Getting Your Home Ready for Senior Life

Eighty-eight percent of people 65 and older wish to age in place, according to an AARP survey.

For many people, this will involve staying in the home in which they have been living for many years. For others, it may be necessary to move into a new senior-ready home. Either way, this will probably involve some work as you strive to create an environment that allows you to live comfortably and independently.

Buying vs. Renovating

Many people’s current house may not be ideally suited to their needs as a senior citizen. Some people may live in old family homes that have become too large for their needs, while some have layouts that are not designed for the comfort of elderly people. For instance, according to Forbes, 60 percent of homes occupied by…

1816 Views, 0 Comments

Your First Offer Is Usually Your Best Offer…. Fact or Fiction?

You will often here real estate agents say your first offer is usually your best offer.  Now is this really a cliche or is it fact?

As a real estate agent, I can tell you this statement is mostly true.  It is not just a cliche and I am going to go into why “your first offer is usually your best offer” is often correct.

All to often sellers will be very adamant when a listing first comes on the market.  Activity is good and the home seller is feeling confident. Go back to when your agent gave you pricing on your home.  A real estate agent will give a range a home is worth.  It is just human nature that a home seller only remembers the high side of the range and automatically lists at that price or even a little higher. 

In no way I am suggesting…

8180 Views, 0 Comments

Getting the Best Deal in a Sellers’ Market - buying or selling

Whether you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Kamloops, understanding the current market is crucial.

You need to know if you’re in a buyers’ market or a sellers’ market because that’s going to affect how your property is marketed and how much money you’re going to get for your home. If you understand the market, that will tell you what your home is worth and what you can expect if you’re a seller. If you’re a buyer, it is going to tell you what the appropriately priced offer on the property would be.

If you are looking to sell or buy in Kamloops then why not have a read and see our tips or buyers and sellers

Currently in Kamloops (July 2018) we are in a seller’s market. In a seller’s market, you’re much better off listing your property…

3507 Views, 0 Comments

Tips to help buyers get an advantage in a sellers market.

The housing market is crazy and out of balance right now.

It’s 2018 and interest rates are still low, home values are up, but something is lacking. It’s SELLERS! Inventory is down from this time last year, and we were thin on inventory at that time. What does this all mean? It means that we are seeing homes sell the first day they are on the market, with multiple offers, and with many offers over asking price. It is tough sledding for buyers right now. This makes for a hard time for people moving with their job to Kamloops and are forced to maybe overpay or cannot find a great home. So even with the new rules and regulations in the real estate market you can still get ahead of the game by following these tips....

There are always some steps you can…

1631 Views, 0 Comments

BC New Real Estate Consumer Protection Rules

New Consumer Protection Rules:  Information for Consumers

The Superintendent of Real Estate has announced new rules for real estate licensees (Realtors) that will change the way a real estate professional can provide service to consumers. Under the new rules, real estate licensees will be required to:

• give consumers more information about commissions and fees —  in particular, how the commission is to be divided between a listing brokerage and cooperating brokerage, or when there is no cooperating brokerage, retained by the listing brokerage;
• before working with consumers, inform them of the duties and responsibilities owed to clients and unrepresented parties;  
• inform unrepresented consumers of the risks of dealing with a licensee who is…

3491 Views, 0 Comments

B.C. residential real estate values predicted to keep climbing as seller’s market persists

Despite slowing sales caused by government interventions, 12-year-low home listings means prices will “continue upward trajectory,” asserts real estate association.

The number of homes for sale across the province are at or near a 12-year low, pushing prices ever upwards, according to the B.C. Real Estate Association’s monthly statistical report released April 12.

Sales of homes on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) across the province in March were down 24.6 per cent from the same month last year. The BCREA said this was caused in large part by government measures to cool the housing market such as the strict new mortgage qualification rules launched in January, which typically removes about 20 per cent of home buyers’ purchasing power.

“More…

1742 Views, 0 Comments

Underground Oil Tanks -- What You Need to Know

Many homes in the Kamloops area built in the distant past were originally heated with furnace oil. When natural gas became available, the oil storage tanks, which were normally located underground in backyards, were filled with sand or capped.

However, as these unused buried oil tanks start to corrode and rust, the remaining oil can leak out and flow onto the rest of the owner's property, the neighbour's property, storm sumps and waterways, resulting in contamination of soil and water. Apart from the negative financial impact on the market value of the property, the owner can face substantial legal liability under various statutes and bylaws for such contamination. See the BC Government site dealing with these tanks here.

Exceptions

A very limited…

7077 Views, 0 Comments

Buying a home in BC - All you need to know.

Buying a Home in British Columbia

Buying a home is the largest investment most of us ever become involved in. Yet people sometimes take less time over it than they do when buying a new car. That’s because it’s unfamiliar territory to many of us. We don’t know what questions to ask. We may take things for granted, rely on others when we shouldn’t, and sometimes we later wish we had known more about the process involved.

It is important for you to understand the the process that is normally involved in the purchase of a home, to recognize the significance of the documents you will encounter, and to understand the role of other people who may be involved in the transaction. Buying a home is a major event. This information will help you better…

3003 Views, 0 Comments

Don't fall for the staging: Real estate expert on how to avoid rookie buyer mistakes

Being a first-time home buyer without guidance from qualified professionals is like using the internet to diagnose a serious illness -- it’s not going to end well. That’s the advice Toronto real estate agent and industry expert Karyn Filiatrault gives to millennials looking to enter the housing market.

She joined CTV’s Your Morning on Tuesday to warn against some of the biggest mistakes she sees real estate rookies make, even when they are getting help from the pros.

Not getting pre-approved by an experienced mortgage broker

Online calculators can help buyers get a rough idea of how much housing debt they can handle, but Filiatrault recommends using a mortgage broker to find the rate and terms that are best for you.

She adds that younger…

1807 Views, 0 Comments

Don't let fear guide you into costly mortgage mistakes

Fear of rising interest rates is causing more Canadians to opt for fixed-rate mortgages over variable-rate alternatives that could save them thousands of dollars in payments, according to a leading expert.

Justin Thouin, CEO and co-founder of LowestRates.ca, is calling for consumers to base their mortgage decisions on 30 years of downward trending rates, rather than locking in on a guess about what the Bank of Canada will do during the life of a mortgage.

“Canadians have become more concerned about not being able to pay their mortgage. They want to lock their mortgage rate in so they know the amount they have to pay in interest,” he told CTVNews.ca. “It’s a fear-based response.”

The Bank of Canada cautiously held its key interest rate at 1.25 per…

1727 Views, 0 Comments