Will we benefit from strong business investment in 2012?

We've invited Assistant Chief Economist, Paul Ferley of RBC, to give our most valued clients and associates his economic outlook for the US, Canada and the Region of Waterloo for 2012.

We would like to invite you to
join us for this free seminar.

By Invitation Only

Tuesday, February 7th

Choose from two sessions:
4:00pm to 5:00pm or 7:00pm to 8:00pm

In the Theatre at
Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty
508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener

Please RSVP to reserve your seat at one of the two sessions. (Click here)

Space is Limited - RSVP today!

The Canada Mortgage and Hosing Corporation (CMHC) has released their "Rental Market Report" for Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo and Guelph CMAs. The complete 2011 report can be downloaded (PDF) here.

Some highlights of this rental market documents include:

• The average vacancy rate in Waterloo Region and area (Kitchener CMA) moved lower to 1.7 per cent.

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The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?

IfItWereMyHome.com calls itself "your gateway to understanding life outside your home". You can use their country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another.

You could also use their visualization tool to help understand the impact of a disaster. The Pakistan Flood and BP Oil Spill have been featured. Check out the individual pages to gain some perspective on these events.

In this recent press release from the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors (KWAR) it is reported that home sales on the local MLS system are up once again.

K-W HOME SALES UP FOR SECOND MONTH IN A ROW

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (July 6, 2011) -For the second consecutive month, residential sales increased on a monthly basis compared to last year. This brings the total number of sales recorded through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) during the first half of the year to 3,443, a 5.4% decrease compared to 2010, but in line with the 5 year average.

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Here is the most recent press release from the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors®

KITCHENER-WATERLOO'S REALTORS® POST SOLID SALES IN MARCH

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (April 5, 2011) -Sales of residential properties via the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR ) ran slightly above the five-year average for the first quarter.

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It was another successful year for the real estate market in the cities of Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area in 2010. Read more in this press release provided by the KWREB.

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON (January 6, 2010) - The 6,388 homes sold by REALTORS® through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB) last year marked the second highest total annual sales in the association's history.

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We recently did some calculations in answer to a website visitor's inquiry about the value of homes in the area of Oprington Drive in Kitchener (the Highland West neighbourhood). Here is what we found:

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Read this recently distributed press release from the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board below.

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (December 3, 2010) - Home sales moved comfortably in November, with a total of 484 homes reported sold through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board  (KWREB). This is within the traditional range for November sales over the past five years.

The condominium property class had a notable increase in November, as the only residential property type to see an increase in the number of units sold compared to last year. There were 122 condominium units sold last month, an increase of 22 percent over November 2009.

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Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC has recently released their annual report of home prices. The report tracks the price of a four-bedroom, two bathroom home in various markets across North America. You can view the complete data that the press release below is compiled from at this link: HLR.ColdwellBanker.com/FullData.aspx.

According to the report the average price for a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in Kitchener-Waterloo is $347,757 CDN.

Coldwell Banker Issues Home Listing Report of Most Expensive and Affordable Housing Markets for 'Aspirational' Homes

BURLINGTON, ON (Sept. 22, 2010) - Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC today released its Home Listing Report (HLR), a snapshot survey of four-bedroom, two-bathroom home listings in Canada and the U.S. Reporting on a home size many homebuyers would aspire to own - the HLR found a $1.7 million difference between North America's most expensive and most affordable housing markets.

"Newport Beach, California ranks Most Expensive in North America for four-bedroom/two-bath home prices; Vancouver tops Canadian market list. Windsor scores Canada's most affordable four-bedroom/two-bath home prices; while across the river, Detroit, Michigan, Is Most Affordable Market in North America."

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From my perspective, the answer is a resounding YES!

So far, 2010 has been a year of brisk sales activity in KW.  However, the year has taken a slightly different shape compared with many years.

Typically, our real estate market follows a pattern in which the spring is very active as people list and buy in order to make their actual move during the summer.  Then, July and August are a little quieter as folks turn their attention to summer holidays and activities.  After labour day weekend, we usually experience another peak in activity that I call the "mini spring in the fall".  After November, things quiet down again as many folks don't actively chose the winter months for buying nor for selling.

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According to this recent press release from the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB), property listings for sale on the MLS® during the first 3 quarters of 2010 remain in positive territory.

K-W Home Sales Wake From Summer Slumber

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON (Oct 5, 2010) -Home sales to the end of the third quarter of 2010 are ahead of last year by 4.5 percent. There were a total of 5,113 home sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB) during the first nine months of the year, compared with 4,892 during the same period of 2009.

"This is the first time since 2007 that sales to the end of the third quarter have increased on a year over year basis", says Ted Scharf, President of the KWREB. "It was also our third best September on record. "

Sales last month brought the dollar volume to $1,477,077,951, an increase of 14.1 percent compared to one year ago.

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3,633 homes were sold through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB) during the first six months of this year, just 96 units short of 2007's record breaking first half. The total value of those sales broke the one billion dollar mark for the first time to the end of June.

According to KWREB, consumers continue to have a strong sense of confidence in the value of home ownership in the region, and they expect the market will remain steady and healthy for the remainder of the year.

The increase in home sales occurred predominantly in the top half of the price range spectrum. There were 2,093 sales of residential properties for more than $250,000 in the first half of the year, compared to 1,446 for the same period in 2009, an increase of almost 45 percent.

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It looks like we are going to have another great year for the real estate market in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. As you can see from this press release from the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB) our local market is doing very well...

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Have you ever wondered "how long does it take to sell a house in the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate market?" We all hear stories about the property that sold before the sign was up on the front lawn... or perhaps it seems like you have been driving by that for sale sign down the street for an awful long time...

Here are some figures for the number of "Days on the Market" that are based upon data from the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB). The statistics are for property sales that occurred between January 1, 2010 and April 12, 2010. The homes are all single-detached (no semis, townhouses or condos), they have 3 or 4 bedrooms, from 2 to 4 bathrooms,  and they were listed for sale at a price between $250,000 and $500,000.

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As this recent press release from the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board states, home sales are continuing to surge in the K-W area in March 2010.

MARCH HOME SALES SURPASS THE 700 THRESHOLD

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (April 6, 2010) - For the first time in the month of March, residential property sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board (KWREB) surpassed the 700 transactions threshold.

Home sales surged last month to 731 units, an increase of 47.1 percent relative to March 2009 results. In February there were 555 sales.

"Usually we start to see this kind of activity in April and May," said, Ted Scharf, President of the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board, "but spring has sprung a little earlier this year in terms of home sales."

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According to this recent Canadian Press article in the Waterloo Region Record, we should expect house prices to continue rising this spring.

March 15, 2010 - BY SUNNY FREEMAN - TORONTO - Home prices will continue to rise this spring as buyers scramble to close deals ahead of expected higher interest rates, new mortgage rules and new taxes in two key markets.

A report by RBC Economics issued Monday found that the cost of owning a home in Canada increased slightly across all housing segments in the closing months of 2009.

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