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753 Larocque Road, North Bay ON – $449,900.

4 bedroom/3 bath/2 car attached garage. Beautifully appointed with Brazilian granite countertops, custom designed kitchen, distressed Maple floors, full finished basement.

7 acre estate lot, landscaped including hiking/snowshowing trails.

Watch video of this home at YouTube – http://youtu.be/eRTTg4vLc8U

Calll me for your private tour of this home – 705.495.9335

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Tags: North Bay, real estate, Steve Dreany

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Real Estate Wrap-Up January 2012

Wondering what’s going on in the real estate market in North Bay and area.  Here’s a couple of numbers to give you an overview.  This is the big picture.  There’s a lot of detail behind these numbers so don’t make any assumptions or decisions about your personal real estate portfolio based on these numbers, consult a professional – me.

*TMTA is a Twelve Month Trailing Average – not year to date

Sales to Listings

The number of listings has gone up, as has the number of sales.  This is an indicator of a healthy, vibrant market.  What’s really important though is how many of the houses that are listed are actually selling.  That’s the sales to listing ratio.  In 2011 – 106 new listings were added to the market.  Of all the houses on the market there were 42 sales.  That’s a 40% sale to listing ratio.

In 2012 – 167 new listings come on the market with 51 sales.  This is a sale to listing ratio of 30%.  A lower sale to listing ratio favours the buyer.  It indicates more houses on the market and/or fewer buyers.

Average Price

The average price for homes sold for the month of January was $201,516.  This is a decline from $222,780.  While a declining average price is another indicator of a market favouring the buyer is important to note that in January one house sold in each of the categories: $400,000-$499,999; $500,000-$749,999; $750,000-$999,999.  There weren’t any sales in these categories in January 2012.  Large sales like those; in a low volume month like January have a significant impact on the numbers.

The January twelve month trailing average home price has increased from $218,662 in 2011 to $227,347.  This represents an increase of almost 4% (3.97).

My Opinion

There were three large sales in January 2011 which inflated the average price in January 2011.  The average price in January 2009 was $202,187.  While the average price in January 2012 is down, I don’t believe the decline is significant.  One month does not make a trend.  Overall, prices continue to increase.

Listings are up, sales are up, and prices are up.  The real estate market in North Bay and area continues to perform in a strong, vibrant manner.

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Join me Saturday at 393 Osprey Crescent between 10:30 am and noon to view this extraordinary home. On the shore of Lake Nipissing, the main living area features 28″ cathedral ceilings and a modern open concept that makes entertaining large or intimate groups a delight.

The kitchen, home office and the loft studio all feature Conti custom designed cabinets/work stations.

Depending on your lifestyle you can choose from either the second floor master suite or leave that for guests and use the main floor suite complete with walk-out to the deck that overlooks Lake Nipissing.

The basement features two bedrooms with full bath, a recreation room and a family room both with walk-outs to the waterfront. On this level there is also a covered hot-tub.

Among the many other features of this home is a throughout sound system with individual room volume controls.

Join me at the open house or call for your private tour – 705.495.9335

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Jan 15, 2012

Before writing this I wanted to wait until the visceral response had passed and I would be able to write a more reflected, intellectual response.  So here I am, just over three months after returning from our three week journey to Kenya – ready to tell you what the trip meant to me.  At this point I believe that the three week trip to Kenya was just the beginning of what is going to be a lifelong journey.

What I would describe as the tasks that we participated in was significantly different from the experiences that I had.  I’ve never experienced anything as profound as what I experienced there.

The tasks we undertook while there were four food distributions, organizing the teaching of small business skills and funding startups for 39 widows and 1 widower, evaluating and funding (and not funding) micro-loan applications, purchasing a knitting and several sewing machines for small businesses, putting the finishing touches on a school for former street girls, organizing and starting a school in a remote village, supplying 10 computers to a youth group that teaches young people the skills necessary to be job-ready, buying arts and crafts from innumerous people and groups so that the profit made from selling them in Canada can be returned to them for future projects.

These are just some of the projects that I can remember right now.  There was so much more, we worked very hard, from sun-up to sundown, from the time that we landed almost until the time we took off.  And yet, overall, I would have to say that the trip was one of the most selfish things that I have ever done.  As any volunteer would tell you, what you get from giving is so much more than what you give.

While I was in Kenya the most common emotions that I felt were of admiration and shame.  Admiration for the people of Kenya and their culture; and shame, not of myself, but of our people and our culture.

While many people in Kenya live in abject poverty, and there seems a healthy realization of the reality of the situation, there is still in many an overarching sense of hope; of respect for both one’s self, each other and their country; and a strong will to do whatever each person can to improve the situation. Without the trappings of our culture, there is a greater sense of community.  People know each other better, live more closely together and greet each other more personally.  In many ways I imagine going there is much like time-warping back to the 50s and dropping onto Mayberry.  I admire that, and I’ll explain why later.

After experiencing the way that people live in Kenya, and realizing how little one truly needs to live it is now contemptible to me the way that we live in our culture.  Day after day we live a life of senseless and needless accumulation and consumption, all in the name of “need” when in reality we could all live with so much less.  Our consumption is depleting the world of valuable resources – doing untold harm.  If we redirected those resources to the betterment of the less privileged all of humanity would be better off.  The impoverished for having more, us for having less.

Maybe then, we as a culture wouldn’t be as isolated.  Isolated in our homes in front of our televisions or travelling cocooned in our cars.  We seem to live isolated and in fear.  In fear of each other, in fear of the world around us, afraid to let our kids go out and play.  By having less I believe we would be more dependent on one another, know each other better.  Then maybe our kids could play in the streets, with each other, instead of via text messages and online games.  People could walk about with their heads up, saying hello to one another, instead of isolated by ear buds, heads down, mistaking text messages for conversations.  Then maybe we too would be a people instead of a collection of individuals.

And that is what I admire about the Kenyan people – they are a people.  Whatever they are in, they’re in it together.  They have resilience beyond anything that we have having to survive so much hardship each and every day.  Realizing their plight, making no apologies for it and working hard to improve it.

So what does all of that mean to me?  Ada & I are taking steps to realign the way that we live our lives.  We’re taking steps to reduce our overall consumption and diverting the resources to help the less privileged, both here and in Kenya.  I know that even the smallest contribution here can equate to a life changing difference to someone there.  After all “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”(Helen Keller 1880 – 1968)

My only fear – maybe then they’ll be more like us.

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iPad shot of iTunes Match uploading to cloud

Today’s screen shot if of my iPad showing all my music being uploaded to iTunes Match.  It’s a new service available from iTunes.  You upload your music to the cloud.  It’s saved there, titles and artwork are applied, even to illegally obtained music (for now).  Your music is then available to you streaming to any device, any time, anywhere.  I have about 125 gig of music that’s now available to me wherever I may be.  It takes a while to upload though.  Check it out in iTunes…it’s pretty cool.

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Tags: IPad, iphone, iTunes, iTunes Match, Project Screenshot 365

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My Home Screen/Wallpaper

For my first screen shot I thought I’d use my wallpaper.  I took this picture while on lay-over in Amsterdam this fall.  We took the train into town and walked to the Ann Frank museum.  On the way back we walked past the Pancake Bakery.  There was a young lady reading a book outside.  I couldn’t resist and asked her if I could take her picture.  Once home I ran it through photoshop and “posterized” it.  I thought it turned out great and have used it for about a month as my wallpaper and home screen.  Hope you like it too.

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Wordpress Twitter Post

This is a screenshot of a Twitter post by WordPress that led me to Project Screenshot 365.  WordPress is what I use to post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and to my webpage.  The article asks the question, “if you were going to blog about 1 thing for the entire year, what would it be?”  Frankly I don’t think there’s anything that interests me enough, that would interest you, that I can blog about every day/365. But then I thought…what about a portal into my life…via my iPhone.

My iPhone is with me all the time, it is now an integral part of my life.  From the moment I wake, to the moment I go to bed, my phone is with me.  I use it for phone calls, email, diabetes management, reading news articles, still and video photography, tracking stocks, listening to books and music, social media and more.  So I thought if I took one screen shot a day, every day for a year, it would be the impetus for blogging about various topics as well as give a glimpse into my life, real estate, and how one individual lives with and utilizes an iPhone.  I’ll try to keep it interesting, and hope you enjoy.

All the best for a safe, happy and prosperous 2012

S.

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Desiderata – 1927

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy

Max Ehrmann  1827-1945

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Today was a great day.  WE began with a early breakfast at our favourite place the Jave House.  I ordered their special which was a waffle and it never came so I only had a Chai Tea Latte for breakfast.  When I got back to Rosa Mystica I ate a granola bar and we were off at 9:30.  Sammy, our favourite taxi driver picked us up and we were off to the Elephant Sanctuary.  This is only open for 1 hour a day and other team members really need to talk about it because I have been there 7  times,  However it is really awesome.  Then we went to the Giraffe Centre and the team members really enjoyed seeing the giraffes’ up close and personal. Ada refused to kiss the giraffe but she did feed the giraffes’s from her hand.  She is a neat and clean freak but we all lpve her to pieces. 

 We have al l developed these nose problems, but it is from the dust and pollution but we are taking lots of reactine and Halls.  We then went to Mat Bronze, a great art gallery of bronze things and had lunch there.  Our taxi driver Sammy is amazing and as Steve says drivinginKenya is civil insanity.  Sammy manages to get us around and we are all still alive.

 The best part of the day for me was the Maasai Market.  It drove the team members crazy but I loved it.  I did all the negotiating, which is really something for me.  The rest of the team would say “Goto theold woman over there and she will get our prices for us.”  It really was lots of fun but very exhausting.

We went and had a great dinner with wine and great conversation.  It was nice to have one day realixing and not having to deal with what is really happening to the poor  of Kenya.  Tomorrow will be another day and we will handle it well.  This really is an amazing team.

Sandy

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Maasai Women

Today we drove out to Maasai Land (which is different from the Masa Mara).  There is a group of women there that have a cooperative.  It took them 10 years to convince the men of village to allow the women to form the group, and allow the women to run it themselves.  There is 112 women in the cooperative.  It was their Matriarch Agnes, and their business manager Catharine that we met with two mornings ago to make all of the arrangements.

First we drove by private van to Ngong where their shop is.  It’s at this shop that they sell all of the bead work that they produce.  This allows them to sustain themselves.  With families it’s about 700 people.  Their shop is quite nice, in a bustly part of the city.  Ada, Kathy and Sandy bought a lot of stuff.  I’ve been losing some weight so I needed a new belt.  I bought a traditional Maasai design leather belt.  If you see me wearing it in Canada, just say it’s cool!  I don’t care to know otherwise.

From Ngong we drove out to Maasai Land.  It was quite the drive.  I’d heard that the roads were rough because it was going to be difficult getting someone to deliver the food for the distribution.  We were is a van, probably used at one time for safaris, but it certainly wasn’t meant for this kind of driving.  The ruts and washouts on this road were incredible.  This was off-roading, and would have been fun except we weren’t in a jeep, and there wasn’t any mud, just dust.

The landscape for as far as the eye could see, and we could see far because we were on mountain roads, was parched.  There didn’t seem to be any green anywhere.  Sandy told us that what is usually lush green forest was cactus, dust and trees stripped bare of their leaves, either by the sun, or foraging livestock and giraffes. 

We did see a group or family (not sure of the proper term) of giraffes foraging.  They were off a little ways, but we certainly got a good impression of their size and the grace with which they move.  The gentle giants of the desert. 

The Maasai women greeted us one-by-one, the majority of them if full regalia.  The blaze of colour and the wonderful song made for an oasis of joy in an otherwise desolate location.  We were told that there was a small rain in April…nothing since.  There’s no water in the dams or reservoirs.  We made arrangements for water to be delivered. 

The women greeted us with song and dance.  Our friend Alistair recorded the event for us.  After we return to Canada I will post the video.  It was wonderful.

After the food distribution the women all sang again to us, a song of thanks and praise.  They also presented each of us with a beautiful necklace.  Each is a stylized dove, representing peace and love, beaded in traditional Maasai colors.  Unless you see me at a Hope2Kenya presentation you won’t see me wearing it.  If you do, tell me how cool it is.  Sometimes it’s OK to lie.

It’s been a long day, we’re all going to be now…good night.

Steve

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