Pratt Homes participated in this year's Barrie Santa Claus Parade. Our Gingerbread House float & our giant Gingerbread Man were big hits! We wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! 12/09/2011

Home Evaluations in Barrie Ontario, how you can establish the real value of your property The three primary yet different ways of determining value with real estate are the 1.     CMA 2.     Income Approach 3.     Replacement Cost method. The CMA methodThe CMA (Comparable Market Analysis) method is based on what similar or comparable properties have sold for in the past, typically within the last three months.The CMA is the most common valuation method for residential single-family homes.  Most realtors and appraisers will give you a comparable list of recent sales and current for sale properties.  However, it's typically the least favourable valuation method for investment real estate. The Income ApproachThe Income Approach method of valuation puts a value on the income generated from ... 12/04/2011

Construction is moving along well at our Manhattan Development. The warm weather this summer helped us stay on schedule for our December completion date. On any given day, we have over 100 people working at our site. In times when we hear about such high unemployment rates south of the border, it gives me great pride knowing that our project is providing jobs to so many people. We are of course also building a fabulous new community in a beautiful area.   It is neat watching the coming together. At this point we have just started finishing the first building while we are installing the rough electrical, plumbing and heating services in the second building. Exterior cladding is well under way on both buildings and it seems like we’ll be beating the winter weather that’s fast approaching... 11/03/2011

September a strong month for home sales in the Barrie region   Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. came in well above year-ago levels for the third consecutive month in September 2011, and stood on par with some of the strongest September sales figures on record.   Home sales numbered 387 units in September 2011, an increase of 17 per cent compared to the same month last year. Within the city of Barrie, gains were in line with the overall trend for the region. The city of Barrie saw 243 residential sales in September, up 19 per cent from one year earlier.   “Demand in September came in only slightly below the record month of September set in 2009, and stood on par with the second best ever September sales fig... 10/18/2011

A little bit of interesting history lies behind plans for a central feature in theManhattan condo development in Barrie. We have recently erected the base structure of the centre pillar for our front entrance. Erecting the Entrance Pillar at Manhattan Condos When the entry feature was being designed during the site plan stage, and specifically the centre pillar, it was intended to pay tribute to the famous Obelisk (affectionately called Cleopatra’s Needle), which is located in Manhattan’s Central Park. The history of Cleopatra’s Needle is truly fascinating!  There were originally two Obelisks constructed around 1500 B.C. in Egypt in celebration of Pharaoh Thutmosis III’s 3rd jubilee. The Obelisks were inscribed in Egyptian hieroglyphics.  These ancient artifacts were relocated around 12... 10/14/2011

Mark it on your calendar! THE WEST PRESALE EVENT | 2-DAYS ONLY! Oct 15th & 16th, 2011 | 185-205 Dunlop St E. Barrie, Ontario. Register or call for details. 10/13/2011

Today’s Look of the Day centres around brown and its many hues. Enjoy this look? Be sure to share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Concept design by Pratt Homes’ Barrie Design Studio for new homes, townhomes and condos in Barrie. 10/12/2011

A great look at all that Barrie, Ontario and Pratt Homes has to offer new home, condominium or townhome buyers. Barrie's largest homebuilder offers low deposits, rent-to-own programs, mortgage financing, sweat equity options and is committed to environmentally friendly green building practices. 10/12/2011

Photo taken after a thunderstorm. Manhattan Condominiums in Barrie Ontario. Closings Dec. 2011 10/11/2011

In an effort to control construction waste going to our landfill, we have instituted a complete sorting and storage system on the construction site for Manhattan Condos in Barrie, Ontario. All garbage, wood, steel and cardboard is separated into individual bins for recycling and disposal. All drywall and masonry products are fully recycled as well. Further efforts to be environmentally friendly are ongoing in the actual building’s construction. The flooring system being used to control moisture and sound transfer on top of our existing structure is a fully certified green product made from recycled gypsum. The actual insulation and drywall used in our projects are both LEED certified and are manufactured from recycled material as well. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEE... 10/07/2011

THE WEST Lakefront Hotel and Private Residences Etched into the historic and charming eastern shoreline of Kempenfelt Bay in Lake Simcoe, THE WEST Lakefront Hotel and Private Residences will be more than a seasonal getaway or an enduring haven, it will be an experience and lakefront living beyond imagination.   THE WEST will soon set a new organically urban escape that reimagines, redefines and reenergizes lakefront living in Barrie Ontario, one of Canada’s fast growing urban cities. Envisioned to be an iconic, stylish and urban residence of choice, lakefront living at THE WEST will be a singular destination for its guests and residents throughout the Canadian seasons. Learn more about THE WEST Condos in Barrie.  10/04/2011

Mark it on your calendar! THE WEST PRESALE EVENT | 2-DAYS ONLY! Oct 15th & 16th, 2011 | 185-205 Dunlop St E. Barrie, Ontario.  New Barrie Waterfront Condos for sale. 10/04/2011

Monday started out nice and sunny as I drove to Barrie for a seminar on Effective Negotiating.  I arrived at the Holiday Inn about 8:15 a.m. and parked by the rear entrance, close to the conference rooms I knew we would be in. There were fifty people at today's seminar and we were primed to take this course.  We actually started early, at 8:47 a.m. since the instructor said it would be a full day.  A full day it was, I barely left my seat to return a few calls out in the hallway, and it seemed we were back at it till lunch.  After a quick lunch, I thought I could squeeze in an errand by filling up my tank in the remaining thirty-five minutes and rushed to my car.  It was raining, not a torrential downpour but a steady rain.  As I was leaving I noticed that one of the hotel staff I had t... 09/19/2011

Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. were up strongly from year-ago levels for the second consecutive month in August 2011. Home sales numbered 401 units in August 2011, an increase of 22 per cent compared to the same month last year. The large year-over-year increase reflects not only weak demand last summer, but also the current strength of home sales in the region. “Demand continues to run at healthy levels, with the August sales figure marking just the fourth time in history that home sales in the month of August have topped the 400 mark,” said Catherine Garb e, President of the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS®. “As of the end of August, activity for the year-to-date had caught up with last yea... 09/12/2011

We know, you don't want a mortgage... you want a home! Did you know that you may save thousands of dollars renegotiating your mortgage even if it is mid term? Call to book your review appointment and get saving!!! Did you know that I have been nominated as Barrie's Favourite Mortgage Broker? For a chance to win a $300.00 gift card, please go to www.barrieadvance.com and complete the survey. Thanks for your support! You will recognize a lot of exceptional business people - show them your support! (705) 727-9992 sblack@mortgagealliance.com Click HERE to get approved. TERM POSTED OUR RATES* 6 Month 4.45% 4.45% 1 Year 3.60% 2.75% 2 Year 3.95% 3.30% 3 Year 4.35% 3.29% 4 Year 5.04% 3.34% 5 Year 5.54% 3.39% 7 Year 6.44% 4.69% 10 Year 6.80% 4.89% Variable Rate 2.20% Prime Rate 3.00% BenchMark ... 08/22/2011

I came across a story this morning and found the sheer irony, well, entertaining by its matter of fact revelations. The title alone has earned a place among my favorite double edged headlines right up there with "Psychic killed by train".  ‘For Sale By Owner’ Founder Needs Broker to Sell His Apartment  The founder of a website helping people to sell their own homes has found a buyer for his own apartment – with the help of a traditional real estate broker.  ForSaleByOwner.com creator Colby Sambrotto even paid a 6% commission after selling his two-bedroom New York condo for $2.15 million.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Sambrotto spent six months trying to sell the apartment in trendy Chelsea through online listings and classified adverts. But the ForSaleByOwner.com home sellin... 08/09/2011

Helen and I decided to have Sushi for lunch yesterday.  One of our favourite Sushi restaurants is Sushi Hama in Bolton, but we were going to be in the Barrie area, and in Barrie, our Sushi destination of choice is Akira Sushi on Mulcaster St.  During the day most of the parking in downtown Barrie is coin operated meters and we found a convenient space right in front of the restaurant. As I was looking for some coins, a elderly couple parked beside us.  Opportunity was knocking.  I deposited enough for two hours in my meter and then walked over and deposited two hours worth of coins in their meter. They were speechless and wanted to repay me.  I told them that this was just a small gesture on my part and that I wished them a happy Friday afternoon. They both thanked us and walked down th... 08/06/2011

As I mentioned earlier, we picked up Helen's new car a week Friday.  Helen did the lion's share of the research for her car, but did come to me for advice several times.  Our mechanic told us that the value (quality/features vs price) of the Korean manufacturers had increased greatly in the last few years, and friends that I respect have recently purchase a Tucson and a Genesis. My parents purchased a Sonata a year ago and were very happy. Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai and Kia were on our short list, and the specific cars I had wanted Helen to consider were the Cruze, the Focus, the Elantra and the Rondo.  We had discounted other cars from previous car searches as not suiting us well. There can be so many factors affecting the purchase of a car, a few of which are not related to the car at a... 07/26/2011

First time buyers are the largest single group of home buyers in Canada and the majority of them are between the ages of 20 and 35. Typically the first thing a home buyer does (and should do) on deciding to buy a home is pay a visit to the bank or mortgage broker to determine how much money they are able to borrow towards the purchase price of a home. Most will base the amount of home they purchase on what they learn is their upper borrowing limit.  There are many other financial considerations that are most often overlooked by buyers but should be given merit in deciding on how much home to purchase. Many of the 209 owners whose properties were forced into power of sale over the last year in my area (based upon data from the Barrie Association of Realtors) would likely still have a ho... 07/25/2011

  ***An important point I should add that I didn't clarify in this interview is that statistical data is easily misinterpreted, particularly when it comes to averages.  For example, if your boss gets a raise this week, the average income in your work place goes up. That does nothing for your bottom line. Likewise if this year the number of million dollar plus homes that sell in your market goes up or down, that affects the average price of homes in that market but does not affect the market value of your individual home.  When the newspaper headlines say the average price of homes is likely to drop by 14 percent over the next few years as they did recently it is more likely that the number of homes sold below the middle line price will increase and or fewer homes above that mark will s... 07/20/2011