The Quinte area real estate market has risen by approximately 11.5 % to the end of July of this year compared to the same time period in 2006. There is a shortage of listings and many properties are receiving multiple offers on  the day they are listed or the day they are open to offers. I am seeing more and more properties coming on the market with 'no showings or offers allowed until such and such a date' on them.This is very frustrating to my buyers and I feel it does a disservice to the seller of the property. There may be numerous buyers who will go elsewhere and buy something else rather than wait on a property only to be in competition with numerous other buyers the day the showings finally start. I never recommend this for any of my sellers. A two or three day 'no showing' perio... 08/13/2007

You're just bought the house of your dreams. It's a 3,217 sqft Queen Anne beauty on a street lined with giant old maples and pines. After the movers leave and you have placed your furniture and hung your pictures, you notice how the halls echo and many rooms are practically empty; what to do? Head to an auction ! The Quinte and Prince Edward regions abound with excellent auctions from early spring til late fall. Many auctions are held on site at old homesteads. As you prepare to go to your first auction, it's a good idea to  pack a  folding chair (for sitting under the old apple tree and visiting with people you haven't seen in ages),  cool drinks and snacks, a  little 'auction booklet', a good pen or two, a HAT(make it a big wide-brimmed one to keep off the burning mid-day rays),  suns... 07/29/2007

The Empire Classic Rock Festival begins tonight at the Empire Square in downtown Belleville. Mark Rashotte, purchased the buildings on either side of the former parking lot as well as the parking lot itself. One of the buildings was magically transformed into our new office building which we moved into last fall. The parking lot adjacent to our office building was refurbished and is called 'Empire Square' after Mark's Empire Theatre which is just a few doors down from our office building (yes, he really is refurbishing the northern end of Belleville's downtown area and bringing it back to life !).When there are no events being held in the Empire Square, it is the  business parking lot for our office and for the Empire Theatre. Currently it is blocked off for this 3 day 'Classic Rock Fes... 07/26/2007

  The Quinte Region boasts miles and miles of waterfront land. The Municipality of Prince Edward, an island off the coast of Belleville and Trenton. alone has over 800 kilometres of shoreline consisting of sandy beaches, marshy areas, rocky cliffs and pebble beaches. Tourists throng to this beautiful area in the summer months to make use of the beautiful white sand beaches at Sandbanks Provincial Park, Presquile Provincial Park and North Beach Provincial Park. There are also numerous privately run beaches sprinkled throughout the greater Quinte area. Out of the thousands of tourists who visit here yearly, many decide to retire or move here permanently. Their first choice is often a waterfront property. The month of June was very active for the sales of waterfront. There were 54 Resident... 07/18/2007

The statistics for The Quinte & District Real Estate Board have been released for June 2007 and the strong market trends have continued. The first half of the year has seen strong sales along with a reduction in the number of listings resulting in a rather hot market.The average residential price on the board for June 2007 rose to $208,123, an increase of 15.4% when compared to the same month last year. The average residential price for the first half of 2007 was $195,354, a 8.5% increase when compared to the $180,053 average price for the first half of 2006.The absorption rate for homes, which is the number of months it would take to sell the current number of residential listings given the current monthly sales, is less than 4 months. This indicates a true Seller's market, a trend tha... 07/16/2007

The Belleville Waterfront and Ethnic Festival kicks of this Thursday, July 12 and runs through July 15th at Zwicks Park, Belleville Ontario. There something for everyone ,from a Midway with rides and games to a Teen Zone to a Children's Village as well as various ethnic dance performances on the Ethnics Village stage.This year there will also be wakeboard performances along with a boat show. On Friday night the schedule includes the Festival parade, an Ambassador Pageant followed by  fireworks at East Zwicks Park. For the first time there is free admission to all events throughout the week-end. Organizers were able to do this because of overwhelming support from local businesses and the hard work of the organizing committee. So whether you make a day of it or a total week-end activity, ... 07/10/2007

There seems to be confusion by both Buyers and Sellers as well as some REALTORS® concerning the terminology of pre-qualified, pre-approved and loan commitment as it relates to mortgages. Often the terms are interchanged when discussing mortgages but they are distinctly different and can affect a real estate transaction.Being Pre-Qualified does not usually include a review of your credit report or an in-depth look at your ability to buy a home. It usually means that a loans officer or mortgage broker has calculated a debt service ratio for you which involves a review of your income as well your monthly expenses. Based on this ratio a lender can pre-qualify you for a maximum mortgage. Being pre-qualified helps you determine the price range you can afford.Pre-Approved for a mortgage means ... 07/07/2007

About 10 days ago, Buyers of one of my listings had a well flow-rate test done on my Seller' drilled well. This well was drilled about 30 years ago, before pitless adapters, so there was a large concrete tile around it creating a pit where the top of the well casing ended, approximately 4 feet below grade. When the well company removed the top of the concrete casing ground-source water had almost filled 2/3 of the pit, covering the top of the casing. Immediately the technician said that this water was probably contaminating the well water as the plug in the top of the casing was not very efficient. He recommended bringing the well up to current standards at a cost of $2200.My client was very hesitant to spend this amount of money on something that wouldn't benefit her for long. Then we ... 06/23/2007

The Quinte & District Real Estate Board has just released it's May 2007 stats and the results will surprise very few real estate professionals working in this market. The market since the beginning of the year has been very strong even with increases in residential mortgage rates. Some of the interesting figures release were those relating to active listings and the number of sales. So far this year there have been a significant drop in the number of both residential listings and non-residential. Residential listings have drop to a year-to-date total of 1600, 8.5% less than the same period last year. The year-to-date total for non-residential listings has decreased by 27.2% to 627, compared to 861 for the same period last year. The total number of sales so far this year has increased si... 06/19/2007

There is a quiet little spit of land running west then south off of South Front Street, Belleville’s main downtown street.When you turn onto it , you are overcome by a gentle feeling as the mouth of the Moira River comes into view. Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Belleville’s main intersection, you gaze suddenly on wide open space and giant old maples and pines. You are surrounded by water. Waves gently lap the shore and the scent of the River's spray fills the air. A heron takes flight from one of the small wharves as you continue down the narrow roadway. As you gaze towards the mouth of the Moira River, you see an island.You notice it is covered by a myriad of water birds. Cormorants, Gulls, a Heron, the odd Canada Goose family and Mallard Ducks forage nearby. You breathe a de... 06/16/2007

I recently had a friend contact me to tell me he is thinking of retiring in Belleville. He currently resides in a suburb of Toronto. One of his main considerations for choosing Belleville is the Belleville Harbour and marina facilities.My friend is the Captain of a sailboat crew and relishes his time spent on the water smoothly slicing the water's crest as the breeze ruffles through his hair.This is his version of heaven. It happens to be mine also, so I can well appreciate the exceptional boating facilities Belleville has to offer.As I think of sailing, Christopher Cross'song comes to mind and before I know it I am imagining, in my mind's eye, spending time adrift on the Bay of Quinte or anchored in Sandy Cove as the day winds down. Belleville , Ontario is a main stopping off point fo... 06/10/2007

As I indicated in a previous post about the hot Belleville Real Estate market, the overall Quinte & District Real Estate Board is equally fast paced and rising quickly. The average May 2007 sale price for a residential property ( including waterfront and condos ) in the Quinte Area was $205242.83,an increase of 6.49% over April 2007. Wow!The total number of units sold, including commercial/industrial and vacant land was 511 for May 2007, an increase of more than 30% when compared to April 2007. One of the reasons for this increase in property values so far this year is the increased demand for properties by Buyers while the number of Quinte Homes For Sale has decreased. When comparing year-to-date totals for 2007 against the same period for 2006, the supply and demand issues come to lig... 06/07/2007

  Have you considered a move to the Old East Hill in Belleville, Ontario?  Do wide streets lined with giant Oaks, Maples, Spruce, Beech, Pine, Crabapple and Ash appeal to you ? Do you love the charm and feeling of a century, historic  or  heritage  home that has stood the test of time ? Do you love antiques and peaceful neighbourhoods where residents still sit on verandahs and read the evening paper, cherish their beautiful gardens and greet eachother with a friendly greeting ?    There are currently numerous homes for sale in the Old East Hill ranging in price from  $131,900  to  $359,000.  To receive a list of all properties currently available in the Old East Hill area  of Belleville, Ontario, with full details and pictures attached,  please feel free to contact me. I can be reached ... 06/06/2007

May 2007 has come and gone but not before the Belleville Real Estate market (as well as the rest of the Quinte Real Estate market) heated up to the point that homes were being snatched up with amazing speed. The average market time for Belleville MLS listings dropped dramatically with the average 3 bedroom home on the market for only 18 days in May compared to 54 days in April of this year. A market time reduction of 67%!Two bedroom Belleville Homes For Sale saw the shortest market time of only 8 days while homes with 3 bedrooms or more saw a market time of 22 days The average list price in May 2007 for Belleville Homes (Belleville Ward) was $206,851 while the average sold price was $203,780 resulting in a 98.5% sale to list ratio. This indicates that pricing is tight with very small va... 06/05/2007

It’s 5:04 am .  The morning greeting of the Baltimore Oriole in the tall Blue Spruceoutside my window is a continuous song of thankfulness and 'hello!'. Crow calls from a distant Oak as he begins his early morning rounds. Phoebe addsa soft ‘pee wee’ pee wee’ from a Japanese Maple branch, not to be outdone.  The day has begunand how blessed I feel  to be brought into the new day in such a fine and beautiful way.  The birds of the Old East Hill are as much a part of the fabric that comprises the feeling one has here of permanence and time immemorial, as the trees and the widestreets and majestic homes are. All things tie in together to form a symphonythat plays to the souls of visitors and residents as they go about their daily lives.How wonderful it is to be serenaded by such subliminal ... 06/04/2007

   Thinking of moving to the Quinte region ? Perhaps you would like to consider one of our lovely waterfront properties. Waterfront in the Quinte area is still reasonably priced compared with other areas of Ontario and the nearby amenities make purchasing here very attractive and a lucrative investment when looking at the long term. Vacant Land -Waterfront   There were 10 waterfront vacant pieces of land sold in the Quinte District in the month of May. The average selling price was $83,190.00  . Waterfront lots (deeded water access lots are also included in thiscategory ) can still be had at a reasonable price in the Quinte area. 17 waterfront vacant lots were listed in the month of May at an average list price of $171,064.71 . Residential - Waterfront There were 53 waterfront propertie... 06/04/2007

Some of the best Belleville Ontario Real Estate lies within the district known as the Old East Hill. The grand homes of the Old East Hill provide an insight into early 1900 architecture. Heading east out of the downtown core along Bridge Street you enter the district known as the Old East Hill. With it's magnificent homes built many decades ago, many Old East Hill homes display architecture that you just do not see today. With their elaborate brick work and ornamental interior/exterior trim, they are displays of both fine craftsmanship and artwork. Homes with large sweeping front verandas, turreted roofs and multi-paned windows beckon visitors to their front doors. Luckily many current homeowners in this part of Belleville Ontario have tried to maintain these homes in all their finery. ... 06/03/2007

It was very still and humid yesterdayafternoon when I visited Corby Parkin  Belleville . The park was quiet and for a long time I was the only one there. As I walked around taking my pictures and  noting the buds which had already begun to open, a man and his dog took a shortcut down the winding brick path that traverses the park. Not long after a young Mother and her little girl began a stroll around the park.  The little girl was exuberant the way only a child can be as she climbed on the masonry wall of the water fountain.‘Look, Mom ! There’s no water in here yet !’ she loudly proclaimed.  Her Mother replied to her ‘No, I wonder when they will turn the fountain on? I would love to find a white rose . Let’s go and look down there.’. They continued on their way and eventually found the... 06/02/2007

It's nearing midnight and the streets lay silently beneath the oldest residents of the Old East Hill. Residents whose personal names are unknown to the people who they shelter from the wind, sun, rain and smog on a daily basis.They are simply known as 'Maple' , 'Beech', 'Old Pine on the Corner', 'Crooked Crabapple on Victoria', 'Oak' and a myriad of other names which people have long forgotten.It's late spring now. The towering nameless residents are wearing their finest greenery and tiny nestlings cry to be fed in the crotched branches high above the sidewalks.I walk along pretending not to notice . I look at them sometimes, I sense them looking back.Smiling back. Their presence leaves me with a glowing faith that everything is ok here. More than ok.The Old East Hill is loved. Loved by... 06/01/2007

  Rob, my 19 year old son,  breezes into  the roomand announces 'I'm going to the beach , Mom !'. 'Oh, that's nice.', I reply  as I turn my head and gaze out at the warm,  late spring day.My eye wanders over to the pool area where the workmen are readying  it to be opened. Yes. Summer has almost arrived . It  already feels like summer here in Southern Ontario with temperatures regularly reaching into the high twenties (high 70s in F).  I turn my attention back to Rob and  ask 'Which beach are you going to?'. 'Sandbanks', he cheerfully replies. 'Who are you going with?''Kyle, he is waiting outside. It's Beach Day in Ontario.', Rob announces. ' 'Beach Day?'  I ask. 'What's that?'. 'It is a day when all university, college and high school students across Ontario head to the beach. There wi... 06/01/2007