March Newsletter

March Newsletter
Mark Schadenberg
Sales Representative
Royal LePage Triland Realty
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Site: www.marksells.ca
www.royallepagetriland.com, www.wesellwoodstock.com
Home Office: (519) 539-4319        Office: 539-2070        Fax: 539-4859
Office On The Go: (519) 537-1553         Or text: 537-1553
You may also find me on Facebook (I can always use more friends) & Twitter (MarkRoyalLePage).
Royal LePage Triland: 757 Dundas St, Woodstock
 Topics
- A Condo Down The Road For $1 million
- Sales Are Up So Far In 2011
- London Meets Its Waterloo Project
- Where Do You Find News?
- Hints & Ideas On A Green House
- Straw? No Hay & Butler
- Going To Mind My Store
- Important Local Event This Sunday

Would Austin Powers Be A Buyer?
Million Price Tag Penthouse in London
By Norm DeBono
London Free Press, Jan 24, 2011
London is about to get its first $1-million condo — pushing the city’s core residential market into the big leagues of big prices.
The second of the Renaissance Towers, the foundation for which will be poured this week, will include two penthouse units. The larger of the two will come in at more than $1 million while the other will be about $950,000, said builder Joe Carapella, president of Tricar Group.
“This will set the market in downtown London and it will set the record,” Carapella said.
“This will be the first luxury unit to really test the market,” Carapella said.
London has never had a condominium break the $1-million mark because no one has bothered to build one, he said, adding there’s an appetite in London now for a large, high-end unit.
“I will build it and they will come,” Carapella said.
The top condo will be about 3,300 square feet. Carapella doesn’t anticipate a tough sell.
“I think it will be one of the first to go,” when second tower units come on the market in 2013.
“Someone will pay for the best condominium unit in the city, in the tallest residential building,” he said of the 28-storey tower.
The first tower is rental apartments and it’s full. The second tower will be condos for sale.
Jack Lane, president of the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors, agreed the time is right for a seven-figure condo downtown.
“It’s a great spot, a great location. He will do well with it,” Lane said. “No one has ever tried this — but all the high-end condos here have sold.”
But high-end condos in downtown London have until now been priced from $300,000 to $650,000, he added.
In nearby Waterloo, the closest city to London with a concentration of highrises in its core, the $1-million condo is not uncommon. At least two buildings have penthouse units topping $1 million — 144 Park and The Grand.
Another building, now in pre-sale at 150 King St., in Waterloo, is marketing even pricier luxury condos — starting at $1.2 million and ranging up to $2.8 million.
“It is the tech companies we have, two universities, and the fact we are closer to Toronto,” John Markou, a commercial realtor with DTZ Barnicke in Waterloo, said of why higher-end condo units are more common there.
The city also has limited land to build on because it’s hemmed in on all sides, he added.
Carapella said he believes pricey condos are also more common the closer residents are to Toronto.
“But it is coming here slowly,” he said of the acceptance of luxury condo living.
In an aside, many of the highrise apartments and condominiums built in Kitchener and Waterloo were built by Carapella and other London builders — Drewlo Holdings and Auburn Development, which is owned by the Crich family.
“The Crich family owns most of the land in downtown Waterloo today,” said Markou. “They have more sites zoned for highrise than any other land owner. They have enough for eight more highrises.”
Drewlo has four plots of land on which it can build in Waterloo and Carapella is building another condominium there, he added.
Another reason for Waterloo’s higher-end units is that it has attracted Toronto workers who commute, a number expected to increase when the city gets direct Go Rail service in two years, Markou said.
“Just drive on Hwy. 401 at 5 p.m. and see how many are turning off Hwy. 8 from Toronto. It is staggering,” Markou said.
The highest prices for existing condo units in London’s core are at Tricar’s residences on Pall Mall St., just east of Richmond Row. They sell for up to $625,000.
If you’re wondering what monthly maintenance fees will be on Carapella’s $1-million unit in the second Renaissance Tower, they’re not far off from a mortgage payment for some London homes: about $700 a month.

Updated Travel Through Time
Final residential sales numbers for the Woodstock-Ingersoll District Real Estate Board for 2010 were: 1215.
To put everything into perspective, that would place 2010 in 5th place when comparing all years back to 2003 (8 yrs).
2010: 1215
2009: 1080
2008: 1176
2007: 1359
2006: 1278
2005: 1473 (correct)
2004: 1366
2003: 1153
The good news for someone planning on selling in 2011, is that the last three (3) years have all been below average as the average sales / year is 1263 over the last 8. A buying demand must be the horizon.
It's hard to determine where 2011 will go as 2010 started very quickly, but the last 6 months were a disappointment. The first 6 months of 2010 saw sales of 698 versus 502 in the first half of 2009. The last 6 months of 2010, sales meanwhile, were at 517 versus 578 in the closing 6 months of 2009.
The 2011 year is promising through 2 months -- 164 sales, versus 149 in 2010 and only 94 in 2009.
The improving car industry and on-going attractive interest rates are certainly 2 main reasons to be optimistic.
Some pundits look at the prediction of statistics and summarize by saying that half of the time, stats are 50% correct. Or, more accurately, statistics describe past results and not future trends.


London Builder Develops Waterloo Project
Norm DeBono, London Free Press
Printed, March 1, 2011
WATERLOO - A massive development is altering the look of Waterloo -- the Ontario technology centre — and the vision for it comes straight from London.
Work has begun on the Barrel Yards — a $350-million development in this city’s core on 12.5 acres of land that will bring 10 high-rise buildings and 1,200 residential units, all built by Auburn Developments Inc. of London.
“You will not find a 12-acre parcel in any downtown of any major city. Waterloo is doing very well and we saw this as a great opportunity,” said Auburn president Jamie Crich.
“We saw the potential and wanted to take a risk . . . we cannot get started fast enough. Waterloo is missing multi-use buildings in its downtown. They really need this.”
The fact the city had a large parcel of land open and not many high-rises drove this development.
Scott Amos, team leader of development approvals for Waterloo, said he believes there’s nothing on a scale like this happening in any mid-sized Canadian city.
“It is all good stuff — the land is one of the most stunning pieces in the city,” he said.
The development also has a recreational complex nearby and backs on to Waterloo Park, a rich green space.
Waterloo relies on well water and with nearby aquifers threatening to flood the development, Crich has had to build “an underground bathtub” around the site “to keep water from flowing in,” Amos said of the water containment system, which also drove up building costs.
The city had to approve the high-rise development because it can’t grow out anymore. It’s limited in size, bound by Kitchener on one side, the Grand River on another and regional communities Waterloo can’t annex, Amos said.
“Because we are a regional government we cannot spread to rural areas,” he said.
So the only direction to go is up.
The development will have buildings ranging in size from eight to 12 storeys as well as office towers and a townhouse development. It will also have a retirement home.
Work has already begun on the site’s hotel and will be open by the spring of 2012, Crich said.
The entire development will take about 10 years to build fully, but the condominium towers are slated to be built next, starting this spring and expected to be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2012.
“It has been great, they really roll their sleeves and get to work,” Crich said of Waterloo’s planning department. “But they also look on it as a partnership – there is a give and take.”
In another London link, the boutique hotel, called Domain, will be owned and operated by London’s Decade Group Inc., the real estate development company that owns the Station Park All Suite Hotel here.
Waterloo wasn’t always so welcome to builders.
Only “a few years ago,” city hall frowned on high-rise development to keep the small city feel in the core. The city lacked new investment.
“They had a downtown in need of an overhaul. The city realized that, did extensive planning and now they have a good plan in place,” Crich said.
The Barrel Yards, along Erb St. W. and Father David Bauer Dr., is also going up in a prestigious neighbourhood. It will share corners with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, all of which have won awards for architecture. The Balsillie School of International Affairs is also now being built nearby.
The region is also slated to get a GO Train link directly from Kitchener to downtown Toronto, with bus service to the Kitchener station from Waterloo. That would mean an easier commute from Waterloo to Toronto and more potential residents for Crich’s condominiums.
“The canvas is there. The stakeholders want to see this. This is for real,” Crich said.

Americans Find News On Internet
QMI Agency (Sun Media)
Americans are increasingly turning to the Internet as their main source of news and soon the medium will surpass television south of the border, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Today, roughly 66% of Americans get their national and international news by watching TV, down from 74% three years ago and 82% in 2002. Forty-one per cent prefer to check the headlines online.
For people under the age of 30, the Internet surpassed TV as the main news source in the U.S. for the first time in 2010.
The Internet overtook radio and newspapers for news in 2002 and 2007 and continues to pull away. Newspaper readership among the 1,500 people polled by Pew has fallen to 31% from 34% in 2007.
The tendency to look to the web for information is only expected to increase as younger generations mature.
Since 2007, the number of 18- to 29-year-olds who cite the Internet as their main source of news has nearly doubled, soaring from 34% to 65%, Pew said. Meanwhile, the proportion of young adults citing TV as their main source fell to 52% from 68%.
The Internet is on track to rival, even surpass, TV for those aged 30 to 49 within the next few years, Pew said. Forty-eight per cent in this age group get the news online more than TV, up 16 points from 2007.
TV-news watching among the 50 crowd has also fallen six points.
According to Pew’s research, education has something to do with which medium Americans pick to consume their news. College grads are more likely to read the news online whereas less-educated Americans are likely to cite TV as their main source of news.
While Pew’s research is limited to the U.S., the overall trends may also be indicative of changing North America-wide habits.
Canadians are world leaders when it comes to consuming online media. We have higher rates of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter use rates than the U.S., according to comScore.

More Internet Information
Here are 3 sites full of info about buying a house, energy efficiency improvements which could be done in a home, and/or hints on financing and rebates available.
www.greensaver.org
www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca
www.cra-arc.gc.ca
Maybe A Falcon Or A Parrott                                                                                                        
I currently have listings in various price ranges. I would certainly be able to show you any house listed by our office or anywhere on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS or Realtor.ca), but my primary focus here is to promote the homes I have for sale:
217 Falcon, Woodstock, 535000, 65-687
462 Parrott, Woodstock, 374900, 66-252
475 Parrott, Woodstock, 344900, 64-656
343 Springbank, Woodstock, 218000, 64-818
256 Butler, Woodstock, 165000, 65-120
311 Hay, Woodstock, 164,700, 66-593

Top-Of-Mind Awareness
Thanks for spending a few minutes reading my newsletter.
All Realtors rely on friends, acquaintances and past clients for leads and future business. I’m certainly no different. If you’re talking real estate with someone, please keep me in mind. I am a full-time real estate professional with 12 years experience. I have my own web site (www.marksells.ca) and firmly believe that if there are 15 different ways to sell a house, you should hire a Realtor willing and able to do all 15.
If you plan on purchasing a house, you should hire a Realtor who watches the market trends closely and fully comprehends all facets of the buying process.
You can contact me anytime.
If you know someone who may be interested in receiving this email newsletter, feel free to forward it.
By the way, if you want to be removed from my circulation list directory, email me.
Mark Schadenberg: (519) 537-1553

Recreation Advisory Committee
I'm a long-time member of the Woodstock Recreation Advisory Committee (WRAC), which is a city council approved commitee of 10 local residents, 2 city councillors (Paul Plant and Bill Bes appointed), and 3 city staffers, which includes director of Community Services Bob McFarland.
We have monthly meetings where we discuss everything from walking trails and ball diamonds, to all-inclusive parks, skateboard parks, facility renovations, youth activities, the art gallery, and my favourite project, which is the Woodstock Sports Wall of Fame.
Annually, we also fulfill our mandate by inviting local groups to set up a booth at an information fair . . .
Event: 7th Annual Woodstock Rec & Leisure Fair
When: Sunday, March 6, 1 - 4 p.m.
Where: Goff Hall @ Woodstock District Community Complex, Finkle Street
Public Admission: Free, plus door prizes
Organized by: Woodstock Recreation Advisory Committee, City of Woodstock.
Tables/Booths: $25 for non-proft groups; $50 for profit businesses (fitness clubs, golf courses, etc)
Family Event: Recreation & Leisure Interests For All Ages promoted.
Sports: Minor sports and adult activities: minor ball, minor football, gymnastics, swimming, dance schools, sports clubs like badminton, canoeing, cycling, curling, lawn bowling and cricket. (Examples only).
Hobbies & Interests: Service clubs, spinners and weavers, stamp and coin collecting clubs, photography, square dancing, tai-chi, historical society, Oxford Winds, Fanshawe Singers, Theatre Woodstock, etc.