September 15 2017
Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News Update
September 15 2017. In today’s news: Blackberry, Kik, Decarts, Virtual Reality, Q&A with a moving company, new listings, snow storm warning, Amazon, rate hike impact, one less brokerage, and boomers.
BlackBerry and Vuzix Partner to Make AR More Secure
Vuzix, which has been making head-mounted displays for some time, and BlackBerry, which has largely shifted to being a software company focused on mobile security and device management have partnered to make Augmented Reality better secured head-mounted displays and cameras.
Waterloo’s Descartes buys truck-tracking company in US$107M deal
Based in Waterloo, Descartes paid US$87 million in cash and shares worth US$20 million to acquire MacroPoint. Cleveland-based MacroPoint LLC uses on-board electronic logging devices, smartphones and other technology to track vehicles and identify opportunities for additional freight moves.
Kitchener VR startup pivots into new market
Kitchener startup developed software for sharing VR tours of homes and condos. Home buyers could use the app to change the colour of walls, cupboards and switch appliances. But the real estate industry didn’t have much interest.
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Q&A with a moving company
Q:Do prices surge on specific days or weeks of a month?
A: The stretch between the 26th and the 3rd of any given month is considered peak moving time, when availability is lowest and rates are highest across the industry.
This is a milk door
The dial (arrows missing) on the inside of the door allowed the apartment dweller to specify what he/she needed from the milkman.
Five mistakes that new landlords make
As a landlord, your mistakes can hurt your investment, which is not a good practice as an investor. Here are some pitfalls that all landlords should avoid.
Baby boomers, you’ve won this round
Baby boomers are lucky. They have options — keeping the home they’ve grown to love, cashing out and downsizing, buying a cottage, another home. And millennials, well, they’ll just have to adjust to not getting absolutely everything they want as soon as they ask for it.
Vying for Amazon
Amazon announced that it is looking for a second place to call home, and Canadians across the country are making noise for their community. Waterloo Region is one of them.
Real estate professionals gauge the rate hike impact
What affect will the latest Bank of Canada rate increase have on housing markets? Two professionals weigh in.
Things that make me go “hmmmm?”
Royal LePage Scharf Realty merges with Royal LePage Wolle Realty The merged brokerage will operate under the Royal LePage Wolle banner, which is owned by Mark Wolle. Interesting. Just a couple of months ago, another local Royal Lepage Brokerage merged
Before rates rise by the end of the week
Canadians hurrying to lock down five-year fixed rate mortgages
If pigs fly, maybe
U.K. Travel Advice For Toronto Invictus Games Includes Snowstorm Warning
The housing market trend that’s surprising Toronto realtors this month
Toronto realtors have been surprised to see that the spike in listings many experts had expected to overwhelm the housing market after Labour Day hasn’t materialized. This seems to be true in KW too.
