But why isn't it? There are lots of reasons, none of which I am going to delve into in this post. This post is just about making the time for that walk in the park. Or a stroll by the lake, or a hike in a forest, or even just a quick jaunt around the block. Get outside into the fresh air. It clears your head and it's great for your heart.
Take the time to really look and listen. You never know what you may encounter.
As Chair of the Leadership Development Committe for the Oakville, Milton & District Real Estate Board, I was pleased to help present cheques to three worthy community organizations recently, on behalf of OMDREB and The REALTORS CareTM Foundation.
$1,000 to Habitat for Humanity - Halton
$2,000 to The Halton Lighthouse Emergency Shelter
$5,000 to Milton Community Resource Centre, Infant Food Bank Program
The REALTORS CareTM Foundation work is made possible through the generous support of REALTORS® andlocal Real Estate Boards from across Ontario. Since its inception the Foundation has granted more than $2-million dollars on behalf of Ontario REALTORS® to shelter-based organizations across the province.
OMDREB and its' members are very proud to support the REALTORS CareTM Foundation through on-going donations. In 2008, OMDREB also participated in the REALTORS CareTM Foundation, Every REALTOR® Campaign. On behalf of all OMDREB Members, a donation of 1 dollar per Member per month for 12 months was donated. This was a significant donation on the Board's behalf and we are so pleased that our community will be reaping the benefit of our support.
The REALTORS® of The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board are committed to making a real difference in the community and in the lives of those who do not have the comfort, warmth or safety of their own homes. As well -- those who rely on the shelters, foods banks or live in sub-standard housing. Our Members will continue to work towards making a difference in the communities we work in.
It's very rare that I am awake to see the sunrise. What a shame really as I know it is a sight to behold. Last month the opportunity "arose" when I was sitting in an airplane on my way to Cuba. I'm sure some people must have thought I was seeing the sun rise for the first time.
I oohed and aahed and clicked away with my camera. I felt like I was on an awesome adventure. I was sitting on a plane that left the tarmac in Toronto at 6:30 a.m. and by 10:00 a.m. I would be landing in sunny Cuba to some of the most amazing beaches I've ever seen.
I wrote a post awhile back about Twitter and how I was still at the crawling stage. I'm still crawling but some of the stuff I see on Twitter now is making my skin crawl. I am beginning to be followed by some very strange twits and twitterers.
Has Twitter just become another avenue for spammers, marketers and "experts" in everything under the sun?
One of my new followers gave me these instructions: Enter your name and email below to find out how I made $12,367 in only 2 weeks, with NO JV partners and NO big list, driving 57,822 visitors and making over ten thousand (10,189 to be exact) sales/conversions, again, in only 2 weeks:
Should I be honored that I'm now being followed by a Shaman of Ancient Traditions who has almost 45,000 followers?
Here's another who thinks I'm follow worthy, this one from across the pond : His bio: "I can be serious if I want. In fact I was once but I didn't like it. Due to this you will either ♥love♥ me or hate me." This person has 73,000 followers.
Here is the bio of another new follower:" I'm a FX Trader & make some cash from my bedroom; Great Income from internet online. What a glorious day I live in :)"
Some people automatically follow their followers in return. I do not feel obligated to follow those who don't provide information that is of any use or interest to me. In fact I block those who give me creepy vibes. Honestly, I'm not sure if I want to do this kind of weeding out. I don't kibbutz back and forth via Twitter. The tweets I put out are real estate related, with info on local stats and mini market updates.
I take the time to do this research and then other local agents retweet my findings to their followers??
I know there are mixed feelings amongst Active Rain members about Twitter. Many use it a lot, some a little and many not at all.
I feel we are being pulled and pushed in so many social network directions. For me it's time to put the brakes on and seriously consider where to expend my energy and what to send to the curb. I've just started a Facebook Fan Page partially because I've read some great posts here on Active Rain endorsing it and also because it gets indexed by Google. We all like Google juice.
I am able to put updates on my fan page and also link my Active Rain posts to it, similar to Twitter. A widget is available to add to your website for consumers to see what you have posted. Because I'm not using Twitter to regularly interact, and because I'm just not feeling the love for it and these strange followers I'm attracting, it may be one social media outlet that I let go of.
B.T.W. I don't consider Active Rain members to be strange (well most) so I'd welcome you to "fan" me on Facebook
Canadian Tire is a well known retail institution in Canada. In business since 1925 and with close to 500 stores, it has been said that 85 percent of Canadians live within 15 minutes of a Canadian Tire store. How many of you have scads of Canadian Tire money laying around the house? How many of you buy gas at Canadian Tire, use the Canadian Tire Mastercard or buy at Mark's Work Warehouse, all Canadian Tire subsiduaries.
The ingenious Canadian Tire money loyalty program began over 50 years ago and is still going strong. Here in Oakville, the old, cramped Canadian Tire in the plaza on Kerr Street at Speers Road has closed their doors forever.
Just up the road, on the property that once housed the Country Squire Restaurant, an Oakville legend, a brand spanking new and enormous Canadian Tire store has just opened. Their grand opening celebration was held over the past four days. There are now 3 Canadian Tire stores within a ten minute drive from my home.
Situated on the north side of the Queen Elizabeth highway, right at the Kerr Street exit, you couldn't ask for better exposure. If you stand at the front of the parking lot and look across the highway you can probably see the Home Depot. Whereas Home Depot caters to contractors and handymen and women, Canadian Tire offers a huge automotive section, as well as housewares, sporting goods, and electronics.
There are 3 Home Depots located within a fifteen minute drive from my home. Everytime a new Canadian Tire or Home Depot goes up, it seems to be bigger and brighter than the last. Wider aisles, more consumer friendly. All well planned, I'm sure to pull at the consumer's pocketbook strings.
I must admit the new Canadian Tire couldn't have timed their opening better. By the looks of the crowded parking lot the past few days and the Police there to direct traffic, I'd say they are bound to capture their share of the Christmas shopping market.
Recently, a family member had a stroke. His stomach was upset. He thought he had food poisoning and looked like crap, and friends insisted on a visit to the emergency room. He was very, very lucky. Not everyone is because the symptoms often don't look like a stroke, unless you know exactly what to look for.
There might be a fall, the person might be a little disoriented and loopy. There might be a numbness is the face and really bad headache. And the person having the stroke might insist he is fine - just a little trip and fall.
If you are with someone and suspect he or she might be having a stroke, here are some hints:
Ask him to smile
Ask him to repeat a simple sentence coherently
Ask him to raise both arms
If he has problems with any of these tasks, call 911.
Then there is another sign. If you ask the person to stick out his tongue and it comes out crooked - off to one side - that is another sign of a stroke. Again, call 911.
A suspected stroke is nothing to mess around with! Getting to the hospital as quickly as possible is key to surviving and making a full recovery from a stroke.
Yes indeed, I finally saw woody in the forest today. I've been searching high and low lately for one but it wasn't until the leaves came off the trees that I was finally able to capture the bird that has been eluding me and my camera.
Yes, there he was, the Pileated Woodpecker in all his glory with a crown of red. What a beauty he was. Did you know that the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker is based on the Pileated Woodpecker? And speaking of Woody, did you know he is going to be 60 years old next year?
Al & Peggy Cunningham explored a very important subject matter in their post today. I thought I would re-blog their post for those of you who haven't seen it. Is it fair to impose a deadline and then make excuses for those who don't abide by the rules?
I think more than ever, in today's world "transparency" is a huge word. We are now demanding it from our real estate boards, our municipalities, big and small businesses, government, banks, insurance companies, etc.
If you start to waver with the rules today, thank goodness there seems to be watchdogs out there looking out for the little guys.
Is A Deadline Really A Deadline Or Just A Threat You May Not Be Included...
A local camera store sponsored a "Photo Contest" and the prize was a brand new top of the line SLR Digital Camera.
The rules were simple. Take your best shot, it could be anything you wanted, but it could not be manipulated in any way. It was to be submitted in print format and not larger than an 8" x 10". Your entry must be brought into the store and submitted in person no later than the following Friday at close of business at 9:00 pm.
The store received about 200 entries by the close of business that Friday evening. However, first thing Saturday morning a older gentlemen came into the camera store all smiles and looking very excited. He asked to speak to the store Manager.
He went on to say to the Manager that he had spent the whole day last Saturday out looking for that great picture so he could have a chance at winning that new camera. I think I found it, I printed up last Sunday. I new I had to have it in last night to qualify, but I got busy and just couldn't make it. So, I thought I would come into the store anyway and see if you would be so kind and let me enter my picture.
Well, the store Manager accepted the older gentelmen's picture and low and behold the old guy won.
What is your opinion?
Al and Peggy Cunningham, Brokers
RE/MAX Realty Services Inc., 391 Main St., N. Brampton, ON L6X1N7 905-456-1000 getsold@rogers.com
Do you remember the interview that Barbara Walters had with Katherine Hepburn many years ago where she uttered those words? For some reason that came to mind today when I saw this unusual looking tree.
Maybe if I was a tree I would be a London Plane Tree. Not only does this tree have an unusual camouflage looking bark but it bears interesting fruit that looks like Christmas ornaments hanging on the branches.
I took these photos today at Coote's Paradise in Hamilton, Ontario. A pretty cool looking tree, I think. So, if you were a tree, what kind would YOU be??
The number of home sales in Oakville in October 2009 was a whopping 78% higher than October a year ago. Last October saw the beginning of the tumble in the market but the sales rebounded this past spring and we began to see healthy sales stats once again. Consumer confidence returned and the excellent mortgage rates made for a winning combination.
The average sale price in Oakville in October 2009 was $600,705, up 12 percent from last October. The median sale price of $486,250 saw a 25% climb from the previous year. The average days on market shrunk from 41 in October 2008 to 32 this past month.
Our current market has swung to a seller's market in the low and mid price range. There is a good supply of buyers but low inventory which means that many homes are selling for list price or more with competing offers. Here is an article I wrote with some advice on How To Buy In A Seller's Market.
Many people feel that November and December is not the right time of year to buy or sell real estate but that is a misconception. Check out the following article on Buying and Selling in November and December.
Here are some charts showing the sales activity in Oakville for 2009.
Number of Home Sales- January - October 2009
Average Sale Price Per Hundred Thousand Dollars in Oakville - January - October 2009
Oakville Median Sale Price Per Hundred Thousand Dollars - January - October 2009
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
andlocal Real Estate Boards from across Ontario. Since its inception the Foundation has granted more than $2-million dollars on behalf of Ontario REALTORS® to shelter-based organizations across the province.
The REALTORS® of The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board are committed to making a real difference in the community and in the lives of those who do not have the comfort, warmth or safety of their own homes. As well -- those who rely on the shelters, foods banks or live in sub-standard housing. Our Members will continue to work towards making a difference in the communities we work in.
I am able to put updates on my fan page and also link my Active Rain posts to it, similar to Twitter. A widget is available to add to your website for consumers to see what you have posted. Because I'm not using Twitter to regularly interact, and because I'm just not feeling the love for it and these strange followers I'm attracting, it may be one social media outlet that I let go of.
Here in Oakville, the old, cramped Canadian Tire in the plaza on Kerr Street at Speers Road has closed their doors forever.
There are 3 Home Depots located within a fifteen minute drive from my home. Everytime a new Canadian Tire or Home Depot goes up, it seems to be bigger and brighter than the last. Wider aisles, more consumer friendly. All well planned, I'm sure to pull at the consumer's pocketbook strings.
Recently, a family member had a stroke. His stomach was upset. He thought he had food poisoning and looked like crap, and friends insisted on a visit to the emergency room. He was very, very lucky. Not everyone is because the symptoms often don't look like a stroke, unless you know exactly what to look for.
Did you know that the cartoon character 
;)
;)
