Steve Caswell
Broker
Realty Executives of Sudbury Ltd.
2020 is upon us. A new year. A new decade. A fresh start for each and every one of us.
What will the new decade bring your way? Where will you be in another ten years? How will you embrace your fresh start?
We all ask these questions at the time we hang the new calendar on the wall. But the onset of a new decade seems to bring with it a lot deeper reflection of times gone by. Instead of just looking at the past 365 days, most of us will look back over the last ten years and see just how far we’ve come….
Considering this is foremost a real estate industry blog, from a real estate perspective, when I look back to the start of the last decade, I can see the resurgence just beginning as we came out of the Great Recession. Most of us know the end of the previous decade was a financially different world than what we see today. After 08/09, 2010 saw the real estate market sputtering back to life. Like that motor that just kept turning over but wouldn’t spark had finally ignited and began to sputter. It wasn’t running well, but we knew it just needed some time to burn off the bad gas and we’d be rolling again.
By the end of 2019, only a couple of weeks ago, the real estate market is ablaze in Sudbury. We finished the decade with values that seemed to recover, and even surpass, those we saw in the 06/07 hot market conditions. We’ve also witnessed the return of multiple offers, aka “bidding wars”, which is always a firm indicator that supply is lagging well behind the demand. We’ve even seen plenty of new developments pop up throughout Greater Sudbury, yet they don’t seem to be putting a dent in the supply side of things.
Probably the biggest market adjustment across the board has been the Multi-Family and Income Property investments that have simply skyrocketed in value. The per door value of these buildings has jumped significantly in the last decade.
I recall getting a phone call from a fellow agent who asked me, “Caz, how did you get almost $100K per unit in that building you sold?” It was a solid, all brick five-plex in a great rental location that we had listed for $489K that sold in a bidding war for $470K in less than a week to a cash buyer. This was less than two months into 2010. To be honest, a lot of us thought, “is this guy nuts?”
Here I sit ten years later thinking, if the current owner listed that for $470K today, they would be buried in multiple offers. Buried is probably a severe understatement. I would guess their investment has jumped at least 30-40% in value – all while they’ve most likely been bringing in a positive monthly cash flow the entire time.
As we’ve seen house values return to high levels and the investment properties skyrocketing, we’ve also witnessed recreational and “camp” values making impressive gains. More like the home ownership, though, these are more of an “emotional investment” where there is no revenue stream (unless you’re renting it out part-time on the vacation sites) and will actually have to go out of pocket annually to carry them. But you’ll be banking some serious memories of great times at the camp while you hold for the higher future returns! Instead of being a Camp Drifter, like i wrote about in a previous blog, it's time to be the camp owner.
Funny thing about real estate is, more often than not, people have these amazing stories about the people who bought and “flipped” something quick for a big profit and wish it could’ve been them. Flipping places is no easy task and there is more complex taxation and investment calculations involved than just the purchase vs sales price difference that most people base these tales on. But rarely do people tell the boring stories about the people they thought “overpaid” for something 10 years ago that are selling it for a big profit today. Like the buyer above who would walk away with a handsome profit on something most thought they “overpaid” for.
There is no crystal ball in real estate, but our team has been in it a long time and we know it is cyclical. There will be drops in markets and there will be high points, but over time, they always seem to increase. No one would sell their property today for what they paid for it 30 years ago……
The current market seems to be a little groggy from the holiday season, but we know that won’t last long. These first few months of the year are a great time to look into upgrading that family home, looking for that camp you can take possession of in time for May long weekend or finally jumping into the investment game. Waiting till the weather clears up will only bring a lot more competition your way.
This is a new decade and a new you. Invest in yourself, invest in your family and invest in real estate. Who knows – in ten years I could be writing about the huge profits you’ve made this decade…..
Like a great friend of ours always says, and I've mentioned before in these blogs, "it takes the same amount of energy to dream small as it does to dream BIG". It's your time to dream big.....
It costs nothing to look, ask questions and build a strategy that's right for you. We're not "chatbots" that are going to harass you - we're experienced professionals that are here to help you buy, sell and invest wisely! Whether you're thinking about a new home, finally getting that family camp or looking to start investing or continue to build your portfolio, it all starts with one click by contacting us at caswellteam@realtyexecutives.com to see how we can help fulfill your dream.
If you're not looking just yet, you can always check out all our great, ongoing blog topics by clicking here or even just browse our website for tons of great info on buying and selling in Greater Sudbury and surrounding areas.
Together, let's make this the decade you make it happen!
Contributed by:
Steve Caswell
Cell - 705.561.8767
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other salespersons, staff or affiliates of Realty Executives of Sudbury LTD. Brokerage, Realty Executives International, the Sudbury Real Estate Board, Ontario Real Estate Association, Canadian Real Estate Association or any of their subsidiaries. For any concerns pertaining to the content herein, please contact us immediately at caswellteam@realtyexecutives.com.
