Bob's Blog

It's been a very busy winter here in the Quinte Region

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:47:10 -0800

Like most Canadian realtors®, I anticipated a much quieter real estate market over the winter, and I'm delighted to say that I was proven wrong. Talk around our office has been that this is likely the busiest winter in some time, and the stats are showing that to be true, with the number of sales in February 2012 being more than 40% higher than for February one year ago!

Full details are available here - bobfoster.ca/real_estate_news.htm

It looks like things are set up for a very good spring season.

Canadian F-18's over Libya

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:08:53 -0700

I live in the beautiful Quinte Region in Southern Ontario, Canada, but when I need to get the lastest news about what is happening in Libya, at a convenient time, I must admit that I am tuning in to CNN more often than I am to our own news services.

There are more important things involved in this conflict than giving credit to all of the nations involved, but I do find that the Canadian contribution to this effort to this action is seldom mentioned, and, with a son and daughter-in-law both serving in our armed forces, that does sadden me.

With some hesitation, I am going to offer a reprint here (forwarded from a friend) that says something about about the contribition that our country makes, often lost in comparison to the efforts of larger nations.

Thank you to my son, my daughter-in-law, and all those who selflessly make this contribution both to our nation and to others around the world.

- Bob Foster

***

Reprint from The Telegraph, a British Newspaper

The Country the World Forgot - Again
By Kevin Myers 12:01AM BST 21 Apr 2002

UNTIL the deaths last week of four Canadian soldiers accidentally killed by a US warplane in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops were deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will now bury its dead, just as the rest of the world as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price which Canada pays for sharing the North American Continent with the US, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: it seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.

Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10 per cent of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular memory as somehow or other the work of the "British". The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third largest navy and the fourth largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign which the US had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and film-makers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer British. It is as if in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakeably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1 per cent of the world's population has provided 10 per cent of the world's peace-keeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peace-keepers on earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peace-keeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement which has entered the popular non-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the US knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost.

This weekend four shrouds, red with blood and maple leaf, head homewards; and four more grieving Canadian families know that cost all too tragically well.

*****

Groundhog Day Storm Image

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:56:41 -0800

Here's a link to copy of the large (1800x1080 pixel) Nasa image of the "Groundhog Day Storm". If you load this in your browser and you see a magnifying glass cursor as you mover your mouse over the image, please click it again to see the full-sized image (1.1 Mb.)

See the full-size image.

Nasa Details: Three images aboard NASA's Terra satellite were use to create this image of the storm system. They were captured on January 31 at 10:30 AM , 12:05 PM, and 1:45 PM EST.

Further details are available on the Nasa.gov website.

Country Acreage - close to the city!

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:17:12 -0800

Just listed - 14.5 acres of rolling land with open fields, mixed bush, and a great view, only 9 minutes north of the Quinte Mall in Belleville, Ontario.

The country home has been very extensively renovated and upgraded. Complete details, along with a slideshow and video tour are available on its website at -

http://286smith.info/

The video is also on YouTube at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8TBKIoFaII

Municipal by-laws allow for keeping horses on this property.

If you would like further details or to arrange a tour of this property, please feel free to contact me directly on my cell phone at 613 921 3933.

- Bob Foster

2010 was a positive year for residential sale prices in the Quinte Region

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:44:00 -0800

The real estate market was stable with moderate growth in the Quinte region through 2010. Total dollar sales were up 3.2% and average residential sale prices were up 4.7% compared to last year.

One unusual feature of the statistics for December 2010 was that prices remained relatively high even though there was a significant drop in the number of sales.

We did not see the dip in average residential sale prices that often occurs in winter months. In fact, the average residential sale price last month was very stable compared to October and November, and a remarkable 7.2% higher than is was in December 2009. In spite of the fact that prices remained fairly strong, there was a significant decrease in the volume of sales, however. There were only 112 residential sales in December 2010 compared to 145 in December 2009, and the dollar volume of sales was down 17.2%

A similar trend for December (prices high, but fewer sales) was noted in many parts of the country. Please see this Globe and Mail article published on January 14th.

To see a graph showing average residential sale prices for all of 2009 and 2010, please click the thumbnail image below.

A longitudinal graph of average residential sale prices in our area is updated on my website monthly at

http://bobfoster.ca/real_estate_news.htm

If I can be of assistance in showing you properties in our area, or if you would like to discuss the possibility of marketing your home using my Internet Advantage Service, please feel free to contact me on my direct cell line at any time - 613 921 3933.

Yes, Viginia. Gremlins do exist.

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:16:02 -0800

GREMLINS! Yes, they do exist and they live in computers. The story is too long to repeat here, but it took me almost nine hours to do a video that should have been done in three. It's safely in the arms of YouTube now. Does anyone want to buy a country condo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjDZDIypQcY

Chestnuts Roasting, Fail!

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:05:58 -0800

Ok. There are some pretty smart people out there on AR, so maybe you can give me some help with this one.

Chestnuts, check.

Fire with nice coals, check.

Metal coal shovel thing to put them on, check.

So I put the chestnuts on the coal shovel, placed it on the coals and went to tell my wife that I was roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

She came back 30 seconds later to see them burning very nicely with flames 6 inches high!

"Hmmmm.. they must have a lot of oil in them," she said.

By the time I grabbed the camera they had been relegated to being fuel.

So does someone have a better approach?

A Surrender to iPhone 4 - and my Inner Geek is very happy : )

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:46:22 -0700

Ok.

I am/was a Blackberry user. Great business tool, no question. I like the keyboard, so I watched for more than a year as my son went on to produce iPhone applications.

I was still a Blackberry user. (You must get a lot of mistakes pushing virtual buttons on the sceen, don't you? Well, don't you???)

Then, the trackball was going on my 8330 Curve, and there was that unfortunate incident with my dropping the Blackberry into some water ... yikes! And even though it recovered, I had visions of things rusting inside. The time had come. I needed a replacement.

Someone mentioned 250,000 applications.

So I am now the proud owner of an iPhone 4, and I am amazed.

Please understand that I have been heavily involved with computers for a very long time. In my former career as an educator, I was responsible for leading a team who helped other teachers implement computer use in classrooms. I remember looking at my Palm Pilot, and taking to my team - "I wonder how ling it will be until they come out with a handheld dveice that does it all - phone, internet, photos, video, music, databases, etc."

Obviously, we are there, and well beyond that point now.

So, now I can easily

- answer my emails
- suft the 'Net
- text message
- listen to music
- check the most immediate weather forecast
- read books on Kindle
- get directions on GPS
- take 5 Mp pictures, or do complete house tours with 720p video (and edit them with iMovie)
- post videos to YouTube
- check in on Facebook
- watch movies on several sources, including YouTube
- use Skype
- go on eBay
- play games
- check out Google Earth, or Nasa broadcasts

and

well, thousands of things that I have not had time to explore in the 5 days that I have had the iPhone 4.

And all of the on a display where, honestly, there are no more dots. Just vibrant images.

Consider me ... sold.

A Close Encounter of the Green Kind

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:38:15 -0700

I'm lucky enough to live out in the country on 29.9 acres, with the part surrounding our house being in a very wild state. When I parked my car today, this guy was looking at me from the wall. I set him on some leaf litter and took this picture.

Jabba The Hutt?

No, as you can likely tell from the pine needles, he was only about an inch and a half long - a common tree frog. It was nice to catch a picture of him, though, before he adjusted his camoflage to become part of the scenery.

A couple of thoughts struck me when I looked at this picture this evening.

To us, a tree frog is a tree frog, but my guess is that the individual markings we see around his mouth and eyes make this little fellow just as much an individual to his fellow frogs as we are to each other. And then my realtor self reflects on the thought that we never deal with generic "clients". Every person we meet is different, as is every solution, as we try to help them take the next important step in their lives.

My second thought was that I was really, really happy to see this little fellow on our property. Miners used to carry canaries into the mines to provide an early warning of when noxious gases might prove fatal. We now know that the greatly endangered amphibian population on this planet is telling us that we need to be much more cautious about how we are affecting the environment, for ourselves and all of the world's creatures.

These are large messages, but for now I need to settle back to enjoying my close encounter of the green kind today. I am happy that our place provides a good home for this fellow, and all his froggy freinds who live in and around our goldfish pond.

I hope that my grandchildren will also grow to live in a world they can share with creatures like these.

Missing Monarch Butterflies

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:33:56 -0700

Despite many years of a declining monarch butterfly population here in southern Ontario, Canada, we have been lucky here on our rural land, partly because we maintain milkweed stands where they occur naturally on our roadsides and in hedgerows. Most years we still get a good showing of monarchs, at time with half a dozen or so seen fluttering around at once.

This year is different.

The milkweed is up, the fragrant flowers are fully open, but the monarchs are missing.

This morning I was driving through several of our rural roads with camera at the ready, and I found just one survivor. This one was quite intent to keep going, so I wasn't able to geet a good picture, but there is it is - July 13th, and this is the first and only monarch I have seen this year.

This CBS online broadcast from April 11, 2010 does a good job of describing the challenges the butterfly is facing in its winter nesting areas in Mexico.

If you would like further information about this problem, please check out the following links.

Globe and Mail article by Matthew Hart, July 5th, 2008

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News - 2009

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News - 2008

Have you ever heard of a "Scuttlehole"?

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 11:18:25 -0700

I understand that the term Scuttlehole was used in pioneer times for the hole that was used to access the attic of the home. Perhaps you had to scuttle (scurry) to get up there. It was also used to refer to the a small hole with a movable lid on the deck or hull of a ship.

A scuttle could also be a metal pan for carrying coals, or a shallow open basket for carrying vegetables, flowers or grain.

The scuttleholes still to be found in our area, though, are none-of-the-above. They are geological formations on the Moira River.

Some details are available on a website I prepared for one of my listings -

http://yourcountryhome.ca/location.htm

It's okay to ask for help

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:21:06 -0700

The Organic Underground Cafe is closing ... or maybe not.

Our Century 21 Office in Belleville, Ontario is located across the street from a remarkable little cafe called the Organic Underground that was founded by Katharine Davis and her community of like-minded friends about three years ago.

Perhaps the best way to describe it is to use part of the notice that Katharine posted on the Organic Underground website a couple of days ago. It sets out her initial vision for the cafe, one that has been achieved with remarkable success -

"Three years ago this June, I opened the Organic Underground in downtown Belleville.

"From inception, I imagined a space that would exemplify the reality that so many of us want to see in the world.

"This was to be a space where people who live in a common geographic area, would come together – often for the first time, and build a community.

"I imagined a child friendly environment where the sound of a baby crying or children playing would be, not only tolerated, but enjoyed.

"I ordered 'breastfeeding friendly' stickers for the windows and bathroom, gay/lesbian rainbow stickers for the front door. I sourced out environmentally friendly containers and paper products for the cafe. I dreamed of Indie art all over the walls, local musicians and developing bands making use of the small stage.

"I wanted to have a cafe where everybody got to eat and we acknowledged a 'pay what/when you can' system for people who struggled to afford food.

"I imagined street people, and lawyers having lunch in the same place eating the same quality food."

Katherine's note goes on to show the remarkable degree to which that vision has become a reality in this small cafe, then, sadly, it states that the financial end of things has not gone as well. She refers to staff members who have been unpaid since last November, but who have "chosen to volunteer their endless passion to ensure the continuation of the Organic Underground" and acknowledges that "Our insistence on feeding anyone and including every member of our community has cost us financially."

You can read the full story here, for now at least, until the front page article for the cafe website is changed.

So, I wonder what that page will say a week from now. Will this be one more attempt to create a vital community that falters on economic grounds, or is it just possible that enough people will notice and help to make it viable again?

I dropped over to see Katharine a few minutes ago to pick up one of the grilled cheese sandwiches for which CBC radio and television personality Jion Gomeshi is quoted as having said, "A finer grilled cheese will not to be had," and Katharine was smiling. Responses are starting to come in from all over the world, and the TV cameras arrive tomorrow.

Using Print and Online Advertising Together - The Power of Synergy

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 13:08:40 -0700

For the past couple of years the power of Internet advertising has been highlighted in statistics that show that 80-85% of home buyers see their new home first on the Internet. This has lead many real estate professionals to question the value of more traditional advertising, such as flyers and print ads.

The problem is that this often turns into an "either ... or" discussion (which one is better than the other?) and that totally misses the point that real answer is to use both, together.

Websites for listed properties have a geat value. That's why I construct a comprehensive site for every property I list. They provide a much more complete presentation that is available in limited print space, they are still available long after newspaper ads are in the recycling bin, and they serve a variety of purposes from engaging initial interest in a property to providing those who have already seen the property with an easily available set of pictures or video if small details about the tour are lost to one's memory.

The trouble is, with so many billions of pages out there clamouring for attention on the Internet, what are the chances that your website will be seen? That's where local advertising comes into play. The Internet goes worldwide, and that's fine, but for the most part you want to get local people on to your website.

Here's how I do that.

1) Every ad in the newspapers gives the website address for your listing. The newspaper ad may give you 20 or 30 words and one or two pictures. The website gives your prospects dozens of pictures, video, and lots of information both about the property and the community, with appropriate links to further information.

I'm not able to publish one of my current newspaper ads here because I do not have the right to keep an ad on display after the property is sold, but the important part to notice is the bottom part of this ad. The main goal of the print ad is not to provide all the information, but to serve as a lead to the website.

(top of ad omitted)

(If I no longer have that website in use (likely because the property is sold) please see BobFoster.ca for other examples.)

2) Every lawn sign also has an extra sign attached to it giving the website address. People driving by can note the website address and take a tour online when they get home to their computers.

3) There is a mailbox on the sign that holds features sheet packages (feature sheet, listing and any supporting documents, such as surveys, all with a plastic binding). The feature sheets provide highlights, but the website address is the most obvious thing on the page. Again, print is used to drive prospects to the website.

4) Full colour photo ads are distributed in the neighbourhood. Open house dates and times are included, and the website address is prominently displayed.

In addition to print media being used to support online advertising, online connections are also important.

- the MLS ad provides a link to the website
- ads on my Century 21 website provide links to the main property website I developed.
- ads on Kijiji.ca provide a link to the website
- ads with links to the property website also appear on BobFoster.ca and YourHomeinQuinte.com
- for rural properties, a feature ad also appears on MovingToTheCountry.ca, with a link to the property website.

To sum up, online advertising is great, and I like to use it as effectively as possible, but by itself, you may end up with a wonderful website that is never noticed. It is only in providing linkages to your onine information through a variety of online and more conventional print advertising approaches, that you can harness the synergy tht develops when they are used together. This truly is a case in which the combination of advertising approaches is stronger than any one method could be on its own.

More information about my Internet Advantage Service Package, which uses the synergy described above, is available on my website at BobFoster.ca.

Adventure and Uncertainty

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:40:07 -0800

Yesterday I finished reading Tim Severin's book entitled "The Brendan Voyage", an account of the voyages that he and his crew members took in 1976 and 1977 to demonstrate that the stories about Saint Brendan and how he may have crossed the Atlantic in a leather boat back in the 6th century could be based in fact. While they took some safety precautions that would not have been available to St. Brendan, it is obvious from the narrative that their lives were in danger at many junctures on those voyages, and that the things that happened that were unpredictable outnumbered those that they were able to predict.

This evening I listened to Philip Rosedale's description of Second Life and the emergence of virtual world experiences both in gaming and on the Internet.

http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html

He sees it as inevitable that our futures will involve more use of these immersive environments, and one simple example he gave made real sense to me. He was talking about how there might be 5000 people on Amazon at any particular time (the lecture was in May 2008), but how they were all acting in isolation. Wouldn't it be much more like real life if you could look at displays in Amazon in a 3D environment, and turn to the person looking at the displays beside you to ask if they had had any experience with the product you were thinking of buying? In other words, what is still missing in much of our Internet experience is community, and that may be why social media sites are becoming so popular. Certainly, shopping in a virtual mall would only involve existing technology, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it arrive soon.

What tied the book and this lecture together was "uncertainty". We may have some idea as to where technology is going in the near future and the next two decades, but we know very little about how this will impact us, for better or worse.

The advances in technology over the past 20 years have truly been amazing, but we are on the doorstep of new advances that may arrive at an even more rapid pace. (Be sure to see the lecture recently highlighted here by Malcolm Johnston for an example of this - http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html).

It's unlikely that our predictions of what will happen in the future will be any better than the charts that St. Brendan may have used on his voyage to the New World.

All of life is an adventure.

Gold for Canada - Thanks to the US and NBC

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:40:09 -0800

What a great hockey game!

My wife and I and from Canada but we have been watching the Olympics throughout our visit to the US and I would like to comment on how extensive and fair the coverage from NBC has been. There were many times when Canadian athletes were highlighted, and we really didn't feel like we missed any of the special moments for our country.

What could be better than watching our Team Canada win as we listen to the surf outside our window in Myrtle Beach?

In the midst of the recalls - a kudo for Toyota

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:17:37 -0800

Toyota has run into some very hard times lately with all the news of recalls. I had my car in for service today and the driver for our shuttle service was talking about how the front line jobs are secure for now - working on the recalls - but the impact on sales is certainly being felt.

In the midst of all of this, I would like to acknowledge any harm that has come to those who have been affected by the defects on the Toyotas, but also look at what Toyota represents for most of us who are owners.

I have a 2010 Prius. The mileage is quite phenomenal. I can do extremely well with hypermiling techniques (up to 82 mpg US or 97 mpg CDN), but the regular runs at high speeds are also very good. I filled the tank in Belleville, Ontario, Canada filled it again in Orlando, Florida and added up the gas costs in between the two - $72.75 US. Somehow, with the rise in fuel costs that we all expect over the next decades, it looks like they are coming up with some pretty impressive technology.

My car has also been identified as one that has a software glitch in the braking system, but let me put that into perspective as well. I was recently on a run in Canada in very bad weather - when is came time to brake, the truck in front of me went into a sideways slide, as did the car behind me, but the ABS on the Prius worked perfectly and held a straight track that avoided any collision. Will I get the software patch? Of course. But was I afraid to run the car without it? No.

The bottom line is that Toyota is still doing some good work - as are many other companies, both foreign and domestic, but wherever the good ideas for the future of transportation come from, they should be valued.

Taking a break in Florida

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:42:11 -0800

It's wonderful to be down here in Florida with family while I take a bit of a break before the spring rush. We work hard, and getting away for a while is something we really need to do, even if there is no "best time" to go.

The reality of a Canadian winter will be back again soon enough. In the meantime, thanks to Jane Douglas who is handling my accounts, and to all my family members who decided to make the trek south at this time to make this vacation all that much more enjoyable.

I'll be back on duty on March 3rd!

Bob

What's going on in Florida?

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:53:52 -0800

I'm in a bit of trouble, and it's over something I simply can't control. My wife and I didn't get a holiday last year, so we looked at the Canadian winter outside our windows and I promised to take her south for a couple of weeks. We're leaving on Monday and hope to be in Kissimmee late Tuesday night.

But the weather forcast for Kissimmee on Tuesday is a high of 57 F and a low of 37 F. Much better than here, of course, but not the sort of poolside weather we were hoping for. I have already heard from my sister who is down there and her message was, "Bring sweaters!"

So, I'm sure things will improve during our stay, but this makes remember a funny incident at our local hardware store. The owner and I were talking as an older gentleman came through the door and stamped the snow off his boots.

"Can I help you find something?" said the owner.

"Sure ... what do you have that will cause a bit of global warming?"

The Small Circles in Life That Connect Us All

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:51:42 -0800

I was at the hospital with my Mom today. Her heart was failing and she was going through numerous episodes when it would stop for a while and she would go unconscious. The doctor on the emergency ward called in a specialist who started making immediate arrangements for a pacemaker.

There's a side story. Chuck Pritchett and I grew up together. We went to the same church. He got a driver's licence a year before I did, so he did much of the driving for most of our double dates. He introduced me to my first wife. Then he got married and he and his wife Camilla started raising a family. Not long after, I moved to another city and we lost contact. I think that the last time I saw him would have to be at least 12 years ago, and I hadn't seen the rest of his family for many year.

Today I noted that the specialist had Chuck's last name, and some of his mannerism were familiar. In spite of the rush I decided to ask, "Do you happen to be related Chuck and Camilla Pritchett?"

There was brief silence, then a grin, and he said, "Yes. They're my parents."

That got a huge smile from my Mom.

So ... your wallet or purse has just gone missing ... PANIC TIME?

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:14:42 -0800

Maybe not if you can benefit from my personal experience.

This happened to me several years ago. My wallet was gone. Was it stolen? Had I just misplaced it? There was no way of knowing. In my case it never turned up so I don't know what happened to it, but I can still remember the frustrations - which cards and documents did I have? ... what were the numbers? ... who do I call to tell them they are missing? ... how do a get replacements?

So I started looking through credit card statements first and had them cancelled, but then it went on so much further ... my driver's license, my insurance, my health card, my vehicle registration, professional group memberships ...

After that experience I decided that the easiest way to minimize the frustration if I ever went through this again was to walk up to the photo copier at work at least once a year, open up my wallet, then:

- put all the credit cards, driver's licence etc. on the scanner, close the lid and press Print, then

- flip the cards all over (most of the time the number to call in case of loss is on the back of the card), then press print again.

Over the years I have recommended this procedure to the staffs I have worked with, but it can now be updated to be just a scan and safe storage of a graphic on your computer if you wish. Having a back up for all the information you carry in your wallet or purse may just save you a lot of aggravation in a very difficult circumstance.

One caution - the information on your cards is just as easy for a fraud to use as the real thing, so please - store electronic copies safely, and if you print out a copy of your information from the copier, make sure that is stored safely as well.

Best regards,

Bob Foster

BobFoster.ca

My Son's iPhone Application is now featured in Apple's TV ads!

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:26:56 -0800

(re-edited) Thanks to all of you who have responded and especially to Jon Boyd who pointed out that I had the incorrect spelling for this app. I used the Canadian version of "colour", but the iPhone application is actually called "ColorChange".

***

My son, Justin, and his co-author, Bob Durie, who created the "ColorChange" iPhone app have had some great news. Apple contacted them and, out of about 100,000 apps, they have chosen to feature just ten of them on a series of TV commercials. His "ColorChange" is one of the ten -

http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/ads/#gift-hd

Way to go Justin and Bob Durie!

This app has also been well reviewed by real estate agents. Too bad I don't have an iPhone!

***

And responding to Sara Bonert ...

You can take a picture of a room with your iPhone, then choose to change the colour/ color of the wall, floor etc. It does not change everything in the picture, just the part you want to change. So, if a client says a room looks drab or too intense, you can snap a picture, change the colour of the paint, and say, "I wonder if it would look nicer in this colour?".

Prices are climbing slowly in the Quinte Region, Ontario, Canada

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:04:06 -0800

The stats for October '09 are out and, as usual, I have put them into a graph to show trends over time. The good news is that the market turmoil caused buy the financial problems last fall seems to be well behind us and the figures over the past six months show stability and even modest growth. Full details are available on the Real Estate News section of my website - http://bobfoster.ca/real_estate_news.htm

The year-to-year market increases need some explanation right now

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:51:39 -0700

Each month I take the stats from our local board and put them into a spreadsheet to produce a graph that shows what the long-term trends have been in our market here in southern Ontario, Canada.

This graph shows the trends over the past 15 months -

You can see the decline that took place last fall, the resurgence we had in the market due to pent-up demand last spring, and the up and down results we have had since last April as the market tries to deal with both good and bad news about the economy.

One of the standard measures used to look at trends in the real estate market is "How well are we doing compared to a year ago"?

The difficulty with using this measure right now, is that you need to consider what was happening a year ago and see that it was anything but a normal market. The economy of the US, then most other nations, started a decline that ran right through until January 2009 in our area. Many markets are still waiting for recovery, but by July of this year we were pretty much back to previous levels in our market.

So, as the statistics come out for the next months, through to January 2010, we will likely hear about year-to-year increases over last year's figures, but is this a result of how good thing are now, or how bad they were a year ago?

The answer has to be - a little of both. We are very fortunate to have an economy that has shown good recovery, but if we are told that prices are up by 5 or 10%, this is a good time to ask, "Compared to what?"

No. We don't need longer school days and a longer school year.

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:22:48 -0700

"Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," the president said earlier this year. "Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom." - Barack Obama

***

I was an educator for 38 years. I taught greades JK though 8, grade 12 English, special education. music, andcourses for teachers at the university level. I was a vice-Principal and I spent 8 1/2 years as coordinator for our local board of education in Ontario, Canada.

I understand Obama's motivation in making this statement. North America is getting hammered by international competition, but I think he is wrong about the need to have longer school days and longer school years for three reasons.

1) First, ask yourself ... would I be a more effective, better balanced, and happier person now if I had spent a lot more time in school?

2) I am tired of hearing about our academic results being compared to those of kids in asian countries. A while ago there was a team of Japanese educators sent over to North America to study our systems and try to solve a serious problem - how to prevent having so many of their teenagers commit suicide under the pressure of schooling and examinations.

3) I know that most teachers do their best ... but look at the system. 20 -30 kids are crammed into a classroom and force fed a curriculum that they had no say in designing, ok, actually one that none of their parents helped to design either. Keep costs low ... treat academic learning as the only measure of success, and basically, you get what we've got. Do you really want more of the same?

I learned to read because of Huckleberry Finn.

I learned division because my sister and I couldn't play a game of marbles fairly if the bag full was not evenly divided.

I learned to investigate the best way of doing thigs because if you grab a crawfish the wrong way, it pinches you - hard.

I learned responsibility, manners, and respect for authority at home.

I learned cooperation, empathy and joy from my friends.

When I grew up and really wanted to learn how to do something, I studied. I don't remember being told how to do research in school, but when I needed those skills to complete a B.A., a masters program, and a doctorate, I knew what to do.

I can't see how I could have been any better prepared for life if my school days and school year had been longer.

Let's back off and give our kids time to be kids.

Market Trends in the Quinte Region - Ontario, Canada

Bob Foster (Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:34:09 -0700

Each month I post the average residential sales stats for our region using MLS data. This month I have started to provide a bit different analysis that goes beyond month to month variations and looks at trends that occur within what statisticians sometimes refer to as the "tube" of variation.

In other words, whether this month was a few points higher or lower than the previous month is not as important as seeing the general trend that occurs across months.

Think of a marble bouncing around in a tube. If you were to take a snapshot at any particular moment, the marble might be near the top of the tube, or at the bottom, or somewhere in between. That sort of variation is not as important as being able to see if the tube is generally heading upwards, or stable, or heading downwards.

My latest graphics are intended to interpret our market activity in this way.

For a clearer full-size graphic, and further information about these market trends, please visit

http://bobfoster.ca/real_estate_news.htm