Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / by Geoff Appleton
Home-Ward Bound October 2017
A Harvest of Happiness
October is so jammed packed with events and festivals and Fall family fun that it’s a good thing it has 31 days in it! October is the 10th month of the year, despite its origin from the word “octo” meaning 8. Its flower is the Calendula and its birthstones are the Opal and the Tourmaline, symbolizing faithfulness, purity, confidence and peace. October is the only time of the year that sports fans can enjoy all 4 major North American professional sports leagues – the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB -- in action with scheduled games. It’s also home to 2 of our favorite holiday celebrations: Thanksgiving and Halloween.
In the real estate market, this October should see the continuation of the balanced market, where inventory is meeting or slightly exceeding the demands of the buyer population. With interest rates threatening to increase, buyers may choose to make a move before the Winter snows fly. While market conditions have changed drastically since the Spring frenzy, we are still up over last year in both sales volume and price point, sure signs that Durham Region is a smart investment for home buyers. If a late Winter or Spring move is on your agenda, or the agenda of someone you care about, call us now to begin the process, as we have lots to update you on and a methodical strategy laid out early remains the key to success for every sale.
Thanks again for recommending us to your family, friends and neighbours. Our business is your business!
The History of Thanksgiving in Canada
Thanksgiving is an annual Canadian holiday occurring the second Monday in October which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. The first national Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated in the Province of Canada in 1859. Officially celebrated since November 6, 1879 as a national civic holiday, it was actually the Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey, who issued the proclamation on January 31, 1957 installing Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October forevermore. Traditional foods include roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, various autumn vegetables including Brussels sprouts, and pumpkin pie.
Tips For Pumpkin Carving
- Use large pumpkins, they are easier to hollow out and maneuver
- To preserve the pumpkin once it has been carved, rub all the cut edges with sunflower oil or petroleum jelly
- Always cut the top slanted at a 45 degree angle,
- ensuring the lid will always have a proper fit when replaced
- Cut off the bottom of the pumpkin to make it more stable
- When the pumpkin is lit, leave the lid off to limit any chance of it catching fire
- Place a few drops of essential oil in the bottom of the pumpkin to make it smell fresh and clean
- When carving a face onto the pumpkin, draw a template on paper first, stick it on and then gently score with a knife before attempting to cut it properly.
Source: www.statutoryholidays.com
Family Fun Around Durham
NEWCASTLE HARVEST FESTIVAL, October 1, 9am-2pm, Downtown Newcastle
An exciting festival showcasing Newcastle’s wonderful art, food & music. Fun for all!
FALL ART FESTIVAL, October 13-15, 10am-5pm, Camp Samac, Oshawa
The annual show and sale with 70 artists in all media!
BOWMANVILLE APPLE FESTIVAL & ART SALE, October 14, 9am-5pm, Downtown Bowmanville
Tremendously popular annual street festival celebrates all things apple! Food, goodies, craft, carnival rides, jumping castles and so much more!
DURHAMVEG VEGAN FESTIVAL, October 14, 10am-6pm, Abilities Centre, Whitby
A festival to celebrate healthy eating, animal compassion and the health of our planet!
THE SPIRIT OF CANADA: A LITERARY CELEBRATION, October 20-22, 11850 Regional Rd. 1, Leaskdale
An international conference and a celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday. Includes speakers, concerts, a writing contest and more! Email: Immontgomery.on@gmail.com for details.
To All the Families out there…
Right now, there are kids who are trying to beat the Cancer Monster and other debilitating diseases. The Parents with kids fighting for their life are most likely NOT thinking about back to school shopping. They are simply just being there, doing what a real loving families do.
This is where you can help…
As you probably know Make A Wish Canada does great work in helping Kids fight through and survive nasty diseases and cancers. And as you know Make A Wish® depends on sponsorships and donations to provide top care while keeping family costs to a minimum.
So, YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS…
Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team?
Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, you can rest assured a very worthy cause benefits as well!
I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move, so here are your options:
1. You can pass along our business card to them.
2. You can go to www.ReferAFriend.info and enter their contact info on line or forward the link to who you know
considering a move.
3. Of course you can always call me direct as well at 905-728-1600.
Remember our promises to buyers and sellers!
Home Sellers Receive this guarantee: Your Home Sold at Your Price or We’ll Buy It!*
Home Buyers Receive this guarantee: Guaranteed 100% Satisfaction With Your Home Purchase or We’ll Buy It Back!*
Life moves fast for some and we are eager to make the Home Selling and Buying experience a smooth rewarding one. Over the years of helping families sell their home and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help – you can rest assured that not only will they get the award winning service we are known for, but that a portion of the income we receive will go toward a very worthy cause.
INDUSTRY STATS
- Average selling price in the Durham Region for August 2017: $587,172.
- Average selling price in Oshawa for August 2017: $473,013.
- Average selling price in Clarington for August 2017: $505,049.
- Average selling price in Whitby for August 2017: $665,172.
- Average selling price in Scugog for August 2017: $719,375.
- Average selling price in Ajax for August 2017: $648,343.
- Average selling price in Pickering for August 2017: $721,730.
Source: DRAR
The Highs, Lows and Oohhs of the Market
In August, the Durham Region Association of REALTORS reported 822 residential sales in the Durham Region, a 9.75% increase over July 2017.
The average selling price in Durham for the month of August was $587,172, representing an increase of 3% over July and an increase of 8.3% over August 2016.
However, it still represents a drop of 16.5% from our peak
average posted in April 2017 of $702,768.
The amount of new listing inventory between July 2017 and August 2017 dropped by 409 units, finishing at 1497 new listings in Durham Region for the month of August. In August 2016, the new listing inventory was 1288 units, 209 less than this August. For the second month in a row, and only the second time this year, the average home selling price in Durham Region fell below $600,000.
While most markets saw an incremental increase in its average selling price in August, Scugog came out the winner with the biggest month-over-month gain, while Whitby experienced a surprising further decline. Here’s the average price breakdowns for August:
The average detached dwelling sold for $649,350 and sold for 98% of list price in 24 days!
The average semi-detached dwelling sold for $464,383 and sold for 99% of list price in
20 days! The average link dwelling sold for $528,318 and sold for 99% of list price in 16 days!
The average freehold townhouse sold for $497,871 and sold for 99% of list price in 17 days!
The average condominium apartment sold for $380,296 and sold for 102% of list price in 26 days!
The average condominium townhouse sold for $354,845 and sold for 99% of list price in 24 days!
SEPTEMBER DATES TO REMEMBER
October 5: World Teacher’s Day
October 6: World Smile Day
October 9: Thanksgiving Day
October 16: Bosses Day
October 22: Mother-In-Law Day
October 24: United Nations Day
October 31: Halloween
Remember Our Promises to Buyers and Sellers!
Home Sellers Receive this Guarantee: Your Home Sold at Your Price or We’ll Buy It!*
Home Buyers Receive this Guarantee: Guaranteed 100% Satisfaction With Your Home Purchase or We’ll Buy It Back!*
Life moves fast for some and we are eager to make the Home Selling and Buying experience a smooth and rewarding one. Over the years of helping families to sell their homes and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help – you can rest assured that not only will they get the award winning service we are known for, but that a portion of the income we receive will go toward a very worthy cause.
Oshawa’s New Online Tour of Growth & Development Highlights its Economic Transformation
The City of Oshawa is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth, with approximately $4 billion worth of current and proposed development. Today, the City officially launched an interactive online tour that showcases the new Oshawa story in an engaging, virtual format.
“Oshawa’s real estate offers substantial value to businesses and residents while maintaining convenient access to Canada’s major urban centre. Investors coming to our City continue to notice an emerging diversification of our economy,” said Councillor John Aker, Chair of the Development Services Committee. “Our ability to showcase that growth and diversity in real time using an interactive platform like this allows us to communicate these advances and showcase Oshawa’s compelling business case.”
Kyle Benham, Director of Economic Development Services for the City of Oshawa, launched the interactive online tour with a demo at today’s Durham Region Association of Realtors Meeting. The demo provided the realtors with an update on the city’s economic climate and key highlights of investment activity in the community, including the ongoing revitalization of downtown, residential development in the Kedron Planning Area, and the future Northwood Business Park.
“Oshawa is undergoing a renaissance. Oshawa has the highest percentage of full-time employment in Durham Region, with the best ratio of jobs to workers. New residents are moving here, impacting the rise of education levels and household incomes that are above the Ontario and Canadian averages,” said Mr. Benham. “The perception of Oshawa as a one industry city is changing and we are very well positioned to go forward. Momentum is the word I would use to describe what’s happening with Oshawa’s economy.”
There are approximately 50 projects captured in the virtual tour; they represent approximately:
Over $4 billion of current and proposed investment
43,513 associated jobs
33,924 potential new residents
12,418 residential units
All of this builds upon recent highlights of Oshawa’s economy:
Oshawa is the #1 city for year-over-year job growth in Canada, at 13.1 per cent -Daily Commercial News
Oshawa is the 2nd city in Canada to buy real estate -MoneySense Magazine
Oshawa's G.D.P. grew an estimated 2.7 per cent in 2016 and is projected to grow a further 2.5 per cent in 2017
and 2.4 per cent in 2018 -Conference Board of Canada
Oshawa has the 2ndInvestment Strategy among Small American Cities (population between 100,000 - 350,000) -FDI Magazine
Source: : www.durhamregion.com
Why I Support, Make A Wish ®
I grew up right here in Oshawa. Born in Oshawa General Hospital. I remember when I first heard about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease that was granted A Wish from Children's Wish Foundation. This was the turning point in this persons recovery. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the work they do. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard working professionals all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people over come unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. I take pride in supporting in a way that I can, the good work these people do at Make A Wish. My team rally’s around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Make A Wish in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Make A Wish shares similar commitments to their patients. And since their services survive on sponsorships and donations we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.
Sincerely,
Geoff Appleton
Your Referrals Help the Kids
Over the years of helping families sell their home and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help - you can rest assured that not only will they get the award winning service we are known for and the guarantee to back it up, but that a solid portion of the income we receive from the transaction will go toward a very worthy cause.
Not only will they benefit from our award winning service, you can rest assured we are also donating to a very worthy cause.
Again, it’s easy to refer your friends, neighbours, associates or family members considering making a move:
1. You can pass along our business card to them.
2. You can go to www.ReferAFriend.info and enter their contact info on line or forward the link to who you know considering a move.
3. Of course you can always call me direct as well at 905-728-1600.
Geoff Appleton sales representative Remax Jazz Inc Brokerage
P.S. The story of this young person enclosed may cause you to look at your loved ones differently. It did me. Check it out.
SPOTLIGHT ON DURHAM
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
The RMG was founded in 1967 after Oshawa designer William Caldwell organized an exhibition of work by local artists at a commercial space on Simcoe Street in Oshawa. Seeing the need for a permanent home for the arts, Ewart McLaughlin (grandson of Robert) and his wife Margaret (painter Alexandra Luke) offered major financial support and works from their own private collection toward the establishment of a public art gallery. Isabel McLaughlin, Ewart’s cousin and an important modernist painter, also became a lifelong patron of the gallery, providing generous, ongoing financial support as well as significant gifts of over 100 works of Important Canadian and international artists. Designed by noted Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, the RMG occupies an inspired 36,000 square feet beside Oshawa’s City Hall and boasts a permanent collection of over 4,500 works and five galleries of diverse and changing contemporary and historical exhibitions. The Thomas Buckley Collection, which represents archival photographic records of over 3000 images of Oshawa and the region, provides a vital link in connecting the community with its local history. A roster of dynamic public and educational programs, thriving volunteer program, gallery shop, event spaces, art archive and library, artists-in-residence lab and art studio comprise the gallery’s many rich and diversified assets.
Erik’s wish gave him the strength to keep fighting
Erik’s father remembers his son as a lively baby. He was constantly laughing, tried to pull pranks on his family, and he lit up each room he entered. However, at night, Erik would cry and have trouble sleeping. “It was almost like he had night terrors,” says his father. “There was often nothing we could do to comfort him.”
Looking back, Erik’s family attributes those sleepless nights to the illness waiting around the corner. Erik was diagnosed with leukemia when he was two years old. His form of cancer affected his blood and bone marrow, which wasn’t fully developed yet. For Erik’s parents, seeing their once extremely strong son go from training for a karate competition to being in the hospital, was a difficult situation to cope with. Overnight, Erik and his family’s lives changed forever.
For six months, Erik’s mother lived in the hospital while he received treatment. Meanwhile, his father worked full-time and took care of Erik’s siblings during the week. On weekends, Erik’s mother and father would switch duties, trying desperately to maintain some consistency in their new normal.
Erik’s father was a supporter of Make-A-Wish® long before he had children of his own. “I remember thinking, the first time I heard about Make-A-Wish, that this was the one charity I wanted to contribute to,” he said. “I thought, ‘Wow, what a great organization; giving sick kids an opportunity to fulfill a wish.’”
Only a few years later would he find out that his own child was eligible for a wish. Erik was introduced to Make-A-Wish through his hospital, and wished to go to Walt Disney World® Resort.
A breath of fresh air
“The trip was a relief for the entire family,” Erik’s father says, adding that they stayed at Give Kids the World Village. “The kids would spend all day at the theme park and come back to the hotel, where the festivities would go to midnight every single night. It was a ton of fun.”
Despite his condition, Erik enjoyed Walt Disney World® Resort to the fullest (thanks to a few well-timed naps between rides, of course). “I think Erik had the time of his life,” says his father. “It was super exciting for him to just be in that type of environment”.
Erik is now eight years old, and though he’s been through so much, he has maintained unbelievable resilience. “He has this amazing inner strength,” his father says. “I don’t know where it comes from.”
Four years after his wish trip, Erik has returned to karate and has even taken up skiing. Continuing to shock his family with his incredible strength, Erik lives every day like he is a normal kid, again.
