Emily Mullock Children's Book - SFU Woodwards

 A day trip to Vancouver is a relatively easy journey from the eastern Fraser Valley especially if you are carpooling with friends as my wife and I did this Sunday. Vancouver's "Word on the Street" was underway at the beautiful Vancouver Public Library and our daughter Emily was on hand to sign her new children book "Go Away Unicorn".  Do you believe in unicorns?  Well neither did Alice until one showed up at her birthday party. This is the third book Emily has illustrated and the first she has written.  It is a gem and can be found at Amazon books.

We also took in a public open house at the new SFU Woodward's Visual Arts centre and enjoyed our introduction to this "State of the Art" :) facility.  Oh, to be twenty again...

Imagine living in a lush valley where real estate prices are still affordable and cities like Vancouver are readily at hand - that is Chilliwack Fraser Cheam living.

All pictures © Stephen Mullock 2010.


Stephen Mullock RI is an award winning full-time real estate agent with 29 years of experience and hundreds of sales. Thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Fraser Cheam communities of Chilliwack, Agassiz or Harrison Hot Springs? Contact Steve (click here) for experience, local knowledge, friendly service that is usually on time; you’ll be happy you did.

Picture of the Week - Upon a Foggy Morn

Several times in the past couple of weeks I have awaken to a world blanketed in a deep fog as was the case this morning.  I hope this photograph captures this essence a world a little wild on the edges a country road disappearing into a profound silence.

Upon a Foggy Morn ©

The Chilliwack Fraser Cheam area is full of daily beauty imagine living here.

Stephen Mullock RI is an award winning full-time real estate agent with 29 years of experience and hundreds of sales. Thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Fraser Cheam communities of Chilliwack, Agassiz or Harrison Hot Springs? Contact Steve (click here) for experience, local knowledge, friendly service that is usually on time; you’ll be happy you did.

Agassiz Fall Fair 2010

Agassiz Fall Fair Midway © 2010

The Agassiz Fall Fair is an important day on the calendars of the local Fraser Cheam people. Sure the midway opens the night before but the real excitement is on the Saturday. Maybe it is because so many people have a hand in it as a volunteer.  This Fair has been going strong since 1901 and has always required the assistance of an army of helpers.  If you do find yourself "duty-free", well, strolling around and catching up with neighbours and friends seems to be the order the day. The fair grounds are full of 4-H shows, lumberjack exhibitions, tractor pulls, midway fun, crafts but my favourite event comes from the madcap men and women of lawnmower racing. I guess people were born to test the limits of just about everything even a ride-on lawnmower.

Sure there are spills as the drivers push these ride-on lawnmowers to their limits.  It makes for some exciting viewing. Techniques vary between drivers not all are successful.

Every weekend there seems to be something wonderful happening in the Chilliwack Fraser Cheam area. Imagine living in a community like this.

All pictures © Stephen Mullock 2010 All Rights Reserved

Stephen Mullock RI is an award winning full-time real estate agent with 29 years of experience and hundreds of sales. Thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Fraser Cheam communities of Chilliwack, Agassiz or Harrison Hot Springs? Contact Steve (click here) for experience, local knowledge, friendly service that is usually on time; you’ll be happy you did.

Picture of the Week - Fraser River Island Foggy Morning

Fraser River Island Foggy Morning ©

Fraser River Island in Half Light ©

Yesterday was a fog filled morning common this time of year and I was heading to Chilliwack when I noticed that along the Fraser River the sun had momentarily broken through the fog banks and was lighting the river in a most exceptional way.  It was quite a show.  I had to race about a bit to get these pictures in a quickly shifting light environment.  I hope that you like them. The Mount Cheam summit can be seen in the first picture.  A dreamy glow seems to come from the half light on the island in the second photograph.  The Chilliwack Fraser Cheam area is one of incredible beauty; can you imagine living here all the time?

Stephen Mullock RI is an award winning full-time real estate agent with 29 years of experience and hundreds of sales. Thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Fraser Cheam communities of Chilliwack, Agassiz or Harrison Hot Springs? Contact Steve (click here) for experience, local knowledge, friendly service that is usually on time; you’ll be happy you did.

Picture of the Week - "chuck's service" and "long light"

"chuck's service" © Stephen Mullock 2010

This week I found this old Ford tow truck with "CHUCK'S SERVICE" painted on its' side tucked into the back corner of a 1.77 acre parcel, I am just listing for sale at $295,000.  With blackberry bushes growing through it and nature doing its best to reduce it back to a pile of rust I was fascinated by this reminder of days gone by.

As you can see the great design lines, of Ford trucks of this era, are very much evident and if this one could talk, I am sure, it would caution us that it was always "Chuck's Service" and never "Chuck Service".

"long light" © Stephen Mullock 2010

I've had this image called "long light" as my screen saver for a week and rather enjoy it. It was taken from the Annis Road area of Chilliwack looking west over our rich Fraser Valley farmland. What a place to live!

Stephen Mullock RI is an award winning full-time real estate agent with 29 years of experience and hundreds of sales. Thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Fraser Cheam communities of Chilliwack, Agassiz or Harrison Hot Springs? Contact Steve (click here) for experience, local knowledge, friendly service that is usually on time; you’ll be happy you did.

Real Estate Review and Analysis - Chilliwack September 1, 2010

SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES

The Chilliwack real estate market for a second straight month proved to be an under-performer with only 99 sales of single family houses recorded for the month of August 2010.  To put that into perceptive with other August months this past decade to reach an "average" sales target we would have expected around 150 sales. Sales numbers as you can see were off by a third. 

The average sale price of a single family house dropped pretty dramatically in August from prices achieved earlier this year and from those of a year ago.  The average sale price of the single family house that sold in August 2010 was less than three hundred thousand.  The last time the Chilliwack* area had an average less than $300,000 was in December 2006.  Is this a sign that a mystical housing bubble has broken?  My conversations with other real estate agents indicate that some erosion in price has occurred but significantly less than the 14% drop suggested between the July 2010 and August 2010 averages. All the same, Sellers are advised to keep in contact with their real estate representatives to adjust pricing as required. 

MONTH	Sales	Average Sale Price	Days on Market	Active Listings
Aug 2010	99	$294,000	67	1029
July 2010	100	$341,000	61	1078
Aug 2009	145	$350,000	71	n/a

Median Price of Active Chilliwack* Single Family Detached Real Estate Listings: Aug 1, 2010 - $359,000



STRATA HOMES

MONTH	Sales	Average Sale Price	Days on Market	Active Listings
Aug 2010	45	$199,000	77	555
July 2010	44	$228,000	79	552
Aug 2009	66	$210,000	82	n/a

Median Price of Active Chilliwack* Strata Real Estate Listings: Aug 1, 2010 - $229,900* 


Townhouses and apartments make up the bulk of the strata market and they also had a second poor monthly showing in August registering only 45 sales for the month.  This decade has seen 3 poorer "August" strata sale performances but an average "August" strata market should see nearly 60 sales in a month.  The average sale price dropped to $199,000 following a curious jump up in value in July to $228,000 perhaps due to a small statistical sample size.


*The analysis above is based on my interpretation of information provided through the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board and does not include private sales.  The term "Chilliwack" is used quite loosely to refer to an area serviced by the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board which includes communities such as Chilliwack, Sardis, Cultus Lake, Yarrow, Rosedale, Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs, Harrison Mills. Hope, Yale and Boston Bar.  The Fraser Valley West embraces the entire Fraser Valley Real Estate Board area from Abbotsford west to Delta

Stephen Mullock RI is an award winning full-time real estate agent with 29 years of experience and hundreds of sales. Thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Fraser Cheam communities of Chilliwack, Agassiz or Harrison Hot Springs? Contact Steve (click here) for experience, local knowledge, friendly service that is usually on time; you’ll be happy you did.