HOUSE AND HOME IN LONDON ONTARIO

After months of record breaking, or near record breaking homes sales for London, Ontario, in 2016, November has topped them all.  722 homes were sold last month.  That number is a startling 15.% higher than any November going back all the way to 1978 when the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) began keeping records.  You have to

The strong spring and summer has continued through into fall.  We have seen several months of back to back to back record sales.  August 2016 saw 804 detached homes traded hands as well as 195 condos, a record month for sales.  This was followed up in September with another record month where 716 detached homes and 150 condos were sold.

The London Ontario market continues to be very busy.  990 homes exchanged hands in July 2016, making last month the best July ever with the exception of July 2007, which set the all-time record for July with 1,009 sales.  807 detached homes sold last month along with 183 condos. Year-to-Date sales are up 8.2%. New listings, on the other hand,

Once again we hear the news that the resale home market remains very strong here in London, Ontario.  June 2016 saw 1,133 homes change hands, a record for the month of June.  Sales are up year-to-date by 8.6%.  At the same time we are seeing rising sales numbers, we are also seeing falling inventory numbers.  Only 1,612 homes were listed

You may have heard that the real estate market has been especially active this spring.  It has been. There have been stories everywhere about multiple offers and houses selling for more than asking price.  Why is that?  What is happening? There were 1,650 homes listed in April 2016, down 14.2% from the year before.  At the same time, 1,068 homes

You have just received the news that your company is transferring you to London.  Perhaps you have been offered a job here in London with a new company.  Congratulations!  Hopefully this will be the start of an exciting new chapter in your career and a new adventure in a new city for you and your family.  You will discover that

When I help my clients purchase a home, one provision that is always included in the agreement is for at least one more visit to the home before closing.  Sometimes there are reasons for wanting or needing to see the house you are buying more than one time between when the deal firms up and when you take possession.  Sometimes

So.  You have been out looking at houses the last few weeks.  You have narrowed down the list.  Today you have seen a house that you really love.  You are sure that this is “the one.”  Now what happens?  Now its time to make the Sellers an offer. There are a number of moving pieces in negotiations.  The price you

One of the features I am most excited about adding to the new stevebaarda.com is a map based search engine.  This makes it easy to search for homes in a particular area of the city.  Just zoom in on the region you are most interested in and click on any of the map markers to see the individual houses.  Click on the listing

The neighbourhood pages have been a favourite of people using stevebaarda.com in their home search process. Many of you have commented to me how helpful you found it to read up on the various communities in the city, especially when you are relocating to London and are not familiar with the city. The neighbourhood pages are great way to introduce

Schools are an important part of family life.  Many parents make sacrifices so that they can send their children to the best schools they can.  School considerations are a big part of almost every real estate decision.  Do we leave our current school?  How will our kids adapt?  Will they make new friends?  What school will they attend? Is the