March sales numbers in Woodstock-Ingersoll shatter records

Oxford continues to be popular destination for house hunters

Stats indicate 158 total transactions for 2016, while March of 2015 was 116

By Mark Schadenberg

I have a couple late-morning appointments, so here is a quick update on the March real estate market in the Woodstock-Ingersoll (WIDREB) area.

The march to look at homes continues as buyers continue to outnumber sellers by a wide margin, so good listings with the correct asking price are sold quickly.

March of 2016 set a new record with 155 residential transactions reported in the real estate board trading area.

Sales of all types of properties were calculated at 158 for March, which was a remarkable 37.1% increase when compared to 12 months earlier.

Here are the last 12 March totals:

2016: 158                              

2015: 116                              2014: 92                    2013: 94

2012: 107                              2011: 124                   2010: 136

2009:  71 (Correct)               2008: 101                  2007: 114

2006: 131                              2005: 109                  2004: 137

Here are the last 12 first-quarter totals

2016: 322                              

2015: 286                              2014: 204                   2013: 272

2012: 253                              2011: 288                   2010: 285

2009: 165                              2008: 264                  2007: 313

2006: 293                              2005: 277                  2004: 298

My ability to present the history of the numbers with some additional background data, is one of many reasons why you should call me before entering the housing market – to buy or sell.

Many reasons exist why Oxford is a popular destination to reside.

Attractive interest rates and confidence in the local economy continue, as does the interest in the market for outlying areas such as Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge and also Oakville-Burlington-Hamilton. People in Woodstock and Ingersoll realize our area is the envy to people from outside Oxford due to affordability and location.  

About one week ago it was announced that Martinrea Automotive was moving from London to Ingersoll, and even though its employees would likely not relocate, this move always helps the Oxford tax base.

KITCHENER

A story which aired from Marc Venema on the Kitchener CTV outlet says one reason the market is so strong is the mild winter, but it’s obvious there are more buyers than sellers, so sellers are often disappointed when their ideal house is on the market but multiple offers are signed.

We often talk about our aging demographics, but those over age of 75 are much healthier and more independent than 50 years ago, so they are ‘aging in place’ and not necessarily selling the family home to downsize.

LONDON

The 860 sales in London - St Thomas (LSTAR) district marked more than an 11% increase over March of 2015, while listings totals were down 1.6%. Year-to-date in the LSTAR region sales are up 10.6%.

Not everything is good news on the economic front as unemployment stats increased slightly in London and St Thomas last month as can be read about below in another London Free Press link, while the national total decreased.

LINKS:

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=845073

http://www.lstar.ca/news/march-home-sales-out-lion

http://www.lfpress.com/2016/04/08/londons-unemployment-rate-rose-for-the-second-month-in-a-row-in-march

www.cometothecrossroads.com

http://www.1047.ca/news/local-news/hino-celebrates-a-decade-in-woodstock/

http://www.lfpress.com/2016/04/04/martinrea-auto-parts-plant-leaves-london-for-ingersoll

Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative

Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)

Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage

757 Dundas St, Woodstock

www.royallepagetriland.com

(519) 537-1553, cell or text

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

Twitter: markroyallepage

Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland

Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . . Destination

Kitchener subdivision has been planned for 21 years, but . . .

(Updated) More than 300 residential units projected for area which includes wooded area neighbours want protected

Kitchener city council to look at drawings and plan again on April 11

By Mark Schadenberg

As I follow news surrounding Woodstock city council, you can see on occasion that a plan of subdivision is granted a 2-year extension as there is a forecast existing to build (homes or possibly commercial), but the initial time period on the council approval is expiring.

Sometimes, plans do change and an area’s visions shows more intensification (townhouses versus semi-detached, for example) or other modifications in zoning as R1 or R2.

I’m surprised this week to see in the Waterloo Record newspaper that a subdivision approved originally way way back in 1995 is still on the books and now appears ready to proceed.

The controversy formulating there – if one truly exists – is that the plan for 326 residential units includes removing mature trees from a wooded area.

Wm. J. Gies Construction is seeking full approval on drawings for 181 detached homes, plus additional semi-detached and ‘stacked’ construction for a total of 326 new family homes. Located near Keewatin Avenue and Lackner Boulevard, this Sandra Springs subdivision will be on the docket for city council to consider on April 11, according to The Record.

Neighbourhood groups are naturally upset as nature will be affected with a cul-de-sac of picturesque properties scribbled on the map in an area which has been to the home – according to nearby citizens – of trees, plants, coyotes, deer and hawks. The homeowners already in the vicinity fully realize, according to the story with the online link below, that someday this area would be developed for residential use as part of the community master plan, but there is a specific concern pointed out.

"Nobody's arguing with the development of the farmland," said Pete Carter (in the newspaper clipping), whose home on Dunnigan Drive backs onto the woodlot. "We realize you can't stop progress. But why plow down all those trees and all that nature, just to build (13) houses? It's just greed to me …. Can't they be satisfied with 300-plus homes and just leave that trail?

"Open spaces and natural spaces, I think they're very important," Carter continued. "During the winter, skiers come through, and in the spring people hike through there. It's definitely well-used.

"We'd like to keep it, not only for ourselves but for the whole neighbourhood."

Read the predicament as noted in The Record story, and the premise the so-called nature cul-de-sac has always been part of the plan for its 21 years since its original approval.

However, I would say if the wood lot has matured now to the point where it’s a home to nature, it should be protected. Times do change and nature appears to have a strong presence there.

Another question I have is this: Has the K-W area conducted a thorough official plan on zonings in the past 21 years? If it has, then this space has been deemed or circled as residential for quite some time and the ‘change of use’ process time has likely passed.

With its relative proximity to the Grand River, if there were concerns from the conservation authority they likely would have placed their thumb on the area to protect it.

At the April 11 meeting, there was a summary noted in the Waterloo Region Record noting that the planning committee would approve the subdivision based on the new residential area having a park with connections to existing trails and that there would be a tree retention plan included.

I’m only the messenger here who likes to keep tabs on what is happening in a surrounding community for development and real estate.

Again, my thoughts are that all neighbourhoods require greenspace and parks. The new ball diamond park in Woodstock’s northeast off Devonshire includes many mature trees and park spaces will be built (for the most part) around the wood lots. In the Havelock Corners brand new subdivision north of Pittock Lake, there is a park with playground equipment under construction right now as all neighbourhoods deserve a park (To be named Shanna Larsen memorial park) for kids of all ages.

LINKS:

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6454111-residents-fear-loss-of-woodlot-as-subdivision-plan-moves-ahead-after-21-years/

www.kitchener.ca

https://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/AboutKitchener.asp
NEW LINK:
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6481183-kitchener-approves-subdivision-in-mature-woodlot-along-lackner-boulevard/

Full-Time Realtor for Woodstock & Oxford County

Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative

Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)

Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage

Volunteers Are The Stars is the South Gate theme for April

Countless activities at South Gate Centre in Woodstock for the 50+ age bracket
Appreciation luncheon planned for April 22 for membership giving back to club

By Mark Schadenberg

If April showers – bring May flowers, then you’ll want to spend a lot of time indoors at South Gate Centre this month.

If you hadn’t heard the news yet, the Lions Club of Woodstock has officially migrated across Woodstock to South Gate as our new home due to the pending sale of our previous den at the Legion.

Meanwhile, our weekly bingo on Thursday nights has also shifted its location to South Gate, so it’s a win-win situation as the Lions Club most certainly paid rent at the Legion for our Bingo nights and to host our meetings, and we also donated to many (several) capital projects inside the Legion’s walls as well, but that could be a tale for another day.

Upon departing from our Lions meeting this week, I picked up a copy of the latest South Gate newsletter called Golden Nugget, but it’s sub-titled this month as Volunteers Are The Stars. That slogan holds true for Lions and for South Gate Centre as no organization is successful without a strong base of volunteers – people giving their time and knowledge is the fabric of service clubs and other associations.

You can read the Golden Nugget online if you’re considering joining the Woodstock over-50 club by checking out www.southgatectr.ca. The site also has details on the club’s membership, its terrific facility at the gate to Southside Park on Old Wellington South and details about many ongoing activities.

The Golden Nugget specifically promotes April events such as a special Taste Of Asia dinner with Jed Lau set for Friday, April 22.

The South Gate Centre has quite a kitchen featuring Patrick McMahon as chef and a large group of volunteers for catering lunches ($7; Weekdays 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.). The week of April 19-21 looks delicious with beef stew on the 19th, followed by roast chicken on the 20th, and lasagna on the 21st. The kitchen also runs a catering company called Local Roots for on-site banquets like anniversary parties, small meals such as the Lions Club, or catering at other locations.  

South Gate, which is open for its membership activities Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., is a busy place with euchre, bridge, pepper and klaverjas card games, plus many exercise sessions as well – yoga, tai chi, zumba, and other cardio fitness times. Additional activities on the schedule include darts, billiards, wood working, plus carpet bowling, along with groups for knitting and crocheting.

Off-site connections for the South Gate Centre includes badminton and pickleball at the Woodstock Badminton Club, plus curling or bowling leagues in the fall and winter, and slo-pitch in Southside Park from May – October.

If you know the song Empty Chairs At Empty Tables, while at South Gate they’ll request you join the choir led by Doris Ernewein, so there will be voices from those chairs. The South Gate Singers tour around the community, including upcoming shows at Oxford Manor on April 19 and Oxford Gardens on April 20.

A dinner and dance is set for Friday, May 6 at the centre. Tickets are only $20.

Silver Streaks is an acting club within South Gate and they staged the play All The Comforts Of Home (Howard T Amend) during the month of March

Adding to the long list on the club’s schedule are specific interest groups like history, computers, and travelling. South Gate is planning a bus trip to Quebec City and Halifax for two weeks in July.

At South Gate, you can see that participation is part of the membership, but the Volunteers Are The Stars, so the centre will be hosting a volunteer celebration luncheon and dessert buffet on Friday, April 22.

LINKS:

www.southgatectr.ca

www.cityofwoodstock.ca

www.woodstockbadmintonclub.org

Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative

Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)

Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage

757 Dundas St, Woodstock

www.royallepagetriland.com

(519) 537-1553, cell or text

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

Twitter: markroyallepage

Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland

Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . . Destination

I discovered an interesting Chatelaine article from 2006

Sophie Gregoire was interviewed a few months after marrying Justin
Today, the couple has three children and reside in Ottawa

By Mark Schadenberg

Waiting rooms are the places magazines go to be re-discovered and stacked up high.

Sometimes it’s a doctor’s office or at your dentist while you’re waiting for your six-month cleaning – an occasion to flip through the pages of an old MacLean’s, Sports Illustrated or Today’s Parent.

At my son’s karate school this past week I unearthed quite a jewel in the haystack of publications – an issue of Chatelaine dating back to October of 2006. Spencer’s Sensei should update his reading material, but this Chatelaine was worth me sneaking out the door due to its feature profile story, which is a must-read looking back from the exactly one decade since the biographical piece was printed.

Who is the story about? Which famous Canadian of today was essentially introduced to the pop culture of our nation 10 years ago?

Sophie Gregoire.

The wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was interviewed by Maryam Sanati, who would later become the editor-in-chief of Chatelaine. Her resume includes Toronto Life magazine and feature writing for The Globe And Mail.

Maryam Sanati

    Sophie’s Story

Justin Trudeau was born on Christmas Day in 1971 and is now our country’s 23^rd Prime Minister. He was first elected to Parliament in 2008 in the Montreal riding of Papineau, so he obviously climbed the Ottawa ladder quickly as he rose to Liberal leader officially in April of 2013 after holding several critic portfolios, including the department of citizen and immigration. Trudeau won 184 of 338 seats to be elected PM last year, so the evolution was complete – Algonquin Park camp counsellor to Prime Minister. 

Justin had two younger brothers, but the youngest Michel died in 1998 in an avalanche. Justin had originally met Sophie years earlier as she and Michel had been classmates at a private school.

Their first date was dinner, a walk and a karaoke bar. Justin sang Elton John’s Your Song, while Sophie says her tune was something by Shania Twain. At the time, Sophie was employed by a Montreal CTV station as an entertainment reporter. She admitted to recovering from the eating disorder bulimia as well.

The Chatelaine biography on Sophie covered several pages and was quite an in-depth look at the new bride of Justin’s as they were married on May 28, 2005. Today, they have 3 children, but due to renovations at 24 Sussex Drive, the family does not reside in the same house Justin lived in as a child.

If you’re a fan of the couple and want a copy of the magazine, simply contact me as I save hockey and baseball facts books, but truly have little interest in this artifact, which as you will recall from the beginning of this writing I had ‘borrowed’ anyway. I only have one, so it goes to the first call, and there will be no skill testing question.

In Chatelaine -- in the story entitled ‘She Made It All Happen’ -- there are many quotes by Sophie, which 10 years later, are quite intriguing and thoughtful. Below are a few quotes I re-typed:

“Marriage is tough, the toughest route you can choose, no doubt about that. You have to take your ego and you have to adjust, adapt, adjust, adapt. You have to learn, listen and fight. I believe in that profoundly.”

“I’m a Taurus. I’m very hard-headed and passionate. But I’m very sensitive. I did want to please everyone when I was young and I understand now that it isn’t possible.”

She told a story about the first house they purchased together, saying:

“Sometimes I can picture all of us on Sunday morning. We are all in our PJs at the kitchen table. We’re eating. We’re reading our newspapers, and the kids are playing . . . For me, that is the idea of pure happiness. That’s it. That’s what I want.”

LINKS:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/justin-trudeau-and-sophie-gregoire-required-reading-on-the-firstfamily/article26950165/

http://www.chatelaine.com/living/politics/when-justin-met-sophie/

http://www.chatelaine.com/just-watch-her-sophie-gregoire-trudeau/

http://www.chatelaine.com/living/ladies-man-justin-trudeau/

http://www.chatelaine.com/living/is-justin-trudeau-the-candidate-canadian-women-have-been-waiting-for/

http://markroyallepage.blogspot.ca/2015/10/massive-renovations-planned-for-24.html

2008 Link:

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2008/04/01/chatelaines_makeover.html

2000 Link:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/jetaimepapa-justin-trudeaus-2000-eulogy/article26923529/

I love Canadian history;

love putting Canadians into their dream Oxford County home

Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative

Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)

Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage

757 Dundas St, Woodstock

www.royallepagetriland.com

(519) 537-1553, cell or text

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

Twitter: markroyallepage

Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland

Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . . Destination

Open House on Sunday, April 3, 2-4 p.m.

Ranch at 115 Southview Court in Woodstock could be yours

My new listing features many high-end amenities and it's less than 10 years old

By Mark Schadenberg

As an empty-nester, you seek a large ranch with a 2-car garage on a quiet cul-de-sac, but you also desire a private backyard for your green thumb and you require a park close by for grand kids to run around, and a third bedroom in the lower level with its own bathroom for out-of-town company.

My listing at 115 Southview Court in Woodstock meets those requirements, but surpasses your wish list because this home is near the 401 for commuting, and is also near the Norwich Avenue box mall for shopping and restaurants (City Hall likes to refer to it as the regional commercial node), near Southside Park and its pool, near the community complex and Fanshawe College, plus the Cedar Creek golf course.

Built by Woodstock builder Hunt Homes, this 1,500 square foot ranch has many amenities you also expect such as main-floor laundry, hardwood flooring and a high-end kitchen with a peninsula so you can chop carrots while watching Dr Phil (Does anyone watch him anymore?). The kitchen’s high-end appliances are negotiable.

The main floor living space is truly open concept – kitchen and its dining area are open to the living room. Impeccable hardwood floors too!
Patio doors lead to the fully-fenced back yard so Rover can not rove too far. Landscaping aplenty.

The master bedroom is highlighted by its wonderful 5-piece ensuite and walk-in closet. The ensuite has a large glass-door shower and separate jetted tub, plus double sinks so two can brush their teeth simultaneously. The master also includes unique bamboo floors.
The main floor also includes a front bedroom, which could be your at-home office.

OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, April 3, 2-4 p.m.

MLS: 77006

List Price: $375,000

Lot: 49 x 115

Taxes: $4225.00

The lower level is about half finished with a 3rd bedroom with a large window – ideal for visitors. The rec room is almost 500 square feet itself – super for that flat screen TV space to watch the Blue Jays pennant drive this season.

There is considerable more space for storage, including cold storage under the front porch. The water softener would also stay with the home.

In this price range, home buyers expect a full 2-car garage, and that’s what you will discover at 115 Southview.

LINKS:

www.realtor.ca

www.royallepagetriland.ca

www.markroyallepage.blogspot.com

www.cityofwoodstock.ca

Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative

Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)

Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage

757 Dundas St, Woodstock

www.royallepagetriland.com

(519) 537-1553, cell or text

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

Twitter: markroyallepage

Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland