Ty Lacroix

Houses in Sunningdale, a neighbourhood in North London and close to UWO & Masonville , were sought after with 33 sales since January  and with 15 condos selling as well.

The average sale price for a home in Sunningdale which took 28 days to sell was $531,009 which was 97% of the asking price of $545,147 and for condos in Sunningdale, the average sale price was $274,643 which was 98% of the asking price of $279,685 and were on the market an average of 40 days.

At present there are 10 resale houses for sale in Sunningdale starting as low as $429,900 to over 1.5 million. As well, there are 7 brand new homes in the finishing stages available. There are 5 condos available, 1 for lease and 2 for sale, starting from $229,900.

When you require information about Sunningdale, be it the amenities, the schools, the golf courses or even real estate you now know who to call. Let me prove to you that I put the real into real estate in London!

Houses in Lambeth, a neighbourhood in South West London have received a lot of activity in the period from January 1, 2010 to September 1, 2010.Present listings vary from as low as $194,000 up to $569,000 which really explains the diversity of Lambeth and basically two neighbourhoods, one in 'downtown Lambeth' and the other what I call the Outer Drive neighbourhood.

84 houses in Lambeth sold with the average being on the market for 43 days and selling for $373,416 which was 98% of the asking price.

If you would like a synopsis of a particular neighbourhood or street in Lambeth or London I can put that information together for you to show you that facts and preparedness do wonders when thinking about buying or selling real estate.

Re-sale houses and condos have remained strong in so far this year in Hyde Park and at September 1 , 197 houses sold with the average selling price being 99% of asking which was $252,044 and an average of 38 days on the market!

For condos, 54 sold at an average $169,498 and were on the market for 54 days.

With some great shopping, new schools being built, commercial and light industrial spaces available, people are finding Hyde Park to be quite attractive.

There also is a wide array of new homes being built starting from $260,000 and up.

Masonville area homes and condos along with the Stoneybrook & Uplands neighbourhood sales have been quite active  with 98 sales at 97% of the asking price of $411,449and only 30 days on the market!

There were 92 condos in Masonville, North London that sold at an average price of $243, 946which was 98% of the asking price. These condos were on the market on average for less than 34 days.

This area remains one of the hottest markets in London and especially at this time of the year with UWO grads going and new coming to London.

Condos from $119,000 to $369,000 and with houses from $279,000 and up make Masonville & Stoneybrook  a good market because of amenities and location.

This area remains one of the fastest growing areas of London with a wide mix of styles available.

Houses in Old South and Wortley Village neighbourhood that were listed for sale are selling briskly! 150 have sold from January 2010 to Sept 1, 2010 and on average homes were on the market for 24 days and averaging 99% of asking price which was $250,098!    At present there are 42 resale houses in Old South/Wortley Village listed for sale from as low as $181,000 up to $800,000 +. Because of the ambience and ecletic range of homes you can see why this is a sought after London Ontario neighbourhood!

Taking a drive through Wortley Village and Old South is worth the trip and if you are not the cookie-cutter type, you will love Old South London.

If you are like me, when I want to call someone at London City Hall or the London Library or garbage pick up date, I scramble to find the phone number, or wait to turn on the computer and get the number. Below is a list that I felt you may want to know:

Civic Contacts      Community Information     

Animal Control                                                        519-685-1330

Building Permits                                                      519-661-4555

Chamber of Commerce                                            519-432-7551

Crime Stoppers                                                        519-661-8477

Fire Department                                                       519-661-4565

Garbage                                                                    519-661-5485

Library                                                                     519-661-5187

London Economic Development Corp.                   519-661-4545

Mayor's Office                                                         519-661-4920

Parking                                                                     519-661-4537

Parks & Recreation                                                  519-661-5575

Police                                                                       519-661-5670

Real Estate                                                         519-435-1600 (I slipped that in, that's mine!)

Recycling                                                                 519-661-5803

Taxes                                                                       519-661-4540

Transit Services                                                       519-451-1347

Hospitals

Children's Hospital of Western Ontario                   519-685-8484

London Health Sciences Centre                               519-685-8500

Parkwood Hospital                                                   519-685-4000

Regional Mental Health Care                                   519-455-5110

St. Joseph's Health Care London                             519-646-6100

Utilities

Bell Canada                                                           310-2355

London Hydro  (water)                                            519-661-5503

Roger's Cable                                                           519-646-3311

Union Energy (water heater)                                    519-686-7554

Union Gas                                                                888-774-3111

So there you go, those numbers work! Now, I didn't add some of our great restaurants, watering holes, golf course, pilates class or mud wrestling, I thought I'd leave the adventure up to you.

A survey of potential first-time homebuyers found that 29 per cent between the ages of 21 and 34 are living with their parents while saving for their home down payment.

While it is no surprise that those under the age of 30 are staying home longer, whether to attend school or save for a home purchase, what is surprising is the number of adults in the 31 to 34 years old category who are also still at home!

The survey found a considerable gap between potential first-time buyers' expectations and their realities when it came to planning and saving to buy a home. "We found that, although most young people would like to purchase a home within the next few years, most do not have a practical plan to get there."

  According to the survey, adults between the ages 21 and 34, on average, have been saving for their down payment for only 1.6 years, yet expect to take only a total of 3.8 years to save enough to commit to a purchase.

The average reported savings rate (as a percentage of pre-tax income) of those who live at home with their parents, 16.6 per cent. Those who are currently renting, 11.0 per cent.

What amazes me is that both the U.S, and Canadian government have reduced or suspended first time buyer incentives or incentives with savings regarding down payments.

Mother Nature had it right in the bird kingdom, when you can fly, bye bye. With humans, she must have had a bad night!

This morning I was looking for a document to send to a newer real estate agent that would inspire her and help her get through some tough times she was experiencing. I came across this piece and I did not record who wrote it. I wish I has because this is very sound advice.

"The real estate business is a hands-on business.  No matter how much schooling and education you put yourself through, the only way to really learn this business is to get out into the field and start interacting with buyers and sellers.  Now here's the thing, some things you can only learn by having gone through the experience.  Since you don't presently know many of the things that you need to learn, you are going to make many, many mistakes.  The question is whether you want to make those mistakes quickly, so that you can begin doing things right, or whether you want to make those mistakes slowly, so that it takes you forever to get up to speed.

The bottom line is that you have 100 screw-ups in you!  There is no way around it, so don't even try!  You have got to ask yourself if you are going to be timid and afraid of screwing up, or if you are going to get it over with quickly?
My advice to you is to get out there and "screw-up massively" and as quickly as possible!  If you can get all of your screw-ups out of the way in a week then go for it!"

This may sound harsh but this can be a harsh business , so get out there and get business. It beats moping around, complaining, crying, drinking, swearing or whatever else we do when business is slow.

So you just got your license to sell real estate and are raring to go. Or you are looking for a new start with another company.

I feel the first 60 days are very critical for long term success as the habits that are required to be sucessful in real estate will either start in this period, you will form new habits or break old habits.Who you go to for advice and what you do in these first 60 days are the most important. The question is, do you know what good or bad advice is?

Sure, you will take advice that is consistent with your comfort zone but that may not be the best choice. Or the one that takes as little money as possible to implement. Or you will max your credit card 'getting your name out there'. Or, do stuff that worked 5 years ago, 10 years ago or when everyone was employed and making money , etc. etc.

Choose your brokerage wisely. Ask" What are you going to do for me?". Are you going to be just another body because your brokerage is in the agent business or in the real estate business?

If you want to improve your income and keep most of your commission, maybe we should talk. I have proven steps you can take regardless of your comfort zone.

Daily I am bombarded with questions from agents and clients and it is always great to help with a solution or answer. There are times, however, when I have to shrug and say "I don't know".Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance? Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?