Issue 537 | The Election Closest to Home  

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In 27 days, we get to make a decision about who will help shape the communities we live in for the next four years, and there is certainly no shortage of people asking us for the job.

Across Guelph and Wellington County, 180 people have put their names forward for elected office this fall. In Guelph alone, 49 people are competing for the mayor's chair and 12 council seats. Across Wellington County's seven municipalities, another 96 people are seeking local mayor and council positions, along with candidates...

Issue 536 | Meanwhile, Life Went On 

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Meanwhile, Life Went On 

I spent much of the last 10 days cycling along the Danube River with my wife and three other couples from our street and, quite unintentionally, conducting a small experiment: I stopped paying much attention to the news.

Not completely, of course. It’s pretty difficult to disappear from the world anymore. But I wasn’t starting the morning with the newspaper, checking headlines throughout the day or sitting down in the evening to hear everything that had happened while I was out riding. It...

Issue 535 | Control the Controllables

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Control the Controllables

There's certainly no shortage of things competing for our attention right now.

The latest round of trade tensions has brought tariffs and economic uncertainty back into the conversation. We're watching interest rates, government policy, employment numbers and consumer confidence, while economists continue trying to determine what all of it might mean for the months ahead.

Then there's the real estate market, where buyers and sellers understandably want to know what prices will do next,...

Issue 534 | 25 Years Later, What Still Matters?

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25 Years Later, What Still Matters?

Twenty-five years ago this week, I remember on a beautiful September morning, my world froze and I was glued to a television as something almost impossible to comprehend unfolded in front of us.

Like millions of people, I wondered what September 11 would mean. What would happen next? How would the world change? And, at a much smaller and more personal level, what would it mean for our families, businesses and communities?

We know now that the world did change. There...

Issue 534 | 25 Years Later, What Still Matters?

Click above to watch this week's video!

25 Years Later, What Still Matters?

Twenty-five years ago this week, I remember on a beautiful September morning, my world froze and I was glued to a television as something almost impossible to comprehend unfolded in front of us.

Like millions of people, I wondered what September 11 would mean. What would happen next? How would the world change? And, at a much smaller and more personal level, what would it mean for our families, businesses and communities?

We know now that the world did change. There...

Issue 533 | The Market Isn't Moving. People Are.

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The Market Isn't Moving. People Are.

Two of the more interesting real estate conversations I've had recently have almost nothing to do with this fall market. Both are with clients who expect changes in their lives during the second half of 2027, and neither is planning to put a For Sale sign on the lawn anytime soon.

Instead, we're beginning to talk now about what their eventual move might look like, what needs to happen between now and then, and how the real estate decision fits into the larger plans...

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There has been no shortage of unsettling economic and political news again this week. Trade uncertainty, markets trying to interpret what comes next, and another steady stream of headlines are giving buyers and sellers plenty of reasons to wonder whether it might be better to simply wait.

Interestingly, so far our local real estate market appears to have largely shrugged its shoulders.

Homes are still being bought and sold. People are downsizing, separating, relocating, settling estates, changing jobs, having children and dealing with all of those...

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For long stretches over the past decade, a strong real estate market and rapidly improving technology did a remarkable amount of the work for us.

Homes went onto MLS®, appeared almost immediately on Realtor.ca and other websites, buyers received automated alerts, social media expanded the audience and open houses gave people another opportunity to walk through the front door. In a market with strong demand and generally rising prices, that combination often produced a buyer.

It also made it very easy to confuse exposure with strategy. Today’s market...

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Market Snapshot | The Numbers Are Still Soft, but Something Is Changing

If you looked only at the headlines around the real estate market right now, it would be easy to conclude that not much is happening. Prices across Wellington County continue to move lower, days on market have crept up again, and inventory continues to put pressure on sellers.

The numbers are still soft, and I don’t want to suggest otherwise. What has caught my attention, however, is that the pace of the decline appears to be slowing. Transaction volume was down approximately...

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Paul’s Observation | A Busier Market Is Not Necessarily a Better Market

Over the past several weeks, our team has been speaking with sellers who are hesitant to list during the summer. The conversation usually sounds something like, “Why don’t we wait until the fall when there are more buyers in the market?”

The logic makes sense. Fall often brings renewed buyer activity as holidays end and people get back into their routines. It can also bring another wave of listings from sellers who decided to sit out the summer.

That means the important...