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Archive for April, 2009

Community Foundation of Oakville connecting people with good causes

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 by Dan Cooper

Over the next few weeks I will be seeking sponsors for my participation in the Community Foundation of Oakville’s Marathon of Golf. In fact, I have already started collecting pledges, but will continue adding to my total for this very worthwhile cause.

The Marathon of Golf at Glen Abbey Golf Club on May 14th is the Foundation’s only fundraiser. Golfers play up to 100 holes in less than 12 hours to raise money to help fund local charitable initiatives. Last year the event raised $195,000. In its 10 year history, the Marathon has raised $1.2 million.

I’m proud to play a part in helping raise money for this wonderful organization and to be a supporter of the causes it represents. The true character of a community is the willingness of its citizens to give their time, talents and money to help those among us who are in need. Through grants and community projects, the Foundation supports a broad range of charitable causes and the support it receives from individuals and the business community is heartwarming. I’m honoured to be among those providing that support.

The seed of the idea of a community foundation for Oakville came from two early proponents, Bruce Etherington and Ann Mulvale, and two benefactors: The Lawson Foundation and The De Maio family. The federal government approved the CFO’s letters patent on March 10th, 1994 and the Foundation has granted well over $10 million in the past 15 years.

A community foundation is a registered charity designated to make it easy, beneficial and inexpensive for people and corporations to establish perpetual endowments in their name. These endowments may be structured to support your favourite charities, fields of interest (such as education, the environment), scholarships, memorials or, current needs as determined by The Community Foundation of Oakville’s Grants Committee.

Organizations like the Community Foundation, United Way, Salvation Army and a host of other charitable bodies help to build a strong community and a brighter future for all our citizens. I encourage you to get involved in your community – with your time, your money or both.

Be sure to catch my Dan Cooper Real Estate Education Series every Saturday on DailyWebTV.com

Posted in Charity, Community | No Comments »

Are the latest news reports and housing stats pointing to a silver lining?

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 by Dan Cooper

Last month I wrote that it was a good time to buy a new home – that those who waited for the housing market to bottom out may get caught by the uptick. While we have yet to see if there is further deterioration of the economy due to the fate of the Big Three automakers and thousands of more jobs, there is current evidence that a silver lining may be on the horizon.

News out of the U.S. is that the banks there are enjoying decent to record profits for the first quarter – fuelled in part by a resurging mortgage business. Homeowners are beginning to remortgage rather than walk away from their homes, and 25% of the business is for new mortgages. The surprising comeback last week was thanks mostly to low interest rates and a return to credible lenders.

Here in the Oakville area, we have fresh sales statistics from the Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board that reveal some interesting developments. For example, sales in Oakville for the first quarter were down 36% compared to the same quarter last year and the average home price was down 17%. In March, however, sales were down 26% and prices down 11% – which could be viewed as an improvement over the previous two months. That tells me the prices appear to be creeping upward and could very well be ready for a slow and steady rebound.

Let’s look at some sales statistics in Oakville over the past 12 months:

• 266 properties sold for an average price of $514,985 in March 2008.
• 229 properties sold for an average price of $434,000 in November 2008.
• 212 properties sold for an average price of $455,977 last month.

We are significantly down month over month this year from last year, but look at the upward movement since the fall.

Combine this with the fact that mortgage rates are at their lowest point than ever before and will likely remain low as the economy slowly recovers. While the economy still has a long way to go before we will realize significant improvement, anyone considering a new home or moving up to a larger home should begin their search to identify location, desired house type and price range. You will want to be in a position to act when the time is right.

I encourage you to visit DailyWebTV.com for my educational series and visit DanCooperTV.com for more about Dan Cooper/Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. where you can take a virtual tour of exciting properties. Also, for a free copy of my Guide to Oakville Real Estate or my booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar, please call my office. Whether buying or selling, my team and I would be delighted to assist you.

(Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this article; however, the information is general in nature. Please seek professional advice relevant to your specific situation.)

Posted in Real Estate, Statistics | No Comments »