In 1833, the first colonists settled in to what is now modern-day Fergus. Beginning as a Scottish village, today the town has a dominant Scottish presence. Located on the Grand River, only 20 minutes north of Guelph, Fergus is a small, suburban area inundated with beautiful old trees that brings about a natural setting as they adorn the streets on either side, stunning stone buildings, explicit schools and an abundance of green openings. We give you five tips on why you should invest in real estate in Fergus, Ontario .1. Real Estate in Fergus Fergus real estate is an economical investment in that you are given many comparisons in real estate which you would like to purchase and which would meet your budget. The homes you can choose from are many and no doubt Fergus has a home that would... 12/15/2019

The topic for this week is haunted houses, specifically in my own geographical location.  According to http://www.whosonthelist.com/2009/10/top-five-haunted-areas-of-guelph/, there are 5 places in Guelph that qualify for the list of the top 5 haunted areas.  I would daresay there are more, and my personal folklore knowledge can think of at least 2 (which I won't include here because they are private residences). Local folklore has the Baker Street parking lot listed as a haunted location because apparently it used to be the site of a cemetary.  (Just goes to show, you learn something new every day).  In the days when this location was used as a cemetary it was not uncommon to bury an individual without putting their name on a tombstone because it was believed they hadn't made a name for... 10/26/2011

  How do you go create a dramatic impact and lasting impression on potential buyers in 5 hours and a limited budget?  Well you call Curbed Appeal of course! Recently I was hired by my great friends at Rooms in Bloom, a very well known home staging company in Kitchener/Waterloo.  While they worked hard to create the inside master piece they asked if I could stage a small terrace for their wonderful customers at the prestigious Seagram's Lofts, of course I was more than happy to do the job.  The problem was the limited time and budget to get the job done.  With less than a days notice and about 5 hours to do the job, I had to transform the terrace into an equally stunning outdoor space that would wow potential buyers.  With a little bit of creative thought, I was able to come up with som... 05/20/2011

A few weeks ago, a local builder contacted Rooms in Bloom about the possibility of staging his vacant model home that he was trying to sell. The home had lots of appeal however buyers just weren't 'getting it' for some reason and after having it sit on the market, unsold, he started looking for help. In our area, vacant properties are an especially tough sell. Most vacant homes linger on the market for months and months without selling. There are some properties which are still for sale which we know were listed back in September of last year and still linger, unsold and unloved. As per RESA's 2009 stats, staging a vacant home means that on average, it will sell 78% faster. For us in Southern Ontario, this translates to selling in 34 days versus 180 days or more. After meeting with the ... 04/08/2011

MONDAY October 11, 2010 Exhibits HallCafe/Country StoreOpen at 9:00am Time Event Location 8:30am  Rabbit and Cavy Show Tented Barn 9:00am Poultry Show Tented Barn 9:00am Open Beef Showmanship Clinic Show Barn 10:00am    Erin 4-H Beef Club Achievement Day Show Barn 10:00am Wellington County Beef Showmanship Show Barn 10:00am Gymkhana Horse Ring 10:00am Little Ray's Reptile Zoo Outside Exhibits Hall 10:30am Maximum 60's Exhibits Hall 11:00am Chili Cook-off Outside of Beer Tent 11:00am Cindy Cook - Polka Dot Door Outside Exhibits Hall 11:30am Lawn & Garden Tractor Pull Track 12:00pm Children's Cookie Decorating Exhibits Hall 12:00pm Talent Show Winners Exhibits Hall 12:00pm Little Ray's Reptile Zoo Outside Exhibits Hall 1:00pm Silent Auction Bidding Closes Exhibits Hall 1:00pm Cindy Cook ... 10/10/2010

SUNDAY October 10, 2010 Exhibits HallCafe/Country StoreOpen at 9:30am  Time Event Location 9:00am Ponies - Welsh, Exmoor & Open Track 9:00am Youth Open Beef Showmanship Show Barn 9:30am Non-Denominational Church Service Exhibits Hall 9:30am Open Sheep Show Tented Barn 10:00am    Heavy Horse Show Track 10:30am Ontario Barrel Racing Horse Ring 11:00am Special Friends Classic Show Barn 11:00am EDHS Band Exhibits Hall 11:00am Little Ray's Reptile Zoo Outside Exhibits Hall 12:00pm All Beef Breeds Show Show Barn 12:00pm River Road Cloggers Exhibits Hall 12:30pm Kid's Pedal Pull Outside Exhibits Hall 12:45pm The Ben Show Exhibits Hall 2:00pm River Road Cloggers Exhibits Hall 2:00pm Little Ray's Reptile Zoo Outside Exhibits Hall 2:45pm The Ben Show Exhibits Hall 3:00pm Farmer's and Kid's Oympic... 10/10/2010

Don't miss the Erin Fall Fair on Thanksgiving Weekend The Town of Erin is an amalgamated community of 11,830 people, situated in Wellington County, just northwest of Toronto. There are two urban centres, Erin and Hillsburgh, surrounded by a natural rural area which includes six hamlets: Ballinafad, Brisbane, Cedar Valley, Crewson's Corners, Orton and Ospringe. Srin is bordered by the Town of Caledon to the east, the Town of Halton Hills to the south, the Township of Guelph/Eramosa to the west and the Township of East Garafraxa to the north. The Town of Erin is located at the headwaters of the Credit and Grand Rivers. Here is Schedule For This Saturday. SATURDAYOctober 9, 2010 Exhibits HallCafe/Country StoreOpen at 9:00am  Time Event Location 8:30am   Hunter/Jumper Show Horse Ring 9:00am... 10/09/2010

[OPEN HOUSE] Sunday September 19, 2010 at 2-4pm - 35 Ridgeview Drive, Drayton ON Beautiful,custom 1940 sq.ft bungalow.Features include:carpet free m/flr w/slate tile and gleaming h/wood floors,chef\'s kitchen w/maple cabinets & granite countertops,oversized granite island w/break.bar,open concept layout w/spacious dinette w/walk out to deck & backyard & greatroom w/gas fireplace.Master suite w/huge w/in closet,5 pc. ensuite & w/out to deck.Fin.bsmt w/awesome recroom.A must see! - View Listing   Address:  35 Ridgeview Drive, Drayton ONFeatures: Gas Fireplace, Master Bedroom Ensuite, Patio/Deck, Rec Room with Walkup to Garage, Main Floor Master Bedroom, Central Air, Fenced Yard, Dishwasher Included, Water Softener, Central Vac, Workshop/Work Room, Cold Room/Cellar Description: Beautiful,c... 09/18/2010

If you're receiving mixed messages regarding the economy lately well join the club. The Canadian economy is performing brilliantly right now, the best in the G8 or is it the G20? The first quarter GDP came in with an amazing and unforeseen 6.1 per cent growth. Although inflation isn't a problem yet you can bet that interest rates will rise if our economy maintains this torrid pace. On the other hand if you believe the news, the crisis involving Greece and other members of the European Union threatens to plunge us into the second half of a double-dip world recession. It's true that Canada did weather the storm better than just about any other country during the recent economic crisis and our current economy is the leader of the pack (vroom, vroom).But the thing that scares me is that by ... 06/03/2010

Could Early Spring Mean Early Summer?  Those of you who are regular readers of my market update may recall that back in February we were enjoying spring-like market conditions. It was the hottest February for real estate in recent memory and local Realtors who were more than ready for the end of the recession were delighted with the early arrival of the spring market. Buyers and sellers wanting to avoid the impending HST plus a general economic recovery stimulated our local market which lead to record sales and market conditions typical of April or May. After a very strong March where market conditions continued to improve, April's numbers look a little lackluster. This makes me wonder if summer might arrive early this year as well. The real estate market typically slows down a little d... 05/03/2010

Canadian banks sent a clear signal that the era of rock-bottom interest rates is over by hiking mortgage rates this week, a move that will cost Canadians more to finance home purchases and could hasten a slowdown of the red-hot housing sector. Surging home sales and prices may cool in the second half of this year due in part to the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax in July. The new tax will increase costs for home buyers in Ontario for new homes over $400,000 and for related services such as real estate commissions, home inspections and lawyer's fees. The double whammy of an increase in mortgage rates plus the HST could result in potential buyers staying out of the housing market at least for the short term. Historically Guelph's real estate market has been resilient to the ups... 04/01/2010

Imagine putting your home up for sale and after two days on the market you receive eight offers and sell well over asking price. I know that sounds too good to be true but that's exactly what many fortunate sellers in Guelph experienced in February. Following a strong fourth quarter when the Canadian economy grew by 5 per cent, the biggest rebound in nine years, Canadians are feeling more positive about the economy. A recent consumer outlook index showed growing optimism last month, with 62 per cent now saying they expect the economy to improve in the next year. Consumer optimism was evident locally as buyers willing to out-bid each other hit the streets and bought practically everything in sight. Spring had definitely come early as 33% of MLS sales sold for full price or more. But was ... 03/03/2010

I'm proud to announce that Dean Manton, Real estate Broker with Re/max Real Estate Centre Inc. is Guelph's newest Greenbroker and a member of NAGAB!  What is NAGAB? The National Association Of Green Agents and Brokers (NAGAB) is Canada's largest Non Profit association of GreerealestateTM Real Estate representatives. The Association is committed to promoting ways and means of reducing green house gas emissions, increasing building energy efficiency, conservation, overall sustainability and environmental awareness. The association offers a GreenrealestateTM program for real estate representatives leading to the commercial and residential Accredited GreenagentTM and Accredited GreenbrokerTM (AGATM & AGBTM) designations. Greenrealestate®; designees provide a means by which consumers are abl... 02/10/2010

Calgary, Waterloo, Ottawa, Vancouver, St. John's, and Richmond Hill, Ont., top the Conference Board of Canada ranking of the country's most attractive cities to migrants, the Globe and mail reported in January. These cities have "what migrants are looking for when choosing where to locate," according to the Conference Board's second report on the topic. It analyzed 50 Canadian cities based on 41 indicators including health, economy, environment, society, education, innovation and housing to rank the places most attractive to skilled workers and mobile populations. "Cities that fail to attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous and vibrant," said Mario Lefebvre, director of the Centre for Municipal Studies, in the report" The six top cities all got an "A" grade in the report. Fo... 02/01/2010

Two Tales of a City  One look at December's sales statistics and you can clearly see a huge change from a year ago. December 2008 had us waist deep in the global recession and while banks and automakers were being bailed-out south of the border our local real estate market was pretty much non-existent. Total sales for the month had trickled to an all-time low and while Stephane Dion enjoyed a cup of coffee as the Federal Liberal leader the average days on market for MLS listings slowed to a snail's pace and the amount of active listings for sale began to pile up. Was the market transitioning into the first buyers market that we had seen in more than a decade? It certainly looked that way.  Fast forward to December 2009 and things couldn't be more different. MLS sales are up 63% from las... 01/04/2010

I bought a new townhome over the holidays! It's really great! It's 3 storeys with an elevator. The 3rd floor has a huge sky-light and a walkout to a terrace with a hot tub. In the living room a flat screen TV pops up from behind the fireplace. The chef's kitchen includes top of the line stainless steel appliances and the dining room features a gorgeous chandelier. My daughters just love it and so do Barbie & Ken! Happy New Year and have a happy and prosperous 2010!   12/30/2009

         Are you planning to sell your home in the new year? Here are some important tips that will help you to get your home ready for sale.         Less is more - pare down to the important pieces of furniture with a few accessories. Have one photo only of yourselves and your children. Clear everything off the kitchen countertops. Make the kitchen feel as open as possible. Have the windows washed to let in more light, making the home feel cleaner and well-maintained. Put money into things that buyers will touch, such as doorknobs, cabinet handles, rugs, curtains and carpet. Plant fresh flowers in a pot next to the front door. Ensure that the lawn is well-maintained and trees and bushes are trimmed. Don't use scented candles or air fresheners - you never know if someone is allergic to ... 12/16/2009

The economy may be uncertain but well-priced homes in good condition are still selling.  When it comes to selling your home in a challenging market, the basics still apply: 1) The home is too "lived in" and lacks visual appeal. Clean everything and lose anything personal. What's personal? Anything you wouldn't consider leaving for a new owner to enjoy. 2) The home lacks style and freshness. Would IKEA, Sears, or The Bay recognize any of your furnishings? If your grandmother likes your décor chances are it has NO current style. 3) The furnishings and layout make the property appear small. Do you like a huge, king size bed? Guess what... a single bed--even in a master bedroom--will appeal more to buyers than your masterpiece of wood and metal. 4) The kitchen and bathroom are dated and wou... 12/08/2009

In today's real estate market finding the right home can often be a time consuming process. Because of this, buyers who have lost their patience waiting for the next listing to come up in their price range may find themselves considering a privately sold home. Other buyers may feel that they are getting the inside track on a property that few people know about or have found a great deal because the seller isn't paying commission and therefore is able to sell the home under market value. Any of these reasons may be valid but in every case the buyer is exposing himself to serious risk as well. One of the advantages of buying a MLS listed property with a realtor is that the Realtor or Realtors involved in the transaction are accountable if anything goes wrong. A Realtor's duty to both buye... 12/07/2009

Most Guelphites that I talk to are proud of their city and have an innate sense that it's a special place to live but the amount of accolades recently achieved by the Royal City would make even the most ardent Guelph-booster blush.  Apart from being named among the top 10 places to live in Canada, Statistics Canada recently named Guelph Canada's safest city. Based on volume and severity of police-reported crime, Guelph didn't just edge out other Canadian cities, it won by a mile! But what makes Guelph so safe? Is our police force better trained than those in other cities? Are our politicians wiser than other politicians? I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Guelph was also named Canada's most caring Canadian city by McLean's Magazine. That's right! The "Volunteer Capital of Can... 12/07/2009