Well the blogging has slowed down for me, but time seems short these days and between my Job, my family, and some worthwhile efforts within our community the days are flying by. I hope to find more time to jot down my thoughts, but in the meantime I am happy to realize that many of the ideas concerns and thoughts from myself and others in the past year are actually being addressed and coming to fruition. I think a few sparks have seemed to finally light a small fire under the ass of our community, and for me it has been the perfect time to quit complaining, and time to help start making things happen around here. So don’t fall victim to the abundance of negativity we seem to offer up, because it is an exciting time to get involved, and I will give a few examples of the things that are happening right now, which include examples of what I am currently involved in within our community.
It is soccer season in the Crowsnest Pass and this year I am the U-12 coach, as well as the President of our soccer association, and chairperson for Soccer during the Summer Games being hosted here this year. If that is not enough, I have recently become a certified soccer referee, and able to help out there as well. I have maybe mentioned this before, but our community does a stand up job of providing great opportunities for our kids, and for this I am fortunate to be raising my children here in the Crowsnest Pass. All of these activities and programs are thanks to awesome volunteer efforts within our community. The Southern Alberta Summer games is only one example an upcoming event this summer that will be great for our area.
I also sit on the Ski Hill Authority board, and am proud to report that we had an exceptional season on the hill. I believe this year was the best ever in the way of Management, staffing, Season Pass sales, snow conditions (Grooming), and overall fun! I was able to spend 2-5 days/nights per week on the hill, and as a certified level 2 snowboard instructor I was able to help out with our school groups and also help out with our other annual events. I can report that we now have a young budding ski culture growing here mostly comprised of our local kids (mine included) that are becoming incredible skiers and truly passionate about the sport. We are also attracting Season Pass holders, and visits from families all over Southern Alberta. This has been a result of the efforts of people like Peter Woodman who have thanklessly put their heart and soul into that hill for the last few years and have set “the” example in this area of what can be done in regards to pushing through an old way of thinking... that was failing... and turning it around and making it work. For anyone complaining that progress has not, or will not happen here, well I’ll tell you this is our shining example of where it already has. Another note regarding the Ski Hill is that we are currently working on a Master Plan for the hill with Brent Harley ( World renowned and as Dave our Manager has said he is the Wayne Gretzky of ski hill planning) and once this plan is complete we will have a direction for this awesome community resource, and a tool to help raise money to hopefully end up with more infrastructure including a chairlift ( a chairlift will help tremendously with the winter season, but also open a whole new door to mountain biking in the summer season). Note: It is my personal belief that a chairlift on our ski hill in itself would have one of the single largest positive impacts attainable for our area (Maybe only next to a Rec center of course).
I am on the Culture and recreation board, another council appointed committee which I am proud to say is also comprised of a great group which I believe are forward thinking and passionate about their community. Great things are and will come from this group in the future, and in conjunction with our Community services department we will be seeing many interesting things start to happen here. We are also working on a master plan which includes the future use of our parks, ball fields, sports complexes etc. This has and will continue to be an exciting process for me to be involved in.
I was fortunate to be invited by our community futures office to participate in a Community Branding exercise which has offered by travel Alberta. This has really been an exciting process for me. There was a perfect blend of representation from our community in this group. The results have been amazing, and have honestly blown me away with what we have achieved so far. The main sessions have concluded, and I am part of the smaller group which will continue to forge through the branding process. I am sure that the outcome of this exercise will be crucial and incredible for promoting our area.
I am also a member of the Chamber of commerce, and have been attending all of the functions lately. The Chamber continues to impress me with their efforts to bring together the business community of the Crowsnest Pass. Keep up the great work, and a job well done for sure.
The new CAC (Crowsnest Action Committee) which will replace the name of the Adhoc Committe also has some exiting things up their sleeves (including a community beautification plan I understand) which I am personally really looking forward to. Apparently they will attempt to be the umbrella that we really need to capture the efforts of the numerous other groups that are starting to head in this same direction. Hopefully this is what they are able to achieve, which would be very similar to having a council appointed committee managing a community plan (as Fernie does) like I had written about last year in my blog, maybe better... (Note: As the drama continues here in the Pass, I too wanted to be a member of the adhoc committee, I did not get on either, but it will not bruise my ego, and I will not make a scene over it. I suppose I have enough on my plate, and I do have faith in this committee to do what is right for our community).
What is fascinating me about these boards, committees, and groups is that they are not all comprised of the same people, or often even the same kind of people, but the direction, the overlap, and the overall tone is remarkably the same. They all share a similar energy and focus which I believe will start to have a significant impact here in the months to come.
So if you are willing to sift through that top layer of negativity that seems to be ever so prevalent in this community you may be surprised to find the efforts of many people, groups, and committees that are currently in the process of taking the Crowsnest Pass to the next level. I have only mentioned a handful of the things that I am aware of, and I know there are more so feel free to share your thoughts with us. It is certainly an uphill climb sometimes, and all too often we get the wind knocked out of us by the unbelievable power of negativity and backwardness sometimes within the community. But let’s put that behind us for now, and dig a little deeper shall we? We are at an exciting time here, so keep your head up and let’s get out there and make it happen!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Randall Sells Real Estate (on facebook)
Please join my facebook group "Randall Sells Realestate - in Southern Alberta". Just go to your Facebook page (you do have one don't you?) and search my group. With over 100 friends and supporters so far, I am not surprised when I hear that social networking sites are helping the progressive crowd of Realtors keep pace with the "old schoolers" in this tough market. Technology is amazing, if only we are able to keep up with it.
Oh, and if you are considering buying or selling please do keep me in mind!
Your support is greatly appreciated.
I hope you are having a great spring... and not to worry... mother nature is just making sure we will really appreciate it when the nice weather comes back to stay!
More blogging coming soon...
Oh, and if you are considering buying or selling please do keep me in mind!
Your support is greatly appreciated.
I hope you are having a great spring... and not to worry... mother nature is just making sure we will really appreciate it when the nice weather comes back to stay!
More blogging coming soon...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Common Denominator
Community standards are defined by wikipedia as “local norms bounding acceptable conduct”.
I am finding that there is a common theme right now which in my mind is now probably the most important issue that needs to be addressed in the Crowsnest Pass. I have mentioned this before in a few different ways, it has been mentioned as a comment in a recent post of mine, and I see that Dean Ward has brought up this important topic on his blog. Community standards or the lack thereof, seems to be apparent in one way or another with nearly every community issue I am hearing about around our town.
Just a few examples:
An example was a full acknowledgement of our present state at a Community branding session that I have attended in an effort to help us succeed in marketing our town to the tourist industry. To me anyhow, the aesthetics within our town were posed as a challenge at these meetings to say the least. I am also fortunate to be a part of our a few other committees/boards where issues of aesthetics and facilities in disrepair seem to be all too common. This stuff might not sound like major pressing issues or even a big deal to those of us who barely even notice or pay attention to it anymore, but everyone visiting and/or evaluating our community will pick this stuff out in a heartbeat, and criticism does follow.
I had a client looking at houses last weekend, another great example of someone who wanted out of the city and who was initially attracted to our area based on our affordability, our location, and the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains. This fellow loved the mountain scenery, and seemed to warm up quickly to my positive comments about our great community. But with greater emphasis after his second remark, his comments about the abundance of “junk and derelict vehicles” was like a knife in the back after my efforts in promoting the great reasons and benefits to moving to our area. (By the way, I did not tour him by our mayor’s house as I have done with my clients in the past to show how well we are able to lead by example here in the Crowsnest Pass.) Our area was not the only place on his radar. He was also looking into Sparwood, Elkford, and other smaller towns further West.
Also when it comes to the vandalism, graffiti etc. that I have been seeing more of around lately well...honestly...are we setting a better example? Our municipality allowing their own worn out buildings to stand as derelict eyesores (which is my personal bone of contention with the Crowsnest center), and having our leader set the standard of what the neighbours have to look at, or tolerate, and the allowance of things like spray painted signage on our commercial businesses to me is just as much of a crime(Great letter in the promoter last week about spraypainted signage by the way). Please do not take this wrong, and my intention is not to be negative, but at least the kids wrecking our stuff, making it look like crap, and spray painting things have their youth as an excuse, and will have the opportunity to grow up some day. What is our excuse?
I think we are all guilty of some degree of complacency when it comes to the issue of Community Standards, and whether you agree or not, I believe that we are in dire need of not only keeping, but also attracting families, weekenders, tourism, and industry to our area. I believe that if we want our children and grandchildren to have the opportunity to raise their families here that this needs to addressed, and we are not in a position to ignore this major problem any longer. In my opinion this may be the single most obvious influencing factor for inviting people and money into our area. I see it no different than selling Real Estate. Curb appeal, staging, tidiness, and completeness are major factors in creating a positive first impression and this is absolutely imperative for attracting interest to your product.
I love living here, and after a great season on the slopes I can’t wait to get out to the backcountry now that spring has sprung. We are fortunate, this place is indeed magic, and the one thing that I have learned is that most of us have a lot of pride and passion for where we live. I can tell you from an outsider point of view that this may be a difficult thing to believe at first glance, and I feel from experience, that a visitor does not get the right impression about us driving through our towns. There are increasingly more interesting things happening here in a positive, progressive, and proactive way. I believe that it will be difficult to capitalize on many of these efforts until we are able to clean up our act and I think that now is the time to address it.
I am finding that there is a common theme right now which in my mind is now probably the most important issue that needs to be addressed in the Crowsnest Pass. I have mentioned this before in a few different ways, it has been mentioned as a comment in a recent post of mine, and I see that Dean Ward has brought up this important topic on his blog. Community standards or the lack thereof, seems to be apparent in one way or another with nearly every community issue I am hearing about around our town.
Just a few examples:
An example was a full acknowledgement of our present state at a Community branding session that I have attended in an effort to help us succeed in marketing our town to the tourist industry. To me anyhow, the aesthetics within our town were posed as a challenge at these meetings to say the least. I am also fortunate to be a part of our a few other committees/boards where issues of aesthetics and facilities in disrepair seem to be all too common. This stuff might not sound like major pressing issues or even a big deal to those of us who barely even notice or pay attention to it anymore, but everyone visiting and/or evaluating our community will pick this stuff out in a heartbeat, and criticism does follow.
I had a client looking at houses last weekend, another great example of someone who wanted out of the city and who was initially attracted to our area based on our affordability, our location, and the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains. This fellow loved the mountain scenery, and seemed to warm up quickly to my positive comments about our great community. But with greater emphasis after his second remark, his comments about the abundance of “junk and derelict vehicles” was like a knife in the back after my efforts in promoting the great reasons and benefits to moving to our area. (By the way, I did not tour him by our mayor’s house as I have done with my clients in the past to show how well we are able to lead by example here in the Crowsnest Pass.) Our area was not the only place on his radar. He was also looking into Sparwood, Elkford, and other smaller towns further West.
Also when it comes to the vandalism, graffiti etc. that I have been seeing more of around lately well...honestly...are we setting a better example? Our municipality allowing their own worn out buildings to stand as derelict eyesores (which is my personal bone of contention with the Crowsnest center), and having our leader set the standard of what the neighbours have to look at, or tolerate, and the allowance of things like spray painted signage on our commercial businesses to me is just as much of a crime(Great letter in the promoter last week about spraypainted signage by the way). Please do not take this wrong, and my intention is not to be negative, but at least the kids wrecking our stuff, making it look like crap, and spray painting things have their youth as an excuse, and will have the opportunity to grow up some day. What is our excuse?
I think we are all guilty of some degree of complacency when it comes to the issue of Community Standards, and whether you agree or not, I believe that we are in dire need of not only keeping, but also attracting families, weekenders, tourism, and industry to our area. I believe that if we want our children and grandchildren to have the opportunity to raise their families here that this needs to addressed, and we are not in a position to ignore this major problem any longer. In my opinion this may be the single most obvious influencing factor for inviting people and money into our area. I see it no different than selling Real Estate. Curb appeal, staging, tidiness, and completeness are major factors in creating a positive first impression and this is absolutely imperative for attracting interest to your product.
I love living here, and after a great season on the slopes I can’t wait to get out to the backcountry now that spring has sprung. We are fortunate, this place is indeed magic, and the one thing that I have learned is that most of us have a lot of pride and passion for where we live. I can tell you from an outsider point of view that this may be a difficult thing to believe at first glance, and I feel from experience, that a visitor does not get the right impression about us driving through our towns. There are increasingly more interesting things happening here in a positive, progressive, and proactive way. I believe that it will be difficult to capitalize on many of these efforts until we are able to clean up our act and I think that now is the time to address it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The affordable alternative?
In a time of economic slowdown there are products that are able to capitalize during the downturn simply by offering value to their consumers. These products can do exceptionally well during tougher times, some even better than when the economy is strong. My question is could the Crowsnest Pass take advantage of this recessionary period just based on the affordability of the area? I don’t see why not. We potentially could, and as a matter of fact there are signs that we already are drawing homeowners to this area because we do offer an affordable alternative. For example the recreational market, fixed income, and for those with careers that are fortunate enough to live where they choose, we offer an awesome Rocky Mountain location, a great community, and an affordable housing market relative to so many other Western Canadian towns.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, our average house price in the Pass is sitting around $237,000 and you can indeed still buy a house on its own lot here in the low $100’s. We currently have 23 homes and apartment units for sale for under $200,000. You can also still buy a decent family home here in a great location, on a large lot, with an awesome view, for under $300,000. Compare this to places like Calgary, Canmore, and Fernie, and you will not be disappointed.
I believe there potentially could be a huge advantage for us at this time as a result of our area not having reached its potential during the “boom” period. We could certainly take advantage of this situation at this point. Our current Real Estate Market prices, in combination with the ever increasing pressures in cities like Calgary, and inflated Real estate values in other recreational destinations, in my opinion is making the Crowsnest area look more attractive all the time. I hope whoever is in charge of our Economic development these days considers promoting these benefits we have to offer, especially at this point in time. Emphasizing our location and affordability would well be worth the effort. In the meantime, for those of us who are fortunate enough to live and play here already, we do have it pretty good here, and we may be in great shape to weather the storm. I believe taking advantage of being the affordable alternative right now would be a great move for our area.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, our average house price in the Pass is sitting around $237,000 and you can indeed still buy a house on its own lot here in the low $100’s. We currently have 23 homes and apartment units for sale for under $200,000. You can also still buy a decent family home here in a great location, on a large lot, with an awesome view, for under $300,000. Compare this to places like Calgary, Canmore, and Fernie, and you will not be disappointed.
I believe there potentially could be a huge advantage for us at this time as a result of our area not having reached its potential during the “boom” period. We could certainly take advantage of this situation at this point. Our current Real Estate Market prices, in combination with the ever increasing pressures in cities like Calgary, and inflated Real estate values in other recreational destinations, in my opinion is making the Crowsnest area look more attractive all the time. I hope whoever is in charge of our Economic development these days considers promoting these benefits we have to offer, especially at this point in time. Emphasizing our location and affordability would well be worth the effort. In the meantime, for those of us who are fortunate enough to live and play here already, we do have it pretty good here, and we may be in great shape to weather the storm. I believe taking advantage of being the affordable alternative right now would be a great move for our area.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
CREA News Release
REALTORS® welcome federal housing initiatives in stimulating
Canadian economy
Ottawa – January 27th, 2009 – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)welcomes the federal government initiatives to stimulate economic growthoutlined in the 2009 budget, especially those that will encourage home ownershipin Canada. The Association applauds the government for recognizing theeconomic importance of the housing industry in some of the budget measures.“The change announced to the popular Home Buyers’ Plan will help Canadianswho want to own their own home, and do it in a responsible way that is not amajor drain on taxpayers,” says the President of The Canadian Real EstateAssociation (CREA), Calvin Lindberg.Research conducted for CREA by the Altus Group shows that each residentialreal estate transaction in Canada generates $32,200 in ancillary consumerspending. The study also reported that 94,700 full time direct jobs weregenerated annually by that ancillary or spin-off activity. The study is posted onthe www.crea.ca website.“The federal government has found a way to introduce economic stimulus andhousing initiatives for specific groups, and for Canadians who want to buy theirfirst home.” Mr. Lindberg added. CREA had proposed the federal government dothat by increasing the limit of the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) to help stimulate thehousing market.Introduced in 1992 by a Conservative government and made permanent by aLiberal government in 1994, the HBP has broad political and consumer support.It will now allow first time homebuyers to withdraw up to $25,000 from theirRRSP to be used in a down payment on a residential property. The Plan has not had the same impact and relevance it did 16 years ago, when the original$20,000 limit represented 13.3 per cent of the average house price, versus about6.5 per cent in 2008.The Association also believes that the success of the proposed home renovationtax credit program will depend on effective administration and promotion.“The use of tax credits will make the program of interest to many Canadians whoown their own home,” adds the CREA President, “but the success will be tied inpart to the availability of savings or credit, since the expense has to be paidbefore the tax credit is issued.”A survey conducted for CREA by IPSOS Reid in October 2008 revealed that only12 per cent of homeowners had ever applied to some type of governmentrenovation or energy efficiency program. In that same survey, 36 per cent saidthey would consider replacing windows as a priority to improving home energyefficiency, while another 27 per cent said it would be adding insulation.The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) also welcomes federalgovernment initiatives that will encourage home ownership and bettercommunities in Canada.“The announced measures for aboriginal and social housing are welcomed byREALTORS® as steps to help house those who may be in need, and tomodernize existing housing resources,” adds CREA President Calvin Lindberg.CREA first called on governments to address various issues affecting nativehome ownership during the World Urban Forum in Vancouver in 2006. TheAssociation’s analysis of native housing issues is available in a booklet posted onthe www.crea.ca website. “The budget spending initiatives help address theissue of the quality of native housing, and quality of life on Canadian reserves.Equally as important is the transition to market-based housing on reserves, andthe government in the budget has committed to the transition to that as well,”adds Mr. Lindberg.
About CREA
The Canadian Real Estate Association represents more than 96,000REALTORS® and 100 local real estate Boards and Associations. To demonstrate the commitment REALTORS® have to improving Quality of Life intheir communities, CREA supports growth that encourages economic vitality,provides housing opportunities, respects the environment and buildscommunities with good schools and safe neighbourhoods.
Canadian economy
Ottawa – January 27th, 2009 – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)welcomes the federal government initiatives to stimulate economic growthoutlined in the 2009 budget, especially those that will encourage home ownershipin Canada. The Association applauds the government for recognizing theeconomic importance of the housing industry in some of the budget measures.“The change announced to the popular Home Buyers’ Plan will help Canadianswho want to own their own home, and do it in a responsible way that is not amajor drain on taxpayers,” says the President of The Canadian Real EstateAssociation (CREA), Calvin Lindberg.Research conducted for CREA by the Altus Group shows that each residentialreal estate transaction in Canada generates $32,200 in ancillary consumerspending. The study also reported that 94,700 full time direct jobs weregenerated annually by that ancillary or spin-off activity. The study is posted onthe www.crea.ca website.“The federal government has found a way to introduce economic stimulus andhousing initiatives for specific groups, and for Canadians who want to buy theirfirst home.” Mr. Lindberg added. CREA had proposed the federal government dothat by increasing the limit of the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) to help stimulate thehousing market.Introduced in 1992 by a Conservative government and made permanent by aLiberal government in 1994, the HBP has broad political and consumer support.It will now allow first time homebuyers to withdraw up to $25,000 from theirRRSP to be used in a down payment on a residential property. The Plan has not had the same impact and relevance it did 16 years ago, when the original$20,000 limit represented 13.3 per cent of the average house price, versus about6.5 per cent in 2008.The Association also believes that the success of the proposed home renovationtax credit program will depend on effective administration and promotion.“The use of tax credits will make the program of interest to many Canadians whoown their own home,” adds the CREA President, “but the success will be tied inpart to the availability of savings or credit, since the expense has to be paidbefore the tax credit is issued.”A survey conducted for CREA by IPSOS Reid in October 2008 revealed that only12 per cent of homeowners had ever applied to some type of governmentrenovation or energy efficiency program. In that same survey, 36 per cent saidthey would consider replacing windows as a priority to improving home energyefficiency, while another 27 per cent said it would be adding insulation.The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) also welcomes federalgovernment initiatives that will encourage home ownership and bettercommunities in Canada.“The announced measures for aboriginal and social housing are welcomed byREALTORS® as steps to help house those who may be in need, and tomodernize existing housing resources,” adds CREA President Calvin Lindberg.CREA first called on governments to address various issues affecting nativehome ownership during the World Urban Forum in Vancouver in 2006. TheAssociation’s analysis of native housing issues is available in a booklet posted onthe www.crea.ca website. “The budget spending initiatives help address theissue of the quality of native housing, and quality of life on Canadian reserves.Equally as important is the transition to market-based housing on reserves, andthe government in the budget has committed to the transition to that as well,”adds Mr. Lindberg.
About CREA
The Canadian Real Estate Association represents more than 96,000REALTORS® and 100 local real estate Boards and Associations. To demonstrate the commitment REALTORS® have to improving Quality of Life intheir communities, CREA supports growth that encourages economic vitality,provides housing opportunities, respects the environment and buildscommunities with good schools and safe neighbourhoods.
January Real Estate Update
2008 Summary:
Wow, I have to admit that I am a little surprised by the numbers below, even though they seem relative to my post in October that was suggesting the same. I am going to say that we certainly held our own here in the Pass last year. Even though our inventory was high, houses were on the market longer, and showings were few and far between compared to previous years, sellers managed to do OK, which seems to be reflecting in the numbers. We also sold a few of our most expensive properties ever in the Pass in 08, including the most expensive home ever at well over $650,000. I think it is probably fair to note that these numbers reflect more listings and sales of higher priced homes, and less listings and sales of lower priced investment properties in 08, which might have an impact on the increased average sale price.
2006 (mls stats)
Sold residential properties: 133
Average list price: $169,036
Average selling price: $164,003
Average Days on the Market: 43
2007 (mls stats)
Sold residential properties: 108
Average list price: $232,389
Average selling price: $223,133
Average Days on the Market: 67
2008 (mls stats)
Sold residential properties: 82
Average list price: $249,225
Average selling price: $237,633
Average Days on the Market: 89
2009:
Yawn... Things are pretty quiet here in the Crowsnest Pass so far. We typically have a little more interest in Real Estate in January as a result of pent up energy saved leading up until Christmas, but this does not necessarily translate into new listings or sales at this point. We have sold one house in the Pass in January (We only sold 2 last year and 3 the year before in Jan.), and most of the listings that are popping up I am finding are expired listings from last year that are now being re-listed. We currently have 74 residential properties listed, at an average list price of $295,900, (plus 50 vacant lots currently on the market)
Now that a National and Global recession is a reality, and it looks like our Mines may indeed be laying off workers, it will be interesting how our local market reacts in 2009. I think that we will probably hold our own again this year, depending largely on the layoffs, and how deep the American (and world) situation gets, but this year will be different than last. Last year I think Canada was in shock and denial about what was happening,while this year we are all a little wiser as to where we are, and what is happening, and this in combination with possibly some confidence when we are near the bottom of this global mess will be what it takes to start to balance the Real Estate market, and potentially start moving things a bit faster again. Canada still seems optimistic that we could see the bottom as early as mid 2009. As a matter of fact I would still not entirely discount a swift and unexpected upswing in the market. There is still money out there. Investors and homebuyers are just waiting to land on the bottom floor again.
As I have mentioned before, we still have relatively affordable housing for permanent and weekenders, a high rate of fixed income that might not be as affected by a downturn, and still so much potential here. This could indeed be what is helping us, and could in fact help counteract the effects of how we feel a recession here in the Pass.
Combined with economic factors out of our control, I believe these 3 local issues may hinder our success here this year with our local Real Estate, as well as the health of our community.
1) Confidence in our Municipal Council.
2) Lack of cohesion within our council and our community.
3) Our big developer either “s*itting or getting off the pot” (Please pardon the expression, and as a note I think that either would be beneficial, as the false promises have worn thin. And if I can be brave enough to speculate, Either/or will probably happen sometime between February and August of this year).
Having said that there are many things working in our favour right now, which may have a positive impact on our Real Estate market this year:
1) Relatively attractive house prices for permanent residents and weekenders alike.
2) An increasing presence of stakeholders becoming interested in making positive changes here, and becoming part of the solution.
3) Potential, potential, potential, and more potential.
4) Alberta has the makings for a “rural movement”, especially out of Calgary. I have clients right now that fall right into this category. Tired of gangs, traffic, and congestion, and all the other big city issues that Calgary is now contending with.
If you are considering investing in Real Estate, in my opinion the next few months might not a bad time to consider this area (And I do mean this in more than just a self serving manner...really...). There are some great individual deals out there, and although I have been saying this for the last year, from an investment point of view, the numbers above suggest that so far I have not been wrong.
Wow, I have to admit that I am a little surprised by the numbers below, even though they seem relative to my post in October that was suggesting the same. I am going to say that we certainly held our own here in the Pass last year. Even though our inventory was high, houses were on the market longer, and showings were few and far between compared to previous years, sellers managed to do OK, which seems to be reflecting in the numbers. We also sold a few of our most expensive properties ever in the Pass in 08, including the most expensive home ever at well over $650,000. I think it is probably fair to note that these numbers reflect more listings and sales of higher priced homes, and less listings and sales of lower priced investment properties in 08, which might have an impact on the increased average sale price.
2006 (mls stats)
Sold residential properties: 133
Average list price: $169,036
Average selling price: $164,003
Average Days on the Market: 43
2007 (mls stats)
Sold residential properties: 108
Average list price: $232,389
Average selling price: $223,133
Average Days on the Market: 67
2008 (mls stats)
Sold residential properties: 82
Average list price: $249,225
Average selling price: $237,633
Average Days on the Market: 89
2009:
Yawn... Things are pretty quiet here in the Crowsnest Pass so far. We typically have a little more interest in Real Estate in January as a result of pent up energy saved leading up until Christmas, but this does not necessarily translate into new listings or sales at this point. We have sold one house in the Pass in January (We only sold 2 last year and 3 the year before in Jan.), and most of the listings that are popping up I am finding are expired listings from last year that are now being re-listed. We currently have 74 residential properties listed, at an average list price of $295,900, (plus 50 vacant lots currently on the market)
Now that a National and Global recession is a reality, and it looks like our Mines may indeed be laying off workers, it will be interesting how our local market reacts in 2009. I think that we will probably hold our own again this year, depending largely on the layoffs, and how deep the American (and world) situation gets, but this year will be different than last. Last year I think Canada was in shock and denial about what was happening,while this year we are all a little wiser as to where we are, and what is happening, and this in combination with possibly some confidence when we are near the bottom of this global mess will be what it takes to start to balance the Real Estate market, and potentially start moving things a bit faster again. Canada still seems optimistic that we could see the bottom as early as mid 2009. As a matter of fact I would still not entirely discount a swift and unexpected upswing in the market. There is still money out there. Investors and homebuyers are just waiting to land on the bottom floor again.
As I have mentioned before, we still have relatively affordable housing for permanent and weekenders, a high rate of fixed income that might not be as affected by a downturn, and still so much potential here. This could indeed be what is helping us, and could in fact help counteract the effects of how we feel a recession here in the Pass.
Combined with economic factors out of our control, I believe these 3 local issues may hinder our success here this year with our local Real Estate, as well as the health of our community.
1) Confidence in our Municipal Council.
2) Lack of cohesion within our council and our community.
3) Our big developer either “s*itting or getting off the pot” (Please pardon the expression, and as a note I think that either would be beneficial, as the false promises have worn thin. And if I can be brave enough to speculate, Either/or will probably happen sometime between February and August of this year).
Having said that there are many things working in our favour right now, which may have a positive impact on our Real Estate market this year:
1) Relatively attractive house prices for permanent residents and weekenders alike.
2) An increasing presence of stakeholders becoming interested in making positive changes here, and becoming part of the solution.
3) Potential, potential, potential, and more potential.
4) Alberta has the makings for a “rural movement”, especially out of Calgary. I have clients right now that fall right into this category. Tired of gangs, traffic, and congestion, and all the other big city issues that Calgary is now contending with.
If you are considering investing in Real Estate, in my opinion the next few months might not a bad time to consider this area (And I do mean this in more than just a self serving manner...really...). There are some great individual deals out there, and although I have been saying this for the last year, from an investment point of view, the numbers above suggest that so far I have not been wrong.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Looking forward in 2009
Ahh, a fresh new year. Isn't it exciting to have a cut off date to let go of the old, and look forward to bringing in the new.
Last year was very interesting in the Crowsnest Pass and I think it could be pretty exciting in 2009. As I have suggested in the past we just may have missed the last boat for capitalizing on an extremely robust economy, but there is no better time than now to create a plan to take full advantage of the next upswing. The timing is perfect. Believe it or not... the stars are aligning here as we speak, there is interest from our community to make things happen, and I believe there are more irons in the fire than we all think. It is time to cut out the negativity, get involved, make a plan, and really pull things together this year.
So where do we start?
For us common folk:
Well as I said, we already have started, but I would recommend that anyone genuinely interested in making things happen here that now is the time to get involved. Your community needs you. Unfortunately our cynic and bitching departments are already full, so join a committee, or association, or group that will really help for the betterment of our area. Your involvement in which you might have the energy, experience, or expertise will help tremendously here in the near future. Especially at this point in time. And many thanks to the ones here that are already involved. One thing I realized in the last year was that we have incredibly hard working, and maybe often hardly noticed volunteers that are relentlessly greasing the wheels to keep things going around here. Please keep up your great efforts, your commitment to our community is awesome.
For our council:
Our council needs a vision and a plan for the future. (Unless they are already following one, in which I would love to learn about it). I had actually made a few inquiries early in 2008 to find out if we had one. My inquiry was self serving as a business person who wishes to understand variables that will affect my job, and this which will influence my own plans and decisions. A properly thought out and diligently executed plan is the heart of business success story, and every successful business person knows this. This sort of planning on behalf of our Municipality will indeed affect our future including business and lifestyle decisions made by every stakeholder in our area.
Well it turns out we do have a plan. It is municipal bylaw # 556, and can be found here http://www.town.crowsnestpass.ab.ca/services/bylaws-and-policies . The Province of Alberta realizes how imperative a plan is, as it is actually required by our province to have one. This plan is a part of our "Municipal Government Act" as regulated by our Province.
Is the plan a practical and functional representation of our community's needs in the future? Yes, I believe that it is. It is a "development plan" that I think could be expanded into a "community plan" such as Fernie has, as I had mentioned in an earlier post. But for the most part it looks pretty solid. It must have cost a small fortune to create, and I bet the hard work and time invested in this mandatory plan was very significant. I will not get into the plan in detail, as I would really encourage you to check it out for yourself. There is some really interesting points in there that raise an eyebrow to say the least. The only thing that I will mention is found on page 8 of the document and states:
"This municipal development plan will ultimately become the long-range philosophic document for the municipality of Crowsnest Pass...This plan envisions that change will occur within the municipality, therefore the plan should be reviewed and/or amended periodically to maintain its current status, accuracy and relevance."
I am curious to know if the plan has been followed or revisited since it's implementation in 2001. If not, my suggestion is for our leaders to create a "council appointed committee" to look into the past progress of the plan, where we currently stand, and to report back and make recommendations to our council. Then this committee can meet regularly thereafter to help monitor, improve, as well as move this well thought out plan to the forefront of decision making within our council.
If we follow a plan, get involved, and also get excited about the future and potential here, the sky will be the limit.
That's my 2 cents for now. Happy 2009!
Last year was very interesting in the Crowsnest Pass and I think it could be pretty exciting in 2009. As I have suggested in the past we just may have missed the last boat for capitalizing on an extremely robust economy, but there is no better time than now to create a plan to take full advantage of the next upswing. The timing is perfect. Believe it or not... the stars are aligning here as we speak, there is interest from our community to make things happen, and I believe there are more irons in the fire than we all think. It is time to cut out the negativity, get involved, make a plan, and really pull things together this year.
So where do we start?
For us common folk:
Well as I said, we already have started, but I would recommend that anyone genuinely interested in making things happen here that now is the time to get involved. Your community needs you. Unfortunately our cynic and bitching departments are already full, so join a committee, or association, or group that will really help for the betterment of our area. Your involvement in which you might have the energy, experience, or expertise will help tremendously here in the near future. Especially at this point in time. And many thanks to the ones here that are already involved. One thing I realized in the last year was that we have incredibly hard working, and maybe often hardly noticed volunteers that are relentlessly greasing the wheels to keep things going around here. Please keep up your great efforts, your commitment to our community is awesome.
For our council:
Our council needs a vision and a plan for the future. (Unless they are already following one, in which I would love to learn about it). I had actually made a few inquiries early in 2008 to find out if we had one. My inquiry was self serving as a business person who wishes to understand variables that will affect my job, and this which will influence my own plans and decisions. A properly thought out and diligently executed plan is the heart of business success story, and every successful business person knows this. This sort of planning on behalf of our Municipality will indeed affect our future including business and lifestyle decisions made by every stakeholder in our area.
Well it turns out we do have a plan. It is municipal bylaw # 556, and can be found here http://www.town.crowsnestpass.ab.ca/services/bylaws-and-policies . The Province of Alberta realizes how imperative a plan is, as it is actually required by our province to have one. This plan is a part of our "Municipal Government Act" as regulated by our Province.
Is the plan a practical and functional representation of our community's needs in the future? Yes, I believe that it is. It is a "development plan" that I think could be expanded into a "community plan" such as Fernie has, as I had mentioned in an earlier post. But for the most part it looks pretty solid. It must have cost a small fortune to create, and I bet the hard work and time invested in this mandatory plan was very significant. I will not get into the plan in detail, as I would really encourage you to check it out for yourself. There is some really interesting points in there that raise an eyebrow to say the least. The only thing that I will mention is found on page 8 of the document and states:
"This municipal development plan will ultimately become the long-range philosophic document for the municipality of Crowsnest Pass...This plan envisions that change will occur within the municipality, therefore the plan should be reviewed and/or amended periodically to maintain its current status, accuracy and relevance."
I am curious to know if the plan has been followed or revisited since it's implementation in 2001. If not, my suggestion is for our leaders to create a "council appointed committee" to look into the past progress of the plan, where we currently stand, and to report back and make recommendations to our council. Then this committee can meet regularly thereafter to help monitor, improve, as well as move this well thought out plan to the forefront of decision making within our council.
If we follow a plan, get involved, and also get excited about the future and potential here, the sky will be the limit.
That's my 2 cents for now. Happy 2009!
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