As Summer transitioned into Fall, we continued to see consistency in the next phase of growth and market recovery. Across our region, we’re seeing increases in New Listings, Active Listings and Average Price month after month. We saw a 2% rise in average listing price and a 6% increase in New Listings – Lots of opportunities for buyers and sellers alike.
In our communities, these trends were also reflected. There were marginal increases and decreases in Tay, Penetang and Midland whilst Tiny saw a huge 38% increase in Sales Price and also a 32% increase in Active Listings. Consistency proves to be the theme this month with the market in a similar position to last year but still seeing improvements as it faces ongoing recovery.
As the summer comes to an end and the kids head back to school, we have continued to see the next phase of growth and market recovery. Across our region, we’re seeing increases in Sales, New Listings, Active Listings, Dollar Volume and Average Price. We saw a 6% rise in average listing price and a 14% increase in sales activity. Lots of opportunities for buyers and sellers alike.
In our communities, these trends were also reflected. A good 5% increase in average price in Midland was accompanied with huge increases of 37% in Tiny and 23% in Tay. Taking a larger look at the regional trends, there’s lots of optimism in the market for Buyers and Sellers.
As we move deeper into the Summer Market, we have continued to see the next phase of growth and market recovery. Across our region, we’re seeing increases in Sales, New Listings, Active Listings, Dollar Volume and Average Price. We saw a 10% rise in average listing price and a 21% increase in sales activity. Lots of opportunities for buyers and sellers alike.
However, in our communities we didn’t see such drastic increases. Our biggest swing was a 23% increase in active listings in Midland. We did see a 20% increase of Sales Price in Tay however, we saw a 34% decrease in Midland. Taking a larger look at the regional trends, there’s lots of optimism in the market for Buyers and Sellers.
Summer has arrived on Georgian Bay, and many Canadians consider this a great time to buy recreational property – especially in our beautiful communities.
The Canadian real estate market had record-breaking activity during the coronavirus pandemic, but now market conditions have normalised again, with many markets shifting into balanced territory. Consumer confidence is improving, and with “cottage season” in full swing, the recreational property market is hot.
Statistics show that nearly 11 per cent of Canadians own a cottage, and around the same number of people aim to purchase one in the coming years.
The biggest motivator to purchase a recreational property? The quality of life many believe these properties offer. Another major motivator is the belief that homeowners can pass these recreational properties down to their families for future generations to create memories. In addition, another notable reason for considering the purchase of recreational property is to earn rental income.
The Canadian real estate market is showing signs of renewed life – especially in our community. Home sales increased 5.1 per cent month-over-month in May, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Moreover, the number of newly listed properties increased by 6.8 per cent. While property prices have somewhat stabilised compared to the high prices during the pandemic, the market is fairly stable.
However, supply for recreational properties can still be challenging as the number of buyers during peak season can make prices more competitive for buyers.
To Buy or Not to Buy a Cottage
Whatever the reasons, people who spent winter days itching to spend some quality time with their loved ones can now start looking for the ideal recreational property.
There are many possibilities:
Beachfront properties located along beautiful waters and offer easy access to beaches, water sports, and coastal living.
Lakefront properties situated near lakes provide opportunities for fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, and other water-based activities.
Cabins that are nestled in beautiful locations and are perfect for hiking, biking, and wildlife exploration.
Golf course properties are ideal for avid golfers.
Put simply, there is a lot to choose from.
If you are serious about purchasing a recreational property, this is the time to get into action as demand is usually very high this season, and availability and prices could be competitive depending on where you want to buy such a property. Industry observers typically recommend considering your interests and activities that you prefer so that you can find the best property that aligns with your recreational pursuits.
At the same time, ensuring you have the financial means and stability to take on such an initiative before jumping into this major buying decision is imperative. You should consider a broad array of factors, such as interest rates, financing options, and your ability to handle the additional expenses associated with owning a recreational property.
If your primary goal is to purchase recreational property for personal use, these factors become even more significant. If you are looking for an investment property, it is vital to consider which type of property and location would give you the most value.
In most cases, the most important factors when evaluating a recreational property would be proximity to desired activities (boating, swimming, or golfing). Another component might be the infrastructure and amenities of the neighbourhood, which can also make a big difference. Safety and security are always worthy criteria for buyers.
Must Haves and Nice to Haves
Ultimately, the best type of recreational property is the location, activities, and prices that suit you and your family. Indeed, for those interested in recreational properties, this might be the right time to study the market trends, visit different neighbourhoods that match your vision, and find a trusted real estate agent to help you achieve your goals.
With cottage season in full swing, there will likely be more buyers than the available supply. Contact your For Sale On Georgian Bay agent and start your search now.
Summer officially arrived this month and the heat has already cranked up to confirm it!
If you’re thinking about selling a home during the summer, it’s extremely important to know what the top tips are. As Georgian Bay lifelong residents, we all know that the summer season can be painfully short here in southern Ontario, but it can be an awesome time to sell a home.
Summer is a fantastic time to sell your property, put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer, would you prefer walking through piles of snow, or have to deal with some hot weather? Yup, we’ll take the hot Georgian Bay weather as well!
1. Prepare The Exterior Of The Home For The Summer
A couple of the most important areas to focus on when selling a home in any season is the exterior and the curb appeal. A home with poor or a neglected exterior will take longer to sell and likely will sell for less than it should.
When selling a home during the summer, it’s extremely important to prepare the exterior of the home. The exterior and curb appeal of a home can give a potential buyer a pretty good idea of what to expect in the interior of the home, so make sure it’s clean, crisp, and attractive.
Here’s some fixes for the exterior that you can undertake on a budget.
Mow the lawn
Water the lawn to avoid a burnt lawn
Trim bushes and shrubs
Water the plants to avoid dead plants
Weed and mulch the flower beds
Touch up any exterior peeling paint
Paint and/or clean up the front door
Seal the driveway
2. Highlight Outdoor Living Space
Since we’re discussing the exterior of a home, another excellent tip for selling a home during the summer is to focus on the outdoor living space. Summer is a fairly short season, so many buyers spend as much time outside enjoying the weather as possible during the summer.
Many buyers put a premium on a great outdoor living space so highlighting the outdoor space is a great way to impress potential buyers. One of the best staging tips is to help buyers envision themselves spending time relaxing outside.
If your home has an incredible outdoor BBQ or a large concrete patio, make sure it’s staged! Showcasing to a buyer how amazing a home’s outdoor living space is for entertaining friends and family will have buyers lining up with a purchase offer in hand.
3. Keep The Home Cool
One of the most important tips for selling a home during the summer is to make sure to keep the home cool, at least while the home is being looked at by potential buyers. If your home is not equipped with a central air conditioning unit, it’s still important to focus on keeping your home cool.
Alternative ways to keep a home cool without central air conditioning include installing window air conditioners, turning on ceiling fans, keeping lights off and blinds drawn prior to showings.
If your home is equipped with central AC, make sure it’s performing efficiently and has been serviced recently by a professional HVAC technician. One of the biggest reasons to have a home inspection is to ensure the home’s HVAC systems are working properly, so if a home’s central AC unit isn’t, it’s another potential red flag for a buyer.
4. Depersonalize & Declutter The Home
When selling a home during the summer, another simple but effective tip is to depersonalise and declutter the home. Home sellers who actually take action and follow this tip will give themselves an advantage over sellers who decide it’s not important.
A home that has personal effects all over the place, such as family portraits or a report card on the fridge, provides another opportunity for a buyer to be distracted from viewing the home. Some buyers get distracted easily and will be more interested in seeing what the owner’s family looks like rather than looking at the features of the home. Not only is depersonalising a home a way to avoid distracting a buyer but it’s also a great safety tip to follow when selling a home.
As for decluttering a home, regardless of the season, it’s highly recommended. When selling a home during the summer, take the time to walk through your home and evaluate what you actuallyneed to live comfortably while selling your home. If you believe you can live without something while selling your home, consider moving it into a storage unit or into the basement or garage. Decluttering a home is one of the best tips for staging a home on a budget.
5. Strongly Consider Having A Pre-Listing Inspection
Before listing a home for sale during the summer, another great tip is to strongly consider a pre-listing home inspection. There are many benefits of a pre-listing home inspection, one of the most important being that it can reduce the chances of a buyer being scared away after completing their own inspection.
If you’re unsure whether a pre-listing inspection is a good idea or not, an experienced real estate agent can help you evaluate whether it would be money well spent or not – don’t hesitate to reach out, we have a team of experienced agents at For Sale On Georgian Bay. In the majority of cases, having a pre-listing inspection is well worth the cost because even newer built homes can have issues that the owner is not aware of.
6. Price The Home Right…From The Beginning!
Generally speaking, there are 2 major factors as to whether a home sells or not. The first major factor is that the home is getting enough exposure and being marketed correctly, which we will be taking care of for you. The other major factor is whether the price of the home is right or wrong.
An extremely important tip to keep in mind when selling a home during the summer is that the home must be priced right, from the beginning. One of the worst real estate pricing mistakes made is overpricing a home to leave room for negotiation. Pricing a home incorrectly, for whatever reason, often results in a seller actually taking less for their home than if they were to price it correctly from the start.
How is it possible that if a home is priced incorrectly that a seller will actually sell their home for less than if they were to price correctly from the beginning?
Simply, an overpriced home generally will sit on the market until the sellers decide to reduce the price to an acceptable market value, which sometimes can take several weeks or months. When a home sits on the market for an extended period of time, buyers begin to wonder if there is something wrong with the home, which typically results in them not making an offer or submitting a low ball offer.
How can you be sure that you’re pricing the home right, from the beginning?
There is also a simple solution to this question. Our experienced real estate professionals will provide a seller with a pricing recommendation, typically generated by completing a comparative market analysis, frequently referred to as a CMA. A CMA is an analysis of one home to other similar homes that have been sold within the past 6-12 months. An experienced agent will know how to make adjustments, both positive and negative, for features that the subject property may or may not have when comparing to the similar homes that have recently sold.
The bottom line of this important tip for selling a home during the summer is to make sure it’s priced correctly, from the beginning. There are very few (or zero) home sellers who want to leave money on the table because they overpriced their home.
7. Get Ready For Showings
This last tip for selling a home during the summer is certainly not the least in importance. A seller to this point has manoeuvred through the process of getting their home ready for the market, hiring a top For Sale On Georgian Bay agent, and pricing their home correctly, the last thing they want to do is not prepare their home for showings.
Home sellers are often not educated enough on how to prepare a home for showings when selling. A home that is not prepared for a showing can be spotted from a million miles away.
There are lots of great tips for preparing a home for showings when selling during the summer. Below are a few tips to consider while preparing a home for showings during a summer home sale.
Put out a refreshing beverage for potential buyers, such as lemonade, iced tea, or cold water
Turn on all lights
Open blinds to let natural light in
Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature
Clean up after your children and/or pets
Summertime is an excellent time to be selling a home, if the proper tips are followed. The above 7 tips for selling a home during the summer all will make a difference in respects to the amount a home sells for and the time it takes to sell.
Let’s get your home sold so that you can start enjoying the summer in your new dream home!
We’re just 1 sleep away from the Ontario Butter Tart Festival taking over our beautiful downtown Midland. Whether it’s your first time or you are seasoned festival pro, there’s always so much to take in and experience that it’s easy to get swept up in the occasion. We’ve put together a mini survival guide to help you prepare for the big day.
Arrive Early! Butter Tarts are the name of the game and if you arrive later in the morning you run the risk of returning home empty handed. The festival officially starts at 9am… but we all know the Butter Tart sales start earlier than that!
Plan Your Parking/Transportation Parking will be at a premium as Municipal lots will fill up quickly so if you have to park, make sure to arrive very early and double check that you are parked correctly as parking enforcement will be in attendance.
If you can’t walk to the downtown core, check out the Free Shuttle Bus service which runs from 8:45 until 5:30pm. There’s pick up / drop off spots located all over Midland and also in Penetanguishene. Check out the Shuttle Map here.
Stay Refreshed Make sure to bring refreshments for yourself and the family. It’s going to be a warm day with highs of 24 expected. Make sure to visit your friends at For Sale On Georgian Bay, 255 King Street, to enjoy a complimentary Snow Cone, guaranteed to cool you off!
Dress Appropriately We recommend dressing in layers, if you arrive early the weather will be a little cooler in the morning but warming up as the day progresses. As you march your way up and down King Street and line up for those precious Butter Tarts, you’re going to also want to make sure that you’re wearing comfortable shoes.
Stay Entertained! It’s going to be a long day for everyone so make sure you take time to relax and recharge whilst soaking up the sights and sounds of the Dairy Farmers of Entertainment stage. Live entertainment is scheduled from 10am – 5pm.
If you’re looking to put a smile on the faces of the little ones, make sure to visit us at 255 King Street where our very popular professional face painters will be taking requests between 11am – 3:30pm. Face Painting is available for a $5 donation to the Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre.
We can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow as we celebrate our community being in the spotlight!
The trends of previous months continued in May as we saw the stabilization of the market continue. Moving forward into the Summer market we expect to see the next phase of growth and recovery. For the third month in a row, over 200 properties were sold in our community during the month proving that there are plenty of opportunities for both Buyers and Sellers alike. The average sale price is down around 10% compared to 2022 however, worth noting that compared to pre pandemic numbers, we’re still seeing a 80% increase.
In our local communities, we saw prices drop across the board. We are still seeing more than 26% increases in Active Listings which is helping the prices continue to even out after the highs of the market in the spring of 2022. There’s lots of opportunities for everyone so give us a call today!
The May long weekend brings the most popular time in our communities to open up the cottage for the first time in the season. But, before you dust off the Muskoka chairs, prep the fire pit and roll out the welcome mat, there’s lots of chores to check off your list to be summer ready!
The good news is that if you plan it right, you wont be spending the whole long weekend getting it ready. Here’s 5 tips to help you get Cottage season off to a great start.
Check For Critters
What should you do when you first arrive at your cottage? We recommend taking a walk around the exterior and checking for torn window screens, holes in the roof or siding, or other potential entry points. If you notice signs of an animal intruder, use caution when you first step through the door.
Though mice and squirrels are rarely a threat, the waste they leave behind can be hazardous to your health. You may want to contact a pest control expert if your cottage hosted critters over the winter months.
Let In Some Air
Once you know it is safe to enter, open all the windows in your cottage to let it breathe. This tip will help to vent out the stale air and helps to dry out anything that got damp over the winter. If your cottage still smells musty after you have aired it out, your cottage may have mould or mildew caused by water damage. Consider getting an indoor air quality test.
Inspect Your Utilities
You may be eager to start up your water pump and switch on the lights, but you should do a safety check first. Check for chewed-up cords and inspect your water system before you flip the switch.
If you use a shallow well for your water, you should have the well cleaned and the water analysed at least twice a year. Do not turn on the tap until you know the water is safe to drink.
Clean Up
Roll up your sleeves and disinfect your counters, dishes, stovetop, and any other exposed surface. Even spots that do not look dirty can host harmful bacteria, especially if you have a pest problem.
Safety First
Inspect your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, replacing the batteries if needed. You should also make sure your fire extinguisher is properly charged.
There’s always so much to do but these are some great tips to get you started. Throughout the weekend, write down all the other tasks you need to do and the supplies you need to buy at the store. Making a list will save you from having to run back and forth to the store. After all, you want to finish these tasks as quickly as you can so that you can start to enjoy the cottage season.
It’s time to unpack and settle in for another relaxing summer on beautiful Georgian Bay!
Sales activity has begun to stabilize compared to 2022 and now we forward to the next phase of growth and recovery. For the second month in a row, over 200 properties were sold in our community during the month proving that there are plenty of opportunities for both Buyers and Sellers alike. The average sale price is down 4% compared to 2022 however, worth noting that compared to pre pandemic numbers, we’re still seeing a 75% increase.
In our local communities, we saw prices drop across the board. We are still seeing more than 50% increases in Active Listings which is helping the prices continue to even out after the highs of the market in the spring of 2022. In Tiny, despite seeing a decrease, the average home is still lingering around the $1 Million mark. There’s lots of opportunities for everyone so give us a call today!
This week For Sale On Georgian Bay has been at the centre of the noteworthy sale of the Midland Castle Village and Enchanted Kingdom. Our very own Shelby Greenlaw listed the property for sale whilst Eric Beutler was able to bring a buyer to the table and complete the sale.
Now we join the community in waiting to see what becomes of the local landmark property! In the meantime, join us as we look back at the history of an iconic location where local residents and tourists alike have made lasting memories.
Mr. Paul Des Roches built a single castle in 1972 with the intention of selling his handmade crafts and woodworking. He was highly successful in this endeavor, producing items such as birdhouses, candlesticks, and souvenir spoons, and the castle became a gift shop offering nearly 10,000 items. The castle was designed with thirty towers, a water spewing dragon, and a moat guarded by creatures of the underworld.
In the castle’s basement, a showroom was added to house early Canadian and American furniture, which was later converted into the Museum of Medieval Arms, Armour and Heraldry, where visitors could learn about medieval weaponry and see life-sized suits of armor. A separate museum, the Museum of Horror, Dracula’s Dungeons, was added in 1982, featuring early era prisons with well-known horror characters in the cells.
The 7 acre property was expanded to 45 acres with new additions designed by Paul and his daughter, including an Enchanted Kingdom Park with fantasy cottages based on fairytales, a Grist Mill, Merlin the Magician’s Tower, and an 80-foot suspension bridge across a pond with a giant fountain.
The castle operated as a bilingual attraction and won the Provincial Tourism Award from RDEE in 2005. However, the family eventually put the property up for sale in 2008.
Sadly, Paul Des Roches, the visionary behind the castle, passed away in December of 2022. In April 2023, the property was purchased again and the community awaits to see what will happen next to a beloved landmark.
What memories do you have of the castle? We would love to see any photos or hear your stories!
