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Stratford, ON Real Estate News

By Sally Weatherley, Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C
(EXIT STAGE RIGHT)
Visit Stratford, Ontario What did I do for my summer vacation?  I used to dread the first day back at school, when the teacher would ask us to write a short essay on what we did for our summer vacation.  How times have changed.  Fast forward to today, and I'm more than happy to share my wonderful trip to Stratford, Ontario this past September. As a Vancouver Home Stager, I have a love of all things to do with the arts, including admiring all this city has to offer.  Why Stratford?  Perhaps this isn't every West Coasters prime vacation destination, but my brother and sister-in-law have been living in Stratford, Ontario for several years now.  I was overdue for a visit.  My sister-in-law, Monique Lund has been part of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's cast, starring in such productions...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
The City of Stratford, Ontario will be hosting their annual Heritage Weekend on June 3rd - 5th.  I have already checked off the events that I'm interested in attending.  I am a history nut so that's part of the reason that so many of the weekend events appeal to me.  Here is how the www.welcometostratford.com  website describes the weekend festiviities. "Come celebrate the rich heritage of Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare on June 3-5 at the Stratford Spring Heritage Weekend with an antiques fair; special guided walks of antique shops and carriage tours of Stratford's heritage district; St. Marys "Once Upon the Thames" Storytelling Festival; a railway heritage show and exhibitions of costumes and the Doors of Perth County. Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare have some of the best co...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
Hidden almost out of sight, just off the Huron Street bridge in downtown Stratford, Ontario lies the Shakespearean Gardens.  This well manicured English garden offers a formal setting with boxwood hedges,stone walkways, benches and gazebo yet comes alive with the brilliant colour of an amazing array of flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees. The views from the garden are just as impressive with the historic Perth County Courthouse to one side and the gently flowing Avon River on the other side.  Stone steps and a pathway along the Avon River lead you underneath the old Huron Street bridge and towards the Shakespeare Festival. The tulips were brilliant on my recent visit and I'm looking forward to seeing what is next to bloom.  The Shakespearean Gardens is one of those little pieces of heaven ...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
The 10 year expensive battle is over.  Walmart is coming to Stratford, Ontario.  Not in its' desired location or original size but none the less ground will be broken in 2012 to pave the way for the mega box store to put down roots in the Stratford community. The city has spent $1.4 million dollars on legal fees alone in their fight to keep the retail giant at bay with their efforts to preserve the downtown retail businesses.  Many downtown merchants are concerned that Walmart's arrival will put additional stress on businesses already facing challenges. The new location, still in the City's east end is a smaller parcel of land, meaning the size of the department store will shrink from the desired 135,000 square feet to 90,000 square feet. Big box stores versus local merchants is a commo...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
It was all over Twitter and Facebook on Friday.  Oprah Winfrey was attending the Grapes of Wrath at the Shakespeare Festival here in Stratford, Ontario. Could it be true?  Nope-rah.  Well then how could this false rumour get started?  It seems someone tweeted that there was a film crew from Oprah's TV network OWN at the Rheo Thompson Candies store in downtown Stratford. That part was true.  There was a taping going on for the TV show "Fearless in the Kitchen" with chef and cookbook writer/television personality Christine Cushing. Fans of Oprah gathered in front of the Avon Theatre having been "tipped" off that the Queen of daytime television would arrive for the 2:00 p.m. matinee of The Grapes of Wrath. Not so - Oprah was a no-show.  Both Stratford's mayor and the general manager of the...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
The title of this blog post is probably dating me.  I don't  know if that term Avon Calling is even used anymore but it came to me as I was thinking of a title. I think it stems back to the days when Avon products were sold door to door.  Does anyone remember the Fuller Brush Man?  These door knocking salespeople would make great REALTORS® today. The Avon that I am referring to in this post is the Avon River.  The Avon flows through Stratford from one end to the other and mostly enjoyed in the downtown area where part of it is called Lake Victoria.  Homes located along the Avon are in high demand and demand high prices.  Stratford's Shakespeare Festival overlooks the river and thousands of tourists descend upon Stratford during Festival season. This is a great spot to walk the dog or ta...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
 As a REALTOR® I often get asked the following questions. "How's the market?" "Is it a good time to buy?" " When's the best time to sell?" Those are not easy ques­tions to answer with a short response. I often respond by saying " If only I had that crystal ball". But then my 22 years of working every different type of market there is, and many times over, kicks in and rather than generalizing I ask what specific information they require for their needs. I am going to try to give the Cole's Notes version of my answers to these questions in this space. This by no means covers a complete discussion on these matters. How's the Market? Are you thinking of marketing your home? Are you asking about what's happen­ing in your neighbourhood, the city, all of Canada? Fortunately I have access to t...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
This is the first Easter in my new home and community.  Yesterday I decided to check out some of the local shops in preparation for Easter dinner for my family. The majority of groceries I needed were going to be picked up at the local Zehrs store in Stratford.  But on the way to Stratford I just had to stop in at my favourite stores in the village of Shakespeare.  The well known Best Little Pork Shoppe has just reopened for the season.  I left there with some wonderful smoked chops and the best peameal bacon I've ever tasted.  Some home made herb focaccia buns also ended up in my bag. Next stop was to the Shakespeare Pie store.  This family run bakery has you salivating the moment you walk in and smell the good things baking in their ovens.  Freshly made Hot Cross Buns were at the top ...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
I'm so excited, I don't know where to begin.  My life this past four weeks has been anything but calm.  My mind has formulated so many blog posts but none got written.  And life doesn't slow down in order for you to get caught up on those posts. I feel so guilty that I've neglected Active Rain.  Ditto for my photography site Flickr.  But I've been experiencing major technical difficulties. My one year old laptop died and went in for repairs.  That's a whole blog in itself but I will leave that for another day.  I picked it up yesterday after TWO Weeks away - Shame shame Future Shop.  I'm going to make a few dot jots of what's been happening in my new life as it will be 4 weeks tomorrow since I left Oakville for my new little life in the village of Tavistock. I wanted to let everyone kno...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
It's been 10 days since we packed the moving truck, a pickup truck, a van and my car and left Oakville for our new home in Tavistock an hour and a bit down the road.  Ten action packed days, I must add. The journey down Highway 401 was not without incident as I noticed an object flying across the road ahead of us.  At first I thought it was just a piece of cardboard but as we drove a little further we noticed a box spring laying on the shoulder of the road, and a car in the middle lane stopped atop a mattress with a second car smashed into it's rear end. A van which we presumed had lost the load from their roof was backing up on the shoulder of the highway.  An insurance nightmare would unfold, I presume. Once we safely arrived we found that my uncle had come by to shovel the snow from ...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
This is me taking out my frustrations with Rogers Wireless.  I visited my mother last week and she has been having problems with her Rogers Rocket stick on and off for the past few months.  She got the stick because she wanted to be able to take her laptop with her when she went away on holidays or to be able to access the internet from wherever. Now, my mom is in her 70's, very young at heart and she loves her Facebook.  But her frustratin was showing and she was also having problems with her email as her stick would work only sporadically.  Unfortunately she feels unsure of herself when talking to Rogers tech support so my sister would often go and help her make the calls.  Eventually a new stick was mailed to her but it had the same problems.  Upon closer examination the new stick sa...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
I cleaned out my desk at the office the other day.  Packed all my file boxes, photos, awards, paper clips, et al  into the back seat of the car and headed home.  (notice that I give awards and paperclips the same significance)  They now reside in my garage where they will be transported on January 29th to a new home an hour and a half down the road. My contract at RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp. in Oakville will end on January 31st.  My new contract at RE/MAX a-b Realty Ltd. in Stratford, Ontario will commence February 1st. Am I excited?  Yes definitely.  Nervous? Mildly.  Am I going to a new job?  No.  I will be selling the same product, just in a new community.  Having lived in Stratford in my younger years I am pretty familiar with the area.  Yes, I will have to get up to speed on all ...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
Taken from inside my back door.  They may look cold but they don't look hungry. From Wikipedia: The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family (Columbidae). The bird is also called the Western Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also the leading gamebird, with up to 70 million birds shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and for meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure stems from its prolific breeding: in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods a year. Its plaintive woo-oo-oo-oo call gives the bird its name. The wings can make an unusual whistling sound upon take-...
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By Jenny Kotulak, Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate
(RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage)
It's been awhile since I have submitted a photo to the Name That Photo group.  When I snapped this photo this past weekend I thought it would make a great entry.  This photo is an extreme closeup of the subject in question.  I'm not going to give any clues up front as I want some pie in the sky guesses. What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you look at this photo?  Who knows, your thought may be the correct answer.  Give it your best guess and I will come back later with a clue or two. (Well, if it's necessary that is?)
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By Stephanie Bilodeau, Broker
(Red Door Realty Ltd, Brokerage)
Moving to Stratford Ontario is very exciting. Stratford Ontario is famous for its Theatre and Dinning, but there is more to Stratford than that. Stratford Ontario is a warm and inviting city. There is much to see and do. I will provide you with some helpful links to use when you are planning your move to Stratford Ontario.   CITY OF STRATFORD ONTARIO LINKS CITY OF STRATFORDPUBLIC LIBRARYTOURISM STRATFORDSTRATFORD FESTIVALPARKS AND TRAILS STRATFORD ONTARIO REAL ESTATESTEPHANIE BILODEAU, BROKER STRATFORD ONTARIO SHOPPING RHEO THOMPSON CANDIESCHOCOLATE BARR'S CANDYFESTIVAL SHOPPING MALL TRANSPORTATION IN STRATFORD ONTARIO BUSTAXIMOBILITY BUS STRATFORD ONTARIO UTILITIES FESTIVAL HYDROUNION GASWATER STRATFORD ONTARIO SCHOOLS STRATFORD SCHOOLSCONESTOGA COLLEGEFESTIVAL SCHOOL OF HAIRDRESSING S...
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By Heather Cook, Delivering beautifully staged spaces
(Beyond the Stage Homes)
Rooms in Bloom was called in to see a beautiful century old home in Stratford in March of this year. We were immediately impressed by the home and could see that with a little work and our staging efforts that this house would polish up like a beautiful gem. We completed the staging this week on this home and can't get over the transformation - tell us what you think!   Our client is thrilled and the realtor who referred us cannot get over the transformation. The house will be listed for sale over the weekend and the realtor has already built excitement and interest for the property so we are certain that it won't last long! Once the house has been listed for sale we will post our own listing with contact information for the realtor. Rooms in Bloom is a full service home staging company...
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By Stephanie Bilodeau, Broker
(Red Door Realty Ltd, Brokerage)
Perth County - Whats Happening in St. Marys, Stratford and Area - Weekend of March 26 -28 Stratford Ontario is hosting a Spring Home Show starting today and running thru till Sunday. This is the annual spring home show with numerous vendors and exibits. The show is held at the Rotary Complex on 353 McCarthy Road. It runs on Friday: 3pm - 9:30pm, Saturday: 10am - 8pm, Sunday: Noon - 5pm Guest Speaker will be Property Virgins host, Sandra Rinomato! St. Marys Ontario - McCully's Farm BRUNCH:   Every Saturday & Sunday  10 am - 2 pm  (proceeds to local groups)Includes pancakes, maple pork sausage, maple baked beans, our famous maple syrup, butter, your choice of beverage (maple coffee or tea, juice) $8 large $5 Small
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By Cancel Account
(No Where Realty)
107 Monteith Ave., Stratford MLS:#100454 Price:$95,900 Attention Small Contractors, Are You Renting Or Worse, Working Out Of Your Garage, Here Is Your Solution. This Cement Block 800 Sq. Ft. Building With 12' Inside Ceiling Height, 10' x 10' Overhead Door At Front For Easy Access For Equiptment. Heated With Forced Air Gas, 2 Pc. Bath Along With Good Location With Lots Of Parking. Available To Buy Or Lease; Call Today To See For Yourself.   Jamie WoodendSales RepresentativeRemax a-b Realty Ltd Brokerage88 Wellington StreetStratford, Ontario, N5A 2L2519-273-2821 ext 229 Office519-949-0345 Cell www.jamiewoodend.com
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By Cancel Account
(No Where Realty)
Market ReportIn real estate January is always a good time to look back at the year that was and than look forward to the year that will be. Today we are going to look back at 2009.Last year was called "the worst economic climate since the depression." It was repeated on the news and papers across Canada. In actual fact it was not true. We certainly had a tough year but it was no worst than the downturn we experienced in the early 80's. The media also talked about the plummeting real estate values across the nation. This was only partial true.Many market places did suffer declines, but many did not. Locally Stratford weathered the storm very well. How much did prices decline here in Stratford? They didn't. That right, we went up last year compared to 2008. House prices rose 1.52% - 2009 ...
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By Cancel Account
(No Where Realty)
Must Have Tool KitMy name is Jamie and I'm a tool-aholic. I have a large compliment of tools for any job. Table saws, routers, jig saws, circulars saws, scroll saws, reciprocating saw jointers, biscuit joiner, lathe, a huge collection of hand tools and many (many) more. And that's just for woodworking and home repair. You should see what I keep in my garage for my auto addiction. ( I sure hope my wife doesn't read this post, I could be in trouble)But for the basic home tool kit you don't need the collection I've got. Here a small list of must have tools that you should buy for your first home to get started on minor repairs.Hammer - nothing too light but you don't need a large framing hammer.Screw Drivers - You can buy a set fairly inexpensively but be sure it includes a large slot, sma...
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