Enjoy Lakeside Liiving in Whitby's Port Whitby Neighbourhood 

View all avaialble Homes for sale in Port Whtby 

Welcome home all 1st-time buyers 

to 985 Southgate Drive, Oshawa 

#1st-time buyers #updatedhome #DurhamRealEstate #OshawaRealEstate

Market Statistics - Weekly Sales Report - February 18, 2016

Coming Soon! 

 985 Southgate Drive - Oshawa

 Spacious updated 3 bedroom semi located minutes to shopping transit and 401 is situated on a mature lot - large L shaped living dining rooms overlooking beautiful back yard with newer 3 tier deck - - eat in kitchen - renovated main bathroom on 2nd floor with 3 large bedrooms w/ new premium laminate flooring - freshly painted / newer windows & patio door - partially finished basement w/ 3 piece bath / lookout basement.

Deep driveway. Call Jim for more information about this Great Home! 

Direct number  call or text 905-409-9967 

To Checkout this weeks hot #Bungalows-for-sale in #DurhamRegion - #PickeringBungalows - #AjaxBungalows -

#WhitbyBungalows and #OshawaBungalows 

Go to #BungalowDen.com

OREA Recommends Home Energy Retrofit Rebates

Province Announces Funding to Help Home Owners Improve Home Energy Efficiency 

Strong Start to 2016

February 3, 2016 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,672 residential transactions through TREB's MLS® System in January 2016. This result represented an 8.2 per cent increase compared to January 2015.

"It is clear that the handoff from 2015 to 2016 was a strong one. This is not surprising given that recent polling conducted for TREB by Ipsos suggested 12 per cent of GTA households were seriously considering the purchase of a home in 2016. Buying intentions are strong for this year as households continue to see home ownership as an affordable long-term investment," said McLean.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark Price for January 2016 was up by 10.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis. The average selling price over the same period was up by 14.1 per cent.

The difference in the annual growth rates for the MLS® HPI and average price was largely due to a greater share of high-end detached homes sold in the regions surrounding the City of Toronto this year compared to last. The MLS® HPI removes the impact of shifts in the share of different property types sold from one year to the next.

"Market conditions in January were tighter compared to a year earlier, with an annual increase in sales up against a decline in listings. This is why growth in the MLS® HPI benchmarks continued to be strong, especially for singles, semis and townhouses, where there has been a persistent lack of inventory," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis.    

Happy Ground Hog Day! 

Winston is our  Groundhog from the cottage in Apsley  predicts 6 weeks ? 

The Pre Spring Market is Here

Ontario's Wiarton Willie expects six more weeks of winter.

We have conflicting predictions in Canada

Shubenacadie Sam and Wiarton Willie disagree on spring's arrival

The Canadian Press Posted: Feb 02, 2016 9:11 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 02, 2016 9:25 AM ET

Two of Canada's famed four-legged forecasters have made clashing weather predictions.Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam is calling for an early spring while Ontario's Wiarton Willie expects six more weeks of winter.According to tradition, if the groundhog doesn't see its shadow when it emerges from its burrow on Groundhog Day, an early spring is in store. read the whole story here and let me know your prediction .............................

#Groundhogday 

The pre-spring real estate market is in full swing!

I was out pre-viewing open houses this past weekend and there was a real buzz of activity  for all 8  listings I viewed.  Listing prices are up! This price increase along with changes to the amount buyers will need for down payments on homes over $500,000 which takes effect on February 15th, is definitely motivating buyers to get into the market as soon as possible.   

The Durham Region is also seeing a resurgence of new home developments.  In Whitby there is a large project underway at the Country Lane Golf Club site, as well as many smaller projects on infill sites. Pickering has 8,000 homes being built by various builders over the next decade in the new development of Seaton now open and the City of Oshawa  approving 1,300 new homes and a large commercial shopping centre development on part of the Winfield Farm lands.

How the resurgence of New Home Developments will Effect You

With the surge in openning of New Home’ sales centres, the resale market has competition that it hasn't had in over a decade.  Over the past 10 years the resale market has flourished.  This is in part due to low interest rates, government incentives to update your resale home, along with a steady supply of buyers and a lack of housing inventory.  

The past 4 years we have seen a Seller's Market and the outcome has been record prices and sales stats. With the influx of New Homes the resale market is about to face some fierce competition.  This will be to the benefit of buyers who are sick ,and tired of facing multiple offer situations, unfortunately as a seller you may not be receiving the bounty of offers that we have come to expect in today’s market.  

If you have been thinking of selling, take advantage of the current situation and don’t wait until the market starts to cool. Call Jim Stanton and Associates today and we will provide you with a free no obligation Home evaluation and give you the professional advice that you deserve.

Free Real Estate Consultation 

Nervous about making the right decision? We can help. Sit down with Jim for a free one-hour consultation session. No commitment required!

#WhitbyRealEstate   #DurhamRegion #Durhamregionbungalows

In a recent Forbes  online article  - Easing The Financial Impact of divorce in Retirement  the article says dvorces are skyrocketing for people in their 50s and 60s. Between 1990 and 2012, the number of divorces among people 55 to 64 more than doubled and tripled for those 65 and older, according to a study by Susan Brown, I-Fen Lin and Krista Payne of Bowling Green State University. read more ..........

#Retirement 

The 5 Hottest Housing Markets Under $500,0000 

in a recent article published in the HuffingtonPost.ca  

The countdown is on: on Feb. 15, 2016, Canada's new mortgage rules kick in, mandating higher minimum down payments for homes priced higher than $500,000. 

But if you're planning to buy a home for less than that figure, you're in luck -- there's plenty of hot markets across Canada with average home prices of less than $500,000.  Read more ............

#DurhamRegion         #WhitbyRealEstate     #first-timebuyers   1st-timebuyers

   The Bank of Canada will maintain its target for the overnight rate at 1/2%.