Paul's Blog

2br home in Clayton Park for 179,900!

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:51:37 -0600

Cozy and charming would best describe this 1.5 storey, 2 bedroom home in the heart of Rockingham. Located one street away from Ecole` Rockingham School supporting both English and French Programs, this home with hardwood on the main level, sunny large backyard, paved drive and separate wired, single car garage is the perfect starter home! The efficient layout is well designed and utilized for the size of the the home.

Priced below assesment.

Cute as a button!

This home has hardwood floors - and is in great shape.

Call to view! 293-1113

Or go to my website www.homesearchnovascotia.com

To see more.

Bald Eagles are going extinct?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:24:53 -0600

Took a drive down to Shefield Mills the other day. It was a sunday, the coldest that I can remember it being for quite some time.

It's a good hr and 10 minutes from Halifax (10 more to Kentville where my wifes parents live). Sunday didn't turn out the best day to view mass quantities of eagles allthough you would'nt guess it by the line of cars pulled off the rd.

A photo taken of two eagles in a tree.

I guess we missed feeding time -- The local chicken farmer throws out chicken carcasses on a regular basis - and the eagles make swift use of them.

I have an awesome video taken by someone I know who was there on sat - just one day before -

For anyone who wants a day trip to the Annapolis Valley here is one thing the whole family will enjoy . It's year round but mostly

in the winter.

My home page is www.homesearchnovascotia.com

Lobsters for Christmas diner in Halifax this year!

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:37:17 -0600

It's the first week of december and it's dipping below freezing tonight for one of a handful of days this year.

It's been really nice out generally for all of November as well save for maybe one snowfall.

Too bad that the buyers have been sitting this season out! There are deals out there just waiting to be had and will get bought

up soon.

I took a stroll down to the wharf with the dog the other day . I took my camera and took few shots - Notice how green

it looks for the first week of December.

One lone lobster fisherman - hauling his traps and setting more . On a beautilul 10C morning in early december on

St Margarets Bay. They get $3.50 a pound for the catch. Down to almost half of the normal pay. Nobody is buying!

But their problem is more a global one - Due to people worldwide cutting back on luxuries. Halifax it seems is going to fare

much better. We have not lost one job here so far. With 4 Universities and hospitals and ample Government and IT jobs .

Our recent slowdown should be short lived.

Lobster for Christmas diner? Don't rule anything out..

Paul has sold real estate in Halifax for 15 years. And hopes .... many more.

www.homesearchnovascotia.com

The importance of professional photography in real estate- especially today!

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:00:07 -0600

Hello - my name is Paul Viau. I have been a Realtor in Halifax since 1994. I am an avid photographer, and just recently started shooting homes for other Realtors. I am a firm believer that any property -when staged properly- and priced right - and with 20+ quality photographs , when placed on line in various websites and blogs including the MLS - It will sell before all of the before all of the homes that are competition in the area.

I offer a no nonsense approach when it comes to selling. I use a guy that has had great luck selling properties. He is good at it. I take the photos and offer my opinion on listing the condo.Then enter the property on my "Point2" site and produce the blog for the property and make sure its getting as much exposure as possible. He handles the MLS side.

The name of the site is www.homesearchnovascotia.com

It ranks very high on google when people search for -- condos in halifax nova scotia

I spend most of the time ensuring we rank high on Google because I feel being found is important!

Anyway - we would love the chance for an interview. We promise some fresh ideas...in this tough selling environment that we are in.

I have put together a collection of stats,quotes.blogs and websites to back-up my claim that photography is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to selling homes in any market.

Real estate photos worth more than a thousand words

This blog was a good chuckle - click on the links and have a look at the photographs!

Worst MLS Photos

Photography for real estate

The Importance of Multiple Photos in Real Estate Advertising

A Picture is Worth a Thousand words

I can be reached at 902-499-2950 anytime.

Or just pop me an e-mail and I'll be sure to reply ASAP.

Thinking of buying in Halifax - What are you waiting for ?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:33:55 -0500

A recent slowdown in Halifax home sales has me thinking. What are the people thinking?

Just this week positive notes in the US market! It seems that people are on the move again ! New home sales jumped in August 7.4% from july data ! Maybe it's just a blip on the radar screen

Halifax has no industry to slow down. We have hospitals , 4 universities , and a abundance of IT jobs .

People are going to always get sick! And the enrollment in our universities is fine. We still have record amounts of people retiring here from Calgary ,Toronto etc.

Sure! theres the odd number of buyers that will take advantage of the situation and low-ball some property , but there's only so much available. The inventory hasn't sky-rocketed like in Calgary where the prices have gone up at a feverish rate for over 5 years. They were due for a correction there.

I read an interesting article in the Nova Scotia Business Journal. Where an analyst shared my view. - Prices shall not drop here. They may not rise as fast next year but they will rise.

If you are a buyer sitting on the fence - Why not give me a call and we can discuss the situation over a coffee?

I can be reached at 902-499-2950.

you can also check out my website at www.homesearchnovascotia.com

Americans should look north now! Nova Scotia Oceanfront homes

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:52:52 -0500

What looks like a perfect storm in the financial markets is opening up some oportunity in Nova Scotia!

The Canadian dollar has dropped from at least par or better to 78.5 cents! Today - Oct 24/2008

That combined with Oceanfront prices already being lower and you have the pertfect situation.

Oceanfront in canada is condidered almost "resession proof" and is set to almost double in value over the next 10 yrs due to the huge demand in the european and the Canadian Retirement sector.

You could - for example - pick up a property in Canada on the ocean in a popular spot for a lot less today than even last month. I know of 2 such bargains - even if you are buying with canadian currency!

With the exchange rate you would get a home for $500,000 canadian dollars for $392,859 at todays spot rate.

If you wait only 3 years - That home should appreciate to be $600,000 plus and if oil prices come back and you wait for the canadian dollar to come back up you should make yourself a tidy $200,000 min.

Thats seems like a no-brainer to me - especially to an older couple looking for a second home to spend summers in.

Why not check out the possibilities?

902-499-2950

Google juice?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:16:08 -0500

I have a Point2 site. And have been working away adding content and photos. It is kind of amateurish I guess because iv'e done it all myself and erased most of the scripts supplied in the templates.

I use LPC - Link Popularity check. You put in various URL's and it checks the links for each search engine.

I forget where I picked it up -- Its free to use for anyone out there who wants to use it.

Anyway ------- Google has always been the one I could not rank on. 4 maybe 6 links . Then all of a sudden last week 4647! on the google chart for a total of +- 5220 .

Do you think they made a mistake? Its been over a week now .

My website is www.homesearchnovascotia.com

For you guys that know what you are doing maybe you can point me in the right direction.

There are no websites in Nova Scotia that have anywhere near that many google links or whatever they are?

Thanks

Can you spot the Halifax Icon?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:56:33 -0500

On a recent trip downtown I brought my camera along. Let me see if I can jog your memories from years gone by - Maybe some of you were here recently ,but it pretty much remanes timeless.

People Wandering from the Historic Properties to the Pier 21 where the cruise ships tie up. If its a nice day you might catch me at the my local fav. for a keiths or two.

The Lower Deck - Part of a three level complex housing a restaurant and two great pubs.

Part of the Historic Properties. Feels like your in a different era.

Then theres the Nova Scotian Crystal building where you can watch them hand craft magnificent works in crystal.

The Millennium building where Halifax made the news by hosting the G8 conference.

And of course! Our famous tug boat.

No wonder people seem to want to come here. -The lifestyle is so layed back!

You can see all these photos and much more if you check out my website - www.homesearchnovascotia.com

The pulse of the Nova Scotian market. The prognosis is good........for now.

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:13:05 -0500

Reporting from the scene - Here in downtown Halifax , Nova Scotia. Only 450 miles from Boston -as the crow flies.

I guess if your going to take a boat.....3 or 4 days straight down the coast across the gulf of Maine -no course change - all the way to Nantucket.

So close to the U.S. and all the termoil thats been happening gripping the markets there and we have so far escaped much of the turn down so far- in the markets.

There was a good article in the Nova Scotia Business Review recently That documented the stats so far this year. Overall we are down a bit over last year ,but the inventory and the price for the units has remained fairly steady.

On a personal note - I'm seeing a fair bit of activity in the Halifax condo market as new buildings come stream in the coming months. See - www.homesearchnovascotia.com

Its Election time! How about a contest !

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:01:42 -0500

With Elections running in both Canada and the U.S. its getting pretty boring hearing the same ol same ol.

Lets hope we both end up better off!

I had an exellent idea today while I strained my eyes and brain trying to figure out my webpage.

How about we put a weeks worth of Starbucks or Tims if your Canadian on the line. You send me your best ideas for my home page links. How do I make them appealing? Have a look at The home page and tell me what you think?

Its a POINT2 site. And I need two links --- 1 to listings and 2 to condos

The bullets or buttons must be colored something appropriate for the page and include HTML so I can paste to appropriate spots. I'm useless at design I'm afraid and would really appreciate some help.

Like I said -- I'll post the winner on Oct 01/2008

Halifax economy remains strong

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:23:35 -0500

A new report by the Conference Board of Canada has shed new light on the rosy economic prospects for the region. Halifax is expecting growth of 2.4% this year - The highest east of Manitoba. Due to construction projects just getting started and well underway.

The RIM building in Bedford is expected to be completed in the coming month with 1100 employees. --- for example.

This is the Armoury Square Condominium Building. Nearing Completion - very close to the downtown core.

There are numerous projects that have recent approvals as well - expected to get started 4th Quarter.

You can read about the report in a news snippet from the Nova Scotia Business Journal.

Check out www.homesearchnovascotia.com for the latest on Halifax and it's construcion projects and condos.

Point2 assigned tags - Do I change them for each page?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:23:58 -0500

Would I not need to go in and assign individual tags for the site? The text is going to be different for each page anyway and not match the tags in first place.

I have a feeling that point2 just automatically puts them in there as a make-do measure.

I'll ask because I'm not sure how point2 works. Keyword density is just as important in SEO and they have to match your keywords or tags.

Can anyone out there confirm this?

A toast to Active Rain! And how it transformed my business. - Part 1

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:19:14 -0500

First of all I'll start by saying thanks to everyone who has contributed to this wonderful site over the last year and 2 months. I joined in June of 2007, I simply wanted to see what was involved with this blogging thing that I had read about.

It has now been 14 months since I started my learning. I determined early on in the process that the industry was changing and evolving into something completely different than I was used to. - My blogging worked and soon my cheif source of leads came from the blog.

On November 16 - I suffered a stroke. It was high blood pressure. Took me completely by suprise. In the hospital for 8 days. Anyway - I have a complete recovery . I went from not being able to talk to perfectly normal speech. I had to learn the keyboard over again. Right brain thinking has made me see things with a different light. My thinking is somewhat clearer now than it used to be.

The new me has teamed up with an investor in my business and I've just purchased some professional camera gear. I'm going to build a website based on these photos. And I will gain a huge advantage over my competetors as far as listings go. Combined with 25 -30 Professional shots ,I will offer a staging consult at no cost to the customer with payment at closing.

Website will be officially announced in two weeks - Part 2

I feel I owe it all to active Rain.

Here are some sample picts. I hope you all enjoy!

Photo 1 - Granbury Place Condo -- Taken with 17- 85mm lens on my canon EOS 49d

Photo 2 -- Kitchen in finished unit. 10 -22 wide angle view

Photo 3 -- Views from 12th floor. - Bedford Basin - Fairview Cove Container Terminal

A tour of St. Margaret's Bay

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:22:36 -0500

I went for a quick spin in the boat with my son yesterday. I wanted to test my new camera - A Canon 40D.

Here are a few shots I took as we rounded the end of Mason's Point looking in various directions.

This is looking across at sheeps head Island - An upscale oceanfront subdivision. One house fetched $825,000 Canadian last fall.

This is a shot looking at Alongside at Mason's Point . - Very popular!

And this of a house currently on the market at $989,000 on the end of Mason's Point.

And to finish it off - A photo of Shining Waters Marine. It has become a destination for visiting yachts and includes a great restaurant over looking the water. I recommend a water tour from Shining Waters. - Or for the more adventurous -Rent a sea kayak and see the area up close!

Just 25 minutes to Halifax -- The St. Margarets Bay communities remain highly attractive now and should Double in value over the next 10 years.

WWW.homesearchnovacscotia.com

Ocean Links at Brule Point.

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:52:54 -0500

Stay tuned for more info on the residenses to be built at the ocean links at Brule Pt. near Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.

I will have up to date information on my web site - homesearchnovascotia.com as it becomes available.

Here is a recent article as posted in the Nova scotia Busiess Journal- Brule Point

The homes will be heated by a geo-thermal system. And the links shall be irrigated by treated sewage and waste water that passes through an ellaborate filter system.

It is a welcome change in this province to see such forward thinking when it comes to housing!

How do blogs affect your webite rankings?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:20:20 -0500

Call me crazy - but how exactly does it work? I understand that including your website link in your blog not only adds a link to your site but provides some traffic as well.

For instance Active Rain. - Does your profile affect how it links?

Do the tags that I have in Active Rain provide some mystical help?

I am working on a new site --- www.homesearchnovascotia.com

For some reason the number of links has jumped to almost 500 while I have been working on the site.

I know I didn't put them all in there . Where did they come from? All I know is that I was a member here since last june and I recently went back and added a link to my site in about 25 +- Posts.

Any input would be gladly appreciated!

Clipper - Round the world yacht race stops in Halifax.

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:49:11 -0500

The Halifax waterfront was buzzing today! With record heat

it was a carnival atmosphere all along the boardwalk!

The Clipper round the world race just finished its New York to Halifax leg and the boats are
In town for 4 days. Quite an impressive Site!

With 10 teams - Each displaying it's Stop-over port .

Team Nova Scotia under sail .

Hull & Humber - Recently clocked 29knots at one point during Leg!
Must have felt like a runaway 68' Freight Car!

Just one more World Class attraction on Halifax's Waterfront. Making it one more reason its why people
want to move here! - www.homesearchnovascotia.com

St. Margarets Bay - A boaters haven.

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:34:09 -0500

Just minutes from Halifax lies St Margaret's Bay. The most sought after oceanfrontage in nova Scotia. Some of the best sailing on the whole eastern seaboard as well!

Schooner Cove on inside of Mason's Point looking over to Allen Heights.

Cheifly middle class - Its a great place for growing up! - The sailing school runs every summer and we have several world class olympians as graduates.

Mariners Anchorage - a very popular seaside subdivion -with a sailing club and jr. program to boot!

There are endless coves and inlets. In the summer -the water is swimmable being in the high 70's.
Homes sell from the low end $390.000 and the high end approaching 2Mil.

The marina at Shining waters - a world class fascility! Not only a boating mecca - a restaurant and meeting place !

Todd's Island looking out to Mason's Point and Allen Heights.

A place where coming home has a whole new meaning!

See More at www.homesearchnovascotia.com

St. Margaret's Bay , Nova Scotia - Oceanfront sales up in May!

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:12:36 -0500

Masons Point , Indian Point - Places that had spotty sales in recent years. Well -things have turned around!

Masons Point for one has enjoyed 4 sales in the past months and the craigview shore and peggy's cove rd. have

seen the same in May!

The bench mark for the average 10 yr old home seems to sit at +- $580,000 -$595,000 . There are very little left on the market now, and it seems the average vendor is still apprehensive about selling. The sales are below their feel for what their home should be worth.

I can't see oceanfront homes increasing in value before mid-2009 . And if your willing too wait and do the improvements--- 7- 10 years should reap you around a cool Million.

But if your thinking of selling anytime soon you will still get a fair value.

PS - Check out my website at -- homesearchnovascotia.com

It is currently under construction.

Hydrostone Place - Trendy boutique condo in Halifax

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:54:59 -0500

Hydrostone Place - Live in the up and coming Hydrostone -within walking distance of the market.

Almost completed! - June 10 /08 - Move in dates in August!

Sept 15 /2008 -- People moving in weekly!

See prices and interior shots.

The Hydrostone is a neighbourhood in the North End of the Halifax Penninsula. It consists of ten short parallel streets and is bordered by Duffus Street to the north, Young Street to the south, Isleville Street to the west and Novalea Drive to the east.

The neighbourhood was designed by architect Thomas Adams to provide housing for working-class families displaced by the Halifax Explosion in 1917. The neighbourhood draws its name from the special cinderblocks from which the houses were constructed. Most of the dwellings are row-houses in groups of four and six, except for the large, two-storey single-family houses at the eastern end of each street. Some have been converted to sets of flats.

All of the streets in the Hydrostone are boulevards except Stanley Place. These boulevards have treed, grassy strips which serve as communal outdoor space for the neighbourhood.

It is a registered National Historic Site.

The suites are all 1200 sq ft plus - which is huge for a new condo in Halifax.
Indoor parking spot and storage included.

20 left around the $300,000 mark.

I would recommend seeing the model suite if you are looking at a condo in Halifax.

Walk to extra trendy Hydrostone Market and Enjoy the Bakery, The best pizza in town, or italian food!

See this and other condos at -- homesearchnovascotia.com

The Market from the other end

Point2 limitations?

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:28:51 -0500

I've been thinking to myself - I wonder if my website will be able to reach heights of other non - point2 sites if proper care is taken in SEO and content? Do search engines favour them? It seems so.

My personal take as a "non techy" guy is that it is the content of the pages and the tags coresponding that page is what the search engines like. Good information like google maps and rich photos are helpful.

Does anyone have input as to whether or not point2 platforms have any limitations? I'd like to think not.

I would appreciate some feedback.

Paul Viau

Prospect - Simply Beautiful

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:19:56 -0500

I was recently out taking pictures for my website homesearchnovascotia.com

If you travel south towards Peggy's Cove you come to a number of lefts you can take. The first being

Terence Bay. An old fishing village that is still operating as one today.

Here is the view looking East.

Hard to believe its just 20 minutes to a major city like Halifax!

Down the next road is Prospect Bay. Its just like sitting right off the North Atlantic!

Imagine what this little village is like during a hurricane!

Houses out here on the Ocean routinely sell for $300,000 .

Link to me and I'll return the favour!

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:45:04 -0500

I've been working on my web site rankings as of late. My site is weeks new and under construction. homesearchnovascotia.com is the name and its designed to do just that. Sell Nova Scotia! Both condos and oceanfront.

It's a Point2 site (professional) and is getting noticed already!

Here is a challenge to you all! We all need links! The amount of links from other web sites improves your overall rating for web searches. If you put a link to my web site I will put a reciprocal link to yours from mine. Win win !

Please let me know your website address. And as a bonus -- I will comment on your blog as well.

Thank You all!

homesearchnovascotia.com - A work in progess. Point2 site

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:18:23 -0500

Well - I finally bit the bullet and stepped away from my company site. I learned a fair amount blogging over the past 10 months and I finally realized that all my work was boosting the company site which was doing nothing for me personally. Its trial and error I must admit ,but through google maps and good photos embedded in the site I'm starting to get noticed!

Now I'm motivated to start blogging about Nova Scotia again! Particularly Condos and Oceanfront related stuff. It all will pay-off in the end. I got on average of one lead a day in the past few days based on my sites visibility due to the blogs on Active Rain!

Check it out by the way. It's homesearchnovascotia.com

Its not finished yet but I'm getting closer.

It's designed to be a buyers agent site - I just have to add the projects in the specific areas and then the Oceanfront props per area . It is a huge project but allready I'm getting feedback.

Stay tuned for the finished product.

Oceanfront properties are going fast - this season In St. Margaret's Bay!

Paul Viau , Guaranty GMAC ,Halifax, N.S. (Guaranty GMAC Halifax) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:50:05 -0500

If your a seller on the ocean than this is the year to jump in and join the crowd! 2 major sales in the last week! And one midrange . These properties sat for 2 years at Prices $50,000 - $100,000 more and finally they are reasonably priced. The influx from Alberta seems to be making a difference !

Land should move this season as well because new construction is all the rage. Bungalows are very popular with the people coming in. Open spaces with lots of windows seem to be a hit.

St. Margaret's Bay and it's closeness to Halifax will make any purchase pay dividends. I have ideas that things will basically double in the next 10 Years!

My new web site is at homesearchnovascotia.com

Why not check it out!