Over the years, many of my real estate clients have needed storage units and in most cases, they’ve been hard to get.  I recently had some overseas buyers need two large units and they had to travel 40 minutes out of the area to get them. 

Very recently, a new operation opened up on Highway 26 at the east end of town in front of the ethanol plant.  They offer units from 5’ x 5’ (10-15 boxes or the size of a closet) up to 10’ x 40’ which they say would hold the contents of a five bedroom house.  They also  have vehicle storage, file storage and even climate controlled units for your wine or family heirlooms.  
They offer business services on site such as meeting rooms, internet access and private mailboxes plus, they can offer insurance for your belongings.  They have a retail component onsite too where you can buy everything from boxes and packing tape to bubble wrap and quilted moving pads.  This really does take self-storage to a new level in this area. If you’d like to learn more about the new facility, you can check them out at www.instorage.ca.

Another interesting option with a twist is the Cube It portable storage option.   If you have no frill, basic needs, then most of the existing, smaller operations in the area do a good job of securely storing your possessions.  You can find a comprehensive list on the Collingwood Now site  or in the local phone books.

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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

Recently I was in Loblaws, oops, it’s now called “Loblaw” and there were two guys up on the mezzanine playing Spanish guitars.  I noticed people dancing in the produce section and many had great big smiles on their faces so… the music accompanying this teeny tiny slide show profoundly called,  “Grocery Stores In Collingwood” is, of course, Spanish guitar music. 

I also have to tell you something else.  The song is called “Without A Clue” and that’s because, yes, my husband does all the grocery shopping.  If I didn’t admit that here, those who know me would accuse me of posing as a grocery shopper which indeed I am not.  It’s John who has his friends Kate, Linda and Jackie.  It’s John who knows how many grams of sliced ham equals 6 slices and it’s John who knows the butchers by name.  I consider an annual trip to the grocery store to be a field trip of sorts. Anyway, I digress.

I do know that A& P is open 24 hours.  Loblaws is now called Loblaw.  Price Choppers is the value priced option in the bunch and, Sobey’s is the newest addition located in the former Canadian Tire store ON THE WATERFRONT.  (Does any other town have a grocery store on the waterfront?  That’s just plain bananas to me.)  Anyway, here they are…

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

Last month, I sold a condo up at Blue Mountain that was in the rental program and generated a very decent rental income.  When I say decent, there was almost enough revenue to offset all of the carrying costs excluding any mortgaging.  Last month, I also had some determined condo buyers decide, after learning all the ins and outs, that a condo was not for them after all.

For people thinking of buying a condominium unit near Blue Mountain, there is a great deal of variation between developments and, it’s critical for buyers to assess the differences to be sure they get what really meets their needs.

There are very inexpensive units for sale at Mountain Springs Lodge that generate a large number of enquiries, that’s for sure.  There are the original Blue Mountain condo’s in places like Chateau Ridge, Mountainwalk, Cachet Crossing and Wintergreen that are now called “legacy” units and, there are units in the Village itself.  There are timeshare units, Snowbridge units and fractional ownership units.  In other words, a whole lot of variety and with that, a whole lot of stuff potential buyers NEED to know.

Some units are part of the Village Association which attracts fees.  Some units are in a rental program and some are not.  Those that are, have strict rules and many of these have changed substantially in recent months.  Some units are taxed on a commercial basis and others are not depending on a number of factors.  Some units are subject to impending special assessments (potentially over $30,000 in some cases) and others are not.  Some units are in a rental pool and require that even owners pay a fee to use their own units when not rented.  Some programs require you to furnish, maintain or upgrade as determined by the program managers if you wish to stay in the rental program.  Some units have their own meters for utilities and some don’t.  Some units have rules about when you can opt in or opt out of a rental program.

As you can see, it takes a great deal of knowledge to ensure that you as a buyer know exactly what it is that you are buying into. When I’m dealing with a potential buyer, I start by determining what their needs are.  Are they looking for a return on investment or, to offset some costs?  Do they want a straightforward situation where their condo is for their own personal use only?  Then, we can narrow down the options and examine in detail the pro’s and con’s of each opportunity available. 

With the right research and a full knowledge of what’s involved, buyers can make a decision with no surprises. 

Related Posts:

Many Short Term Condo or Chalet Rentals Are Prohibited
Collingwood Condominiums:  Rupert’s Landing

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

A quick check on Google reveals that simply put, a cyclotron is a particle accelerator that changes directions and speed and then ultimately, collisions may create entirely different secondary particles. 

What does this have to do with real estate you ask?  Well nothing really except that we’ve had a large number of artists of all kinds move into the South Georgian Bay area in recent years and that trend is continuing.  For that reason, I try to keep my eyes and ears open to what’s new or interesting in our arts community.

So, about the cyclotron.  The ever creative and fascinating Harry Posner of the Zencha Tea Bar will be hosting an event called Cyclotron II on Tuesday, May 13th at the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts Centre located at 163 Hurontario Street next to the Gayety Theatre.  As Harry said in a recent email,  “There will be a gathering of poets, storytellers, and singer/songwriters who have been challenged to present their material in a brand new way. A literary evening with a twist, an opportunity to break boundaries, push envelopes, and otherwise have a great wordsmithing time.”  The event will run from 7-9 p.m. and admission is free.

I’m curious to see what synergies come out of such a unique evening with all these creative minds crashing into one another!
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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

With the Spring Market now here, it’s timely to talk about getting your home ready to sell.

Did you know that most buyers make a real decision about a house purchase in the first eleven to fifteen seconds of seeing a property?  By then they will already have developed a perception of your property that will colour their feelings for the rest of the showing and perhaps dramatically affect their perceived value of the property.

You want to sell your home for top dollar as quickly as possible with the least amount if inconvenience, right?  You can start by changing your mindset from being a home owner to being a home seller.  As soon as your home goes on the market, you will be competing with other resale homes and brand new model homes for a buyers attention.  These days, it is quite a competition out there and taking the time to prepare your home for sale will pay off in results.

In my opinion, there are really two steps home sellers should consider.  Preparing and Staging.  Let’s start with the first and here are some low-cost, high-return upgrades you can do to prepare and improve the perceived value of your house or condominium:

Start With Curb Appeal:

• Plant flowers, weed and edge gardens.  Mulch can look great too
• Mow lawn and trim hedges and shrubs
• Clean driveway and sidewalks of dirt, leaves or snow
• Water the lawn extensively, well in advance of selling
• Remove old lawn ornaments, toys and play sets
• Clean and repair rain gutters, missing shingles, shutters and siding
• Touch up exterior paint or pressure wash if needed
• In winter, make sure walkways are well shoveled for easy access
• Pick up any litter
• Clean the front door and add a coat of paint of necessary
• Shine up the mailbox and house number
• Repair any broken fence boards

Now Fix and Fiddle A Little:

• Touch up interior paint and paper
• Repair cracked plaster
• Tighten door knobs and cupboard latches
• Oil any squeaky doors
• If you have foggy windows, call in someone like the Foggy Window Doctor or, have the unit replaced
• Repair leaky plumbing (taps, shower heads and toilets)
• Repair or replace tiles/seals/caulking/grout around bathtubs and sinks
• Replace burnt-out light bulbs/install brighter bulbs
• Clean furnace and humidifier
• Repair any other minor flaws

Now Tidy Up!

• Clear all countertops
• De-clutter all heavy traffic areas
• Consider renting a storage unit or storage cube
• Store surplus furniture to reduce feeling crowded
• Put seasonal clothing into storage
• Clear halls and stairs of clutter
• Make all closets neat & tidy
(and only half-full, even if this means moving items to storage )
• Eliminate strong personal statements such as personal collections, political, religious, sports or business momentos and yes, even family photos.
• Clean out and organize the garage
• PLEASE do not smoke in your home.  This can have a big impact on future resale.

Cleanliness Is A Virtue…

• Make mirrors glitter, light fixtures shine and appliances sparkle
• Remove fridge magnets, put away small appliances and move litter boxes out of the kitchen
• Vacuum, wash and/or polish all floors
• Clean and freshen bathrooms including grout and caulking
• Clean/shampoo all carpets
• Clean all windows, walls, doors and trim
• Clean out the fireplace
• Think about what a model home looks like – clean, uncluttered, new home aroma, neutral décor
• Have a clean floor mat at the entry
• Pay extra special attention to the kitchen, bathrooms and master bedroom
I think it’s sometimes hard for people to be objective about their own homes and to see things in a new light that they have looked at day after day for many years.  One of the best investments you can make might be in hiring a home stager for the next step in getting your home ready to sell.  Stay tuned for Part Two:  Setting The Stage

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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

Currently, the County of Simcoe is looking for public input on its proposed growth strategy.  The idea behind it is to have a “Made In Simcoe” plan to comply with the Province’s Places To Grow legislation.  Basically, it looks at how much growth we should have, where it should be located and what we need to do to accommodate that growth in a sustainable way.  As you can imagine, that is a mammoth undertaking.  In my personal opinion, the preliminary findings are headed in the wrong direction however, we’ll save politics for another arena.

What this process does is make us focus on growth issues in our own unique area here in South Georgian Bay. 

Did you know that there are over 6200 residential units proposed or approved for development in Collingwood alone?  In addition, there are several other industrial, commercial and other types of development planned.

According to the last census, Collingwood had about 8100 households.  If all of the new units materialize, that would represent a 77% increase in the number of households.  Of further interest is that 60% of the proposed new units are to be condominium units and 40% single family homes.

In Wasaga Beach, there are over 80 development applications in some stage of process plus, proposed expansions to industrial and commercial lands.  In the Town of the Blue Mountains, there are over 5500 units on the books yet none of these come close to the over 8000 units under consideration in Clearview.

If all of these come to fruition, we will more than double our populations in the next 10-20 years. That means getting very serious about managing growth.  You probably hear things like “Integrated Community Sustainability Planning” that makes your eyes cross and your ears tune out but really, it is essential that we look hard and fast at this issue.  Anti-idling and pesticide free by-laws are a nice start but they are token steps compared to what we need to do.  Intensification, LEED building, preservation of heritage buildings, new grids, pedestrian orientations, source water protection, regional transit, alternative energies and shared resources are but a very few of the key areas we need to zero in on.

Most municipal websites have some information on proposed developments but you may have to wade through numerous committee minutes to find them.  Collingwood has a development map that shows all proposed developments.  If you are interested in viewing the one from December, 2007 you can find it here.

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Related Posts:

Places To Grow In Ontario
The Time Has Come To Build Green
Driving in South Georgian Bay Will Get Easier by 2010

When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

For the longest time, we really didn’t have very many attractive housing options for retirement living in the area.  Sure, we have a ton of condominium units but most were designed for vacation lifestyles rather than full-time living in a community geared to the needs of retirees.  All of that has changed in recent years and fabulous options now exist.

A couple of weeks ago, Chris and I went over and took a tour of Raglan Village which is an adult community in-town Collingwood that opened earlier this year.  It offers three types of housing choices including rental townhomes, condominium apartments and, a retirement home offering different levels of assistance.

The property is set-up as a Village with all of these housing styles in a contained area.  All residents of the Village automatically get membership in the Raglan Club which includes a recreational centre with swimming pool, a fitness centre, wellness spa, theatre and bistro games lounge.  There are if a beautiful and bright dining room offering meal choices and, there are a wide range of recreational and social programs available.  I was also happy to see a full-service hair salon and a doctors office right on site.

The suites we viewed in the retirement residence were gorgeous as were the public areas such as the lounges, club facilities, library and entrance ways.  Staff were very friendly and the few folks we chatted with who are already in residence were all delighted with their new home.

I find this concept to be long overdue in our area and it’s great to see the option for a continuum of housing in one development that provides for changing needs as years go by.  Someone who makes one of the condominium units home today may move to the retirement suites down the road but yet be able to stay within their familiar community. 

It’s good to know about the options available so we can assist our clients in making a life transition as they sell one home to move to another.  In my books, Raglan Village looks like a winner.

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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!

Even though I’ve been selling homes in South Georgian Bay for almost 20 years, every now and then, a house grabs me by the heart and just won’t let go.

This month, I’ve had the pleasure of listing two such homes for sale and my guess is that very soon, some lucky people are going to be falling in love with their new home.  Check these out and see what I mean…

You can also view a complete flyer with details, mapping and extra pictures right here for 17 Fair Street (aka Meadow Mouse Cottage) and right here for 254 Fourth Street West.

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When it’s time to buy or sell real estate in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain or Georgian Triangle area, contact Marg, an experienced and competent Broker who’s ready whenever you are!