Home for sale in Cowan Heights – 47 Greenspond Drive

September 30, 2009 · Filed Under New MLS Listings, St. John's Investments and St. John's MLS listings · 1 Comment 

47greenspondLocated in the West End of St. John’s in Cowan Heights, this 12 year old two apartment home is in great condition. Vinyl siding, vinyl windows and more more. Eat in kitchen with oak cabinets and door leading to rear patio deck. Main floor unit has three bedrooms and a rec room plus additional 4th bedroom in basement. One bedroom basement apartment has its own laundry room and is currently rented. Property is fully fenced with rear patio and shed. Call Fraser or Stephen Winters for more details or for a viewing. Asking price $249,900 MLS Listing: 148302

West End St. John’s Investment Property For Sale

September 29, 2009 · Filed Under New MLS Listings, St. John's Investments and St. John's MLS listings · Comment 

60 bonavista west end st. john'sFraser and Stephen Winters have just listed this two apartment home on 60 Bonavista Street. An excellent investment opportunity in west end St. John’s!  There have been lots of upgrades in recent years.  The main floor has spacious bedrooms and its own large recroom in basement. One bedroom basement apartment has its own laundry room and separate driveway complete with ground level entrance. The property is fully fenced with a rear patio, mature trees and shed.  New MLS Listing 148295.  Asking price is $239,900

Canadian housing markets buck recession and trend upwards – RE/MAX Bricks and Mortar Report

September 24, 2009 · Filed Under Market Trends, Real Estate Canada and Remax Reports · Comment 

With the worst of the recession over, residential real estate markets in major Canadian centres are poised for growth in the final quarter of 2009, according to a report released today by RE/MAX.

The RE/MAX Bricks and Mortar Report found the bounce back that began in early Spring has made this recession one of the shortest on record for real estate. Low interest rates, pent-up demand, and improved affordability levels have all played a role in the recovery now well underway. Percentage increases in sales from January to August 2009 were led by Vancouver, (up a substantial 14 per cent to 23,158), Victoria (up 7.4 per cent to 5,266), Edmonton (up 6.2 per cent to 13,691), Regina (up five per cent to 2,597), Ottawa (up 2.4 per cent to 10,830) and Toronto (up 1.8 per cent to 58,421).

Housing values are already ahead of record-breaking 2008 levels in seven of the 11 markets surveyed, including Newfoundland-Labrador (18.1 per cent year to $203,584), Regina (6.4 per cent to $244,088), Halifax-Dartmouth (3.5 per cent to $239,633), Winnipeg (3.5 per cent to $207,006), Ottawa (3.3 per cent to $301,684), and Toronto (up 0.3 per cent to $385,978). Nationally, average price hovers at $312,585, up 0.5 per cent over one year ago.

“Markets are heating up across the country,” says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. “Purchasers are clearly taking advantage of affordable prices and rock bottom interest rates. Those who missed the boat in years past have found that sitting on the sidelines can be a costly move. Prices are on the upswing and inventory levels are tightening, so the push toward home ownership is expected to continue throughout the Fall and possibly into early 2010.”

The recovery of Canada’s resale housing markets speaks to the tremendous value Canadians place on the importance of owning a home. The number of Canadians overall who own a home has increased since 1981 from 62.1 per cent to 68.4 per cent, with some markets posting even higher homeownership rates — Calgary (74.1), St. John’s (71.5), Regina (70.1), and Edmonton (69.2). Significant gains have also been made over the same period in markets such as Ottawa — where homeownership levels rose from 51.4 per cent to 66.7 per cent — and Toronto, where levels rose fro m 57.3 to 67.6 per cent.

MLS Home sales strong according to CREA

September 15, 2009 · Filed Under St. John's Real Estate · Comment 

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has just released last months stats, and say Canadian MLS homes sales are strong for August.

Below are some paragraphs outlining the article. For the entire article click here

According to statistics released, a total of 42,483 homes traded hands via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards in August 2009. This represents an increase of 18.5 per cent from the same month last year, and the third consecutive year-over-year gain of more than 15 per cent. Sales were 6.6 per cent below the record for the month of August set in 2007.

Resale activity in August 2009 was up from year-ago levels in about approximately three-quarters of all local markets. Year-over-year gains in Vancouver (117 per cent), Toronto (27 per cent), Calgary (17 per cent) and Montreal (nine per cent) contributed most to the national increase in activity. Aggregate MLS® home sales activity for 25 major markets posted the third consecutive increase from year-ago levels of more than 20 per cent in August.

Demand continues to improve in Canada’s more expensive housing markets, drawing the national average price upward. The national MLS® residential average price rose 11.3 per cent from year-ago levels to $324,779. This is the highest national average price for the month of August.

New listing near Memorial University – 113 Prowse Ave

September 11, 2009 · Filed Under New MLS Listings, St. John's Investments and St. John's Real Estate · Comment 

113 prowse aveFraser and Stephen Winters just listed 113 Prowse Ave. This is a nice little three bedroom, two story home within walking distance to the taxation center and Memorial University (MUN) and in close proximity to the Avalon Mall. Most of the main floor is hardwood floors.  Family room with propane fireplace and french doors leading to formal dining room.  Property is fully fenced and has lots of privacy in the mature back yard.  Could make for a great investment property in St. John’s or as a starter home for the first time buyer. Asking price is $174,900

St. John’s Area August Housing Starts – Press Release from CMHC

September 10, 2009 · Filed Under CMHC Reports, Market Trends and St. John's Real Estate · Comment 

Urban housing starts decreased during the month of August, according to preliminary data released today by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). August’s housing starts totaled 151 throughout the St. John’s real estate area versus 249 starts in August of 2008. An additional 18 starts were recorded in other urban areas across the province, for a total of 169 provincial starts compared to 316 the previous August. For the January to August 2009 period, the St. John’s area posted 1,026 housing starts versus 1,079 starts during the same period last year, while provincial starts totaled 1,180 compared to 1,312 a year ago.

“Despite August’s decline, the local residential construction sector has posted solid year to date results,” said Chris Janes, senior market analyst with CMHC in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Employment and population growth throughout the St. John’s area this year continues to bode well for residential construction activity,” added Janes.

For Canada’s urban centres, total housing starts fell 27 per cent with 12,187 recorded in August compared to 16,807 during August of 2008. Single-detached starts decreased 26 per cent to 5,211, while multiple starts of 6,976 represent a 28 per cent decline from a year ago. Throughout Atlantic Canada, there were 835 urban housing starts posted versus 879 the previous August, a decline of 5 per cent.

Newfoundland Temperatures getting colder! Time to explore ecoENERGY Retrofit and Home Renovation Tax Credit programs

September 9, 2009 · Filed Under Energuide Info and Home Maintenance · 3 Comments 

What a great summer we are having (or is it had).  Unfortunately you can feel the Newfoundland nights getting colder.  On that note, it might be a great time to think of ways to make your home more energy-efficient AND receive grants through the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program. There you can find a list of improvements and retrofits that are eligible under the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program and the corresponding grant amounts. The maximum grant you can receive for a home is $5,000.  Don’t forget the Home Renovation Tax Credit.  You can claim a non-refundable tax credit on your 2009 income tax return based on eligible expenses incurred for work performed or goods acquired after January 27, 2009, and before February 1, 2010 resulting in a maximum tax credit of $1,350.

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