Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News
August 21, 2019
August 21, 2019. In this week’s Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News: summer, GO train, LRT and investment into Kitchener-Waterloo, speculation, exurbia, tech superstar cities, Canadian communities ranked, Youtube…
1.
Wasted away, like in Margaritaville
As summer winds down I marvel at how quickly time goes by, especially good times. And although I didn’t have any epic road trips or even many day trips this summer, time was well wasted beside the pool, at lunch on patios with friends, on my front porch reading, writing and occasionally napping.
There’s no such thing as a bad nap.
And although real estate always continues, and this summer was busier than last, it is the autumn when we get another rally, a flurry of activity before settling down again until the late winter/early spring. I’m well rested and ready for that. In some ways I’m even looking forward to the cooler air of autumn…
2.
Going there and back.
Finally we can ride the GO train to and from Toronto at non-rush hour times. An extra morning train from Kitchener, two new afternoon trips and two new evening trips are available for Kitchener riders starting next week.
3.
Investing near the LRT
CMHC reports some interesting findings about investment into Kitchener-Waterloo and how the LRT impacted investment properties.
4.
Biggest market risk is not a housing crash.
It’s speculation. Lower interest rates might encourage a renewed surge of speculation by moneyed foreigners taking advantage of Canada’s housing markets. Domestic policymakers need to consider other ways to control real estate speculation – especially from abroad – in a world where interest rates stay below inflation. Up to 1.3 million homes across Canada stood empty by the end of 2016. Such properties are almost always vehicles of speculation
5.
Why do so many people move to Kitchener-Waterloo?
The whole purpose of the suburbs was to live within commuting distance. Now that many more people can work digitally, we see a return not to the suburbs but to the exurbs. Kitchener-Waterloo is a GTA exurb.
6.
Waterloo — a rising tech superstar city
One city stood out in a new report from TD Economics. Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge (KWC), which the report characterized as a “rising tech superstar city,” saw employment growth of about 20 per cent since 2010. Digital services alone in the region grew by almost 130 per cent between 2010-to-2018.
7.
Best communities in Canada 2019
See how Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge stack up against the rest of Canadian cities ranked in this Macleans study. (Not too shabby.)
8.
Where Manhattan’s grid plan came from
Manhattan is famous for its grid — so famous that people take pictures of the way the sun shines through it. But the origin of that grid wasn’t always certain — and not everybody is a fan.
9.
Reel Estate
This summer, I’ve noticed and I’ve asked friends about this and they have noticed too that we are spending more and more time on Youtube and perhaps a little less on Netflix. The question: Did Youtube get better or did Netflix get worse? The answer: Youtube got better (and Netflix stayed the same.) At least that seems to be the general conscences.
I like media. I’d like to do a real estate video series, but unlike writing blog posts, video is hard and I am reluctant to try it again.
Question: Why aren’t there any great Real Estate Youtubers?
Answer: ‘Cause real estate is too complex and changeable for “how to” videos and too boring for “vanlife/travel” videos
10.
What to read next:
Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News: a dozen years a realtor, how KW’s housing market compares, ethical breaches, airbnb, dream neighbourhood attributes, opportunity markets, boomers in the urban spaces, bike friendly cities, roadside attractions
Last year in Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News: already talking about Autumn, T.O. to waterloo, vacation properties, things movers don’t like to move, lighten up and sell, the Great Gatsby curve, India’s first Ikea, gone fishing…
