Check out my monthly Blog for updates on all the news in the Aldershot area. Rick Craven is the Councillor for Ward 1 and he has given me permission to provide you with excerpts of his update news letters.

KING ROAD UNDERPASS

Unfortunately, the City of Burlington has run into further glitches with the work being done at the King Raod Railway underpass. This will necessitate the closing of King Road (north of the tracks) for 5 days being March 14, 2011 to March 18, 2011. There is a need to install 2 underground water pipes and they are going to have be installed very deep to go under the future underpass. The inital plan was to install the pipes with King Road open but due to hagh water table, poor soil conditions, proximity of the tracks, existing underground cables and gas mains have made that decision impossible!

ESSO GAS STATION

The proposed new Esso gas station at the south-east corner of Plains Road and LaSalle Park Roads has not been approved yet! City Hall is still waiting for Esso to submit a revised plan, taking into consideration feedback from neighbours at a recent public meeting. Once the revised plan is received by the Committee of Adjustments, then a new hearing will be scheduled. By the way, the MACS convenience store, presently located in the same location of the new proposed ESSO station closed it's doors this week and have vacated the premises.

NORTHLAND AVENUE CONCERNS

The City of Burlington staff are expected to bring forward their recommendations concerning the proposed new 6500 square foot home on Northland Avenue at the Community Development Committee meeting on the evening of March 28, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.  The proposal has caused concern with neighbours because of it's size and design. Anuone wishing to speak at the meeting should call the Clerk's department at City hall and register as a "Delegate" prior to the day of the meeting.

IKEA

Rck Craven has met with the leaders of the Aldershot Business Improvement Area as well as the Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation to discuss the news that IKEA plans to leave Aldershot.  IKEA is doing so well at their current site that they need a bigger facility that cannot be accommodated at the current site.  The IKEA move is probably 2 years away.

CANADIAN ROAD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aldershot will be one of six locations in Burlington hosting the Canadian Road Cycling Championships this summer.  The part of the race affecting Aldershot will be held on July 3, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cycling route runs from Hidden Valley Park to Lemonville Road, west along York Road, north along Old York Road and Snake Road, along Main Street in waterdown, south on waterdown road, west on Plaind road and north on Howard Road. Highway 403 ramps will be closed during these races too! If this year's event is a success, it will be repaeated in 2012 during which Canada's best racers will be here to compete for the oportunity to go to the London Olympics!

There are 3 types of "Strategies" that people use when buying a home:

1.) The "How Low Can You Go" Offer.

2.) The "I've Got To Have This Home" Offer.

3.) The "Poker" Offer.

The "How Low Can You Go" offer is really contingent on not being attached to the property that you are considering. In a Buyers market, like we are experiencing right now in Burlington, there may be a number of homes that appeal to you and a "Low Ball" offer could be an option if you want to try to get a home sale price less than market value. Low Ball Offers only work when Sellers are desperate to sell, and although you may get a counter-offer, many times Sellers' are insulted and may not respond to your Offer at all!

The "I've Got To Have This Home" offer usually happens when the Buyers fall madly in love with a home and want to put their best offer forward right in the first offer. The problem with this offer is that you leave yourself no room for negotiation, but if the Burlington market is hot, like it has been here over the last few years, then this type of offer might attract a lot of attention. On the other hand, an offer that is countered, may result in the Buyer accepting the counter offer or walking away from the home!

The "Poker" offer typically arises when the Burlington real estate market is a strong Sellers' market. Buyers find themselves in a bidding war for their choice of property and this means that any negotiating plans are pretty much negated. Your only real options are to raise the bid or move on!

I have experienced, while with RE/MAX Escarpment Realty, all of these Offer situations on numerous occassions and Realtor experience is a major key. Each type of Offer requires a strategy and my experience can help lead you to the right Offer decision.

Call Paul Hammond of RE/MAX Escarpment Realty at 905-639-7676 for your complimentary Offer Strategy session.

The REALTORS Association of Hamilton-Burlington(RAHB) recently held its annual news conference  and this year's President, Ann Forbes Arndt, has stated that she anticipates the real estate market, "will further stabilize" through 2011 and also expects our market to, "perform much as it did in 2010".

Ms. Forbes Arndt indicated that recent unemployment statistics are indicating a recovery might be looming which will result in more confidence in consumer spending and buying real estate.

Arndt has predicted sales in the Hamilton-Burlington market around 13,000 units for 2011 compared to the 13,440 units sold in 2010. Other statistics reported by Arndt were, the total volume of sales in our Board were over 4.2 billion dollars; 66 percent of all properties listed were sold; and, the average sale price of all property sold was $314,501, which is the highest on record.

Arndt stated that the biggest area to watch in 2011 is youth employment numbers since this area still exhibits record highs and could seriously impact first time home buyers over the next few years. Historically, first time home buyers drive the housing market and this allows existing home buyers to move up.

If you would like further real estate prices or sales information in the Hamilton, Burlington or surrounding areas, please give Paul Hammond a call at RE/MAX Escarpment Realty at 905-639-7676.