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JANUARY 22, 2015 Vol. 120, $ 05 Issue 12
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Real estate prices remain stable in Greater Trail
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FINE ART
BY LIZ BEVAN Times Staff
SHERI REGNIER PHOTO
With 20 years experience at his finger tips, Colin Durkin, general manager of Lauener Bros Jewellers in downtown Trail, has a golden touch for engraving scrolly letters onto nameplates and plaques.
Montrose council supports hospital access cillors were in support of the idea of the second access, but weren't clear on the plan for the new road. “I would like to know more about it,” said Councillor Mary Gay. “I need to know where they are putting it and this map doesn't tell me very much.” Councillor Steep explained that the route branches off from the current road, between the hospital and J.L. Crowe Secondary, towards Sunningdale and around the north end of the hospital.
BY LIZ BEVAN Times Staff
On Monday night, Montrose council had the same conversation heard in many council chambers in the region over the last few weeks. At the village's most recent council meeting, members addressed a letter received from the City of Trail, asking for Montrose's support in building a second access to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. As in Warfield two weeks ago, coun-
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“Then I can agree to that,” said Gay. Steep was also in agreement with the plan. “If there is a bottle neck on the current road, then they can have a second way in,” he said. “They will probably develop (the north side) into more parking, and there will also be an easier route for an ambulance.” The council decided to draft a letter in support of the second entrance, motioned by Councillor Cindy Cook. See WARFIELD, Page 3
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The average cost of a house in Canada is the highest it has ever been, and prices in the Lower Columbia region are expected to go up in the coming years. The average price of a house in Trail is around $184,000 for 2014 – one of the lowest in the province. To compare, the national average price is more than double that at $405,233. Century 21 real estate agent Richard Daoust says despite the low looking average, housing prices have actually risen slightly in the Lower Columbia area over the last five or six years. “(Prices) went down a bit during the 2009 crisis, and they have moved up since then,” he said, adding that things have evened out. “But, over the last couple of years, in our market, which is from Rossland all the way to Fruitvale and everything in between, they have stayed about the same.” In Rossland, a select few higher priced homes, around the $1 million mark, bring the average price up slightly above the Trail area. “Those high end homes have brought the overall average up in Rossland,” said Coldwell Banker agent Jack McConnachie. “The average price in Rossland, if I remember correctly, is just over $220,000, but it is those few high-priced homes that have brought that higher.” Rossland's million-dollar homes used be more prevalent, and now, the market is down to selling only a couple per year. “Prior to (the 2009 financial crisis), we were selling about six or seven (million-dollar homes) a year,” said Daoust. “On average, now, we sell about one or two a year, which is actually a huge upswing from when everything turned in the other direction.” Even though prices have risen a bit over the last few years, McConnachie says now is the time to buy. “It is definitely an opportune time for someone to buy a house,” he said. “You have just never seen housing at as good a value as it is right now.” But, buyers looking at listings or talking to a real estate agent shouldn't be deceived by what could seem like a price too low to pass up. See DROP, Page 3
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