8/8/2019 TheHomeHunt 11-2010

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HomeHunt   t   h e

with Bruce Johnson 

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November 2010仝

B R U C E  J O H N S O N S A L E S  R E P R E S E N T  A T  I V E R E  / M A X  o f  W a s a  g a  B e a c h  I n c . , B r o k e r a  g e P H O N E ( 7 0 5 )  4 2 9 - 4 5 0 0 

T  O L L  F  R E E ( 8 8 8 )  7 4 1 - 8 8 8 8 Your Window on Wasaga Beach & Collingwood Real Est

HomeHunt  t   h e

with Bruce Johnson

The Home Hunt: 1263 Mosley Street, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 1A5 | 705-429-4500 x226 |  www.TheHomeHunt.com

Featured Article

Featured Properties

Bruce’s Market Report

Financial News

Mary’s Staging Report

 Wasaga Info

Collingwood Info

 Jokes & Contest

 Assorted Info

Hotlinks

The Big Picture

Contact Us

IN THIS ISSUE:

A recent Ipsos Reid surveycommissioned by the Ontario RealEstate Association (OREA) revealsthat nearly 60% percent of Ontarians mistakenly believe thatthe new Harmonized Sales Tax(HST) applies to the full purchaseprice of a resale home.

In fact, the HST is only levied onthe various transaction feesassociated with the purchase of apreviously occupied (resale) home.

Currently, the average price of anOntario resale home is around$330,000. Therefore, thisconfusion leaves the majority of Ontarians wrongly believing thatthe HST will add more than

$40,000 to the transaction cost.

There is growing concern amongreal estate professionals that thismisperception about the HST isdampening the Ontario housingmarket. “We see it on the front

HST Confusion Continues

lines every day. Clearly, Ontarians still don’tknow what the HST covers and what isexempt,” noted Dorothy Mason, President ofOREA. “This is not helping the housing

56% MISTAKENLY BELIEVE HST APPLIES TO PURCHASE PRICE

* All Photos in this publication are copyrighted by Bruce Johnson 2010

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market, and it’s not helping theOntario economy. This confusionmeans that many buyers think thecost of a resale home is tens of thousands of dollars higher than itactually is.”

The results of the surveyconducted earlier this month wereconsistent across all age groups.However, there were somedif erences across other

demographic categories.

For instance, of those surveyedhalf of the university graduates, 71percent of northern Ontarians, 59percent of those living in easternand south western Ontario, and 54percent of GTA residents allmistakenly believe the HST appliesto the full purchase price of resale

homes.

“We’re doing our part to informour clients, but we shouldn’thave to do it alone. We’re callingon the Ontario government tolaunch an immediate publicawareness campaign to educatetaxpayers and end the HSTconfusion,” concluded Dorothy

Mason. “For averagehomebuyers, learning that theHST does not apply to the fullpurchase price means a $40,000saving they weren’t expecting.”

Ipsos Reid conducted the surveyamong 830 Ontarians from Ipsos’online panel, between October 4thand 11th, on behalf of the OntarioReal Estate Association. Theestimated margin of error is+/-3.8 percentage points, 19times out of 20.

Click here for a video on HST

and Ontario homebuyers

The Ontario Real Estate Association

represents 49,000 brokers and salespeople

who are members of the 42 real estate

boards throughout the province. OREA

 serves its REALTOR® members through a

wide variety of professional publications,

educational programs, advocacy, and 

other services.

FEATURED ARTICLE ! PAGE3

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FEATURED PROPERTY ! PAGE4

 71 Fairway Crescent $369,900 Beautiful Marlwood Golf Course Home

The golf course lifestyle awaits you here with thisbeautiful Marlwood home with 1,874 sq. ft. on themain floor. There are three bedrooms on the mainfloor and the spacious master bdrm boasts a 4-piece ensuite with a separate shower. The brighteat-in kitchen and the screened sunroom off the

dining nook walkout both offer a nice viewof the private treed back yard while yousip your morning coffee. The gas

fireplace in the living room helpscreate a calm area where you can sit

and chat.

The lower level has twoadditional bedrooms anda home office, plus alarge family area, a 4-piece bathroom and ahuge storage area witha workshop. There’salso a convenientinside entry from thetwo-car garage to themain floor laundry.

Click Here For More In

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 MLS # 20105267  $99,900

All-brick 1,874 sq.ft. Marlwood golf coursehome with new wide-plank hardwood flooring.3 bedrooms on the main floor, bright eat-inkitchen, gas fireplace in living rm. Click herefor full details:

71 Fairway Crescent

 MLS # 20104285  $369,900

Here's a superb location to build your WasagaBeach dream home. This 1/2 acre lot is a shortwalk to the pristine sand beach yet close tomodern conveniences. Click here for fulldetails:

Lot 23 Deerbrook Drive

 MLS # 20105504  $309,900

Build your dream home on this massive oneacre golf course community lot backing ontoforested land overlooking McIntyre Creek inWasaga Sands Estates. Click here for fulldetails:

16 Walnut Drive

 MLS # 20100743 $138,500

You’ve found your riverfront dream home herewith historic Nancy Island in view just downriver.Newly renovated with 3 bdrms on a large 50’ x205’ landscaped lot. Prime boating from here toGeorgian Bay! Click here for full details:

1182 River Road West

N ea r  th

 e B ea  ch

!

W a s a  g a  S a n d s ! R i v er f ron t!

M a r l w o o d ! 

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FEATURED PROPERTIES! PAGE5

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BRUCE’S MARKET INFORMATION !  PAGE6

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0 20 40 60 80

22

60

494

72

40

38

436

71

Clearview

Collingwood 

Blue Mtn 

Tiny Beaches 

Wasaga Beach 

2010 2009

0 10 20 30 40

12

26

121

21

12

25

16

2

38

Clearview

Collingwood 

Blue Mtn Tiny Beaches 

Wasaga Beach 

2010 2009

Bruce’s 

Market Notes: 

The average sale price for

residential listings in the

Georgian Triangle for last

month was $295,204, compared 

with $290,968 for the same period 12 months ago. There

were 93 residential sales 

compared with 119 sales 12

months ago. The majority of 

home sales continues to be

below $300,000.

All data provided by the Georgian Triangle Real 

Estate Board. Graphs copyrighted by Bruce

Johnson 2010.

Residential Sales for October

Residential Listings for October

Housing Market Indicators 

BRUCE’S MARKET INFORMATION  PAGE6

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Under 100,000

100,000 - 149,999

150,000 - 199,999

200,000 - 249,999

250,000 - 299,999

300,000 - 349,999

350,000 - 399,999

400,000 - 499,999

500,000 - 599,999

600,000 - 699,999

700,000 - 799,999

800,000 - 899,999

900,000 - 999,999

1,000,000 - 1,499,999

1,500,000 +

0 10 20 30 40 50

1

0

1

0

3

1

9

8

15

17

28

46

37

15

12

1

1

1

1

1

4

4

8

9

13

26

28

31

20

16

October Sales By Price: 2010 & 2009

2010 Month 2009 Month  

TheHomeHunt.com

T h i s  c h a r t  b r ea k s  d o w n  t o t a l   p r o  p er t  y  s a l es  f o r  t h e  p r ev i o u s  m o n t h  i n t o   p r i c e r a n  g es  s o  t h a t  t h e m o s t   p o  p u l a r  ( h i  g h es t  s el l i n  g )   p r i c e r a n  g es  c a n   q u i c k l  y  b e d et er m i n ed . P r o  p er t i es  i n  t h e $ 1 5 0 ,0 0 0  t o  $ 2 5 0 ,0 0 0   p r i c e r a n  g es  c o n t i n u e t o   p r o d u c e t h e h i  g h es t  s a l es  v o l u m e. 

T h e m i x  b et w een  s a l es  o f  h i  g h er -  p r i c ed  v er s u s  l o w er -  p r i c ed   p r o  p er t i es  d i r ec t l  y  a f f ec t s  t h e a v er a  g e m o n t h l  y  s el l i n  g   p r i c e.

Total Sales: October 2010: 

164October 2009: 

193

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BRUCE’S MARKET INFORMATION  PAGE7

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$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$255,417$291,304

$554,312

$150,000

$215,286

$213,374

$293,426

$448,927

$225,000$263,376

ClearviewCollingwood 

Blue Mtn Tiny Beaches 

Wasaga Beach 

34%

22%

13%

6%

20%

6%

Single-Family Home Single Family Home - OtherResidential - Other FarmVacant Land Other (I.C. & I.)

45%

29%

10%

4%10%

2%

2010 month 2009 month  

TheHomeHunt.com

Average Sale Price: October 2010/2009

Total Sales - monthly Active Listings 

BRUCE’S MARKET INFORMATION  PAGE8

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FINANCIAL NEWS! PAGE9

The Home Hunt: 1263 Mosley Street, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 1A5 | 705-429-4500 x226 |  www.TheHomeHunt.com

This Month’s Featured Guest: Michael McCarthy 

Mortgage Advisor with Scotiabank 

Q: What should I budget for ahome purchase?

Before making a home-buying decision,

calculate both the one-time and ongoing

costs associated with buying and

maintaining the home you want.

One-time costs may include:

Appraisal fees

Cost to obtain a survey

Land transfer taxes

CMHC / GENWORTH mortgage

insurance application fee and

insurance premium (if applicable)*may be added to the mortgage

amount

Moving expenses

Legal fees

Property and School Tax

Adjustment

Heating, Hydro and Water

Adjustment

Title Insurance

Utility Connections

Home Inspection Fee (if 

necessary)

Ongoing housing costs include:

Mortgage payments

Home Insurance

Property taxes

Mortgage life insurance (if applicable)

Heating, hydro and water costs

Condominium fees (if applicable)

Maintenance costs

Telecommunication costs -

phones, internet access, cable (if 

necessary)

Your lawyer and real estate agent can

provide estimates of some of these costs

and should consult with you before you

sign any documents or make any

commitments.

For more on this topic, click here:

Click here to contactMichael McCarthy

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When MORE Is Mor

  MARY’S STAGING REPORT !  PAGE10

The Home Hunt: 1263 Mosley Street, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 1A5 | 705-429-4500 x226 |  www.TheHomeHunt.com

Less may be more when it comes to staging your 

home for sale, but studies have shown that when it

comes to posting photos on the MLS, more is

definitely the way to go. When real estate

representatives post more listing photos, and by

more I mean in both quantity and quality, sellers

receive more and higher offers.

Why quantity? 

Point2 (point2.com) conducted a study monitoring

listings over a 30-day period which clearly showed

that properties which feature just one photo

generated approximately five views and 1.37

leads, while listings that added 20+ photos

generated nearly 10 times the number of leads and

over 15 times the number of views.

Another study relating to the number of photos

posted compares photos to the number of “Days

on Market” (DOM). The findings show that listings

with more photos sold faster:

 1 photo = 70 DOM

6 photos = 40 DOM

16-19 photos = 36 DOM

20 + to max = 32 DOM

Also, listings with fewer 

photos sold for less. The

Closed NET Price as a

percentage of the

Original Price also

showed a direct

correlation. (These

findings are based on

2006 numbers and are

again estimates.)

- 1 Photo = 91.2% of Original Price

- 6 or more = 95% of Original Price

According to these findings, a $600,000 home,

sporting only one photo, could sell for as much a

3.8% LESS or a loss of over $22,000, just becau

there was only one photo accompanying the listi

More amazing is the fact that only 12% of agents

posted the maximum number of photos.

Why quality? Because over 85% of buyers sta

their search on the internet, and because photos

are essentially their first impression of the place,

buyers will either put it high on their “must-see” l

or scratch it off completely, based solely on thos

MLS photos.

When I’m in pre-staging mode with home sellers

they must wonder what the heck I’m thinking abo

as I stand in every doorway for minutes at a timeActually, I’m filling in the blanks for my own ment

checklist about whether function, flow and focal

point are working or not. And perhaps most

importantly from a selling standpoint, I am thinki

about photos.

Part of why I love staging for Bruce is that I know

he has the right mix of tools and talent to bring o

the best of my work. My goal is to make a humb

room look like a homeowner’s dream come true;

his goal is to sell his client’s property for thehighest price in the shortest amount of time. Talk

about a great partnership! Whereas a typical

hurried agent with a point-and-shoot will take a

couple of snapshots of the exterior and one per 

interior room, then load them directly to the MLS

without editing, Bruce puts his photojournalism

PHOTOS CAN ATTRACT OR REPEL BUYER

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List Your Home With

Bruce And Receive...

  MARY’S STAGING REPORT  PAGE11

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     C     l     i    c     k     !

training and experience to work by

having:

Great equipment – Just like Phil

Mickelson knows which club will deliver a birdie, Bruce swears by his

Nikon D200 and knows which lens and lighting to

use for each situation.

Dynamic stance – Because most rooms have

8-foot ceilings and since shooting from too high

makes a room look smaller (rarely the goal in

real estate photography!) Bruce knows how to

get down and shoot from the middle of the

vertical space to make the great view or focal point evenly spaced

between the floor and ceiling. Also, he knows I stage with sight lines

and flow in mind and, using zoom and focus (not to mention a

natural eye for the desired end result) his photos plays up the

foreground and background accordingly. Often, I stage the “money

shot” for the MLS from the vantage point of the doorway into theroom, because that stellar first impression will then be seen and

sealed when potential buyers first view the property in person.

Thoughtful editing – the local real estate board limits the number of 

photos we can load on the MLS to 32 per listing so Bruce chooses

and crops with professional photo editing software. He considers the

neighbourhood and likely buyer; this may mean there will be 5 shots

of the designer kitchen but only one of the basement guest bedroom.

Poor lighting, clutter, too much or awkwardly arranged furniture,

rooms used as storage area or offices instead of bedrooms, thesecan all be addressed by staging. If not addressed, buyers will forego

what might have been their perfect property based on the photos

alone. Blurry, crooked or too few photos have a similar effect:

turning off buyers. Click here for some spectacular examples of what

your property shouldn’t look like online!

~ Mary 

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  WASAGA BEACH HAPPENINGS PAGE12

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1. Click here for Things

To Do in Wasaga Beach!

Map of Wasaga Beach

14 - d ay  Loca l 

Weat he r  T re n d Cu r r ent Weather 

2. Click  here for T hings 

To Do in Clearview!

3. Click  here f or Things To Do in Balm Beach!

 W h y 

 Y o u  N e e d  

 T o M o v e  t o 

 W as a g a !

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COLLINGWOOD / BLUE MOUNTAIN HAPPENINGS PAGE13

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Map of Collingwood 

Blu e Mtn Sk i Report

1. Click here for Things 

To Do in Collingwood !

2. Click  here f or Things To Do in Blu e Mou ntain!

3. Click here for Things 

To Do in Thornbu ry!

 S P A R  T A

 !

W hy Y ou  N eed  T o Mov e t o 

Colli ngwood !

 B r u c e ’s M o m 

 d  r ess es  h i

 m  f u n n y !

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The Home Hunt Contest!

Test Your Skill!Who

Lives

Here?

The First Person

to email Bruce wins everlasting

glory... and a

sweet prize!

Good Luck,

HomeHunters!

JOKES & CONTEST  PAGE14

THE HOUSE SITTER

 A man left his cat with his brother while he went

on vacation for a week. When he came back, the

man called his brother to see when he could pick the cat up. The brother hesitated, then said, "I'm

so sorry, but while you were away, your cat died."

The man was very upset and yelled, "You know,

 you could have broken the news to me better than

that. When I called today, you could have said he

was on the roof and wouldn't come down. Then

when I called the next day, you could have said

that he had fallen off and the vet was working on

patching him up. Then when I called the third day,

 you could have said he had passed away."

The brother thought about it and apologized. "Sohow's Mom?" asked the man.

"She's on the roof and won't come down."

BELLY ACHE

 A funeral home employee woke his wife up early

one morning, complaining of severe abdominal

pains. They immediately rushed to the emergencyroom, where they gave him a series of tests to try

to determine the source of his pain.

The husband told his wife not to call in sick for

him until they knew what was wrong. When the

results came back, the doctor informed the man

that he was suffering from a kidney stone.

The wife turned to her husband and asked, "Shall

I call the funeral home now?"

"Good heavens, he's not THAT sick!" the doctor

quickly said.

The Home Hunt: 1263 Mosley Street, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 1A5 | 705-429-4500 x226 |  www.TheHomeHunt.com

Congratulations

last month’s spee

 winner:

Michelle Millso

Miche lle won a “Dream D

Night” with Bruce & Ma

Lattes, a movie and rivetconversation!

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Bruce Johnson Photo ©

S unse t P oin t, Collin

 gwood

THE BIG PICTURE!  PAGE15

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"November alwaysseemed to me theNorway of the year."

~ Emily Dickinson

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ASSORTED INFORMATION !  PAGE16

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C H E C K  O U T  O U R  V I D E O  C H AN N E L 

B Y  C L I C K I N G  H E R E ! 

H o me H u nt   t   h e

 C L I C K  H E R E  F O R 

 PA S T  E D I T I O N S 

 O F 

 T H E  H O M E  H U N T

   B   R    U   C    E    ’   S 

    V   I   D    E   O 

   O    F     T   H    E

 

    M   O    N    T

   H   !

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FreeHomeStaging

MLSSearch!

HOME HUNT HOT LINKS!  PAGE17

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EmailBruceEmailMary

FreeMarketEvaluation

Easiest Property Search in the

Known Universe! Simply Click Here:

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仝

HomeHunt  t   h e

with Bruce Johnson

仝

仝

仝

   Ma r y  Joh n so n 

 B r uce  Joh n so n

Ce r t i fied S ta g i n g  P

 ro f e s s io nal  Sale s  Re p re se n ta t

 i ve

RE/MAX OF 

 WASAGA BEACH 

INC. 

BROKERAGE

仝

Click for contact info

705-42 9-4500  x

226

RE/MAX of Wasaga Beach Inc., Brokerage 1263 Mosley Street, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 1A5 | 705-429-4500 x226

 Bruce Johnson Mary Johnson

Click Here

for Client

Testimonials