Recent Blog Posts by Jeff Gingerich

I get Air Miles when I sell my home in Kitchener Waterloo?

  Many of my clients are pleasantly surprised when I tell them they'll receive Air Miles travel miles when they sell their Kitchener Waterloo home.  In fact, if they are buying real estate in Kitchener Waterloo, they also receive Air Miles.  Choose your Realtor carefully as unfortunately, the offer only applies to Century 21 clients and not to those buying a Century 21 home ...

When is the best time to sell a home in Kitchener Waterloo?

The best time to sell a home in Kitchener Waterloo is generally in the spring months.  For example, April 2012 saw 510 MLS sales while October 2011 saw only 348.  The reason is demand peaks in the spring months as most families want to move in nice weather and before the kids go back to school.  High demand will also mean a higher sale price as April's average of $312,285 ...

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Sales Flourish in April

Kitchener Waterloo residential real estate sales flourished in April with 510 sales reported through MLS.  Of these 44 were new or to be built and 466 were resale homes.  These results were up substantially over April 2011 which saw 459 sales including 39 new and 419 resales sold through MLS. Included in the resale homes was the luxury home pictured above in Kiwanis Park.  ...

Seller's Market Continues in Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate

As anyone who tried to buy a home in March will tell you, Kitchener Waterloo real estate remains a seller's market.  Residential MLS sales in March totalled 482 with 33 new and 449 resales.  New homes sales were resurgent as the 33 sales represented an 8% drop over the 36 sold in March 2011.  This is good news for Kitchener Waterloo homebuilders as regular readers ...

Kitchener Waterloo Oldtimers Slo Pitch League

The Kitchener Waterloo Oldtimers Slo Pitch League is looking for players for the 2012 season.  The league is recreational and plays Monday to Thursday nights from May to September.  If you'd like to sign up, visit the website at http://kwotslopitch.com .  If you have any questions, feel free to call or email 519-505-4488 jeff.gingerich@century21.ca.   Jeff ...

First-time Buyers in Kitchener Waterloo Need a 10 Year Plan

  As we reach the late stages of a 13 year real estate boom, I'm convinced prudent first-time home buyers in Kitchener Waterloo need a 10 year plan.  Why?  First, let's look at history.  As mentioned previously, I sold real estate through the recession of the early 1990's.  In the fall of 1992, I helped a wonderful retired couple find an affordable ...

Kitchener Waterloo Power of Sale Update

Despite repeated warnings of unsustainable debt levels for Canadians, Kitchener-Waterloo power of sale activity remains muted.  Currently on the Kitchener Waterloo MLS, there are 7 active properties under power of sale.  They range in price from $180,600 to $434,900.  They have been on the market just 25 days on average reflecting the lack of properties for sale in ...

Now Is The Perfect Time To Sell Your Kitchener Waterloo Investment Property

With prices having doubled in the past ten years, now is the perfect time to sell your Kitchener Waterloo investment property.  I read a brilliant piece on buying investment real estate by Tom Bradley from the Globe and Mail this weekend.   The end of the third last paragraph states:  "Real estate has enjoyed a long upward cycle and with 12 good years comes a high ...

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Sales Update February 2010

While the mainstream media speculated about a Canadian real estate bubble, it was business as usual in Kitchener Waterloo in February.  Preliminary results from the Kitchener Waterloo MLS show 344 residential sales in February 2012 versus 377 in February 2011.  Continuing a trend seen last fall, a decline in new home sales in the Twin Cities was ...

Kitchener Waterloo Luxury Homes Sales Take Flight in January

Sales of million dollar luxury homes in Kitchener-Waterloo started the year with a bang.  There were 2 million dollar MLS sales in Kitchener in January with one in Deer Ridge and the other in Hidden Valley.  Buyers were driving a hard bargain as successful sellers received just 92% of their asking price on average. Kitchener Waterloo saw million dollar luxury homes start ...

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Update January 2012

Despite near perfect weather for winter house-hunting, residential real estate sales in Kitchener Waterloo started the year rather sluggish.  There were 253 residential sales reported though the MLS in January, down 8% from last January.  Of the 253 sales, 26 were new homes and 227 were resales.  New homes experienced a slight uptick with the opening of the Vista ...

What Do I Need To Get A Rental Housing License In Waterloo?

Following a wild ride with a great deal of controversy, the City Of Waterloo Rental Housing licensing program takes effect April 1, 2012.  If you are planning on applying for a license, you should contact the Electrical Safety Authority for an inspection to obtain the required ESA certificate.  Contact info is 1-877-372-7233 or visit http://esasafe.com. If, like the ride pictured ...

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Update December 2011

December is a month where our thoughts turn to Christmas holidays.  As a result, it tends to be one of the slower months of the year in Kitchener Waterloo real estate.  This December, there were 230 MLS sales in Kitchener Waterloo, down slightly from last December's total of 238.  Continuing a trend that emerged in the fall, resale homes were higher and new home sales ...

Can I Save Money By Moving To The Country?

  With rising property taxes and real estate prices in Waterloo Region, new home buyers are being enticed daily with lower prices in other cities and towns.  It appears to be working as new home sales on MLS in Kitchener Waterloo trended considerably lower this fall.  So can a new home buyer really save money by moving from Kitchener Waterloo?  The answer is ...

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Update November 2011

Residential real estate sales in Kitchener Waterloo fell year-over-year with 330 recorded through the MLS this November and 367 in November 2010.  However, much like October, the decline can be attributed to plummeting new home sales.  Just 19 new homes sold in November 2011 through MLS versus 49 and 63 in the previous Novembers. Resale homes sold in November homes totalled ...

The Bizarro World of Real Estate

A recent encounter with a private seller on behalf of a buyer client left me dazed and confused.  As a big Seinfeld fan, the closest I could come to describing it was the episode where Elaine makes a new group of friends and Jerry describes them as a Bizarro world. Here is the scenario.  A buyer client expressed an interest in seeing a privately listed property.  ...

October Update For Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate

Kitchener Waterloo real estate sales for October remained on solid ground with 348 residential properties under contract through MLS.  This represents a slight gain over October 2010's total of 345 sales.  Resale homes were significantly higher with 342 sales versus 318 last October.  Much like September, the real story is the precipitous decline of new ...

Business As Usual For Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate In September

September sales of residential real estate in Kitchener Waterloo showed modest results.  There were a total of 362 sales through MLS this September versus 376 in September 2010.  However, if we break down the sales, the decline was in new homes with 19 this September and 49 for the same period last year.  Residential resale or used homes actually increased to 343 from 327 ...

Robust Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Sales Push Prices Up Nearly 6% in August

Low interest rates continued to entice Kitchener Waterloo homebuyers into the market in August as 351 residential MLS sales were recorded.  This is down slightly over the 369 in August 2010.  However, August 2010 saw sales of 41 new homes versus 17 this August.  Sales of used homes or resales in August were up 2% year-over-year. Readers of this blog will recall ...

July Real Estate Sales In Kitchener Waterloo Were Hot, Hot, Hot

Central air conditioning and swimming pools were popular features for Kitchener Waterloo buyers as 367 MLS properties changed hands during our July heat wave.  Of these, 27 were new construction and 340 were resale or used homes.  As detailed previously, we achieve a better understanding of the current market by looking at just resale homes.  The ...

Homeowners With Trees Have It "Made In The Shade"

With the recent record-breaking heat wave in Waterloo Region behind us, our thoughts turn to how to cope with such humid weather.  The common answer for most is central air conditioning and, for some, swimming pools.  However, with Ontario recently implementing time-of-use pricing, these alternatives are becoming increasingly costly. One time-tested solution for dealing ...

Buy A Home With Century 21 And Plan Your Winter Vacation With Air Miles

One of the things I often hear from buyer clients is the desire to not be "house poor".  Typically, they don't want to overspend on a home as they still want to be able to afford a vacation to escape the Kitchener Waterloo winter weather.  With Century 21 and Air Miles, you can have it all! One of the perks of working with a Century 21 Realtor is Air Miles travel miles.  ...

Luxury Home Sales In Kitchener Waterloo Poised For Record Results

Million dollar homes in Kitchener Waterloo continue to sell at record-setting levels this year.  Following 2010's record total of 12, there have already been 8 residential MLS sales over $1 million in 2011.  Luxury home buyers continue to have it their way as sellers are receiving, on average, 92% of the asking price, down slightly from 2010's ...

5 Spring Tips on Preparing Your Home For Sale

Preparing your Kitchener Waterloo home for sale in the Spring months requires a greater emphasis on the exterior of the home.  Here are 5 tips to make a lasting impression with the buyer. 1.  Driveways and Walkways Buyers and buyer's agents begin evaluating your home the minute they leave the sidewalk.  It should go without saying if you have big ruts in your driveway, ...

Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Update April 2011

Record rainfall dampened April 2011 residential sales as Kitchener Waterloo recorded 455 MLS sales, off 16% from April 2010 results.  New home sales totalled 38, an increase over the 31 sold in April 2010.  Resale unit sales were off 18% year-over-year.  There was some good news as April sales averaged just 39 days on the market and an average price of $305,379 versus ...