I hope 2010 has gotten off to a great start for you.
The real estate market started this year at full gallop and we are currently experiencing a very strong sellers market once again. We have record low inventory levels and a very strong demand since housing has become very affordable to purchase due to historically low mortgage rates. Once the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) takes effect on July 1st and mortgage rates begin to climb, sales and price growth is expected to slow
On a personal note, in mid December, 2009, I took advantage of an
invitation to travel to Belize to see an extraordinary development which
I’ve determined to be a great investment opportunity. While there, I
also took some time to visit a Catholic school located in a very poor
area of Ambergis Caye. The government of Belize gave the land to the
Catholic Church to build a school there for children who couldn’t
otherwise afford to go to school. The land is basically a swamp and a
very smelly one at that
The school began a few years ago with 22 students and now has 526
students enrolled. I met the schools’ founders, Vernon and Francis, and
they took me on a tour of the school which is basically portables on
stilts. I was very impressed by what I saw and was very moved
emotionally to help in any way that I can. I’ve since decided to create a
curriculum to teach these kids how to end the poverty cycle in their
communities by understanding the fundamental basics of how money works.
This curriculum will be designed to have the children, in their
formative years, gain confidence and apply what they learn to pilot
projects created to permanently change their existing community from one
of scarcity and dependence to one of abundance and self sufficiency.
This will be a long term project for me and one that I am very excited
about.
I have also linked up with a Toronto organization called Direct Abundance, a charitable
organization that fund raises for this school and others like it. One
of the founders of Direct Abundance is currently in Belize organizing
much needed women’s shelters and conducting other valuable training for
the people of Belize. Please go to this site and donate what you can.
You will be given a tax receipt for any financial donation and all of
the proceeds go directly to where it is most needed. I have been
involved with a toy drive for direct abundance and delivered toys to the
Holy Cross school this past Christmas while there.
Have an awesome spring
Michelle Read
Your Real Estate Consultant … For Life
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