KINNEAR’S KOMMENTS
Vol. 24, Issue 4, July 2016
Julie’s Scoop
Happy summer everyone!
I am loving the warm weather through June and July here although the poor grass everywhere is so yellow already!
There have been some exciting highlights in my personal life since our last newsletter - The Ride to Conquer Cancer and our Proud Mary's bike team that I captain was incredibly successful this year and the event for us was quite a magical experience. Our 13 riders raised over $62,000 and relished the wonderful weekend of adventures.
My mother and I went on our annual vacation together. We chose to do a road trip to Quebec to keep the money and tourism in Canada while discovering the beautiful, unique and interesting culture, landscape and traditions of La Belle Province.
We are both big fans of the author Louise Penny’s novels about Inspector Gamache of the Surete du Quebec and looked up many places in the books. We loved the Eastern Townships, (especially Manoir Hovey & Abbaye Benoit-Sur-Lac where we bought lots of great cheeses), Baie St. Paul in Charlevoix with the incredible views of the St. Lawrence as well as all the art galleries, of course old Quebec city with the cobblestones and European feel, and Isle D'Orleans - the traditional farm community that has kept its roots alive for 400 years, as well as stopping in Old Montreal on the way home. Highly recommend it all.
During our trip the shocking Brexit vote was the hot topic of conversation! The good news about it now is that it seems that Canada's real estate market is going to benefit from continued low interest rates and the relative safe haven of our economy sounds like it's going to keep investors interested in Toronto.
Another recent highlight is the visit of our 15 month old nephew Constantine who lives in Europe with my brother and his partner Lucia in Austria and Slovakia. Constantine is so cute and full of energy and makes me appreciate how hard you parents work - as you chase these little kids around! Constantin is so busy and his attention span is so short :)
If you are friends with me on Facebook (become friends with me and the team on Facebook as we communicate a lot that way and share lots of fun photos and updates there), you will have seen our recent JKT team building day together! This year we travelled to Niagara on the Lake in style and joined a group bike tour of the area that included visits to 4 wineries, lunch and lots of good times. Our team is special and it was nice to reflect for a moment on our all our blessings and just enjoy life in the moment.
The real estate market of course is another raging topic that is seemingly always in the news and at cocktail parties. Obviously nobody knows the future although there are many interesting stats in the Market Watch section below. It includes average sale prices etc.
It continues to be a sellers market with the lack of inventory although there have been more sales so that means there are even more buyers. Many neighbourhoods in Toronto have seen unprecedented growth this year particularly those areas that were not quite trendy or hot in the past. They have grown the most because their prices originally were pretty affordable or good value and they still are compared to many of the prime prime neighbourhoods. Ask us which are the best ones to get into!
Frequently asked questions lately include: Should we rent for a year to see if the market cools off? Should I fight my recent MPAC assessment? Are investment properties a good idea? Our team is here and available to personally answer these questions and really go deep on figuring out what is best for you and your family. We are here to help. Please reach out!
Wishing you a happy and healthy rest of summer!
Julie
P.S. Let's be Facebook friends! Please look me up and request to be friends as our team communicates and shares a great deal there.
Chit chat…
- Our wonderful clients & friends Daniela Del Rosso & her husband Mike Boccia were featured in the spring issue of inSiGHT for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Daniela Del Rosso shares her inspiring story after being diagnosed with 2 types of cancer before the age of 30 & her ability to rally with help from her medical team at The Princess Margaret. Because of the cancer research & breakthrough treatments she is living life to the fullest with her adorable daughter Sydney & Mike. See the full article here.
Babies…
- David Springman & Carolyn Hewitt welcomed baby Nolan Gregory Springman, born on May 12th, 2016, big brother Reid has promised to be “the best big brother ever”. Welcome Nolan!
Spring Market Capped Off with Strong June
July 6, 2016 - Toronto Real Estate Board President Larry Cerqua announced that GTA REALTORS® reported 7.5% higher # of sales than in June 2015. In line with the prevailing trend so far this year, the number of new listings was down by 3.8%.
"As I start my term as TREB President, we are certainly in an interesting environment for ownership housing. There is no doubt that demand is at a record level, but would-be home buyers continue to face an uphill battle against a constrained supply of listings, which has perpetuated strong price growth. Buyers and sellers alike continue to benefit from the value a REALTOR® brings to a transaction," said Mr. Cerqua.
"As the federal, provincial and local levels of government discuss housing policy in the coming months, issues affecting the lack of supply in the GTA should be of paramount importance. TREB will be undertaking, and making public, results of additional research in the second half of 2016, with the goal of proactively adding to the housing policy discussion," added Mr. Cerqua.
The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 16% on a year-over-year basis. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by a slightly higher annual rate of 16.8% to $746,546. The single-detached, semi- detached and townhouse market segments led the way in terms of price growth.
"When TREB surveyed consumer intentions for 2016, we found that the majority of GTA households who were likely to purchase a home continued to be pointed towards some form of ground oriented housing. This is why we continue to see strong competition between buyers in many neighbourhoods where supply remains constrained," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis.
Feeling like Giving Back? Camp Oochigeas
Summer is here which means it’s time for a lot of kids to go to camp. Camp Ooch is not just any regular camp though, in 1983 an ambitious group of volunteers banded together to form a summer camp unlike any other in Canada. Exclusively serving children with cancer, it would be privately funded, staffed entirely by volunteers and completely free.
A camp where every child, no matter how debilitating their illness, would be provided an opportunity to explore enriching, challenging, fun experiences through what is fondly referred to today as the Magic of Ooch. Both Julie & Jen have been volunteers at the camp which holds a special spot in their hearts.
To Donate go to: www.ooch.org or phone 416-961-6624 ext. 400. Cheques can be made payable to Camp Oochigeas and mailed to: Camp Oochigeas 464 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S6
OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Many of our clients have had their personal experiences with The JKT caught on video instead of the regular written word – they're even posted on YouTube! We so appreciate your kind testimonials. Our YouTube channel is growing exponentially and has had over 284,329 hits!
The JKT Inukshuk Club Members
This year our team has decided to honour those people who have so generously referred us to their friends and family. We have nicknamed it the “JKT Inukshuk Club”. Each newsletter we have highlighted different members of the club. Thank you for your continued trust, support and loyalty!
The Julie Kinnear Team's GEMs (Genuine Evidence of Merit)
The O'Reilly Family
"Julie and her team have built relationships with their customers - it's not simply a transaction, it's about relationships. They work hard at building trust, they are experts in their areas, and have earned my trust."
Christina O'Reilly
What they got!
More of our happy buyers & sellers!
A continuing column of the Julie Kinnear Team’s sales…
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101 Mayfield Avenue ~ Swansea (Bloor West Village) Sold Over Asking |
84 Waterford Drive ~ Richmond Gardens (Kipling & Eglinton W.) Sold Over Asking |
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88 Fermanagh Ave ~ Roncesvalles Village Sold Over Asking |
33 Bingham Avenue ~ The Beaches Sold Over Asking |
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16 Distin Avenue ~ Mimico Sold Under Asking |
1 Ruttan Street #107 ~ Junction Triangle Sold Over Asking |
See a For Sale Sign/Sold you were wondering about? We are happy to let you know about houses in your neighbourhood - feel free to contact Claire at:
Our Purpose
Our purpose is for you to be so outrageously happy with the service we provide that you gladly refer us to your friends and family before you’ve even bought or sold with us.
Mortgage rates
Courtesy of Carrie Davidson - Dominion Lending Centres Service First Mortgages
#12089 License #M08003121
www.carriedavidson.com | Phone: 416-693-6946 |
The JKT – A few of our Favourite things:
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Gini
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Claire
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Tyler
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Holly
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Jen
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Julie
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