3rd Annual Great Manitoba Pumpkin carving contest.

For more information please call Rolf Hitzer at 204-989-6900.

The Great Manitoba Carved Pumpkin 2016….the results.

This carved pumpkin submitted by Michelle Roy finished in 8th place.

Congratulations Jo-Anne Anderson for your carved pumpkin is this year’s GREAT MANITOBA PUMPKIN! Jo-Anne will also receive $150.00 from Royal LePage Top Producers for her first place finish with the winning carved pumpkin.

Finishing 2cnd overall in the Great Manitoba Pumpkin search is this carved pumpkin submitted by Brad Bamford for a cash prize of $100.00. Brad was also a 2cnd place finisher in the 2015 Great Manitoba Pumpkin search.

Finishing in 3rd place is this carved pumpkin submitted by Kirsten Pisi and she is also the recipient of the $50.00 cash prize for her Great Manitoba Pumpkin.

This carved pumpkin submitted by Janelle Ferris finished in the 4th position overall for the Great Manitoba Pumpkin search.

Leah Friesen submitted her carved pumpkin to finish in 6th place.

This carved pumpkin submitted by Cindy King took the 5th place overall in the Great Manitoba Pumpkin search.

Finishing in 7th place is this carved pumpkin submitted by Fran Friesen.

For the second year in a row Royal LePage Top Producers sponsored a carved pumpkin contest for the Halloween season.  Thank you to all the families that did submit their carved pumpkin for the Great Manitoba Pumpkin search and congratulations to the winners of their carved pumpkin submitted.  I hope all contestants had family fun carving their Halloween pumpkin.

Here are the results:

Finishing in 10th place is this carved pumpkin from the Bailes family.

This carved pumpkin from Chris Wilkinson finished in 9th place.

North Kildonan real estate market statistics, Q3, 2016.

79 Jim Smith Drive

Home sales in the third quarter for the North Kildonan  real estate market was down by twenty-six properties sold when compared to the North Kildonan neighborhood real estate market activity in 2015.  This was the only market decline statistic by direct comparison.  Every other category saw residential real estate markets improve for the North Kildonan area.  Great news as we are now in the final quarter of 2016.

The uncertainty for the North Kildonan real estate market present day is the recent changed announced on October 17 by the Federal Government making it tougher financially to purchase a home if the home buyer will require an insured mortgage.  In the months ahead we will really discover the impact the new lending restrictions will have on the North Kildonan real estate market.  Sadly these recent changes implemented by our Federal Government are designed to cool the Toronto and Vancouver real estate markets.  For all of us living in North Kildonan, and Winnipeg, hopefully logic will prevail and possibly the new lending guidelines will be amended to accommodate regional real estate markets.

This is how the North Kildonan neighborhood real estate market performed in the third quarter, by the numbers:

Homes sold in North Kildonan, Q3, 2016:  77

Homes sold in North Kildonan, Q3, 2015:  103

Sales to homes listed, Q3, 2016:  71%

Sales to homes listed, Q3, 2015:  63%

Average days to sell, Q3, 2016:  21

Average days to sell, Q3, 2015:  25

Average sales price, Q3, 2016:  $323,800.00

Average sales price, Q3, 2015:  $318,000.00

For a complimentary real estate consultation when planning to sell, buy, or invest in real estate then please call Rolf Hitzer at Royal LePage Top Producers at 204-989-6900.  Or, email hitzer@mymts.net.

 

 

Great Manitoba Pumpkin 2016

The search for the Great Manitoba Pumpkin is back!  See the attached rules from the sponsor Royal LePage Top Producers.  Wishing all contestants best spooky wishes for this year’s best carved pumpkin.

Great Manitoba Pumpkin 2016

Have a spooky October with your Ghoul, or Vampire.

North Kildonan real estate market statistics, Q2, 2016.

78 Zeglinski Crescent

Something happened between the first quarter and the second quarter with the North Kildonan real estate market activity.  Perhaps the provincial election held earlier this year had buyers and sellers on hold with their real estate plans?  It seems logical.  The second quarter real estate activity for North Kildonan was exceptional compared to one year earlier.  This is how the North Kildonan neighborhood performed in Q2, by the numbers:

Homes sold in North Kildonan, Q2, 2016:  129

Homes sold in North Kildonan, Q2, 2015:  93

Sales to homes listed, Q2, 2016:  130%

Sales to homes listed, Q2, 2015:  56%

Average days to sell, Q2, 2016:  19

Average days to sell, Q2, 2015:  23

Average sales price, Q2, 2016:  $317,400.00

Average sales price, Q2, 2015:  $338,500.00

North Kildonan certainly had an active three months during the second quarter real estate activity.  An educated guess had the real estate market for North Kildonan being more active when the Provincial election concluded.  But, I did not see this increased real estate activity coming the way that it did for the North Kildonan neighborhood.

What hasn’t changed for the North Kildonan area is the importance of pricing your home to current market trends and values when deciding to sell your home.  Today’s home buyers are educated and savvy with the North Kildonan property values.

For a complimentary real estate consultation when planning to sell, buy, or invest in real estate, then please call Rolf Hitzer with Royal LePage Top Producers at 204-989-6900.  Or, email hitzer@mymts.net.

 

Increasing Your Home’s Value On A Tight Budget.

Increasing Your Home’s Value On a Tight Budget

By Mary Sauer

 

If you’re planning to sell your home in the near future, you may have already considered what you’ll need to do to increase the value of your home. At Home Improvement Leads, we know that investing a large amount of money in remodeling your home before it even goes on the market isn’t always the most realistic, so here are some budget-friendly ways to increase your home’s value before you sell.

Start Outside

When you are selling your home, curb appeal is a big deal. A beautifully kept home exterior will not only attract more potential buyers with a positive first impression, it has also been found to increase the selling prices of homes. Begin with your landscaping, keeping things within budget by focusing on a lush and healthy lawn, eliminating weeds, and trimming any overgrown trees of plants. If you have a little money to spend, small improvements like planter boxes, fresh mulch, or even a bright new coat of paint to your front door can make all the difference in the creating a warm welcoming.

Replace Fixtures, Cabinet Pulls and Doorknobs

Since popular metal choices change frequently, the appearance of the fixtures, cabinet pulls, and doorknobs in your home can easily date your kitchen and bathroom. The good news is that updating these home accessories is fairly simple and inexpensive. You can quickly swap outdated hardware over the weekend with a small monetary investment, making this a budget-friendly home improvement that will increase your home’s style in a small but eye-catching way.

Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint

Do you want to transform your home in a week’s time? Buy a few gallons of neutral colored paint and give every wall in your home a facelift for a fresh and clean coat that will also increase brightness. This quick and budget friendly home improvement can make a big impact on your home’s value. Most real estate and home staging experts recommend using a neutral shade, because even though paint is an easy fix for the person buying your home, it’s often difficult for them to look past a color they dislike—and the wrong color could turn potential buyers away completely.

 

Focus on the Bathroom and Kitchen

Upgrades to the kitchen are believed the have the biggest impact on a home’s value and bathroom upgrades are a close second, so if you have a flexible budget, this is where you should focus. A kitchen or bathroom remodel can be a bit expensive, so work with the budget you have to make changes that will have the biggest impact. This could include replacing dated flooring, repainting cabinets, or upgrading an appliance that is well past its prime.

 

After years of struggle in the home market, we are finally experiencing a healthy and competitive seller’s market. As a homeowner who is considering selling your home, this is good news for you. Because of the improvements in the real estate market, small changes can have a big impact on your home’s value and make it even easier to sell your home.

 

 

Top Green Remodeling Trends for 2016

Green Homes

90 Vintage Hills Court

Top Green Remodeling Trends for 2016

Kelli McDonald

 

Remodeling in 2016 is about more than luxury upgrades or a home’s style. At Modernize, we’re also invested in taking better care of the world we inhabit. Revamping your kitchen, installing sustainable flooring, and making some futuristic roof additions can all make your home environmentally-friendly while simultaneously adding more personality to your abode.

 

Sustainable Flooring

Contemporary homeowners are moving past carpet and looking to more earth-friendly choices. Reclaimed hardwood, cork, stained concrete, linoleum and bamboo are stylish choices that can withstand wear and tear from a busy household while offering a greener alternative to other materials. Using reclaimed wood from old rural structures ensures that your flooring isn’t contributing to deforestation. For new wood, look for certification from the Forest Stewardship Council to confirm that the wood has been recognized as environmentally friendly. Long-lasting linoleum is non-toxic and comes in hundreds of colors and patterns, which can be laid in a unique design to suit your home. Different staining techniques on concrete are another eco-friendly and customizable choice. Cork and bamboo have also become popular materials, due to their stunning grain finishes and durability. Bamboo grows very quickly and cork oak trees don’t have to be completely cut down in order to harvest their bark, making them two very sustainable options.

 

Focus on the Kitchen

After revamping the floors, turn your focus to the kitchen. Small changes can make your kitchen more green, such as adding in a recycling station and installing LED lighting. LEDs are known to use at least 75 percent less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and they produce very little heat. Cool, bright lighting in the kitchen makes for more enjoyable cooking time. When it comes to the countertops, terrazzo tile is an attractive and bold choice. This easy-to-clean surface is available in a variety of colors, all of which are made from recycled glass and stone settled in concrete or a resin compound. The materials come from glass manufactures and post-consumer items like glass bottles and windshields. If you really fall in love with terrazzo, it can be used as a flooring alternative as well.

 

 

Installing Solar Panels

Extend your green remodeling adjustments all the way to the roof by adding solar panels. After installation, many homeowners become more aware of the energy they use, essentially remodeling their electricity mindset. There’s a financial incentive to converting to solar for many areas, which can help to recoup your investment. For example, Manitoba Hydro’s Power Smart Solar Energy Program gives back about 25 percent of investment costs, along with offering customers a way to sell their unused energy to Manitoba Hydro.

 

Forward Thinking

Remodeling is a long process, but it’s not one you’ll regret once you see the environmental and visual benefits. Taking the time to make mindful investments with flooring, energy and kitchen upgrades will give you the style you’ve always wanted with the assurance you’re doing your part to keep our planet happy.

Thank you, Kelli McDonald for willing to share your blog article on the North Kildonan Real Estate web page.

 

North Kildonan real estate market statistics, Q1, 2016.

46 Sunkist Cove

In the first quarter throughout all Winnipeg neighborhoods the housing inventory was down by half a percent.  Meanwhile, home sales performed very well by being up 8% versus the first quarter of 2015.  Let’s see how the North Kildonan district performed, by the numbers:

Homes sold in North Kildonan, Q1, 2016:  48

Homes sold in North Kildonan, Q1, 2015:  46

Sales to homes listed, Q1, 2016:  61%

Sales to homes listed, Q1, 2015:  63%

Average days to sell, Q1, 2016:  28

Average days to sell, Q1, 2015:  27

Average sales price, Q1, 2016:  $312,800.00

Average sales price, Q1, 2015:  $338,500.00 

Over the second quarter of 2016 expect interest rates to remain at, or near where they are today.  With the provincial election now behind us there is a feeling of confidence in the air for the newly elected government.  This could have the potential for more buyers deciding to move forward with their real estate plans.

What hasn’t changed for the North Kildonan neighborhood is the importance of pricing your home when deciding to sell your home.  Today’s buyer is savvy and well informed of the current North Kildonan area real estate values.

For a complimentary real estate consultation when planning to sell, buy, or invest in real estate then please call Rolf Hitzer with Royal LePage Top Producers at 204-989-6900.  Or email hitzer@mymts.net.

North Kildonan real estate market statistics, March 2016.

353 Foxdale Avenue

378 Edison Avenue

Home sales throughout all Winnipeg neighbourhoods was up by 5% this past month.  Let’s see how the North Kildonan real estate market performed in March, by the numbers:

Active listings, March 2016:  35

Active listings, March 2015:  32

New listings for the month, 2016:  23

New listings for the month, 2015:  20

Homes sold for the month of March 2016:  20

Homes sold for the month of March 2015:  18

Homes sold above asking price, 2016:  2

Homes sold above asking price, 2015:  3

Average days to sell, March 2016:  32

Average days to sell, March 2015:  30

Sales to homes listed, 2016:  64%

Sales to homes listed, 2015:  69%

Average sales price, 2016:  $320,500.00

Average sales price, 2015:  $352,800.00

Lowest sales price for the month:  378 Edison Avenue

Highest sales price for the month:  353 Foxdale Avenue

Call Rolf Hitzer with Royal LePage Top Producers at 204-989-6900 for your real estate needs.  Or, email hitzer@mymts.net.    

Food for Shelter, 2016.

Food for Shelter 3rdAnnual food drive fundraiser.

April is the month of the annual Food for Shelter food drive for our local Shelter Foundation.  We are looking for any non-perishable food items, toiletries, or any other items on the list provided.

The food you donate will be for our local shelters in Winnipeg and Steinbach.  We also add one additional organization and this year it is Feed My Lambs.  Throughout April you can drop off your donation at any Royal LePage office throughout the city.  We also have a pick up service for any food, or cash donations.  To arrange a donation pick-up please call our office at 204-989-6900.

Our food goal is 12,000 items and as of today we are at 881 donated food items, regrettably we are behind our weekly food goal.  We really need your help.  If every person in Winnipeg donated one Kraft dinner, one jar of baby food, a roll of toilet paper…I could go on.  My point to this is one item will go such a long way to help our women and children who are victims of domestic violence.  Please help with some of your food love.

Here is our attached list and I hope you can spare at least one item:

2016 FOOD FOR SHELTER FLYER