What to Look For When Buying A Home....

As a Real Estate Broker, I'm trained and experienced to root out issues and ask the right questions.  As always, a home inspection prior to firming up your purchase is also recommended.

What's With All Those Forms When Buying or Selling Real Estate?

While working as a Real Estate Broker, I need to work with a multitude of forms with my clients.  In order to help them understand the forms better, I always provide "plain language" forms to my clients to clarify difficult clauses and then go over the forms with them in detail.

I always encourage them to ask lots of questions.  My goal is that clients understand all the scenarios, ramifications and forms before they sign anything.

Buy Your Next Home First or Sell Your Current Home First?

There are pros and cons to both strategies....contact me to discuss your particular circumstances.

What's included when you purchase the home?

This video discusses chattels and fixtures when buying a home, and has a section dealing with rental and lease to own agreements.  Know what your buying!

March Home Sales in Kitchener-Waterloo Set Records

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (April 5, 2016) –– Residential property sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS^® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS^® (KWAR) continued to climb month over month with 584 properties sold in Kitchener-Waterloo and area. This represents a 16.3% increase compared to the March of 2015, and ranks as the highest March on record since 2010.

During the first quarter of 2016, there were 1,350 home sales, 23.9% above last year’s total for the same period and 17.8% above the 5-year quarterly average and the highest quarter on record since 2010. On a monthly basis, home sales were 16.6% above the 5-year average for the month of March.

“The housing market has been thriving this first quarter across the Region,” says Charlotte Zawada, President of KWAR. “We’ve seen stronger than normal sales activity for the first quarter, with relatively mild weather and buyers coming out in droves, we should be in for a very busy upcoming spring market.”

March’s sales included 383 single detached homes (up 11.2 %) and 110 condominium type units (up 26.4%) which include any property regardless of style (ie. semis, townhomes, apartment, detached etc). Sales also included 38 Semi-detached homes (down 2.6%) and 42 freehold townhouses (up 50.0%). The average sale price of all residential sales increased 5.8% to $371,733 compared to March 2015. Single detached style homes sold for an average price of $428,495 an increase of 9.2% compared to last year. The average sale price for an apartment style condominium was $211,117, a decrease of 11.9%. Townhomes and semis sold for an average of $284,226 (up 9.7%) and $276,562 (up 0.6%) respectively.

Sales activity in the $350,000 – $399,999 range increased significantly in the month of March with 98 homes sold in that range, a 78.2% increase from the same time last year. Year-to-date residential sales in the $300,000-$399,999 remain most popular with 490 sales to date accounting for 36.3% of all residential sales. Pushing the average sales price up for the month were increased sales in the $500,000 – $749,999 range, which posted a 31.6% increase in units sold, compared to March 2015.

Contact me today for a complimentary Home Value Report by going to www.kimlouie.net!