If you’re looking for a vacation home that’s just a stone’s throw away from the best skiing in Ontario, REALTORS® Ian Hawkins & Cindy Ryerse can help you find condos and homes for sale in Collingwood and Blue Mountains that will exceed all your expectations. Together, Ian and Cindy have sold over $250 million worth of South Georgian Bay area real estate property, and we’d love to help you find...

When selling a home, we often have to deal with strange odours. Sometimes these come from pets or cigarettes, while other times, it’s simply stale air, or something smelly under a bed or in the fridge. Well, there’s a very easy remedy that you probably haven’t heard of . . . coffee! A few years ago, we were selling a home that was being rented. The tenants and their plethora of pets moved out,...

In an active market, people selling will often feel that the price levels are moving up at a brisk pace. Our market is very active; however, buyers are very cautious about overpaying for a property (remember what happened during the 80's). A realistic asking price based on current market data will help to sell your property quickly and for the best price possible. By properly pricing your home you ensure...

Our team of Blue Mountain Real Estate Professionals are dedicated to assisting you with whatever your real estate needs are in order to make your Blue Mountain real estate experience much more than buying a piece of real estate. Whether it’s a family relocation or a weekend getaway, researching and buying Blue Mountain Real Estate can be a complex and stressful undertaking for anyone. Working with our...

As REALTORS®, we are frequently asked by prospective buyers why we ask certain questions regarding your name, address, ownership, motivation, etc. Quite simply, the answer is we need to get to know you! When buying real estate, we’ll ask questions to ensure that you are a qualified buyer. This is essential information for us because we must be sure that we are not wasting anyone’s time – yours and...

When it comes to choosing a closing date for new home sales, you need to think carefully. Below are some helpful tips in this regard. Avoid a Friday at month-end. Typically, this is a very busy day for property law offices. Also, if the deal needs to be extended, you won’t be given the keys until the following Monday, or maybe even Tuesday if a long weekend is involved. If possible, choose a...

No, there are hardly any restrictions on foreigners buying real estate in Canada. From houses to condominiums, the buying process is relatively simple. Here’s how it works. The agent or real estate representative, usually with an attorney, helps prepare an Offer to Purchase. This is presented to the seller, together with a maximum deposit of 10 percent of the purchase price. The seller will reject,...

If you’re buying a home in the Georgian Bay area, you’ll surely want to know what type of well supplies your household water. An older home typically has a dug well. On average, this type of well is 6 ft. wide, 25 ft. (or less) deep and, as its name suggests, is installed by digging a hole in the ground. The structure of a dug well is lined with concrete just beneath the water table, continuing above...

by Ian Hawkins The Village at Blue Mountain was very alive on September 14, with the usual weekend visitors enjoying the live music playing as the stream of Centurion riders finished their rides. A few days ago, Blue Mountain and Intrawest announced that the Weider and Canning families had sold their remaining ownership of Blue Mountain Resort to Intrawest. On a personal level, I had the privilege of...

There is quite a bit of confusion around collateral mortgages, compared to conventional mortgages. We often encounter this problem when we see a mortgage amount on a title that is the same as the sale price when the home was purchased. There is some concern for realtors when this occurs, since it may seem like there isn’t enough equity to fit the terms. However, the main reason this occurs is because of...