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Selling Your Home This Fall Doesn’t Have To Be SCARY!

Halloween is just around the corner! However, that doesn’t mean you have to ‘SCARED’ to sell your home this Fall. In fact, now is a great time to list your home for sale. We’ve compiled 4 ‘Tricks’ that will help you enjoy all the ‘Treats’ of a Fall Sale!

THE MARKET IS STILL HOT!
Sale prices are up across our community and properties aren’t staying on the market long. It’s the perfect time to cash in on your investment. What would you do with the extra money?

MOTIVATED BUYERS
We have motivated buyers that want to be in their new home for Winter. These buyers are in decision making mode! Many Buyers have been missing out in competition across our communities recently.

LESS COMPETITION
It’s not always the best decision to list your home during the most popular selling seasons. Right now, there are fewer new properties on the market meaning you’ll have less competition – which can pay off big time!

CURB APPEAL
Take advantage of the season by dressing up your home with warm, fall coloured plants, decorative door wreaths and seasonal items like Pumpkins.

Happy Halloween from everyone at For Sale On Georgian Bay!

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4 Ways To Keep Your Home Healthy This Flu Season

We’ve all noticed the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping – October marks the beginning of the cold and flu season for many of our local communities. Add a pandemic, and seasonal allergies to the mix, and you can see why it’s so important to protect the air inside of your living space. Below are some helpful tips for keeping your home — and yourself — healthy until spring. 

1. Filters matter.

Air filters come in all shapes, sizes, and most importantly, strengths. No matter which rating system your filters follow (MERV, MPR, FPR, HEPA, etc.), a higher number means better performance. While low-strength filters may be cheaper, they’re usually only successful at trapping large air particles like loose hair and dust bunnies. The highest-rated filters can trap everything from mold spores to virus-carrying aerosols. If stronger air filters fit your budget, they could be a worthy investment this year.

2. There’s a reason air purifiers are so popular.

Move over, pressure cookers. The hottest home appliance this year is the air purifier. These handy devices are capable of removing allergens, bacteria, viruses, odors, and even toxins directly from your air. There are numerous manufacturers on the market right now, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that fits your decor and budget. The real challenge at the moment is finding one in stock. And, if you can’t, there are tutorials online that show you how to make your own with a box fan and a furnace filter.

3. Go with the airflow.

One of the easiest ways to freshen up the air in your living space is to keep it circulating by running fans or opening windows. This is especially true when preparing a big home-cooked meal. Fumes from kitchen activities like baking and sauteeing can spread harmful toxins throughout your house. Blow them out by turning on your exhaust fan and opening a nearby window. For additional airflow, place a box fan facing outward in your window to send the particles outdoors.

4. Another reason to love houseplants.

In addition to giving any room in your house a natural feel, house plants have also been shown to boost the indoor microbiome of your living space. And while this may not remove virus particles and most allergens, it can help reduce the number of potentially harmful bacteria in your home. On top of that, maintaining houseplants has been shown to improve the mental health of plant owners.

What’s your favourite way to protect your indoor airspace? Let us know below, share your tips, or ask us any other real estate questions that may be on your mind. Stay safe, and breathe easy.

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Market Report For Barrie And Simcoe County – September

A look back at September 2020 compared to August 2020 and why it’s a great time to list your Property for Sale.

The housing market in Barrie has continued to rebound during Covid-19 as Barrie saw consistency for both the number of properties sold in September and the Sale Price too. Barrie saw a rise of 3.8% during September 2020 as 329 properties were sold. A small increase on the sale prices too at 0.07% with the average sale coming in $567,916 compared to $567,469 of August.

Simcoe County (Excluding Barrie) saw a small raise for sales prices at $656,752 – that’s a 0.96% increase compared to August. 

Large numbers of properties were sold across Simcoe, with just over 700 homes being sold. Despite the large volume of homes sold, we did see 10.91% decrease compared to the 788 homes sold in August. 

All this points to it being a great time to sell you home, there are clearly motivated buyers out there, home prices are trending upwards and there’s been a small drop in inventory so you’ll face less competition on the market.  

Trust your local experts to guide you through the process and take advantage of the current market. Ask us about our FREE Home Market Analysis to determine exactly how much your Home is worth in today’s Market.

All data correct as of October 9, 2020. Data gathered by BDAR based on August 2020 vs September 2020.

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Toronto Home Prices In June Exceed Pre Covid Levels

We like to keep our finger on the pulse of what is happening in the GTA so that we can be prepared for when those trends filter north and all the way to Georgian Bay.

The Toronto Region housing market recovered considerably in June following a significant slowdown due to COVID-19. As cases started to decline across the province and the economy began to open up, more buyers and sellers jumped off the sidelines and returned to the market, kickstarting sales recovery. Similarly, average home prices continued on a steady upward trajectory, lapping February 2020 levels. This is significant as February was the last full month before COVID-19 health and safety measures were introduced. 

TREB noted there were 8,701 home sales across the Toronto Region in June – representing a striking 89% increase since May. Compared to February 2020, home sales across the Toronto Region grew 20%. New listings picked up across the region in June and exceeded June 2019 levels by 2%. New listing growth was significant on a m-o-m basis as well, with a 77% increase, and grew 52% since February.

So what does this mean for you? Based on the recent traction we are seeing in the market, although demand is not quite at pre-emergency levels, it certainly feels as though we are heading back in that direction. Inventory is growing again in the Southern Georgian Bay region and the demand for property is growly at a daily rate, especially as those looking to move north are selling their GTA properties.

Your best bet at staying informed is always to reach out to Adam, Eric or Kelly.

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What’s Re-opening in our Communities?

As we all slowly begin to re-open across our region and try and resume normal life, we thought it would be helpful to share what is open and what restrictions are in place – so that we can all enjoy everything Georgian Bay has to offer.

AREA ATTRACTIONS

Balm Beach Go Karts: Open Saturdays and Sundays 11AM to 7PM, weather permitting for go-karting.

Elmvale Jungle Zoo: Now open (weather permitting), but visitors must reserve a timeslot from their website. Payments will be made at Admissions (Debit/Credit/Cash) and not online.

Huronia Museum:​ Now open, however the outdoor pre-contact Ouendat village remains closed. Visitor bubbles of up to 6 people will be allowed entry every 30 minutes. You can pre-book a timeslot or walk-ins can wait for the next available timeslot.

Rounds Ranch:​ Now open​. Tickets can be purchased online or onsite by debit or credit. All patrons must stay one horse away from each other. Masks are encouraged but not required. To learn more about safety protocols, visit their website.

Skydive Wasaga Beach: Now open, with special safety protocols in place.​ Make your reservation online.
​TreeTop Trekking at Horseshoe Resort:​ Open for reduced capacity. Visitors must reserve their timeslot online before arriving.​ ​​Check their website for safety protocols and what to expect.

Wasaga Beach Adventure Park:​ Open Wednesday to Saturday for axe throwing, laser tag, archery tag, paintball and airsoft. All activities are outdoors. No spectators permitted at this time. ​Online booking available on their website.​

Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre: Now open. Please respect one way trails at entry and exit points. Admission will be by donation in the parking lot. There is access to portable washrooms, but the Center remains closed to the public.

ONTARIO PARKS CAMPGROUNDS

​Starting June 22, all other Ontario Parks campgrounds in regions entering Phase 2 will gradually open. Please consult the Ontario Parks website to see which parks are open and what amenities are available. Roofed accommodations (e.g., yurts, cabins and lodges, where available), park store and rental operations, visitor centers, and sports fields will be phased in over the next several weeks.  

Facilities such as showers, laundry, group camping, picnic shelter rentals and swimming pools will remain closed for the rest of the 2020 season. 

PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS

Please contact private campgrounds prior to visiting.  New booking and reservations may be required.​

OUTDOOR SPLASH PADS & POOLS

Water recreational facilities such as outdoor splash pads and wading pools, and all swimming pools are able to open.​

DRIVE-INS

Drive-in and drive-through venues for theatres, concerts, animal attractions and cultural appreciation are able to open.​

Sunset Barrie: Purchase your tickets online only. NO tickets will be sold at the box office.​​

GOLF

As of May 16th, Simcoe County golf courses are able to open. Please contact your golf course of choice for details on safety protocols.

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Changes To Insurance Criteria, Starting July 1st

On Thursday, June 4 2020, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) announced new, tighter mortgage borrowing criteria that will apply to all insurance applications beginning July 1, 2020. CMHC is Canada’s largest mortgage insurer and offers mortgage default insurance to property buyers to ensure lenders are protected in the event that borrowers fail to pay their mortgages. Mortgage default insurance is mandatory for high ratio mortgages, which are mortgages where the down payment is between 5% and 19.99%.  

CMHC cited the impact of COVID on several sectors of the economy and its recent 12 month forecast on home price declines as the key factors in its decision to change its underwriting criteria. According to CMHC President and CEO, Evan Siddall, these changes will “protect home buyers, reduce government and taxpayer risk and support the stability of housing markets while curtailing excessive demand and unsustainable house price growth.” 

So what does this mean for you? It means that an applicant must now have Higher Credit Scores, Lower Debt Service Ratios, and Limit Down Payments from Non-Traditional Sources.

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Launching ForSaleOnGeorgianBay.ca!

Today is a very happy day for us and we couldn’t be more excited to have you along for the ride! Eric Beutler, Adam Edge and Kelly Earle come together with decades of Experience and a fresh approach to the Real Estate Market. With deep routed connections in all of our communities, we couldn’t be happier to serve Midland, Barrie, Penetanguishene, Tiny, Tay and all the surrounding areas of Georgian Bay.

Our mission at ForSaleOnGeorgianBay.ca is to empower our communities with information to help them make smart Real Estate decisions. Eric, Adam and Kelly are dedicated to helping homeowners, buyers, sellers, renters, commercial prospects and other agents find and share information about homes, real estate and our community.

Adam Edge, Kelly Earle and Eric Beutler
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3 Tips For The Ultimate Virtual Meeting

2020 will go down as the year virtual meetings take center stage. As concerns over COVID-19 continue, we are all reevaluating how to conduct business in a virtual world.

Executed well, virtual meetings can enable us all to collaborate, solve problems, and get work done as a normal. Inefficient meetings, however, become a waste of time and nobody wants that!

If you’re looking to sell your home during this time of social distancing, with the need to discuss many topics with local service providers, then you’re going to become a pro at virtual meetings! Here’s 3 tips we’ve compiled to set you on your way.

  1. Have A Plan
    Just like any regular meeting, you’re going to need to approach the meeting with a plan. Make sure you’re prepared to be on time, have relevant documents on hand, something to take notes and a list of questions to ask your agent.
  2. Test Your Environment
    When it comes to virtual meetings, there can be many hurdles, especially if you’re not used to conducting yourself in this manner. Make sure that you check your device is ready to host a meeting – is it charged or plugged in to a power source? Do you have a stable internet connection? Do you have the right software on your device or need an access code? Finally, remember to test the physical environment for your meeting. You need to have a well lit area, but don’t put direct sunlight behind you. You’ll also want to make sure that there isn’t obtrusive ambient noise.
  3. Meet Face to Face
    Ensure that every member at the virtual meeting can see one another. 55% of communication is body language, while another 38% is tone of voice, according to research. Meeting face-to-face on video is much more personal than meeting with a disembodied voice on the phone, and it helps build more of a rapport with your agent too. It also allows participants to pick up on body language and cues, such as when someone has finished speaking or if they are just taking a pause.
3 Easy Steps to Success

These are 3 easy steps to set you on your way to having a great virtual meeting. We can’t wait to see you…. virtually, soon! Get in touch to arrange your virtual meeting with Eric, Adam or Kelly.

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Selling Your Home During Covid-19

Recently, Real Estate was deemed an essential service by the government… Shelter is a necessity for people. Many sellers have decided to wait until this pandemic has died down. However, we know that often, selling a home is something that can not be delayed; whether it is because you have already purchased another home, a job transfer, changes in the family or some other reason.

“However, we know that often, selling a home is something that can not be delayed”

If you need to sell your home during covid-19, Eric, Adam and Kelly at ForSaleOnGeorgianBay.ca are here for you. We are doing things digitally and remotely as much as possible. Our professional photos, and video tours will keep in-person showings to a minimum, (to only serious pre-approved buyers). REALTORS® who show homes now are following protocols mandated by the Southern Georgian Bay Real Estate Association.

We’re doing things a little differently right now…

If you would like to WAIT to list your house we can help you with that too. We are happy to do pre-listing consultations, and let you know the steps you should take when you are considering selling.

Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you to arrange a virtual meeting.

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