selling elgin newsletter

Now that we are in 2013 lets first take this opportunity to recap the last year and see how 2012 ended shaping up. With a fast start to 2012, by mid year we were up 3% over the year previous and things indicated a record setting year. With all that hot activity especially in larger urban areas like Toronto and Vancouver there was concern that things may be getting too hot. The government decided mid year 2012 to make some slight adjustments to the mortgage rules, ensuring the stability of the banking industry in Canada we have come to expect. The government hoped that by making these changes, the quickly heating markets of the large urban areas of Toronto and Vancouver would cool slightly, in hopes of preventing of a housing bubble. The mortgage changes had the desired effect. Forecasts predict about 10-15% of the previous potential purchasers no longer qualified for a mortgage after the mortgage changes occurred. This meant a slightly smaller potential purchaser pool and with it less demand, meaning

it had the desired slight cooling effect. We can see this evident in the last half of 2012. At mid year we were up 3% over previous year and by year end we finished at -.03% over previous year. The average price at the end of 2012 in London/St. Thomas was $238,822, up 2.8% over the previous year. The average price by the end of 2012 in the larger urban centres of Toronto and Vancouver were $499,701 and $728,180, respectively.

Looking forward to 2013, CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) predicts that 2013 will be on par with the 10 year average, meaning a steady, healthy marketplace is expected. St. Thomas has had a strong start to the year with January’s stats looking very positive. St. Thomas saw a 5% increase in sales this January versus the previous January (2012) and the average price in St. Thomas is currently sitting at $189,783. If you would like more specific market stats about your area or more detail about a specific stat please let us know and we would be glad to provide them to you! As always feel free to call or email us.

~ Matt & Greg

SellingElgin.ca519-633-0600

Pfeifer's Realestate Connection

Matt Pfeifer*

Greg Pfeifer*

NewsFrom Matt and Greg...

Happy New Year’s, everyone! Its hard to believe we are into March 2013 already. With the market already heating up, it is looking to be another healthy year. Makes sure to check out the full market break down in our “How’s the market section” as well as the “Market

Chart” on page 2 to get a sense of the busiest seasons for real estate.

The past couple of months we have been hard at work developing our Social media and marketing plan. As we build and stream line our advertising reach, by both social media and print advertising; we are able to offer you many media streams to advertise your home. By proper advertisement we ensure that your home gets sold faster and at a higher price. Be sure to check out our new and improved website, www.SellingElgin.ca, which features a blog where a monthly article about real estate will

be posted. Also you can now find us on twitter @SellingElgin. Recently we have changed one of our print media partners to the new Weekly News in St. Thomas. With this change we are able to advertise your property to over 30,000 homes in full colour every week!

We look forward to seeing and working with all of you in 2013! As always if you are curious about anything real estate related let us know and we would be glad to help. In addition, if you are wondering the current value of your home, please let us know and we will provide you with an up-to-date evaluation of your property.

~ Matt & Greg

How’s the market?

More photos and information online at www.sellingelgin.ca

Market ChartElgin & Middlesex Counties

People always ask us what the busiest time of year is when it comes to buying and selling real estate. They also ask what the most successful time of year to list a property is.

This chart is a 10 year average of sales and new lists per month, in London/St. Thomas. Evident from the data, spring is the largest and strongest market.

If you are thinking of selling or purchasing a home, now is the most opportune time.

~ sellingelgin.ca

Looking for your taste of the county? Look no further than is new 2,350 sq ft home. Beautifully finished and ready to move into. Very open concept style with lots of upgrades.

$379,9006905 Hacienda Line, Aylmer

Great opportunity to own prime Dutton storefront. Over 1100 sq ft of space. You will be impressed with the open concept layout. Great building for a number of different uses. Includes large parking area at the rear with lots of parking space and rear door access to the building.

$79,900

Looking for a spacious country setting but wanting to build your dream home? We have four different lots currently available all west of London about 30 minutes. If you are looking for a beautiful setting for your dream home and shop give us a call and we can let you know want we have available for vacant land!

Country Style Building Lots182 Currie Rd, Dutton

Local input corner ~ Email us your news! We would love to put it here!


Matt Pfeifer* Greg Pfeifer*

*Sales Rep

ABOVE: This past month on February 24th we attended the St. Thomas Stars last home game in St. Thomas at Timkens Arena. The Stars won 3-1 in an exciting game. The local media tagged the event “Fill The Rink” with the goal being fill the rink during the game, something that has never happened before. The capacity of the Timkens arena is 1600 people and Sunday nights game was host to 1602 people! The rink was truly filled. Don’t forget to support the Stars during playoffs currently underway.

Have an event you would like advertised? Or a fundraiser you participated in? Send us your pictures or information and we would love to include them!

This month we wanted to share with you an exciting event coming to St. Thomas on June 7th, 2013. The Relay for Life is a non competitive all night event in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Our very own Matt Pfeifer has been involved in The Relay for Life for a couple of years now and is volunteer Co-Chair of the event. He is excited to be involved in such an amazing organization and event.

This years event is hosted at St. Joe’s High School on June 7th, 2013 starting at 7:00pm and continuing overnight until 7:00am June 8th. Last years event raised $144,000 with the participation of 43 teams.

This year’s goal is to raise $175,000 with 75 teams participating. The funds raised from this event go to support cancer patients in the

community and Cancer Research to prevent and cure this awful disease. During this year’s Relay for Life we will be celebrating victories over cancer. If you know someone who has been affected by cancer please let us know, we would love to invite them to this

year’s event to participate in the survivor lap in celebration. As well, we remember those who were lost to cancer during the luminary ceremony, where candles are lit to illuminate the track.

In addition to our ceremonies we also have free food, games and entertainment all night for everyone!

To put in a team for this years Relay for Life or for more information visit www.RelayForLife.ca/StThomas or feel free to email Matt for more information at [email protected]

We would love to have you out to this years event! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for June 7th, 2013 at 7:00pm at St. Joe’s Highschool.

~ Matt & Greg

What’s happening around your community


The lighter side of Realestate...

— What clothes does a house wear?... ...Address. —

Each Month we will be publishing a blog post at www.SellingElgin.ca. To read this months blog online or to read future blog articles online visit us at www.SellingElgin.ca

Ever wonder just how much your iPad can do around the house now? Well here are three amazing things you can do with your iPad at home. As technology becomes a bigger part of our lives daily, here are three ways to integrate your iPad into helping out around the house.

1Forgot to turn the heat down before you leave for a weekend gateway?

Well thanks to The Nest you will never forget again! The Nest is a smart thermostat that connects to your wifi network and enables you to control your heating and cooling from your smart phone. And the most amazing part as its as simple as replacing your old thermostat. The Nest also monitors your schedule to implement an energy saving plan that can reduce energy consumption without having to setup a pre-programmed schedule.

Available at Apple stores and online at www.Nest.com

2Ever realized when you are standing at the door that you have lost your

house key? Well thanks so Lockitron’s deadbolt system you never have to worry again. It’s as easy as replacing the interior knob of your deadbolt with Lockitron’s special knob and you are all ready to go! Lockitron connects to your home network and securely allows access to your home when you arrive at the front door with your smartphone or iPad. Also allows temporary access to friends or servicemen visiting. Visit their website at www.Lockitron.com for more information.

3Do you hate coming home to a dark house after work? Well thanks

to Phillips Hue home light system you never have to worry about that again. It’s as easy as

replacing your existing lights bulbs with the Hue lights. After installing, the base connects to your wifi network and you are all ready to go. The Hue lights allow you with the help of your smart phone to adjust all lights remotely so you never have to come home to a dark house again. Also the Hue system is fully customizable and the Hue

lights can change to any colour you would like with just one click of the screen. Learn more at www.MeetHue.comThe amazing part is all three of these devices cost under $300! The days of a digital house are upon us. Now if only the iPad could wash dishes!”This article can be found on our blog at www.SellingElgin.ca.

Selling Elgin BlogYour iPad can take out the garbage...