Robert T Bell

As you no doubt have heard interest rates took a bit of a dip today. I have been licensed to sell real estate since January 1986 so have seen some ups & downs - for those that do not know I am Robert T. Bell, Sales Representative, Coldwell Banker 2M Realty Brokerage.

If you are thinking about Selling or Buying a property feel free to contact me - private messages or calls are best to protect your privacy.

Feel free to ask questions.

This Sat & Sun (Feb 17 & 18) I will be at the The Oshawa Markets with some other members of Heritage Oshawa with a small display - feel free to stop by & say hi.

Amazing the history & cultural heritage resources that Oshawa has. See you there!

Here is a link to one of the City of Oshawa pages that talks about historic properties.

Heritage Properties Learn about heritage properties and heritage research reports.

Happy New Year to one & all!

Special year for the City of Oshawa, it turns 100 this year.

Here is a post card from my collection showing downtown Oshawa looking probably from what is now William & Centre Streets. looking South & a bit East. I have not checked but it is roughly taken from the area of the Williams Piano Factory's roof. I used an online tool to colourize the image.

25+ Trends That Are Destined to Age Poorly Stay Away: People Share What Interior Design Trends Will Age Poorly By Rebecca b - March 14, 2023 Interior design trends are like everything else. These fads may look amazing now, but they may not work out well in the long term. Many professional and amateur interior designers are tired of these des...

Complete the survey today The Regional Municipality of Durham is committed to fostering inclusion within local communities and embedding equity in all regional programs and services. We are currently reviewing and developing equity-focused strategies and programs and want to provide residents with an opportunity to share fee...

Remembrance Day. A time to honour those who stood up for us & made our freedom & prosperity possible. And to Remember the job will never be done, each generation needs to step up to protect Democracy from those that would undermine it & attack it.

We have a duty to the future to stand up for freedom today. We must always be careful to avoid spreading or being influenced by hateful propaganda & fake news.

We need to think about how we can be a positive influence

Interesting. In the first comment under the original post there is a link to more details.

Noteworthy is the fact that the worst parts are those where improper restoration work has been done in the past.

The same thing happens with houses - poor quality work by people that do not understand old techniques & methods can cost a lot of money & result in more damage over time.

Always research carefully before hiring or doing work

The team heading the 10-year £45m restoration of HMS Victory have revealed how urgent her overhaul was, with her timbers reduced to ‘potting compost’.

Great topic - my number one pet peeve - people that needlessly remove old windows & replace them with new garbage

This Olde Window! EPISODE TWO: Wood Window RepairToday's episode will show how we are trying to recreate the original 1878 Greek Revival character back into Beau Pre by using ...

Great topic - my number one pet peeve - people that needlessly remove old windows & replace them with new garbage

This Olde Window! EPISODE TWO: Wood Window RepairToday's episode will show how we are trying to recreate the original 1878 Greek Revival character back into Beau Pre by using ...

Congratulations - Great news!

The Central Lakes Association of REALTORS® is excited to announce its new name, marking a significant milestone.

Formerly known as the Durham Region Association of REALTORS®, the association has undergone a transformation merging with neighbouring real estate associations to enhance services and data for its members.

Oshawa has a number of these homes as well

The fascinating history behind the 'strawberry box' houses that shaped Toronto It may seem unimaginable amid Toronto's cutthroat 21st-century real estate market, but there was a time in the not-too-distant past when single-fam...

Great idea! Keep up the good work!

Durham Region Association of REALTORS - Durham Region Real Estate Durham Region Association of REALTORS is the leading provider of Durham Region real estate. Call (905) 723-8184 or visit our Bowmanville office! Our team of over 0 professional REALTORS are ready to assist you in buying and selling houses, condos, commercial properties and more. Discover Durham Regi...

Here is a detailed report on the housing market. Always use caution these are based on average numbers & may not apply to your property. Every property is different. Disclosure: I am Robert T. Bell sales representative with Coldwell Banker 2M Realty Brokerage. Always take care in any move - start gathering information before you make decisions - do not be afraid to ask questions.

mcusercontent.com

Interesting update. Always bear in mind that these stats always do not tell the entire story. If you have questions or want specific advice always speak to a REALTOR (R) (Disclosure I am a REALTOR (R) Robert. T. Bell Sales Representative with Coldwell Banker 2M Realty Brokerage). Good to see the market moving along heading into the spring market.

DRAR President Meredith Kennedy - Broker with Royal Service Real Estate Inc., Brokerage reported 601 residential transactions in February. In Durham Region, new listings and sales were down substantially from before the interest rate hikes in 2022.

The number of new listings decreases by 44 per cent when compared to this time last year. Residential transactions decreased on a year-over-year basis by 47 per cent. The average price in Durham Region in February was $888,448.

“It has been almost a year since the Bank of Canada started the interest rate increases, and we are seeing the results of the market adjusting,” said DRAR President Meredith Kennedy. “There were 896 new listings reported in Durham Region for the month of February, this is a slight increase from January.”

The number of residential transactions reported in February represented a 52.5 per cent increase from January. Ipsos polling information recently released at the TRREB Market Outlook, suggests buying intentions have picked up for 2023.

The MLS® Home Price Index benchmark for Durham Region was $924,400 a 23.23 per cent decrease from this time last year.

“Many homebuyers have waited to see how the market would adjust to the interest rate increases in 2022 and as we enter the spring market we are anticipating to see an increase of activity in Durham’s marketplace,” said DRAR CEO Wendy Giroux.

This is not Ontario - but interesting & a good reference. I had gas totally removed from my place last Sept & replaced it with a high end heat pump with electric backup. I can see savings

Cheap heat in New Brunswick: High tech heat pumps and old school firewood offer consumers best price Robert Kirkpatrick has lived in the same Saint John home for 50 years and even though it has always had a working oil furnace in the basement, these days he gets most his heat from a mini-split heat pump installed under his front porch. "It's been great, really' said Kirkpatrick. "The furnace doesn'...

Getting a taillight bulb replaced at Ontario Hyundai. Always great service here quick and professional as always.

Special thanks to Philip Amshad, my always friendly service advisor!

Be on alert for planted misinformation by bad regimes looking to undermine our democracy by propaganda and disinformation.

Robert Morton on Twitter “ is highly skilled in making its campaigns and controlled media appear totally above board and legitimate to warp public opinion and influence political and social referendums. https://t.co/vWuChl5QTn”

For those curious about the real estate market here are the numbers. Always use caution when looking at numbers they do not tell the entire story. Before making any move talk to people who can help you with your questions. (Disclosure I am Robert T. Bell, Sales Representative with Coldwell Banker 2M Realty Brokerage).

durhamrealestate.org

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-real-estate-ontario-tables-bill-increase-housing-affordability-181510716.html

Canada real estate: Ontario tables bill to increase housing affordability Ontario plan takes aim at speculators and what the province calls unethical builders.

Phone call just now:
"Hi Robert I am Mario from Re/Max, we just sold your house on Burk Street for around a Million are you selling"
{EDIT I made a typo he said he sold a house on the street not my house - but he did say that I lived on Burk St - I forget the exact wording - sorry}
Anytime you get a call like this watch out:
* He never gave a last name or his designation eg Sales Representative
* Re/Max is a franchise name not the name of a real estate company. A proper name would follow this format Re/Max 123 Realty Brokerage
I asked "Mario who"
He answered "Mario what is this questioning James Bond" note I might have this part slightly off he spoke quick & hung up on me.
A side laugh is I moved about 6 years ago - his data is not up to date.
As most know I am a REALTOR (R) myself I am putting it up here properly so people can see how we are to legally identify ourselves: Robert T. Bell Sales Representative, Coldwell Banker 2M Realty Brokerage.
My guess is the person is not actually a REALTOR (R) at all. By the way the word REALTOR (R) is a trademark & its proper use is as I am using it. My guess is the person is actually just pretending to be one to collect leads to sell to real REALTORS (R).
Thinking of selling, my recommendation is shop around carefully & do not get pressured by anyone. Prices have went up a Lot more than most realize - do not give your money away.

Safety warning: Here is a new one I had not heard of before.

Have you changed the batteries on your heating thermostat recently? If not maybe do it.

A friend was telling us on a zoom meeting last night that his house started to get really hot - heat was set to 22 Celsius but started climbing past 28 Celsius. Very hot.

He checked things & discovered dead batteries in the thermostat & replaced them. The heat then shut off & gradually returned to normal. Everything has functioned normally since

He is going to investigate further but it seems that the thermostat sensed the house was below 22 & turned on the heat to bring it up to 22.

At that point the batteries died - so the heaters did not get a message to turn off & so the heat continued to build.

This seems to be a real hazard. Someone else on the meeting had seen a case where the same but opposite thing happened with an air conditioner, it got colder & colder till it broke down.

Obviously this could be a fire hazard - check your batteries.

Note if you do not know how to properly do it or if you have any concerns contact a licensed professional.

Great information check it out (Note I am a Sales Representative - REALTOR (R) with Coldwell Banker 2M Realty Brokerage)

Bring Affordability Home | OREA's Plan to Increase Home Ownership The dream of home ownership has never been harder to achieve. REALTORS® are fighting for hardworking Ontarians to bring affordability home.