2015's Luxury Market Review

Last year I did a little summary of the Luxury Market in The Highlands and it seemed well received. Time flies, so it is time to review last year's market.

The Highlands is a technicolour  tourist area! Big, small and everything inbetween. Our 600 lakes provide everything from the quiet, private retreat to big boating. And the area is growing! Minden and Haliburton, the two main towns, have both seen growth this past year but the best part is that even though the area is growing, we will never get too big. This keeps our market stable during tough times, and growing the rest of the time. People who discover the Highlands never want to leave!
 In my previous blog I noted that the Luxury Market, although still young to the area, has been growing in leaps and bounds. Between 2013 and 2014 the market grew 38% in number of sales from 5 sales in the whole tourist area that were over $1,000,000 to 8 sales. In 2015 we had 11 sales over $1,000,000.
The lakes that these sales occurred were all over the map! A small, private lake with pure privacy, mid-size lakes such as Mountain and Kushog, chain lakes such as Twelve Mile, Soyers, and Kashagawagimog, and of course the two larger lakes - Kennisis and Redstone. The smallest waterfront was 95 feet, ranging up to 1,273 feet (excluding the private lake which really skews the numbers). Again, the number of sales in a whole year is small, but looking at the big picture of area and market growth - the luxury market is continuing to climb as more luxury cottages are built. The increase from 8 sales to 11 sales in one year is a 28% increase.
At the beginning of February I am travelling to Mississauga to upgrade my training on latest marketing trends and learning from industry leaders in the Luxury Marketing industry. I am so excited...keeping on top and up to date so that I can offer the best possible service for my clients. I will let everyone know how the training went....stay tuned!

This Weeks's Lake - Redstone Lake

So many lakes, so little time.....last time I talked about Kennisis Lake - today it is Redstone Lake, just down the road! In one word....stunning! Slightly smaller than Kennisis Lake, Redstone too is located in our northern region of the County and has been a cottage destination since the early '60's. The lake covers 118 ha (294 acres), is deep, clean and offers everything from big granite outcroppings to sand beaches. The lake has an average depth of 71.9 ft (21.5 m) and is 270 ft (81m) at it's deepest point.
A cool thing about Redstone Lake is that it holds a unique fish - the Haliburton Gold Lake Trout. This fish is a glacial relic lake trout strain, only found in Redstone and 3 other lakes in our area. It is genetically different from other lake trout and even has a completely different look!

An Early-Morning Misty View from a Granite Bluff

Redstone connects with Little Redstone Lake and Pelaw Lake for tonnes of boating, waterskiing, windsurfing - you name it! 3 boat launches, a beautiful sand beach, scenic islands, granite cliffs.....this lake is dramatic and tranquil all at the same time.
Cottages on this lake range from older, quaint original cabins to properties the average person can only dream of owning - something for everyone.
Both Redstone and Kennisis Lakes flank the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve, famous for it's many lakes to camp and fish on, and it's Wolf Centre and Canopy Walk. The area is definitely an area unto it's own...a real cottage destination.
Deep, clean, clear and dramatic - that's my short version! One more reason to visit and vacation in Haliburton Highlands!