Bay of Quinte Living

Our region is made up of numerous communities, from rural to urban and everything in between, each with its own unique offering.  It's easy to find the perfect place to call home and all within easy driving distance to city amenities.  Discover waterfront properties with gorgeous views, downtown condos or buy that farm you've always dreamed of.  It's all here and ready to be explored.  Enjoy the Bay of Quinte way of life.

Thanks to Ryan Williams for this introduction to the Bay of Quinte Region and for helping put us on the map.  For more information about all that this beautiful area has to offer, check out the Bay of Quinte Living website.  We'd love to hear from you!

JTF-2 Related Contracts Awarded!

The Trenton Real Estate market will eventually see a positive impact when this military unit is 'transferred' to our area!  Check out the latest update written by Ernst Kuglin of the Trentonian.

Bata Building Being Re-Developed!

The former Bata Shoe Factory is in the process of being transformed into a state-of-the art condominium building using the latest green technology.  To date, 75 units have been approved but those numbers could change.  The condos will occupy the top four floors with the bottom floor being designated for specialty retail businesses.  For more on the project, check out Ernst Kuglin's Trentonian article and be sure to give me a call if you're in the market to purchase a condo! 613-392-7777

CMHC Cools Mortgage Market!

The Feds continue to try and cool the housing market!  CMHC will, effective immediately, limit banks and other mortgage lenders to $350 million worth of new mortgage-backed securities per month.  Given this monthly insurance limit, perhaps you might want to get approved for a mortgage sooner rather than later!

See the entire CBC Business News Article HERE.

Industrial Park Announcement Coming Soon?

It's been several months since construction on the 520,000 square foot facility in Trenton's Northeast Industrial Park started and it's expected that a major announcement as to the company's identity will be made next month.  Great news given that it may mean more than 300 new jobs for Quinte residents!

Check out the full article written by Ernst Kuglin of the Trentonian for more information!

Quinte West Goes Green

In just a few weeks the city will start giving out green organic bins to thousands of households.  The organic recycling and large bulk waste program will roll out on July 8th and pick up will start on August 5th.  There won't be any charge for the green bin and kitchen catchers but tags will be sold for large and bulky items.  The price will depend on the item.

More information is available on the city's website or residents can call 613-392-2841 ext 4478.

Thank You Rick Mercer!

Thanks to Rick Mercer for putting on an awesome show at the Empire Theatre, Belleville in support of Three Oaks, our local women's shelter. 

Royal LePage Supports Three Oaks Shelter!

Thank you Quinte for helping make us the #1 Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Fundraising office in Canada for the National Garage Sale and walk A Mile In Her Shoes. The women's shelters here and across the country need our support. We are so proud at Royal LePage ProAlliance for the way our community supports us!

Smoking at Home Reduces Property Values!

We have been telling Buyers and Sellers for years that smoking inside the home impacts value.  Following is but one survey that confirms just how negative smoking can be with regards to the market value of a home. Thanks to Mark Weisleder for his article.

Hockey Heaven!

A fabulous time was had by Team Weir and its special guests Sean, Jenn and Kevin Buhr of ScotiaBank.  An epic game as we watched the Leafs cruise to a playoff spot! We definitely stood out in the Sens crowd ... even made CBCs Hockey Night in Canada!  Watch for more ticket giveaways in the upcoming months.

#1 Team in Royal LePage ProAlliance!

Mark Rashotte, Owner of Royal Lepage ProAlliance Realty, Brokerage and Jeff Nelles, Broker/Manager congratulate David Weir BA, CD at the Annual ProAlliance Awards Ceremony. Once again, David and his Team are recognized as the #1 Royal LePage Team within the ProAlliance Company which covers Port Hope to Brockville. In 2012, he ranked #47 of 14,600 Royal LePage REALTORS® in Canada!

'Like' Brookshire Meadows Trenton!

Valerie recently walked away with a new Fuji Film camera package simply for Liking our Brookshire Meadows Trenton Facebook page! Keep an eye out for more promotions and giveaways in the upcoming months. Winning may only be the click of a button away!

Also, have a look at our Brookshire Meadows page. We've seen lots of activity in the last month. Homes are selling quickly! Give us a call for more information about the models and lots that are still available!

Diamond Homes Grand Opening!

Diamond Homes owner, John Davis cuts the cake with David Weir in celebration of the opening of the Model Home in Brookshire Meadows.  Many thanks to all who joined us for the festivities and to everyone who had a hand in making the event a success!

We invite everyone to come and check out the Model home.  We're open Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 - 2:00 or, alternatively, you can call/text David at 613.392.7777 to set up an appointment. 

Brookshire Meadows is located on 2nd Dug Hill Road just past Walmart if you're coming from Highway 2.  The Diamond Homes Model is the 2nd house on your right as you enter the development.  See you there!

Bay of Quinte Gets Branded

Have you ever thought about why you moved to this area or, if you were born here, why you continue to make Quinte your home?

As someone who was transferred to Trenton during my military career, I knew I would return upon retirement to take advantage of the quieter family lifestyle, excellent boating opportunities, and very reasonable real estate prices.

Although these ‘positives’ may not have been promoted to people unfamiliar with the Bay of Quinte region in the past, a new, dynamic organization is going to change that to all our benefits.

The Bay of Quinte Living Council is a subset of the Bay of Quinte Region, represented by Belleville, Quinte West, Tyendinaga, Napanee, Deseronto, Stirling-Rawdon, Brighton, and Prince Edward County.

The mission of the Council is to promote the Bay of Quinte Region as a great place to live and is accomplished through various groups and advertising mediums.

This parallels the efforts of the Quinte Economic Development Council (QEDC) and the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council whose mandates are to promote the region as a great place to do business and as a great place to visit.

Groups such as The Quinte Home Building Association, the Quinte & District Association of Realtors, and Loyalist College are branding the area ‘The Bay of Quinte Region’ through a new partnership with the Bay of Quinte Living Council, the Economic Development Committee, and Bay of Quinte Tourism.

This co-operative group is promoting the Quinte area through various methods such as signage on the 401 which sees over 12 million riders per year, real estate signs, and different websites.

One of the first steps in this branding process was to establish a logo that identifies our region as a place to live and work.

The branding initiatives seen in locations such as the GTA, the Kawarthas, and the National Capital Region have been highly successful in promoting these areas and fostering growth.

The Bay of Quinte Region logo, as seen here, will be implemented throughout the area to similarly represent the area and to promote its natural attractions, reasonably priced real estate, and casual lifestyle.

In this case being branded is a good thing.

Stay tuned for further articles about other Bay of Quinte Living Council initiatives that will improve local businesses opportunities as well as quality of life topics as we work to attract new folks to the area.

If you or your business is interested in participating in this initiative or wish further information please contact council president Adrian Bax at adrianbayofquinteliving@gmail.com

Diamond Homes Open Houses

Happy Easter everyone!  Just to let you know that the Diamond Homes model home will be open every weekend from 12:30 - 2:00 PM in Brookshire Meadows off 2nd Dug Hill Road just north of Walmart in Trenton.  The model home is gorgeous and we have already sold two of the premium lots that back on the 5-acre park.  The premiums are only an additional $3K or $5K, which is less than the $7K you would pay for the walkout homes that back on older homes ... definitely a small price to pay for a private back yard!!!  See you Saturday and Sunday!

2012 Digital Camera Winner

 

Congratulations to Shelby and Ryan Hodder, winners of our 2012 Digital Camera draw. Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out our online survey and for providing us with some great customer service feedback. As always, we value your comments and would appreciate all our Buyers and Sellers taking a minute to let us know how we're doing.

The Survey is HERE!

2013 Real Estate Update

At this time of year, one of my jobs is to help selling clients by forecasting the real estate market’s ‘prime time’.  For instance, is the spring real estate market on the upswing or downswing? At the moment, it would appear neither of these ‘swings’ are in vogue.

Let me give you some local stats and then explain what that may mean to you. 

The average sale price in our local real estate board was $216K in 2011 and again in 2012.  No increase in prices.  However, there were 26% less sales in December of 2012 vs December 2011 and 14% less homes on the market in December 2012 vs 2011. 

These statistics would seem to indicate that we are on a similar path to other markets in Canada as outlined by the Canadian Real Estate Association.  In other words, prices are stable now but sales of units are down and some sellers are taking their homes off the market because they can’t get the prices they would like in this stable market.    

Sellers should know that, at this time of year, the comparable sales that are used to determine the value of a home are usually based on sales from the previous year.  This is due to the fact that, typically, there are not many sales this early in the year.

In other words, to establish value for your property we look at similar home sales and extrapolate the differences between your home and the comparable homes that have already sold.  But we also need to look at ‘when’ the comparable sold and what the market has done between then and now.  For example, if a home similar to yours sold last August and if there were no other major differences between that home and yours, we could use that sale as an indicator of what your home may be worth today … without adjusting for any price changes in the market due to time i.e., the market has not gone up or down in value since August.

Therefore, if your home has been on the market for two months or more without any price changes and the market is stable (as it appears to be), then the market is suggesting that the price is too high.  Some sellers contend that there will be a buyer in the busier spring market but, of course, the spring market will also bring more competition as other homes are listed for sale.

Finally, let me say that there is a ‘belief’ amongst some of my colleagues that there will be a downturn in pricing later this year due to the tighter mortgage restrictions imposed by the federal government.  Given that fewer units being sold (as per the stats above) is usually a precursor to a reduction in prices, I would have to agree that lower average sale prices are feasible.

As the most successful Royal LePage Team from Port Hope to Brockville in 2012, we are on track for the same number of homes sold again this year.  Not everyone can say that in 2013!  We hope our insight and business approach to the Real Estate profession will assist you in your real estate decisions going forward. 

David Weir

2012 iPad Winner!

Congratulations to Wendy Ahrweiler, winner of the 2012 iPad draw!  Thanks to all Team Weir clients for entering our annual contest.  Don't forget to send in your name for the 2013 draw!

Good Things Coming to Quinte West in 2013!

Great news from the Mayor!  Can't wait to hear what company is coming to Quinte West!!   Here are a couple of his comments made at his annual state-of-the-city address on January 25th.

Work is underway on a 520,000 square-foot plant/distribution centre in Trenton's Northeast Industrial Park.  "I wish I could tell you who it is.  All I can say is it's a Fortune 500 company and we were extremely pleased they are locating in the city."

The company will employ between 250 and 300 people and steel is expected to be erected in the coming weeks.

See Ernst Kuglin's full Trentonian article here.

Family Skate Day!

FREE Client Appreciation Movie!

It's that time of the year again where we say thank you to our clients with our Client Appreciation Movie.  On Saturday, January 26th we will be showing the award winning movie 'Rise of the Guardians' at the Empire Theatre in Belleville. Click here to see the movie trailer.  We have a very limited number of tickets with a maximum of four per family.  Of course, this includes popcorn and a soda!  For tickets, send Robyn an email at robyn@davidweir.com. Thanks for supporting our Team ... we appreciate your referrals!