Barrie and Orillia Remains Tops In Real Estate Report!

Barrie and Orillia tops in real estate: report

Posted 7 months ago

Barrie and Orillia are once again near the top of the list of the best places in Ontario for real estate investment.
Simcoe Shores follows Hamilton and the Kitchener/Cambridge areas as the third best place for residential real estate investment, in an analysis of top Ontario investment towns.
And even though it's expected to outperform other markets over the next three to five years a local realtor who specializes in real estate investment said the third-place ranking for the second consecutive year shouldn't be taken for granted. Barrie has to ensure all aspects of the city remain desirable to investors.
Every year the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) releases its top-10 list of Ontario cities and towns and Barrie, along with Orillia as Simcoe Shores, once again made the list.
"Real estate investing is driven by the economy, job growth, in-migration, infrastructure," said Melanie Reuter, a co-author of the report.
She points to the many projects currently on the go that make Barrie desirable for people looking to invest in residential real estate: the expansion and new cancer care centre at Royal Victoria Hospital, infrastructure upgrades, attention to downtown, the GO train and Barrie's second GO station in development and Georgian College with its expansion and university partnerships.
"In times of recession people go to school and in good times people go to school," said Reuter. "And we love transportation. You can afford to live in Barrie and commute elsewhere."

The city's designation as a growth centre will also help attract jobs and its economy overall, according to the report. And it's considered to have one of the lowest business cost environments in the country.

Shannon Murree works exclusively with residential real estate investors in Barrie through Remax Chay Realty Inc., offers property management is also a member of REIN and occasional speaker. REIN's ranking, she said, reflects the appeal of the city on many levels.

"Definitely, with whats going on in the development in Barrie... you can see the cranes, the construction," she said. "People want to come live and play here.

"If Barrie wants to stay on the radar of the top-10 places to invest in, they need to make sure they make it investment friendly."

Restrictions in residential areas could restrict investors, she warns, pointing to crackdowns in east-end neighbourhoods known to be occupied by college students.

REIN is a real estate research organization. Its report analyzes the current and future prospects for real estate investment opportunities in Ontario, picking the top regions.




REIN's top investment towns:

#1 Hamilton
#2 Kitchener & Cambridge
#3 Simcoe Shores -- Orillia & Barrie
#4 Waterloo
#5 Brampton
#6 Ottawa
#7 Durham Region (Whitby, Pickering, and Ajax)
#8 Toronto
#9 Brantford
#10 Vaughan

Thanks to Marg Bruineman of the Barrie Examiner

Investment Ideal in Simcoe, Report Says

Investment Ideal in Simcoe, Report Says

Barrie and Orillia are once again near the top of the list of the best places in Ontario for real-estate investment.

Simcoe Shores follows Hamilton and the Kitchener/Cambridge areas as the third-best place for residential real estate investment, in an analysis of top Ontario investment towns.

And even though it's expected to outperform other markets over the next three to five years, a local realtor who specializes in real-estate investment said the third-place ranking for the second consecutive year shouldn't be taken for granted. Barrie has to ensure all aspects of the city remain desirable to investors.

Every year, the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) releases its top-10 list of Ontario cities and towns and Barrie, along with Orillia as Simcoe Shores, once again made the list.

"Real estate investing is driven by the economy, job growth, in-migration, infrastructure," said Melanie Reuter, a co-author of the report.

She points to the many projects currently on the go that make Barrie desirable for people looking to invest in residential real estate: the expansion and new cancer care centre at Royal Victoria Hospital, infrastructure upgrades, attention to downtown, the GO train and Barrie's second GO station in development, and Georgian College with its expansion and university partnerships.

"In times of recession people go to school and in good times people go to school," said Reuter. "And we love transportation. You can afford to live in Barrie and commute elsewhere."

The city's designation as a growth centre will also help attract jobs and its economy overall, according to the report. And it's considered to have one of the lowest business cost environments in the country.

Shannon Murree works exclusively with residential real estate investors in Barrie through Remax Chay Realty Inc., which offers property management and is also a member of REIN and an occasional speaker. REIN's ranking, she said, reflects the appeal of the city on many levels.

"Definitely, with whats going on in the development in Barrie... you can see the cranes, the construction," she said. "People want to come live and play here.

"If Barrie wants to stay on the radar of the top-10 places to invest in, they need to make sure they make it investment friendly."


Restrictions in residential areas could restrict investors, she warns, pointing to crackdowns in east-end neighbourhoods known to be occupied by college students.

REIN is a real estate research organization. Its report analyzes the current and future prospects for real estate investment opportunities in Ontario, picking the top regions.

The Top 10 List
1. Hamilton
2. Kitchener & Cambridge
3. Simcoe Shores — (Barrie & Orillia)
4. Waterloo
5. Brampton
6. Ottawa
7. Durham Region - (Whitby, Pickering, and Ajax)
8. Toronto
9. Brantford
10. Vaughan

(originally posted May 12, 2011 Marg Bruineman, The Barrie Examiner)

Barrie and Orillia - Simcoe Shores Worth Investing In - Report Says

Housing started picked up in September due to an increase in multiple starts in the Atlantic region, Quebec and in British Columbia,” said Mathieu Laberge, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC's Market Analysis Centre. Multiple housing starts are expected to move back towards levels consistent with demographic fundamentals in the near term. 

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 8.0% to 185,900 units in September. Multiple urban starts were up by 14.2% to 118,000 units while urban single starts decreased by 1.5% in September to 67,900 units. 

September's seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 47.0% in the Atlantic region, 32.0% in Quebec and by 18.6% in British Columbia while urban starts decreased by 3.5% in Ontario and by 12.1% in the Prairie region. Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 20,000 units in September. 

Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® Inc. came in well above year-ago levels for the third consecutive month in September 2011, and stood on par with some of the strongest September sales figures on record. 

Home sales numbered 387 units in September, an increase of 17 per cent over the same month last year. Within the City of Barrie, gains were in line with the overall trend for the region and showed 243 residential sales, up 19 per cent. 

The year-to-date average price for all homes sold via the Association's MLS® System in the first nine months of 2011 is now $289,254, up two per cent from last year. 

For the City of Barrie alone, the figure is $269,258. 

The Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® cautions that over a period of time, the use of average price information can be useful in establishing trends, but it does not indicate actual prices in widely divergent areas or account for price differences between geographical areas. 

The dollar value of all home sales in September 2011 was $113 million, up eight per cent from last September. 

The Barrie & District Association of REALTORS® covers a geographical area that includes the City of Barrie as well as part or all of the surrounding townships, including Springwater, Oro-Medonte, Innisfil, Essa, Bradford-West Gwillimbury and Clearview. 

Mark Wanzel photo

There have been a few articles written in The Barrie Examiner  in which I have had the pleasure of providing my experience of working with Real Estate Investors. Appreciate the opportunity of giving our "expert" opinion given over 90% of our business is solely working with Investors. ran under the headline, "Investment ideal here, report says."  The Real Estate Investment Network (REIN)ranked the Barrie & Orillia area third-best in the province for residential real estate investment, behind only Hamilton and Kichener/Cambridge. 

The report took into account such factors as the local economy, job growth, in-migration, and infrastructure.  The report's co-author, Melanie Reuter, cited many reasons that make the "Simcoe Shores" area attractive to real estate investors, including expansion of the Royal Victoria Hospital and Georgian College, infrastructure improvements, and the second GO train station.

This confirms what we all knew or at least suspected already - that our area is a great place to live, work, and invest in real estate!