Gone Fishing/ Gone Hunting

Nothing is better than getting outside and heading out on to a lake or into the woods to maintain balance and sanity in your life.

Working all day and into the night, weekdays and weekends, looking at a computer screen and at paper documents and dealing with people on the phone, in person, and electronically, with a focus on accuracy and diplomacy can be taxing. It can be thrilling and exasperating. Numbers and details, discussions and deals follow me into my sleep. 

To clear my head and give my body a workout, I retreat to nature. This time of year I let my beard grow, put on my camouflage and blaze orange gear and head to the woods. I'm hunting, but I'm also hiking, bird watching, and meditating.

In the summer, and later in the winter, I can go fishing and ice-fishing.

There are plenty of opportunities for hunting and fishing within a reasonable distance from Newmarket, so it's easy to take a day off and be back in the evening with fresh air in my lungs and a fresh outlook.

Best time to buy or sell

As a real estate agent, I’m always getting asked about when the best time to buy or sell a house is.

·         Is this a good time, or should I wait?

·         How is the market?

·         Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market?

·         Will interest rates go up or down?

·         Will my house be worth more in the spring?

·         Will my house sell faster if I renovate the kitchen first?

       

Some people think I’m a fortune teller! But, seriously, it’s hard to predict the market. I will honestly tell people what I know, what people in the real estate market are saying and what the newspapers say. It’s my job to keep up to date and knowledgeable about my industry.

But, I’m the friendly real estate agent, “Your Friendly Realtor” -and the honest real estate agent. I will also tell you:

The best time for you to move depends mostly on you!

The best indicators for the best time to move are your needs and wishes.

·         Do you want to be in your new home before Christmas?

·         Do you want to be in your new home before the school term starts?

·         Will you need to take some time off from work to move?

·         Do you want to move before it starts to snow?

·         How long will it take to sell your present home?

·         How fast can your home be ready for me to take pictures, and ready for an open house?

People buy and sell homes all year round, every day of the year. Someone might need to move because of a job transfer. Someone has to move because of a death or illness. Some retirement homes and nursing homes have waiting lists that don’t give folks much time to respond (It’s now or never, as Elvis sang.).

You could be just thinking about moving when a perfect house comes on the market. If you really want it badly, you might be willing to agree to a closing date that’s not at a perfect time and puts you under pressure to sell your present home quickly. But, if getting that perfect house is what you really want, then you’ll do what you have to do to get it. If it’s the best home for you, then it’s the best time for you.

When we work together to sell and/or buy a home, my first priority is to find out what your needs are. You are the most important factor, not the economy. I can help you to determine what those needs are, as people aren’t usually aware of all the variables. I’ve got experience that will help to guide you.

If you need to move quickly, I’ll do what I can to make it fast and smooth, and get you the best deal possible. But, if you want to take your time, I will wait with you. We can look at houses for as long as it takes to find you that perfect house- the one that fulfills your needs.

A home with central air

Do you have central air in your home? If you do, you’re probably counting your blessings! People who put a pool in this summer are also very happy. This has been the hottest July ever!

If you don’t have central air conditioning, you must be suffering. I hope you are managing to keep cool somehow.

If you don’t have central air, you might want to consider installing it in your home or moving into a home that has it. This can be the last heat wave that you suffer through. Maybe it’s time to make a change.

People with allergies, babies, the elderly and those battling illnesses will all feel more comfortable with central air. For many people, it’s not a luxury but a necessity.

In many parts of the world air conditioning is a necessity. Every building, every car, every home is air-conditioned. We’ve been lucky so far. But, our climate is changing.

A lot of people have been suffering this month without air conditioning in their homes and workplaces. There’s all kinds of good advice for them: keep hydrated, cover the windows facing south with heavy curtains or blinds, place a bowl of cold water in front of a fan, spend time in the public library or in the mall, etc.

You’re probably sick of hearing all the good advice of people sitting in their cool offices and going to their cool homes! (Maybe you’re a bit short-tempered right now. It’s the heat.)

All that advice is great for the short-term. We have to deal with this heat right now. But, what about next year, and the year after that? You’re not getting younger and healthier. If you’re still young, maybe you’re planning to start a family. You’ll want the best for your babies.

For the long term, think about getting yourself into an air-conditioned home. 

I can help to find you a home with central air conditioning, and maybe a pool too.

Check out my website. There are lots of homes to look at. Call me or send me an email and let me know what else you want in a home. We’ll work together to find you the best place at the best deal.

Interest Rates

Surprise!!! Surprise!!!  The interest rates remain untouched today but "they" still warn us about future rises!

Going back to 2010, "they" said the economy was too weak for a rate hike and the cold dark days of 2009 were still fresh in our memories. Too many folks had lost their jobs, closed their businesses and gone bankrupt in 2009.

However, as if by MAGIC, and after having a sunny and warm February, "they" decided to hike the rates anyway!

All those promises of not touching the rates until the Third Quarter simply went out the window in an instant. The results were quietly catastrophic!

More businesses suffered and fewer people found jobs. The weakening of the US Dollar resulted in the strengthening of the CDN Dollar which didn't help our manufacturing sector at all. The real estate market did not cool off as "they" had predicted either!

This year "they" seem to be smarter and are keeping their hands off the interest rates in hopes of stimulating the economy for real.

Having a Majority Government must have helped this decision if you ask me.

People are still buying and selling homes in the GTA, York, Peel, and Durham Regions and although activity level has gone down somewhat, home prices have not gone down.

I am no expert in financial matters, but I have learned not to listen to "them".

Just like the Weatherman, "they" can be wrong everyday without fear of losing their jobs!

So do what is best for YOUR family: If a move will help the quality of life for you, then just do it, and in my humble opinion, interest rates cannot go up that much in the near future (:-D

You can afford to buy a house. Do it.

Not to be outdone by my wife, I’m going to quote Mark Twain.

Renate blogged today about singing and dancing. That Mark Twain quote could have been a Shania Twain quote.

Here’s one that has teeth:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

I like this one because it includes fishing. I like the image of taking to the water to explore and dream.

It also appeals to me because I’m getting to the point in my life where I’m starting to look back and evaluate things. I think about these things when I’m on a lake or in the woods. When I get back to “reality” I feel inspired to make a change, to go ahead and shake things up a bit.

Just do it! Nike got to the point.

I like to quote Newton’s first law of motion too: A body at rest tends to stay at rest. This appeals to me because it’s simple physics but it means so much more.

If you’re satisfied with who you are, what you’re doing, where you live, your weight, your hairstyle, then don’t make any changes. If you don’t change anything, chances are things will tend to stay the same- your weight, your income. Ok, your hair might grow.

But, get out of your routine and you’ll see some changes, improvement. Leave the safe harbour behind.

Almost twenty years ago, Renate and I made some big decisions, took some risks and sailed off to Newmarket.  We scraped together a down payment for a house, went over-budget, and bought our first house near Main Street and Davis Drive. That was the best thing we ever did! We could not have done it in Toronto. If we had stayed, we’d still be renting. We didn’t even dare dream of a house like the one we now own!

Take the first step today. Call me or email me and ask me about getting into a house in Newmarket. We could get you into something in Bradford or Keswick too. You can get a lot of house for your money up here.

Do it.

Fishing near Newmarket

I took the family fishing yesterday.

We have a little boat with a motor and a mini-van with a hitch. We have a good spot to put the boat into the water on Lake Simcoe just up the street. (Well, about 17km up Leslie.)

Living in Newmarket has its advantages: from our house to the lake in less than half-an-hour!

When fishing with 3 females, it’s good to have a spot with a porta-potty. And, with young female family members, it’s good to have a spot near home so that you don’t spend more time in the car than on the lake. That spot is at the bottom of Cook’s Bay in Keswick.

In no time at all, we were on the lake and catching fish. Catching and catching! I would hook a worm and hand the rod over to one daughter and then the other would be handing me a rod with a fish on it. Hook a worm, then release a fish, hook, release, and so on: Non-Stop Action!

We kept 15. A good large-mouth bass, several perch and some sunfish. Victoria, my 11-year-old, counted her catches: 30!

I cleaned the fish when we got home and soon they were in the frying pan. Talk about fresh fish!

These are the family memories my girls will cherish forever: Dad taking us out on the boat and hardly getting a chance to fish because we’re catching a fish on every cast, and then Dad fries up our catch for supper, and the blue lake and the green shoreline under the bright blue sky and our beautiful home in Newmarket.

We won’t remember the sunburn.

Fireworks for Canada Day

I rode my bike up the Tom Taylor Trail, north of Davis where it's called the Mabel Davis Trail to see Newmarket's Canada Day Fireworks. Amazing view from across the river. And, so close you could smell the fireworks and feel the explosions in your chest.

My family had gone to a friend's house, which backs right on to the end of George Richardson Park where the fireworks are set. They reported an amazing experience too. Best ever.

It seemed to me too that this year's Canada Day fireworks were the longest and most spectacular ever. Maybe it was my awesome viewing spot, but it was really something!

I noticed that people were doing bigger and better fireworks of their own this year too. Not a recession year for the fireworks industry?

In fact, every weekend since Victoria Day in May we've been hearing fireworks going off in our neighbourhood. There is a law that prohibits using fireworks any time other than Victoria Day and Canada Day. It doesn't seem to be enforced. I wish it would be.

Please, people, use up all of your fireworks on the appropriate days! Obey the law. Don't set off fireworks any other time.

Fireworks are great twice a year. But, that's enough.

Soccerfest in Newmarket

I wonder how many families are involved in the Newmarket Soccer Club. On Soccerfest Saturday, it seems like everybody in Newmarket is out on every soccer field and every neighbourhood is full of mini-vans parked along the sides of the roads. In fact, up to 20,000 people are involved according to the Newmarket Soccer website.

Soccerfest weekend lands at the end of June, before school is out. It’s a two-day house league tournament and everyone gets team and individual photos taken. There are food tents and sponsors and advertisers set up tents too at George Richardson Park. But fields all over Newmarket are used for the games. It’s amazing how they get it all organized. It’s amazing how parents get all their kids to the right place at the right time, especially in families where more than one child is playing.

I know why the mini-van is the stereotypical vehicle for ‘soccer moms’ (and dads!). We have to carry lots of stuff around: our camp chairs, water bottles, umbrellas (sometimes a shelter for the whole team), sweaters, blankets, towels, sunscreen, bug spray, hats, snacks, younger siblings, toys and books to occupy the younger siblings, pets, grandparents, etc.

You never know what kind of weather you’re going to have to deal with: hot, cold, sunny, rainy, sometimes a bit of everything. So, you have to be prepared for anything.

This year, we had a game at 8:30 on Saturday morning. It was cold and rained the whole time. For the 11am game, it rained some more but not the whole time. There must have been a power surge between those games when we all went home between games and all the parents threw all the soccer uniforms (including shin pads and cleats) into the clothes dryers! Sunday was hot and sunny.

Soccerfest is a great community event.  I get to know a lot of great people, great families in Newmarket, being “Coach Harry” and we have lots of fun at the side of the field. Soccer, the Beautiful Game, is the very best sport in the world! 

Halfway to cottage country

Another great thing about having a home in York Region is that you're that much closer to cottage country.

It's Friday evening on the last weekend in June, around 8 o'clock, and I'm sitting in my house in Newmarket thinking about all the people packed onto Hwy 400 going to the cottage.

Think about it. If you lived here, you could already be there.

Mowing the lawn

Yesterday’s rain came just at the right moment. I had cut the grass the day before and it was looking a bit dry. Now it’s nice and green and it looks great.

That’s another thing I like about my neighbourhood in Newmarket. People show pride of ownership. They take care of their homes and properties.

So, I have to make sure my lawn doesn’t get too long and messy. My wife takes care of the flowers and bushes. The house has to look good. We’ve got to have curb appeal.

I’m glad it’s summer. I don’t like mowing the lawn, but it’s better than shovelling snow!!!

One good thing about running around behind a lawn mower: it’s good exercise. It keeps me looking good too (;-D