Times Advocate, 1989-06-14, Page 5Back
in time
10 years ago
•The village of Dashwood was one step closer to getting a municipal
water system after the ministry of the environment approved a rating
schedule for the system connecting Dashwood to the Lake Huron
Water Supply System. It was hinted the pipeline may be made oversize
to accommodate "areas farther east" Did they mean Exeter?
•Hensall ratepayers were stung for an 18 percent increase on their
municipal taxes when the village mill rate increased 21 Mills.
•A 16 -kilometre marathon to raise money for the South Huron Big
Brothers netted $1,500 for the organization after 75 people of all ages
got in on the event. "First across the finish line was John Hayman,
followed closely by Albert VanDyken and Ed Clair."
• Censorship at the Huron school board level again reared its ugly
head as board members struggled to decide which books were suitable
for the curriculum. TA editor Bill Batten suggested "one of the great
problems in any democracy is that it too often bows to the wishes of the
out -spoken minority." Batten said one board member who thought he
represented the wishes of 80 percent of Huron parents had "obviously
lost touch with reality."
20 years ago
• Users of the Dashwood Athletic Field were eagerly awaiting the
installation of $10,000 worth of floodlights at the park to be able to
continue their games into the dusk.
•Voters were preparing to go to the polls over a proposed "General
Farm Organization in Ontario".
•The A&K Supertest Service Centre celebrated their grand opening
by giving away gold plated car keys.
50 years ago
•In less environmentally -conscious times Traquair's Hardware was
selling "Sudden Death Bug Killer" in one to 50 pound sizes.
• "The Huron Lumber Company came close to losing their planing
mill Saturday afternoon when lighting struck the building and started
a fire. Only the prompt action of the manager, Mr. D.A. Gordon, and
others saved the building from going up in smoke."
•The community mourned the loss of a Hamilton man John Westcott.
Among other things he was known as the man who "took the first paper
of the Exeter Times off the press. That was in Oct. 1873 when the paper
was printed on a Washington hand press."
70 years ago
• Automation was fascinating rural Canada. The Advocate provided
some statistics on what a gallon of gasoline could do. "It will milk 300
cows, bale four tons of hay, mix 35 yards of cement, move a ton truck
fourteen miles, plow three-fifths of an acre of land, and make enough
electricity to keep eight lights going in a farmhouse for 30 hours."
•The Advocate was running a series of editorial cartoons attacking
consumers who used mail-order outlets. They claimed such purchas-
ing was holding back the growth of local communities.
100 years ago
•A letter to the editor of the Advocate bemoaned the lack of suitable
playing fields for the local cricket and baseball clubs.
"Our park (if it may be called one at all) is simply an absurdity and
it is well that some ground should be provided so that it keeps the youth
off the streets."
•Farmers surrounding Grand Bend were suffering from flooding
along the river banks.
"We are of the opinion that there is little use to try to keep the flats
dry by putting the cut through near Grand Bend. In our estimation, if
the cut was put through about 1 1/2 miles down the stream or at the back
of Mr. George Tapson's farm (it would be a better solution)."
• Favorite quack cure of the week: "All diseases are cured by our
Medicated Electric Belt and Appliances. On the principle that Electric-
ity is Life, our appliances are brought.directly into contact with the
diseased part." Testimpnials of patients claimed cures of everything
from paralysis to impotence. "No vinegar or acid used" (?)
Parks board may
need anew tractor
HENSALL - The Hensall Parks
Board is looking at some major un-
expected expenditures in the next
while, especially since the tractor
for towing the ice resurfacer is hav-
ing its mechanical troubles.
Repairs to the aging machine
have been estimated as high as
$2,000.
"What we were wondering was
with a tractor 20 years old whether
it was worth putting .the money
into it," said councillor Jeff Reab-
urn at Hensall's council meeting
Monday evening.
Councillor Cecil Pepper observed
that a decision would be needed be-
fore the next hockey season.
Reaburn said the Parks Board
will be weighing the cost of
present and future- repairs against
buying a- new tractor, or leasing
one.
Reaburn also told council that
new steel doors are needed for the
picnic pavilion, because the previ-
ous doors have succumbed to van-
dalism.
Reaburn described the doors as
having been "kicked in".
The three replacement doors cost
S136.50 each.
In other council business, Pepper
informed the village office staff
that the finance committee has de-
cided to hold off buying a fax ma-
chine for the office until 1990.
Council later discussed the merits
of the recent Annual Village Yard
Sale.
Hoffman suggested the event is a
success at bringing people to town,
but Tacks the ability to highlight%
the village's permanent business'
community, especially considering
it is sponsored by the Hensall BIA.
"Bringing people to town isn't so
much a benefit finless they use the
local businesses," agreed Reaburn.
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"I think there would have to be a
separate promotion for downtown,"
said clerk -treasurer Luanne Phair,
suggesting that bargain hunters
won't be easily interested in retail.
Council supported Exeter coun-
cil's protest of Huron County
Council's recent 19 percent budget
increase. The motion questions
some of the county's spending pri-
orities.
"If they get enough letters like
that this year, it might make them
think more next year," said Pepper.
Times -Advocate, Juno 14, 1989
Page 5
Stable future in local real estate
By Adrian Harte
EXETER - Speculators have been
watching the Canadian real estate
market with some interest in recent
months. Prices have never been
higher. High interest rates have been
making some buyers nervous, while
predictions .of lower bargain rates
later in the year have others wonder-
ing whether they will affect housing
pnces across the country.
Still others predict a dramatic
implosion of housing values.as real-
ity catches up with an overheated
Toronto real estate market.
Who can you believe? What is
really likely to happen and, perhaps
more importantly, what is expected
to happen to South Huron's real es-
tate market..
The Times Advocate took these
and other questions to three local real
estate agents to sound out their obser-
vations and expectations concerning
the local housing Mark .a.
Dirk_Coolman of Coolman Real
Estate said that Exeter at this time of
year, traditionally the busiest house
buying season, has fewer properties
available on the market than is nor-
mallyaverage. He pointed directly to
a shortage of lower-priced properties
on the market in the $60-80,000
range, explaining that these are now
almost exclusively in the domain of
the older home market.
Coolman said with current lot
prices in Exeter, the basic home a
builder can hope to put on the market
starts at around $108,000.
With only about 25 houses avail-
able for sale in Exeter at any one
time; Coolman said buyers don't
seem to be especially apprehensive
about their investment.
"They don't mind paying close to
the asking price, even if it's a bit
overpriced," said Coolman.
While someone looking for a
house can expect to pay more in
Exeter than for a comparable prop-
erty in the surrounding villages
Coolman did suggest that Exete
values are still a better deal than the
going rates in places like Goderich or
Owen Sound.
When asked if the prophesied 17
percent drop in Toronto property
values would spill its effects over
into Exeter, Coolman simply said "It
didn't happen last time."
He said the early 80's recession
which put a cap on Toronto prices
and crushed Vancouver's outlandish
values had little effect on a relatively
stable South Huron market.
"I don't see how they can drop,"
said Coolman, citing frequent in-
creases in the prices of residential
lots and the costs of construction
labour.
Even interest rates were sitting at
uncomfortably high levels of 13 3/4
only a few months ago didn't stop the
Exeter buyer's taste for real estate,
Coolman said.
"It didn't slow up one iota," he
if, but added t ' •.,h'- -ales
do put a limit on what is
able to buy. He estimu.... that a
family that can afford a mortage of
$80,000 at 12 percent is only able to
support $75,000 at a rate of 14 per-
cent.
Some financial institutions are
now offering montages as low as 11
5/8 percent, and Coolman is hoping
they will go even lower.
Heather Rogers at Extate Realty
agrees with the 12 percent mark as
representing the breaking point of
what home buyers are willing to pay
in interest. Higher than 12 percent
and the market slows down, says
Rogers.
However, she wasn't willing to
speculate on what direction mortage
rates would be heading the in near
future.
The housing market today is cer-
tainly more expensive than it used to
be in relation to average income,
according to Rogers.
Real estate requires the kind of
investment and payment structure
that only the very well-off or dual -
income families Can afford.
"Very few can afford it without
two incomes," said Rogers.
Rogers did say that there is cer-
tainly no lack of demand for homes in
Exeter.
"Whatever's on the market is usu-
ally sold within a few months," she
said, adding that one gap she sees is
the lack of "medium -range" proper-
ties - those around the S 100,000
mark.
"There's not that many available,"
explained Rogers, who also said that
while the desirability of Exeter's
various neighbourhoods varies and
affects home values, there is really no
longer a "wrong side of the tracks"
anymore.
As to doom and gloom prcdictions
of dropping property values in
Canada's cities, Rogers also said she
did not expect to see such repercus-
sions in evidence here.
"You don't sec the great big fluc-
tuations like there are in big centres,"
she said. Buyers in cities, explained
Rogers, are often influenced by mar-
ket pressures to a greater extent than_
insmall towns where buyers te• o
take their time when choosing a .tew
home.
Murray Keys, with GK Realty in
4 Hensall, said that while there were
only a handful of homes for sale in
the village, they were not overpriced
in response to demand.
"There's getting to be a lot of
overpriced property on the market
today," said Keys, but called
Hensall's values mostly in line with
what families can afford.
However, he did say that Hensall 's
home values were influenced by the
going prices in Exeter which are, in
turn, influenced by London.
"Dollar for dollar, you get a better
value for your money in Hensall,"
said Keys.
Keys acknowledged Hensall does
have a shortage of serviced lots for
building new homes, but commented
that the situation had improved from
a year ago.
"Hensall certainly could use a few
more buildable lots," he said, but
suggested more moderately -priced
new homes were what was needed to
even out the .village's real estate
market.
Otherwise, Keys said, Hensall's
attraction is that its more reasonably
priced homes are attractive not only
to those employed in Hensall, but to
those interested in. commuting the
short distance to Exeter where hous-
ing prices are that little bit -higher.
eft
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8210
Open house - McIntyre T.V. in
Grand Bend held on open
house Friday• and Saturday to
help commemorate the opening
of their new showroom at their
store. The family -run business
had been working in the old lo-
cation for more than 10 years.
Front row, Jenna Mclntrye, Kris -
ti McIntyre. Back row, Dennis
McIntyre, Elva McIntyre.
Larry Campll D.D.S.
Dental Surgeon
Wishes to announce the relocation of his
office for the practice of dentistry to
194 Main St.,
Lucan Ontario
By appointment
NOM 210
Phone 227-4483
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