Local Kamloops News

So you’re looking to buy a new house – and pouring over all of the great real estate offerings in the Kamloops Area.

Each property slideshow conjures images of a new era of domestic bliss in your mind. It’s an exciting time, full of possibilities. But while you’re envisioning yourself in that new place, don’t forget to consider the big picture. You’ll be calling a new neighbourhood “home” too.

Read on to determine what information you need to know about choosing your new neighbourhood.

It’s not merely a question of “good neighbourhoods” and “bad neighbourhoods”. What you want, ideally, is a neighbourhood that offers the specific qualities required to enrich your life (both now and during the years to come). Those requirements will vary greatly

Home inspections are a huge part of buying and selling a home.

While in most cases a home inspection is optional, it’s highly recommended by experts so you can be aware of the home’s condition and potential problems. One of the most common pitfalls new home buyers experience are issues with the home they didn’t know about but could have been fixed prior to closing. Remember, if you have an inspection before purchasing a house, the issues are the seller’s, but if not, the buyer, you are responsible.

One of the most common subjects to a real estate transaction is the home inspection. An inspector’s report is often the deciding factor to move forward with a purchase and can be used to renegotiate the sale price or allow sellers to make repairs. It can

Find out how much the median single-family home in your municipality went up (or down) in value last year

Housing assessments are in the mail for nearly two million homeowners in British Columbia, but those in Vancouver who may have searched their properties online have already learned that values have fallen dramatically.

The figures released January by B.C. Assessment show the typical value of a single-family home in Vancouver has dropped 11 per cent, from $1.76 million to $1.57 million, as of July 1, 2019.

Here are a few answers to questions you might have about property values across the province. 

• How much did things change in Kamloops?

While property values dropped by four to 15 per cent across Metro Vancouver, it was a

Rent-to-own is an alternative route to home ownership for those who can’t obtain financing due to poor credit or because they don’t have enough money for a down payment (or both).

Most Canadians probably haven’t heard about rent-to-own housing. Unlike the U.S., this arrangement is still not that common in Canada.

What is a rent to own home?  It’s pretty much exactly as it sounds.  It’s where an investor, or home owner, rents out their property to a tenant, but gives the tenant the “option” to purchase the home after a certain period of time at a predetermined price. The idea is that you rent a home for a certain period of time with the goal of buying the property at the end of your lease. If all goes according to plan, by then you’ll have repaired

Getting ready to sell your home in Kamloops?

Here are a few real estate tips to think about before you do.

Know your local Real Estate Market –  What are the driving forces in the current Kamloops real estate market? If you do not know, make sure your Realtor knows, if they do not know, find one who does. The focus in Real Estate always has and always will be local, and in order to sell your home, it is vital to know what the local trends here in Kamloops are.

There is nothing convenient about selling a home – You're going to have to get your home ready to sell. You're going to have to do some packing. Your normal living schedule will be interrupted by prospective buyers. The upfront knowledge that you are going to be inconvenienced once you have

BCREA 2020 First Quarter Housing Forecast Update

Vancouver, BC – January 23, 2020. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) released its 2020 First Quarter Housing Forecast Update today.

Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales in the province are forecast to increase 10.3 per cent to 85,290 units this year, after recording 77,349 residential sales in 2019. MLS® residential sales are forecast to increase 6.3 per cent to 90,700 units in 2021. 

“The outlook for home sales in 2020 is considerably brighter than the past two years,” said Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA Chief Economist. “Momentum carried through from the end of 2019 to 2020 will put the housing market on more solid footing, aided by low interest rates and an improving

Vancouver, BC – March 12, 2019.

The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) is calling on the federal government to revisit the B-20 stress test so that more BC families can achieve their dream of home ownership. Mortgage lending rules, known as the B-20 stress test, have eroded housing affordability by reducing the purchasing power of families by as much as 20 per cent. Introduced last year, the stress test forces even the most credit-worthy borrowers with large down payments to qualify at an interest rate that is two percentage points above the rate they negotiate with their bank.
 
“We would like to see a review and reconsideration of the current mortgage underwriting ‘stress test,’ as well as a return to 30-year amortizations for

The Housing Cycle is Entering A Big Shift In Key Cities Across North America

If you are a baby boomer, this might sound familiar: You moved out of your parent’s home as soon as you graduated from high school; you lived in a place you rented – maybe even a ‘room’ in a larger house, where you shared the bathroom with the other tenants; you could put all your belongings in one small bag; and you saved up to buy a car.

That was the ideal lifestyle of the largest demographic ever to populate the world. It’s estimated that 9.6 million baby boomers are in Canada today and they are rapidly becoming the senior population – a population whose living conditions are far different today.

But did you know that there is another demographic as big as – if not

The B.C. Real Estate Association has released its first quarter housing forecast summary and it's projecting a slight boost in the number of sales and a steady increase in the price of homes in Kamloops and across the province.

"We've seen a tremendous amount of growth the last few years, and the unemployment rate is incredibly low right now. So it certainly signals full employment in many sectors, which is certainly positive for consumers, for housing demand," noted the chief economist for the B.C. Real Estate Association Cameron Muir, who is predicting the growth over the next two years.

Kamloops is following the downward trend of housing sales in 2018 — down 10.8 per cent in housing transactions last year compared to 2017. But housing sales

Everybody knows that British Columbia in Canada takes pride in its most temperate climate and the most breathtaking views. But everyone also knows it is the most expensive province to live in Canada.

Despite higher costs of living, BC is still a top choice for many Canadians and immigrants to relocate. 

Why Choose British Columbia for Relocation

If you are planning a move anywhere in British Columbia, you are about to discover one of the most spectacular places in Canada. British Columbia has a pretty diverse climate, depending on where you choose to live. Near the coast, you’ll experience dry summers and wet but mild winters. Near the Okanagan or Cariboo, winters are warm and summers quite hot. In contrast, the northern coast gets more rain and