How to Evaluate your home in Barrie Ontario.  Real Estate Evaluations Evaluating your home for sale, Barrie, Ontario, homes for sale and evaluations Evaluating Real Estate, Home Values When Selling a Home there are only a few things to consider: Price How it shows Marketing  Of these three items, the Seller can control 1 of these  the realtor can control 1 of these and the buyer controls 1 of these. When getting your home ready to sell, you need to look at your house in a new way. Think of your house as a product about to go on the market where it is probably competing with brand new housing. It needs to show well – which means clutter-free and well kept. Today’s home buyers lead busy lives and may not be interested in taking on major repairs or improvements upon moving in. You need to ... 02/21/2013

    HOME STAGING, DO IT YOURSELF HOME STAGING, TIPS ON STAGING YOUR OWN HOME                       Looking to Stage your home but don't know where to begin.  Here are some simple tips to get you started.       Click on the Checklist.                                                                   DIY Home Staging, Do It yourself Home Staging.         Getting ready to Sell?   Get Your Free Home Evaluation Here,  House Values for You. Source: point2agentblog.com via Point2 on Pinterest 02/21/2013

Barrie Ontario Open House Saturday February 16th 2pm-4pm 331 Duckworth Street, Barrie. Interested in a detached four bedroom home with driveway parking for five cars plus a double garage? Come check out the Barrie, Ontario Open House Saturday February 16th 2pm-4pm 331 Duckworth Street, Barrie Ontario. This home is walking distance to the college, hospital and high school. Tim Hortons and other conveniences are very closeby too! It is also right on the bus route.Listed at $279,700 this gem is conveniently situated close to great amenities, as well as having easy highway access, both to the north and the south. Come and take a peek, there is a cosy gas fireplace to welcome you in from the cold. If you drive north on the 400, take exit 102 for Duckworth Street, turn right onto Duckworth St... 02/15/2013

North East Barrie, OntarioNorth East Barrie, OntarioWhy do people live here?North East Barrie,Ontario is a beautiful neighborhood of established homes that is conveniently located just outside Downtown Barrie and nestled along the North Shore of Lake Simcoe. It is a multi generational neighborhood, inhabited by young first time buyers, investment owners as well as empty nesters who have loved the area so much that they have remained here after their young ones have left home. People who live here are attracted to the ease of convenience:this neighborhood offers easy access to education and medical facilities, as well as parks and a great gym at Georgian College. The bus service is well used, linking to the Go Bus Station and in turn connecting residents to other cities. This is also the... 02/12/2013

The big snow dump is coming are you ready? The weatherman and all the news media have been predicting two big snow storm systems to clash in south western Ontario tonight and over into tomorrow morning, so I decided to check the Weather Network and Environment Canada website to check its progress. As I was checking it all out, I came across an article describing how to be prepared for an emergency situation in extreme winter conditions.Most of it was obvious stuff like: Making sure you have working flashlights in case of a power faliure,candles, sufficient blankets and warm clothing, alternative cooking facilities eg a propane camping stove, food for a few days. One bit of advice that I couldn’t help chuckling at was: If you have to go outdoors in a blizzard, tie a rope to the front doo... 02/07/2013

Barrie & District home sales up in January Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. numbered 225 units in January 2013. This was an increase of three per cent from the same month in 2012. Within the City of Barrie, however, sales activity fell 10 per cent from a year earlier. The City of Barrie saw 128 residential sales in January. “Resale housing activity for the region as a whole had good start to the year, with activity posting the best month of January in five years,” said Wendy Elzner, President of the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS®. “Digging a little deeper, however, we find some pretty divergent trends. Within the City of Barrie we saw a continuation of the more moderate levels of demand we w... 02/07/2013

Barrie Ontario Open House Saturday February 2nd 2pm-4pm 331 Duckworth Street, Barrie. Interested in a detached four bedroom home with driveway parking for five cars plus a double garage? Come check out the Barrie, Ontario Open House Saturday February 2nd 2pm-4pm 331 Duckworth Street, Barrie Ontario. This home is bright and clean and fresh. It is just waiting for you....it would be a great starter home or a perfect downsizer. Listed at $279,700 this gem is conveniently situated close to great amenities such as parks,schools, public transport and other conveniences, as well as having easy highway access, both to the north and the south. Come and take a peek, there is a cosy gas fireplace to welcome you in from the cold. If you are coming from the south, drive north on the 400, take exit 1... 02/01/2013

Here at The Peggy Hill Team we’ve seen a lot of changes in the past few months. In December we joined forces with a new brokerage in town, Keller Williams, and became The Peggy Hill Team at Keller Williams Experience Realty. Now we’ll be seeing even more change as Keller Williams Barrie opens a brand new office on Bryne Drive. Keller Williams, North America’s fastest growing real estate company, became the newest brokerage in Barrie as Keller Williams Experience Realty, Brokerage last November. Their home base has temporarily been with us, The Peggy Hill Team at 431 Huronia Road, but as of Monday February 4th Keller Williams Barrie will be working out of a brand new office at 516 Bryne Drive, unit J! The office space is located right beside the Holiday Inn and across the road from Willi... 02/01/2013

  Winter Events in Barrie Ontario, Things to do.   Find a Home in Barrie, Ontario    Barrie's Winterfest                The City of Barrie proudly presents Barrie Winterfest, one of the Top 100 Festivals & Events in Ontario!  Grab your mittens and celebrate winter with us on February 7th & 8th, 2015. Heritage park, 5 Simcoe St & Memorial Square, 65 Dunlopt St East. 10:00 am - 5:00 pm   705-739-4285; www.barrie.ca  Recognized as on of the Top 100 Festivals in Ontario.   After a holiday season continue with the celebrations with adventures and activities for the whole family.  Polar bear dip, dogsled rides, horse drawn wagon rides, lumberjack shows, a giant snow slide , ice maze and so much more.  Admission is Free!   Winter Events in Barrie, Ontario Things To Do In Barrie, Ontario Barrie... 01/25/2013

  Having to find additional ways to generate new revenue streams is where many Ontario municipalities, including our own, find themselves as they attempt to balance the books in 2013. Unfortunatly, homeowners are typically the principle targets turned to for additional revenues when the well runs dry. The following letter from the assistant director of public relation for the Ontario Real Estate Association outlines how municiple land transfer taxes are being considered as one possible revenue generating action home owners in various Ontario municipalities may face in the near future. Such a tax could further inflate local home prices and set the bar even higher for home buyers. In light of this I encourage you to give some serious consideration to sending a letter of your own to our MP... 01/24/2013

What Kind of real estate market is Barrie in for in 2013? I hosted open-houses each weekend so far in 2013. Mid winter open-houses in Barrie, for those determined enough to host them, typically provide the solitude for a Realtor to catch up on some paperwork or get in some reading. I have set up my signs in the middle of winter whiteouts recently fully expecting the next two hours were going to be a snore. Not so far this year. Instead I find myself literally on my feet talking with visitors the whole time. Much of that time I am juggling conversations between multiple sets of visitors as they work their way through the openhouses. I talked with a few other agents who tell me they were being kept just as busy with the open-houses they have been doing so far this year. Going by the dail... 01/22/2013

Traditionally in the Barrie real estate market, most sellers wait until the Spring to list their homes for sale. This presents an opportunity for those sellers who do choose to list their homes in January – less competition! Here are some tips for protecting yourself when selling your home during the winter months: Nail the First Impression! Step up your curb appeal: use urns with light wood branches to brighten up the exterior of your home. Stay Current! Get rid of December’s Christmas lights, homes that look dated on the outside give the impression they are probably dated on the inside too. Project Lifestyle! Make sure your fireplace is working during any showing, that the temperature is comfortable in the home and that interior lighting compensates for the grey outdoors – make them w... 01/18/2013

Barrie real estate statistics summary for 2012 Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. numbered 172 units in December 2012. This was a decrease of just under 10 per cent from the same month in 2011. Within the City of Barrie sales activity declined 15 per cent from a year earlier. The City of Barrie saw 97 residential sales in December. “Resale housing activity was little changed in December from what we saw in November, and that’s in line with the broader trend that saw demand trending at lower levels for most of the second half of the year,” said Wendy Elzner, President of the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS®. “That said, while activity has geared down following the introduction of stricter rules g... 01/11/2013

Fill out my Wufoo form! 01/10/2013

 Selling your Barrie Home - Exposure = faster sales and better returns. 01/09/2013

  A picture is worth a thousand words right? If you are trying to sell your Barrie real estate the pictures are worth thousands of dollars. If you are going to sell it on your own, consider springing for a professional photographer who knows how to bring out the look and feel that will make the phone ring and put your place to the top of the list of homes to see. More often than not the people who understand what it takes to get top dollar for a house leverage the end result in their favour by hiring professionals to do the job. The rest, well some of them at least entertain us with their efforts to save a buck. These images are taken from actual Craigs List ads in 2012 for private home listings and should give you a few tips on what works, or doesn't work when trying to attract buyer ... 12/27/2012

Huronia Symphony Orchestra Presents Classics and Christmas. Sunday December 16. Event Located at Barrie Collier Street United Church. 3:30pm-7:00pm. The Huronia Symphony is back with its extremely popular Christmas variety show, including seasonal classics, familiar popular medleys, and all the fun of our sing-along Christmas carols. This concert has music that will appeal to almost every age and taste, so why not ho along and join in the frivolity and festivities!Show Time: Sunday December 16, 2012 3:30pm-7:00pm Show Time: Sunday December 16, 2012 3:30pm-7:00pmAdmission: Adults - $20 ($25 at the door), Students 14 and up - $10, Children 13 and under - $5Tickets can be purchased in Barrie at the following locations:Music Pro, 56 Barrieview Dr.MacLaren Art Centre, 37 Mulcaster StreetJan... 12/13/2012

“Holly” Day fun for the whole family:The Holly Community Centre is offering daily festive activities of crafts,story-time, holiday movies, learn to knit and much more.This will include 12 Days of Fitness from December 12th to 23rd. We are all challenged to drop in and try a new programme for the winter. Equipment is available on a first come first basis, so its best to arrive early to avoid disappointment. If you attend 6 or more programmes you will be entered to win a $100 City of Barrie Recreation Gift Certificate. Having said this, however Pass Holder fees still hold for all programmes.You can also find schedules for public skating, open swims and Preschool Drop-ins on the Barrie website. 12/12/2012

Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. numbered 296 units in November 2012. This was a decrease of eight per cent from the same month last year. Within the City of Barrie sales activity declined nine per cent from a year earlier. The City of Barrie saw 188 residential sales in November. Activity for the year-to-date is still well on track to mark the best annual sales figure in five years. A total of 4,404 homes have traded hands so far this year, up a nine per cent from the same period in 2011. “Following an unexpectedly strong month of October, resale housing activity edged back down in November to levels consistent with what we were seeing in the July through September period,” said Walter Doret, President o... 12/12/2012

Events Barrie Ontario, Christmas Events in Barrie Ontario Downtown Events in Barrie, Barrie Events 2013 Downtown Countdown Monday, December 31, 20127:00pm – 12:15am The City of Barrie is proud to present the 15th annual Downtown Countdown.  Ring in the New Year in downtown Barrie with a free evening of fun and entertainment for the whole family beginning at 7:00pm!  Festivities include skating on the Circle at the Centre rink, horse-drawn wagon rides, face painting, food vendors, fireworks, and amazing live entertainment. Entertainment                                                           7:00pm - Splash 'n Boots7:45pm - Fireworks8:15pm - Sarah Melody9:15pm - San Sebastian10:30pm - Arkells11:55pm - Countdown to midnight and fireworks! Barrie Transit Once again, Barrie Transit is off... 12/10/2012