It looks like it is going to be a White Christmas after all!
On behalf of everyone at Magnuson Realty Ltd, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a healthy happy 2009!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly
More doom and gloom, that's what I read in the newspapers and see on the evening news. You hear about it on the radio and at the local coffee shops. Why would anyone invest in real estate these days in these conditions? "That's just crazy!"
Well here is some food for thought - within the Brooks Real Estate Board, the average house price has risen 5.1% over the past year. Yes, I said risen! How are your stocks doing? I am too scared to look at mine! There are a larger number of houses available on the market now than in past years, but as a buyer, this is a good thing. Take a look at the past few years when buyers had to just take what they could get and make an offer now or risk losing out. Today, buyers can shop around and search for the best deal, take the time for a property inspection, and take time to negotiate. Sounds less stressful to me. Just a thought for all those who think that the sky is falling.
Well here is some food for thought - within the Brooks Real Estate Board, the average house price has risen 5.1% over the past year. Yes, I said risen! How are your stocks doing? I am too scared to look at mine! There are a larger number of houses available on the market now than in past years, but as a buyer, this is a good thing. Take a look at the past few years when buyers had to just take what they could get and make an offer now or risk losing out. Today, buyers can shop around and search for the best deal, take the time for a property inspection, and take time to negotiate. Sounds less stressful to me. Just a thought for all those who think that the sky is falling.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
A Time to Remember
In a time where everyone is talking negatively, whether its about the economy, the Canadian dollar, recession, whatever, how about taking this day to be thankful and proud. Thankful and proud of those who have served and those who are currently serving in the armed forces for our country, Canada. Many of those soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I could be here today. So that we can enjoy the freedom that we take so much for granted each day.
Yes, we have all heard it before and perhaps we don't always pay as much attention or give thanks like we should, but how about today...bow your head, take that moment of silence our of respect, and let you heart swell with pride and smile, knowing how great and lucky we are to be Canadian!
Yes, we have all heard it before and perhaps we don't always pay as much attention or give thanks like we should, but how about today...bow your head, take that moment of silence our of respect, and let you heart swell with pride and smile, knowing how great and lucky we are to be Canadian!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Fall of 2008
Inventory is up, sales have been slower than they were the past few years. Does this mean time to panic? Is the economy going down the tubes and we are all going to lose our shirts? Of course not.
Don't you remember your social studies classes, or in my case, my university economics class? Everything goes in cycles. How would anyone ever expect the housing market to maintain such strong growth for so long? Buyers were being priced out of the market place. Things had to slow down.
Will the market ever turn around again? Of course it will, it's just a matter of when. What do you think about this coming spring? Spring is when the flowers start to bloom and the grass turns green. The days get longer and the weather gets warmer. PLUS, the US will have a new government. With a new government comes optimism. With optimism comes happy people, confident people, with a brighter outlook on life! Here in Canada, we too could have a new government. Looks more like it will be the same party, but a majority this time. They will actually be able to do something with the worry of losing power in a non-confidence vote. More optimism!
Of course there are no guarantees and my crystal ball broke, so my predictions are not worth a whole lot, but I do like the theory. Let's see if is right. Hmmmm...perhaps I should go get a 6-49 ticket. I mean what if I can predict the future....
Don't you remember your social studies classes, or in my case, my university economics class? Everything goes in cycles. How would anyone ever expect the housing market to maintain such strong growth for so long? Buyers were being priced out of the market place. Things had to slow down.
Will the market ever turn around again? Of course it will, it's just a matter of when. What do you think about this coming spring? Spring is when the flowers start to bloom and the grass turns green. The days get longer and the weather gets warmer. PLUS, the US will have a new government. With a new government comes optimism. With optimism comes happy people, confident people, with a brighter outlook on life! Here in Canada, we too could have a new government. Looks more like it will be the same party, but a majority this time. They will actually be able to do something with the worry of losing power in a non-confidence vote. More optimism!
Of course there are no guarantees and my crystal ball broke, so my predictions are not worth a whole lot, but I do like the theory. Let's see if is right. Hmmmm...perhaps I should go get a 6-49 ticket. I mean what if I can predict the future....
Monday, September 8, 2008
September 2008
As of Monday, September 8, there are 114 single family residential listings in the City of Brooks. This is a high number, meaning a large selection of properties for potential buyers. There are 4 condo units for sale, ranging between $117,000 and $166,00. There are 18 mobile homes for sale ranging from $26,000 up to $129,500. There are 16 acreages on the market in the County of Newell. These figures are taken from all listings within the Brooks Real Estate Board.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Back to School
It's hard to think about but summer is just about over. Back to school shopping is in full swing. The farmers are busy in the fields as crops have turned golden and are ready to be harvested. And, if you can believe it, the Brooks Bandits (Junior A hockey team) are having their first pre-season game of the season on August 26th!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
110
110 - That is the number of single family residential listings on the market as of today in the City of Brooks. Buyers still have a lot of inventory to choose from, while some sellers patiently stand by and others are reducing their list prices. This is a general trend in the Alberta real estate market. Actually, this is happening throughout much of Canada. Is this the end of the real estate market world? Of course not. Is it a correction in the market? Yes. Sellers have had a strong market in the past 6 or 7 years, and now the market is getting back to "normal". As a seller, you must be more aware of what the trend is in the market and be competitive. As a buyer, you have lots to choose from and you can take your time, making sure that you have the right home for you.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
"Food for thought"
Someone was quoted in stating "Many people wish to wait until next year, when prices may be lower, which of course, is a risk in and of itself. Prices may be lower, or may be higher. How many times have you waited for that special sweater at your favourite store to be marked down, only to discover that it was snapped up by someone else before you had the chance to purchase it?
If may be a simple analogy, but the principle is the same: Sometimes you snooze, you lose. If that's okay with you, then go ahead and wait it out. Hopefully you won't want to kick yourself a year from now.
The truth is, none of the experts can accurately predict the real estate market any better than the experts can accurately predict the stock market or what as prices will be a year from now. If you purchasd real estate in 2006 or 2007, you most likely got a great home at a terrific price with a low interest rate. Provided you stay in your home for several years, you will benefit when property values eventually rise again.
If you are selling now, you may be selling a little lower to buy lower. Same as a year or two ago, if you were selling, you were selling higher, but more than likely buying higher as well.
The best thing to do now is to determine what you can afford, decide what's important in a house and neighborhood, and start looking for a new home.
After all, it is a good time to buy!
If may be a simple analogy, but the principle is the same: Sometimes you snooze, you lose. If that's okay with you, then go ahead and wait it out. Hopefully you won't want to kick yourself a year from now.
The truth is, none of the experts can accurately predict the real estate market any better than the experts can accurately predict the stock market or what as prices will be a year from now. If you purchasd real estate in 2006 or 2007, you most likely got a great home at a terrific price with a low interest rate. Provided you stay in your home for several years, you will benefit when property values eventually rise again.
If you are selling now, you may be selling a little lower to buy lower. Same as a year or two ago, if you were selling, you were selling higher, but more than likely buying higher as well.
The best thing to do now is to determine what you can afford, decide what's important in a house and neighborhood, and start looking for a new home.
After all, it is a good time to buy!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Large supply of inventory
Brooks and area has a large supply of listings. This is great for the buyers as there is a wide variety of homes to choose from and there is time to shop and compare. For sellers who are serious about selling soon, there is the motivation to have your property in "show" condition and price it competitively. This is a changing trend that is not just happening in Brooks, but throughout Alberta. Brooks has many more listings now than one year ago, Calgary and Edmonton Real Estate Boards are reporting the same, as well as all other boards throughout the province. Fort McMurry is an exception as they are still booming up there. Is this the end of the world as far as real estate goes? Of course not. The market is cyclical and we have now changed to a buyer's market. It is a great time to buy, like I said earlier. Buy when the market has lots to choose from, sell when the inventory is low. "Buy low, sell high". Sounds like the stock market, yet I am still doing much better with real estate than my mutual funds and RRSPs!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Brooks Ranked 66th Best Place to Live in Canada
Residents in Brooks know that this is a great rate communities on a number of factors including,place to live. The community got a big endorsement by a nationwide poll by MoneySense and Canadian Business Magazine, which placed Brooks in 66th place, out of 154 communities surveyed. Medicine Hat finished 103rd on the list. This didn't sit well with that community. This likely comes as a shock, considering the bad publicity Brooks often recieves. On a Medicine Hat radio program last week, it lead one announcer to ask why Brooks finished so much higher than Medicine Hat especially considering that Brooks stinks. Brooks also finished higher than Red Deer, Kelowna, Grand Prairie, Camrose and Okotoks. They The best place in Canada to live was Ottawa and Port Alberni was 154th.
This article was taken from the Brooks Online May 5, 2008 edition.
This article was taken from the Brooks Online May 5, 2008 edition.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Canadian Real Estate Association AGM
I was in Gatineau, Quebec last week, representing the Brooks Real Estate Board at the CREA AGM and Leadership Conference. First of all, if you are ever in Gatineau, you must stay at least one night in the Hilton Lac-Leamy. VERY NICE!
The conference itself was very informative and interesting. We had speakers from IPSOS, telling us about trends in today's market, Risk Management, and we had Justin Trudeau. Justin seems to be a very smart, personable individual. My guess is that he will follow in his father's footsteps and become PM one day. I do, however, think that he will be more of an open minded leader.
We were told that the declining US market will have an effect on the Canadian market, basically with some American plants shutting down and some Canadian businesses who depend on the American consumers may feel the pinch. As far as real estate goes, Canada seems to have a much better system in place to keep our market in check. Good to hear! We are the envy of the US with our MLS system. It IS great to be a Canadian!
The conference itself was very informative and interesting. We had speakers from IPSOS, telling us about trends in today's market, Risk Management, and we had Justin Trudeau. Justin seems to be a very smart, personable individual. My guess is that he will follow in his father's footsteps and become PM one day. I do, however, think that he will be more of an open minded leader.
We were told that the declining US market will have an effect on the Canadian market, basically with some American plants shutting down and some Canadian businesses who depend on the American consumers may feel the pinch. As far as real estate goes, Canada seems to have a much better system in place to keep our market in check. Good to hear! We are the envy of the US with our MLS system. It IS great to be a Canadian!
Monday, February 25, 2008
February 25, 2008
As of this morning, there are 94 residential listings in the City of Brooks, 17 mobile home listings, 8 acreage listings in Brooks and the County of Newell, and 3 farmland listings in the County of Newell. A wide selection of properties for potential home buyers to choose from whether you are looking for single family or mobile homes. Farmland is still limited for what is available for sale.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
February 2008
The phones are still ringing, but now properties are actually starting to move! Mother Nature has slowed things down at times with some cold weather, but I think that people are getting the itch! There seems to be more offers on the table within the past few weeks and that is great for the market. There is still a large selection of properties for Buyers, but Sellers now have a market where people are ready to make a purchase. I have about 4 or 5 offers on the go with my own clients right now!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
And we're off!
I thought that January was suppose to be slow. Nah, nah! The phone has been ringing off the hook since the beginning of the year. The coffee shop talk is that the world is going downhill fast, the Canadian dollar is too high, and the oil patch is going to slow down even more. On the other hand, others think that the market has hit bottom and now is the time to buy. Perhaps others have just decided to make a new year's resolution and invest in real estate. Prices last year went up about 9.9% last year in Brooks, still better than my savings account! The city of Brooks is proceeding with further development on the Meadowbrook area, and the second phase of the Brooks Affordable Housing Project is proceeding this year as well. Other areas around the province are starting off 2008 as a busy month. I suggest taking your time, asking lots of questions, and make an informed decision, not an emotional one.
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