Canada not linked to U.S. market troubles

The melt down of the U.S. real estate market has left many home buyers wondering if and how it may affect the housing market in Canada. Market analysts say the problems in the U.S. will have little impact on the Canadian market.

According to a recent house price survey report, Canada's resale housing market remained on solid ground during the 3rd. quarter, as high consumer confidence, strong employment rates and stable interest rates led to robust buyer demand and a rise in house prices. " Much like the Canadian dollar, the Canadian housing market is charting it's own course, quite independently from the United States and it's currency and housing market.

The strength of the Canadian dollar and the fact that the country is adjusting well to it's value, will continue to keep interest rates at low to moderate levels. Boding well for buyers looking to enter the market.

In Barrie 2007 was an exceptional year for residential sales. 2008 looks to be a very healthy market as well. With about a 3% to 4% increase predicted in prices. The addition of the GO Train connecting Barrie to Toronto should increase the desirability of buyers from the GTA looking for affordable housing.

All in all we expect 2008 to be another strong year in residential sales.

Our first entry

Welcome to Pat and Colin's real estate blog. Well, I'm sitting here at the keyboard thinking, now what. Very quickly I have discovered what writers block is all about. It's very exciting for Pat and I to enter into the world of blogging. Trust me these posts will get a lot better.

The one thing that has surprised me is how easy it was to get the blog up and running. I can't say enough about blogger.com. For anyone reading this and I hope there is someone out there that has stumbled upon our blog, If you have thought of blogging and have something to say, give it a try.

Future posts will have considerable real estate content and some personal observations, so please come back and check us out. Colin