Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Why London?

UWO
Here is an article a reader submitted to me. She was a student at the University of Western Ontario, and wanted to share why she now calls London home.

Many people have asked me why don’t I move back home (to Hamilton). I moved to London just over four years ago to attend Western University. Since then, I have called London home. While students moved back home during summer breaks, I stayed here. I recently graduated in June, and I am still here. So…why do I stay in London?

Coming from a large industrial city, it wasn’t hard to fall in love with London. London seemed noticeably safer, and I was awed by the beauty of the tree-lined streets and lush green parks.

There are lots to see and do; plenty of festivals such as the London Ribfest, Sunfest, and Balloon Festival that take place annually. If you take a stroll down Richmond Row, you can find many places to eat or have a drink. During the winter months, you can go skating in Victoria Park or outside the Covent Garden Market.

Now London is a smaller city than Hamilton, albeit larger than most in Ontario. But I do appreciate how it offers the best of both worlds. For 8 months of the year, there is a hustle & bustle. During the summer months, students are gone, and the city calms; it becomes more peaceful and quiet.

There is one downside to London: the snow. London is located in the Snow Belt region so the city gets a lot of snow. But don’t fret, there’s an upside! It makes beautiful winters.


Would you like to share your experience of living in London? Email me or leave a comment!

Blog suggestions

Blog Suggestions
Is there anything you would like to know about London? Leave comments to this post with your suggestions.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Some London market stats for you

Real Estate Market Update

I thought this would make a great post for all of you; it's a section from my newsletter "Bricks & Mortar Real Estate Reporter":

Record breaking 769 sales in September
Slower 581 sales recorded in October.
November continues to taper.
Normal slowdown as we approach Christmas.

2007 average house price $202,256.00
2008 average house price $212,034.00

That’s a whopping increase of 4.85%.
Some segments have tapered a bit…
Declines from 2007 YTD

Ranches, St. Thomas down 2.5%
Bungalow, south London down 0.9%
Ranches, south London down 0.2%
Condos, east London down 1.3%
Townhouse, east London down 0.1%
Bungalow, Strathroy down 3.2%
Townhouse, Strathroy down 15.7%

Overall positive growth.

Have you read the December edition yet? Click here for a copy.

Also, I would like to hear what you want to see in my next newsletter. Leave some comments in what you want to read in the March edition of Bricks & Mortar Real Estate Reporter.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Another tip to save you money

GOOG-411
Need to locate a business? Forget 411, save this number on your phone 1-800-GOOG411. This is a new service offered through Google. You can find local business information anytime, anywhere, free of charge. It uses listing information provided by Google Maps, so if you need to update or add your business information, you can do so here. The more businesses updating or entering their information, the more helpful this service will be!

To use the service, just call 1-800-GOOG411 and state the location and business (category or business name) you are looking for. Currently residential information is not available.

Want more information about GOOG-411? Visit here.

If you have used this service already, what do you think of it? Did you get the information you were looking for?

Friday, November 21, 2008

More money in your wallet

Save Money
Gas prices are falling! Do you remember the last time gas prices were in the 70s? Today's low is 74.9. Just a month ago, we were looking at gas prices around 101.405. One year ago, they were 106.808.

If you didn’t fill up your tank during the week, you will be paying more to do so this weekend. Gas prices are higher during weekends, than weekdays.

Save money. I have a great website for you. Visit www.londongasprices.com. This website compares all gas prices in the London Area, and it shows you where you can get the cheapest prices.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Bricks & Mortar REAL ESTATE REPORTER

The December edition of my newsletter, 'Bricks & Mortar REAL ESTATE REPORTER' is now available. Visit http://dampsy.ca/December2008Newsletter.pdf to read the newsletter today. You'll find valuable real estate information & tips such as: "Selling NOW", "Bathroom Mould", "Consider Your Offer", and much more. This is your link to realty.

If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter, just send me an email tom@dampsy.ca, and the next edition will be emailed to you.