some suggestions on other houses that fit your criteria. We can look for as long as you need to, there is never any rush and I am always just a phone call away. There will always be an answer.

Never let someone bully you into making big decisions way too fast. If you aren’t satisfied then don’t keep in touch with them. When buying a home, find a real estate agent that fits you and a home that will cater to all of your needs. And, if you ever want a place in the area, just let me know!

 

-Sarah

DIY: Budgeting

Yes, it’s the big word, budgeting. But don’t be afraid, it’s not all as hard as it seems. Follow a few simple rules and you’ll soon be leading a nearly debt-free life. In this blog, you’ll learn about getting ahead on payments, trimming the expenses fat, and how to manage a debt free life.

To begin, go digging for your financial records. Everything from A to Z, pull it out and go over it. Look for all the silly expenses like when you get small decorative items for no reason or maybe you bought an app for your on-the-go device(s). These are the expenses that you shouldn’t feel the need to pay for.

TIP: Don’t buy gas in the morning; it is always about $0.02 higher than what it is at night!

Now, sort them into these categories: Miscellaneous, Gas & Car, Food, Clothing, and Bills. You can add more if you’d like to sort, for example, debit and Visa, or who’s Visa was used for which. Seems like a lot, right? So top making it a lot! Start thinking about what you really need and separate that from what you THINK you need/want. Take responsibility for what you’ve spent on and don’t spend ridiculously after you start up you financing plan.

And that’s what you’re going to do next. Start a plan. Give yourself so much money for certain things. Quit spending your money on chips and chocolate bars when you go to the grocery store. Only pay for what you truly need. And, if you think you “need” over 20 pairs of $100 priced shoes, you may need more help than I can offer. However, if you worked out your budget, you can eventually start buying fancy things like shoes or a certain colour of body paint for the old mustang sitting in the garage – and yes, that’s for all you over spending men out there.

A small spending splurge isn’t going to kill your wallet; it will actually make you work harder in your Financial Success Plan. Now, this plan that I keep talking about, it has to be a visual, physical, in-a-folder plan. Don’t just say you have a plan and not have one to read from. Having a plan will help you better to outline what you have left over from necessary spending and your small trips to the mall.

Once you start paying off your Visa cards and decide maybe you can handle a larger home with a bit of a higher mortgage, come talk to me. I can find you a place where the commute will be less – which saves you on gas – and it’ll be the perfect dream home. I also sell vacant land so if you feel comfortable enough, you can build a dream of your own.

Call or click today and I’ll respond to you asap.

 

-Sarah