Last week, the Toronto developer (Cadan Inc.) of Kitchener’s Tannery District back-peddled a little bit over its plans to demolish four historic tannery buildings in order to put in more parking. It still plans to demolish the buildings, but now the developer says they want to build a “mixed-use” building. The gravel parking lot will be temporary and the five-level parking garage is no longer the plan.

That’s progress, I guess. But, the historic buildings still have to go, says the Toronto developer.

The developer believes that the public will come around after we see the great work they’ve done so far. The developer says the public will drop its opposition to the destruction of the historic buildings. The developer says they are going to salvage as much of the material as they can to reuse in the main building. The developer says they are going to demolish the historic Lang Tannery Buildings. There will be no debate.

In the past, the city of Kitchener has acknowledged the historic importance of these buildings. To me, it seems now, that our Kitchener counselors are sitting by and waiting for the show.

I wonder if the developer will use dynamite or a wrecking ball.

Filed under: Around Kitchener Waterloo, editorial, general news by Keith Marshall
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Although this 30 bedroom, 23 bathroom house is about two years from completion, due to tough economic times, the owner, timeshare mogul David Siegal has been forced to stop construction and put it up for sale. At an asking price of $75 million, this extra large house will appeal to the ultra rich and those who have a thing for the Palace of Versailles, of which the home is modeled after.

The house features its own roller-skating rink, Olympic-size pool, and a bowling alley. It is the largest family home in America. Located in Orange County, California (naturally) on Lake Butler, it’s close to schools, restaurants and shopping.

http://www.luxuo.com/luxury-locations/biggest-house-america.html

Filed under: general news, just for fun, real estate by Keith Marshall
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I bet 40 years ago when the plans were being drawn up to put in the Conestoga Parkway, the pubic was crying, “Why do we need that?” Well, we do. If you’ve tried to get across London, Ontario anytime of day, you can just imagine how bad our local traffic might be if we hadn’t had the foresight to build it.

With less than 5% of our local population riding to work, the city of Kitchener’s $6 million plan is also very forward looking. Bike lanes and paths are in sync with our plans for a high-density urban environment with light rail, pedestrian friendly…kind of like Europe.

The city of Kitchener’s proposed cycling master plan calls for increasing to 120 kilometers (from 45) the lanes and trails dedicated to bicycles. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details with agreements and responsibilities shared between our many levels of local governments; the plan is a long-term one (20 years), and cyclists don’t really like lanes, they prefer paths.

But it’s a start.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/714197

Filed under: Around Kitchener Waterloo, editorial by Keith Marshall
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You could go to Canadian Tire and get a “For Sale” sign. You could call one of several “do-it-yourself home-selling services” where part of their advice is to advertise in the newspaper (DO you have any idea how expensive a puny ad is?). Or you could save yourself a lot of money, time, resources, emotional disquietude and risk and hire a professional realtor to help.

First of all, let’s talk about the money. As a private seller, you will have to pay for everything: your newspaper advertising, feature sheets, signs, fees for your lawyer, stager, documents from the city… Also, buyers know you’re saving the commission, and buyers are pretty well informed. Expect tough negotiations to take a chunk of the commission you thought you saved, back out of your pocket.

In our current market, homes listed with realtors and advertised on MLS are selling in about 35 days. Private sales tend to be much, much longer. Promoting your home is like a full time job. You’ll have to try to stay on the front page of Kijiji. You’re going to have to advertise in the Waterloo Region Record, take your own pictures, write your own copy. You’re going to have to find your own buyers because buyers aren’t looking for you. You might not be surprised to know that the majority of private sellers end up working with a realtor.

Besides being copywriter, photographer, internet wiz-kid, negotiator, presenter, stager, cleaner, painter, host, answering service, advertiser…you’ll have to be able to find a good lawyer, an inspector, a banker or mortgage broker, tradesmen, experts in other fields…and then there is the ever-changing and complicated process where real estate law governs nearly every phase of selling your house. One small mistake and the entire deal you’ve worked so hard to get can fall through or worse, a lawsuit can ensue.

It’s emotionally tough to sell your home. I’m not talking about all the memories of graduation parties and Christmases past, dinner with the family, movie night, that sort of thing. I’m talking about potential buyers saying they’ll be coming through with an offer tomorrow and then they never call again or they come in with a low-ball and insulting offer and tell you everything that’s wrong with your house. I’m talking about buyers arriving at your door unannounced or saying that they will be there at 5:30 and then not showing up till 7:30 or at all. You’ll be getting lots of phone calls too from realtors. Some of the phone calls you get won’t go so well. Your neighbors will come to your open house and comment on your decorating choices, and what about the people you don’t know? Are they potential buyers or are they “casing the joint”? Certainly you won’t want to have your children home alone after school if you have a “For Sale by Owner” sign on your front lawn.

Do you have the emotional stability to put yourself and your family through a long and unpredictable home selling process? Wouldn’t it be better to get the job done safely and quickly with expert advice and knowledge?

Knowing what I know, I’d hire a realtor.

Filed under: home owners, msl, Selling Real Estate by Keith Marshall
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A few days ago, I was blogging about how to spot a grow-op and the dangers of buying a former grow-op house. It’s timely. Early Monday morning Kitchener Police responding to a 911 call stumbled upon a marijuana growing operation.

It wasn’t a big operation; more of a hobby farm. With the street value of about $300,000, approximately 300 marijuana plants were seized. Three Kitchener residents have been charged.

http://www.570news.com/news/local/article/58426–over-300-pot-plants-seized

Filed under: Around Kitchener Waterloo, general news by Keith Marshall
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