:: Lake and its Waterfront properties sucked into the ground! :: - 05/31/07 01:29 PM

In 1980 Texaco was doing exploratory drilling for oil in Lake Peigneur, a shallow man-made lake near New Iberia, Louisiana. They drilled right through the lake and into a salt mine below creating an opening in the bottom of the lake like pulling the bathtub plug. The resulting chain of events might make one reconsider purchasing waterfront property, especially on a lake with an oil derrick smack dab in the middle.The drilling company, Texaco and Wilson Brothers paid $32 million (USD) to Diamond Crystal and $12.8 million to nearby Live Oak Gardens in out-of-court settlements to compensate for the damage … (0 comments)

:: 10 Golden Lessons From Steve Jobs- CEO of Apple :: - 05/30/07 08:59 PM
  1 “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
2 “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.  3 "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” 4 “You know, we don’t grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make. We speak a language that other people developed. We use a mathematics that other people evolved… I mean, we’re constantly taking … (25 comments)

:: Blonde Realtors have more fun :: - 05/30/07 11:30 AM
Disclosure: Some of my best friends have blonde hair, some of the smartest people I know have blonde hair and there is a chance of one making it to the Oval office in the next election. If I look at the top 20 Realtors for my area one common thread amongst many of them is, that's right, Blonde hair. With that said I think I've covered myself sufficiently and invite you to watch this funny video Have a great day. gimmeshelter.ca BarrieRealEstateBlog.com HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com
… (10 comments)

:: Is Title Insurance a good investment for buyers? :: - 05/30/07 09:02 AM

Home buyers are faced with an assortment of expenses in addition to the purchase price of their new home; do they really need to add a $250 to $300 title insurance policy to that?
Though increasingly popular, title insurance is not a requirement when purchasing a home in Ontario but considering its benefits you could well decide it is a worthwhile component of your overall real estate investment that will prove to be a bargain on the remote chance its protection is called to task.
Title insurance helps protect you in the event that previous forgery and fraud has taken … (1 comments)

:: My Favorite Real Estate Ads :: - 05/25/07 08:46 PM
 Take a look at these actual news paper ads  I found on the internet.
No matter how busy you get, it is always worth your while to proof read your ad copy. Nothing more frustrating than having your weekend ads come out and the address is wrong or the price is wrong or worse...
 

 
 Have you added your link yet? 
Click the graphic to go to the page 
gimmeshelter.ca BarrieRealEstateBlog.com HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com
… (14 comments)

:: Join the Active Rain - Million Link Blog Post :: - 05/25/07 11:30 AM
 
       

Please no nasty stuff that will spoil the fun for everyone else.
I'm going to cut this off at one million links so you better hurry.
Mike Montague
Sutton Group Incentive Realty Inc. 
                                                                                             
                                                       
… (43 comments)

:: Home prices, sales still sizzling :: - 05/25/07 10:19 AM
 
By TAVIA GRANT Globe and Mail
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Canadian home prices and sales both set records last month, a stark contrast to a wilting housing market south of the border.
The average price of a home jumped 9.5 per cent in April from a year ago to $323,936, the Canadian Real Estate Association said yesterday.
Canada's real estate market remains hot amid historically low mortgage rates and a jobless rate approaching its best level in 30 years.
It's a different picture in the U.S., where sales, home prices and builders' profits are dwindling while mortgage defaults are … (2 comments)

: You can't get fillet minion from ground round - Same can be said for Realtors :: - 05/23/07 04:49 PM
My response comment to Tim on Elizabeth Ruvo's Active Rain blog this morning got me off on the right foot.  She was good enough to let me paste it here on my blog. Have a look. 
 from Tim:
"I would encourage all of the real estate agents that have posted here and think you act in the best interest of the seller to go read Freakonomics.  Your incentive to get the seller an extra $10,000 on the value of a home is exactly $300 (.03 * 10,000).  Do you really work an extra week, two weeks, 1 month to get your seller … (6 comments)

:: Great Moving Day Picture :: - 05/22/07 01:44 PM
 
I found this picture and had to share it with Active Rain. Sometimes no matter how hard a Realtor tries, there will always be some homes that for what ever reason just won't sell. These three home owners seem to have found a last resort solution to that problem.
Take a close look at the picture.
gimmeshelter.ca BarrieRealEstateBlog.com HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com
… (13 comments)

:: i-tunes = i-Real Estate knowledge :: - 05/20/07 11:19 AM
The net is chalk full o good information for Realtors new and old. If you are reading this you know it already, Active Rain provides a wealth of knowledge channeled from our collective noggins.
Something I discovered a while back while looking through the I-tunes podcast directory and typing the words "real estate" into the search tab, there is an endless list of audio media from trainers, top agents and various sources on the subject and it's all free for the taking. You don't have to have an ipod to subscribe, just listen to the content on your computer.
With a $20 fm … (0 comments)

:: A bold (and frightening) perspective on the future :: - 05/20/07 08:15 AM
 
The beginning of the end of life as we know it on Planet earth? 
Here is an interesting article with its basis in righting the ecological wrongs that man as a species has wrought upon the planet.  At a glance the author Paul Watson sounds like a Totalitarian lunatic but as you read through the article you have to as yourself at what point will some of  his suggestions be recognized as necessary actions and will it be too late when and if we do?
click here to go to complete article 
… (7 comments)

: Is Redfin Sucking and Blowing at the same time? :: - 05/14/07 08:28 PM
 Regarding the 60 minutes episode:
It is nice to see the outpouring of passion from members of our Profession (and the public to a degree) stemming out of this. It has encouraged many to assess and evaluate the  Professional Real Estate sales profession and most have come away reassured that yes, there is true return value in what dedicated agents do for the public. There is also much room for educating the public to this fact and what we do that makes it fact.
At the end of the day you receive no more than what you are willing to invest in … (4 comments)

:: Home Energy Saving breakthrough :: - 05/14/07 08:00 AM
 Being, or at least appearing to be environmentally conscious has taken hold in Canada and the US. It is inevitable that once you have a mindset shared by a significant number of people, politicians begin to take notice and of course being the capitalist society that we are, so does the business community. An entire industry is emerging, catering to the growing masses who are more likely to hug than cut down the hundred foot Oak leaning precariously over the kids bedrooms.
I am all for any efforts that result in the reduction of damage we are doing to the planet though … (1 comments)

:: Home Hunters - Remember the "bear" necessities :: - 05/14/07 07:57 AM
 
A rule of thumb that buyers and Realtors should treat more as the first golden rule of Real Estate purchasing is shop for your mortgage before you begin to shop for a home. Yes do some online research, check the weekend listings in the paper and even visit a couple open houses to establish what it is you want from a home and what price range your preferred home is going to fall within.
Beyond that, home hunting without first obtaining mortgage approval is akin to going bear hunting without checking first to see if you bothered to bring any bullets. … (0 comments)

:: Active Rain Members BEWARE!! :: - 05/11/07 02:41 PM
 
A company called bytheowner.com has decide that posting links to their website by way of comments on my blog posts is acceptable business practice.
I doubt they would take to kindly to my piggybacking their marketing without their expressed permission and I am hopeful yet doubtful they will extend the same courtesy to others in future.
 Do yourself a favor and check your post histories to see if this company has targeted your blog to sneak in  posted links to their own website. If so mark them as spam for the Active Rain Blog Masters to monitor.
Have a great weekend. 
gimmeshelter.ca BarrieRealEstateBlog.com HotBarrieListings.com … (22 comments)

:: Is Active Rain a Tool or a Toy? :: - 05/11/07 11:16 AM
My previous post was a request from a fellow Realtor to his peers in Active Rain.
(http://activerain.com/blogsview/95579/-Who-wants-an)
I was looking for insight that hopefully I could collect and use to help in the efforts being made to save my community from a proposed Ethanol Refinery that is making application to locate within my town.
Aside from the pungent odors common to all corn-ethanol plants, the known hazardous effects of ethanol production are exposure to over 30 different volatile organic compounds and chemicals that will be breathed in by tens of thousands that live within two miles of the proposed sight.
That post … (15 comments)

:: Does Barrie want an Ethanol Plant in the middle of town? :: - 05/10/07 12:37 PM
 
Northern Ethanol Inc. is seeking approval to build an Ethanol refining Plant in our town of 130,000 people in an area that has housing and 5 schools within a mile and a half radius.
Their PR people are trying to make this proposal sound like a sweet deal for the City. This is contrary to everything I am learning about Ethanol plants. I take no stand on the use of ethanol but I don't think a plant inside of a tourist town  on the shores of a beautiful freshwater lake is good for anyone. I have no personal experience to go on … (4 comments)

:: When the Vendor is away..... :: - 05/09/07 11:59 AM
"You did what?!!"
Ours is an industry conducive to great stories and exposure to human behavior at it's most extreme. Nothing compares to Real Estate's ability to excite the competitive instinct and stimulate the stealth of the human thought process. The business of Real Estate sales seems also to be a cocktail for interesting and occasionally awkward moments that become the stuff of water cooler conversation for all time.
My favorite is of the Agent who on completion of showing a home was locking up and noticed the cat rubbing against his ankles. Realizing his over site he quickly put the cat back … (2 comments)

:: You too can be Millionaire like me from Real Estate :: - 05/03/07 03:44 PM

Here is a flash back for you. Do you remember this slick talking guy? I remember him on the tube in the background during those early 90's all-nighters. All those girls and a big boat to boot. What a life. I wonder what he is doing today, caddying for Tony Robbins perhaps?
gimmeshelter.ca BarrieRealEstateBlog.com HotBarrieListings.com BarrieHomeworth.com
 
… (4 comments)

:: Caveat Emptor Batman :: - 05/03/07 11:26 AM
 Holy .....moly!!! - 3,500 Lbs. of Bat Guano Found in Attic
 BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (AP) - An upstate New York couple didn't think a few bats in the attic were much of a problem when they were buying a house last summer.
Months later, they found out how wrong they were when they discovered more than a ton and a half of bat droppings up there.
Nick LaBoda and Jenna Caputo say a home inspector informed them about the bats. They called an exterminator, who told them to wait a while before removing the bats because the babies were too … (3 comments)

 
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Mike Montague

Barrie, ON

More about me…

sales representative : Keller Williams Experience Realty

Address: 516 Bryne Drive, Unit I & J , Barrie, ON, L4N 9P6

Office Phone: (705) 720-2220

Cell Phone: (705) 718-6119

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