Kitchener/Waterloo Real Estate Google Group

Kids are staying home longer to be homeowners themselves

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:47:59 UT

Kids are staying home longer to be homeowners themselves

Young Canadians have learned a powerful lesson from their parents
about the benefits of owning their own home. At least, that’s the
conclusion that many people would make when reviewing a recent
government study. According to an analysis of the findings of the

A ‘Don’t’ List for Prospective Homebuyers

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:58:45 UT

A ‘Don’t’ List for Prospective Homebuyers

There’s a lot to consider when buying a home, and especially in
today’s changing market conditions. As your local Coldwell Banker®
sales professional will tell you, many markets across Canada are
beginning to moderate and become more favourable to buyers. So while

A ‘Do’ List for Prospective Homebuyers

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:40:34 UT

A ‘Do’ List for Prospective Homebuyers

For most Canadians, buying a home is the most significant investment
of their lives. And although real estate sales in 2008 are continuing
strong with prices still on the rise, your local Coldwell Banker®
sales professional will tell you that today’s market still presents

Canadians well served by our mortgage industry

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:59:45 UT

Despite all the recent media attention regarding the ‘Mortgage
Meltdown’ in the United States, the vast majority of Canadian mortgage
holders continue to be well served by the mortgage industry here.
That’s just one of several reassuring findings of a recent consumer
study by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Empty-nesters eager to downsize as kids leave home

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:40:30 UT

These days, there are a lot of differences between the real estate
markets in Canada and the U.S., but there's at least one aspect that's
common to both. We're both seeing the impact of a major demographic
group reaching a new stage in their lives, as aging 'baby boomers'
become 'empty nesters' and decide its time for a change in their

Is it the right time to buy?

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:13:21 UT

According to real estate industry sources, the national average house
price in Canada is expected to continue to rise this year and through
2009. Both the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) have predicted that house
prices will climb to new records in major markets all across the

How much home can you afford?

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:21:20 UT

One of the most common mistakes that Canadian homebuyers -
particularly first time buyers -- make is starting out at the wrong
price level. Prospective buyers have a tendency to get 'hung up' on
the sale price, but the monthly carrying cost is what really counts.
These buyers arbitrarily pick a figure - giving their salesperson

Surge in new listings leads to more balanced housing market

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:05:27 UT

Despite some frigid weather and active storms across many areas of
Canada, the resale housing market kept on moving forward in January.
Even at a time when it was difficult to get buyers to venture out to
look at properties, the number of transactions for resale homes still
edged higher at the opening of the year. According to The Canadian

Need funds for a home improvement? Refinancing your mortgage may be your best solution!

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:00:54 UT

Canadian homeowners are adding to or improving their homes in record
numbers these days and this usually represents a significant
investment. Financing such a project can be a challenge. However, if
you've built up some equity in your home, refinancing your mortgage
may be the best solution to help you find the funds you want when you

Choose a closed mortgage to pay your home off sooner

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:40:07 UT

Canadian homeowners know that paying off your mortgage is the key to
achieving financial freedom. Knowing that, it's surprising how many
homeowners shy away from closed mortgages and opt to pay a higher
interest rate to get the payment flexibility offered by an open
mortgage. While it may sound reasonable in terms of making additional

The 'sandwich' generation needs space for live-in help

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:25:36 UT

There's a new name for those thirty-something individuals who are
stressed out from providing care for both children and aging parents.
They're called the "sandwich" generation, and millions of Canadians
are currently in or approaching this demographic group. It's tough
trying to find enough hours in the day to meet all their commitments.

Housing Starts in 2007 at 2nd Highest Level in Nearly Two Decades

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:54:00 UT

Real estate industry insiders have long known that new construction is
one of the best indicators of coming market conditions. According to
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), we've just come
out of a near record year, with strong market conditions continuing
for 2008. Annual housing starts for 2007 are estimated at 229,600,

Resale housing market tops $100 billion in 2007

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:31:04 UT

Well, it's official. Last year was the best year ever in Canadian
real estate! Resale housing activity via the MLS(R), as well as new
listings, average price and dollar volume in Canada's major markets
all reached their highest annual levels ever in 2007, as reported by
statistics just released by The Canadian Real Estate Association

The New Year brings new tax breaks for homebuyers

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:44:33 UT

Real Estate Matters - Jan 21, 2008

The start of the New Year brings with it a number of tax breaks to
help make home ownership more affordable for Canadian buyers. Lower
income tax means more disposable income to devote to a home purchase,
and the one per cent cut in the GST will provide savings to new home

Economic drivers signal strong start to 2008

joe-crawf...@coldwellbanker.ca (Joe Crawford) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:34:01 UT

Real Estate Matters Jan 14 2008

Looking at fundamentals, it's not surprising that 2008 is already
predicted to be another great year for real estate in Canada. All of
the economic drivers that would support a robust real estate market
are in place --

powerful demographics - the 'boomers' are ready to downsize, upgrade,