Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News

October 31 2018

Wednesday October 31 2018. In this week’s Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News: neighbourhood reflections, Kitchener Frame (Budd) development, interest rates, living room no-nos, basic blogging, more data for real estate websites, Norway train, apartment

Trick or treat

Tonight is Halloween and in my neighbourhood I can count on between ten and twenty small groups of trick or treaters. That’s not a lot. One of my favourite clients in a much newer neighbourhood expects ten time that — more than 100 but less than 200 kids. This small fact reveals something that I’ve long understood about neighbourhoods — you are a reflection of your neighbourhood. You most likely will be in the same demographic, economic situation, age…as the majority of your neighbours. 

Kitchener’s largest brownfield redevelopment project takes a step closer to becoming reality

A 3,150-square-metre, three-storey medical office building has been proposed at the former Kitchener Frame industrial site. The site plan application was submitted by the Homer Watson Medical Group. The sprawling site at Homer Watson Boulevard and Bleams Road in south Kitchener has been remediated.

Bank of Canada raises interest rate

The rock-bottom interest rates of the last decade provided a flourishing environment for soaring housing prices. As mortgages became cheap to own, Canadians increased their borrowing. But the low-rate environment was never going to last forever, and the central bank has now lifted rates five times since July 2017.

Six living room style choices that buyers don’t like

You may like having your TV over the fireplace or a dark signature wall, but many potential homebuyers won’t. Here are six things to think about as you get ready to sell. 

Two decades of blogging

Almost exactly twenty years ago I started my first blog. Back then I was living in Taiwan, working in a Chinese office for a multinational company. My blog was truly a ‘web log’, a diary of my experiences of an expat. Fast forward to 2010. I begin my real estate blog keithmarshall.ca. I like to write. It clarifies my thoughts and why not share those, right?

So now that the market has calmed down to become more like it was during my first nine years as a Realtor, I’m hoping and planning to go back to basics and write more. I’ve recently wrote a couple of post about what to expect when selling a home and what happens after the sale.

The race to build Canada’s best real estate website

A seven-year legal battle about what data can be displayed on real estate agents’ websites has concluded. Now everyone from Zillow to your local sales rep (except me) is racing to create the listing site that will attract the most potential buyers.

The history of Toronto’s first apartment building 

Toronto was slow compared to other North American cities to build its first apartment block. The living concept had already appeared in Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, and other nearby cities, and was established in the form of “apartment hotels” in Boston and New York City in the 1850s and 1860s.

These are the World’s Friendliest Countries

What’s most interesting about this list of the friendliest countries is how unexpected it is. Popular travel destinations like the United States (36th), France (55th) and the United Kingdom (56th) are nowhere near the top; instead you’ll find quite a few hidden gems ideal for those seeking a warm welcome from the locals.

Live stream of Norwegian train

Train travel is the best kind of travel, and watching it on live stream is even better!