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Realtors_Busy_Winter

Feature Article February 13

Feature ArticleFebruary 13, 2002

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Local realtors having busy winterby David BrisonThe prevailing wisdom is that everything slows down in our northern townships during the winter. In my visits around the townships of North and Central Frontenac, I have found that this isnt the case for at least some businesses in the area.

Michael Hunt, the owner of Hunt Realty in Cloyne, says that he has never had a better January. He reported that he had already sold six properties in January, and had as many as 15 listings. This follows an extremely good year for him his first full year as an independent realtor in North Frontenac.

Alison Robinson of Lake District Reality has a similar story, We have had well over a million dollars worth of new listings in January, and our sales have kept up with the listings. If things keep up like this, I will have to bring in summer staff. We have made nine sales in January alone.

Some of the new buyers are grandparents in the age 55 range who want water property so that their grandchildren can visit them in the summer. Many are looking for lake front property that either is at present suitable for year-round use, or could be converted for such use in the near future.

Both realtors noted that it is unusual for people to buy lake front property in the winter; however this was an unusual year, in that the lakes were not frozen in January and buyers were better able to see the lakefronts.

The region underwent a mini population boom in the 1991-1996 census period. Central Frontenac had an overall population increase of 13.8% -- contrasted with an increase of 5.6% in Frontenac and 6.6% in Ontario.

Planners speculate that this increase in population could continue to 2013, when the last of the baby boomers will be retiring.

The observations of Hunt and Robinson would seem to indicate that the number of people moving into the area is persisting into the 2000s.

With the participation of the Government of Canada