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Well September results were higher than the same month last year. It was only marginally higher though with the monthly list to sell ratio softening from 45.88 to 33.69. The softening in the list to sell ratio is the result of more listings over last year. The sales successes of June, July and August brought out some of the Sellers that were sitting on the fence.

It is encouraging that the sales trend has continued for another month to make it 4 in a row! At a recent Power Lunch, the Chief Economist for the Canadian Real Estate Association stated that this trend should continue for the first half of 2010 and then soften in the second half as the HST is rolled out.

Now is still a good time to get into the market. The 30 to 40% decline in overall value of real estate is not going to be a reality. There are some deals to be had but in general the market prices have remained strong. Interest rates are still low making home ownership attractive. Consumers are cautioned that there may be a rise in these rates down the road as the economy strengthens. Don't over-extend yourself!

The County of Simcoe and Grey County have rolled out their assistance programs to assist purchasers of new homes with a forgivable down payment. There are restrictions for this and you can email me to get the information package

We are geared up for a busy fall market. Call me to get in the game.

Once again, the monthly numbers are up compared to last year. August saw 217 sales compared to 167 for the same period last year. In addition, the monthly list to sell ratio edged up to 45.88% compared to 33.40%. Year to date figures are still lower than last year at 1205 units compared to 1287 units and a list to sell ratio of 29.47% compared to 30.31% from last year. We are moving towards a Sellers market but we are not there yet.

It is encouraging to see the numbers trending upwards. The question os at the back of everyone's mind though, "have we seen the end?" Confidence is returning to the market place but there is still the lingering uncertainty. It will take another couple of months of improvement to see if this trend id here to stay.

The performance to date is a good indication that Canada will not go through the same declining in property values that were seen in the US. There may be some more fall out but we can be thankful that our Banking system would not permit the same sub-prime scenario to happen here.

We are now at the start of the fall market and it will be interesting to see the numbers. All indications are that we are in for a good market.

It is encouraging to see that the number of sales for both June and July have shown increases over the same month last year. There is a general feeling in the air that the Real Estate market is a fairly safe place to invest.

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