Social Media, Can or Should Politicians Block Citizens? Reminder of a couple of Local Events

Social Media, Can or Should Politicians Block Citizens?

People can be vicious to each other online. They can be even more vicious to those who have decided to run for or have been elected to office. Having a heated debate I have no issue with. Personal attacks are wrong. I have had personal experience in this example. To solve the problem of someone who is attacking you personally is easy. "Block" 

Until now.

In Ottawa, Mayor Jim Watson is being taken to court by three residence for blocking them on his Twitter account. They are arguing that by blocking them from his Twitter account he is violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is not a frivolous case. Presidence will be decided here.

Watson states that this is his personal Twitter account and he has the right to block whoever he likes. Problem being, Watson's Twitter account may have become a public information channel because he tweets out city information using this account. If it is deemed to be the case by the courts, he has no more right to block citizens from that sphere than he does in any other realm.

This creates all kinds of other problems. When I worked to get the causeway cleaned up, I used social media to spread my message. Some others also chimed in with racial comments. I deleted those comments. I did not want to go down that route.  If I was an elected official was I violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of others?

Blocking is not the only option in Twitter to silence some. You can "mute". If you mute someone they can still follow you, see what you are posting but you can't see their Tweets. Will that also be a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

In real estate I know that our regulating body, RECO is working to update rules and regulations for Realtors®. Problem being by the time they update all these rules, social media will have changed and the Act will be outdated by the time it is released. This could be the same in this case.

I found this case interesting. I will be watching to see the outcome.

Reminder of a couple of Local Events

Halloween Dance in support of Ennismore Heritage Artspace. All profits go towards keeping the Hall Running. This is happening 8 P.M. at the Hall (507 Ennis Rd)

Great Ham Feast: Bridgenorth United Church will have a dinner from 4:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. at the church located at 832 Charles St in Bridgenorth. It will be a home style ham dinner. $15 per adult, $7 for children (under 4 eat for free)

Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

If you are looking to either Buy or Sell in Selwyn or Peterborough contact me immediately at 705-927-6236

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate Brokerage

Making Real Estate "Real" since 2007

www.bradsinclair.ca
www.gowaterfront.ca

Ontario Government news release about natural gas

Ford Government has announced in September that they are working to expand natural gas to families and businesses throughout rural Ontario. This idea will be possible through an innovative partnership with local communities and the private sector.

Premier Ford says "by cancelling the cap and trade carbon tax, we have already acted to bring natural gas prices down for Ontario families and businesses"

Under the proposed legislation this new program would deliver low cost natural gas to Ontario communities. This will be done using more private gas distributors that would help develop projects to expand access to natural gas.

The proposed changes could potentially connect over 70 Ontario communities with natural gas working out to be approximately 33,000 homes.

Ontario families switching to natural gas from other sources can save between $800 to $2500 per year. 

Holding Offers is Dead

What is holding offers? Holding offers are a marketing tool where Sellers offer a property to be viewed for a set number of days before looking at any offers from interested Buyers. This is a marketing tool but only effective in a seller's market. The hope is by the Sellers that Buyers will "compete" and pay higher prices for their properties.

In Peterborough we are still currently dealing with low inventory numbers BUT the market is becoming more balanced. The number of multiple offer situations are becoming far less common. When you do see multiple offers you are seeing close to asking price AND conditions. This was not the case in 2017.

In today's current market your home must be listed at least 5% under its market value in the hopes of getting 10% to 15% over asking. Most sellers are not interested in taking this risk. Sellers currently holding offers usually list at full value or over value. They are not getting multiple offers. However, their home or property do sell, just after the holding date.

Buyers seem to be reluctant to compete anymore, even if their interest in a property is great. Buyers have a fear of over paying for a property and as the market slips in value they don't want to be left being upside down for years to come.

OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association) is lobbying the government to put rules in place that change how multiple offer situations are presented. Currently the Seller and their Agent can not disclose what current offers are. As a Buyer in a multiple offer situation you have no idea what you are competing against so you may bid thousands, maybe tens of thousands of dollars more then you needed to win the property. OREA would like to have a transparent offer process to have more of an auction process. Keep in mind the Seller would have to still direct this process and may choice not to. Under current legislation, agents are prohibited form disclosing any of the financial or conditions of an offer. The current way of multiple offers is likened to a "silent auction"

So is "Holding Offers" right for your situation? Let's talk...

For more local content subscribe to this blog at the top of this article!

Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate Brokerage

Making Real Estate “Real” since 2007

www.bradsinclair.ca