Does our listing have to match all those neutral open houses?

Selling your home in Kamloops?

You have heard all about staging your home and getting it ready for sale but does your home have to fit a ideal look?

A sellers question. "We've been to a few open houses (doing research as we prep to sell our space) and we've noticed that everyone seems to have the same style of interior decoration. It's all white, minimalist with some rural flair (antlers over a fireplace, for example). Our house doesn't look like that. Is this something that people are looking for? Do we need to redecorate our place to optimize a sale?"

"When you're getting your home ready to sell, it's a great strategy to tour open houses and see what's appealing to the marketplace," says Andre Alves, a real estate agent in Toronto with Re/Max.…

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Foreign buyers crushing Vancouver home dreams as governments do little

The Canadian and British Columbia governments are complicit in fuelling Vancouver's housing crisis as foreign Chinese buyers continue to shut local residents out of the market, a new study says.

Josh Gordon, the study's author and assistant professor in the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University, said people's dreams of owning a home are being crushed because they can't compete with foreign investors and no longer accept "distraction" excuses such as low interest rates for the state of the super-heated market.

"People recognize what's going on, and they're willing to call a spade a spade," he said, stressing that such views are based on reality, not racism.

His report compiles a number of other studies, including data on home-buying…

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Metro Vancouver ‘millionaire’ homeowners selling out and buying in rural areas

Millionaire homeowners cashing out of Metro Vancouver’s red-hot real estate market are seeking greener pastures elsewhere in B.C.

Real-estate experts say they’re seeing more city slickers selling off their urban homes and heading north or east to buy hobby farms and acreages, where they can live off the land with cash to spare.

And in regions where property prices haven’t yet been affected by the Vancouver market, some realtors say it’s only a matter of time. Landcor Data Corporation tallied 3,226 sales of single-family detached properties of more than two acres in 2015, up from 2,988 in 2014. The real estate data and analysis firm also counted 1,139 units of residential, vacant land larger than two acres sold in 2015, up from 803 in 2014.

Ian…

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5 Questions to Ask Your Electrician Before He Starts!

No matter how good you are at DIY, some jobs simply require a highly trained professional.

Electricians are there for your safety and convenience, but before you invite anyone into your home to carry out difficult and often dangerous work, always ask the following five questions.

1. Are you qualified?

This might sound like a very simply question to ask someone equipped with a toolbox and a jumpsuit but it’s a valid and useful one. Anyone working with live electricity should have the relevant qualifications, so whether they’ve had electrical training with Option Skills or have an electrician degree or certification they should be willing to share their background and experience.

2. Are you a member of a licensed approved body?

Each year…

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Avoid Mistakes When Selecting A Realtor

Common Mistakes In Choosing A Real Estate Agent

You have come to that time in your life when you will be packing your bags and looking for your next housing gig. Part of this process will be picking a great Real Estate agent to work with. Unfortunately choosing the right Realtor is an area where many home sellers can make a mistake that leads to disappointment.

Your Realtor is the most important part of your team when it comes to selling or buying your home. He or she will be the link between your home and the housing market, particularly buyers and their agents. Because your Realtor can mean the difference between a quick and lucrative sale and a sale that is anything but, you should be exercising extreme discretion in your choice or Realtor. Like…

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How to choose a Kamloops income property

There are quite a number of variables to consider when purchasing a residential income property.

You’ll likely want to eventually engage with a real estate agent, but prior to doing so it is important to conduct as much research as possible. Remember to approach the purchase with an unbiased attitude and evaluate your options based on factual information.
 
Here’s a look at some of the top variables to consider when evaluating potential properties.
 
1. Economic outlook. Locations that are seeing employment growth will typically have more people moving to the area – this should also increase the potential renter pool. Conversely, locations that don’t offer as much employment opportunity or have/will see large employers leaving town, will often…

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Kamloops First Time Home Buyers

First-time Home buyer in Kamloops

Making an Informed Investment

If you’re in the market for a new home, take a moment to ask yourself a few key questions about what you should be looking for, how much you can comfortably afford to spend, and whether home ownership is right for you.

How much home can you afford?

• Before you begin shopping for a home, prepare a simple budget, so you can figure out where most of your money is going on a monthly basis. If you aren’t sure how much you’re spending each month, use CMHC’s Household Budget Calculator to take a realistic look at your current expenses.
• When preparing your budget, don’t forget that there are many up-front costs that come with buying a home. This can include a deposit, appraisal…

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How Non-Residents – including Americans – Can Qualify for a Mortgage in Canada

Vancouver real estate is an attractive option for buyers from all over the world.

With Vancouver’s heightened exposure during the winter Olympics in 2010, and, more recently, a sinking loonie, BC real estate is experiencing something of a renaissance with our neighbours to the south and overseas. Although buying property as a non-resident can be somewhat more involved, the right information will go a long way towards un-complicating the process.

So if you are a non-resident who is interested in investing in Canadian real estate and who would like to qualify for a mortgage, here are a few pointers to get you started.

Eligibility Requirements

As a non-resident of Canada, it is certain that you will be on the receiving end of additional review by…

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Inspection needed even when buying new condo?

Many buyers think it's unnecessary to hire a building inspector before purchasing a new condo.Is that correct? In most cases yes.

Prospective owners often assume a condo building and their unit of interest is fine and everything is to code and working properly. While this is usually the case, purchasers still need to protect themselves against those rare occasions where a problem exists.

A recent case, for example, someone moved into a newly constructed condo where someone had inadvertently dropped a piece of plywood down the chimney flu, blocking it off. When the new owner lit the fireplace, smoke backed up through the unit.

Although the condo corporation took care of the fireplace, the owner was responsible for the smoke cleanup. A pre-purchase…

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Top 10 Ways To Scare Away A Potential Home Buyer

Home owners who are currently selling their home or are thinking about selling their home are likely to face challenges before and during the home selling process.  

Many of the challenges that are faced during the home selling process cannot be controlled by the home owner. Things such as local market conditions, unrealistic home buyers, and low-ball offers are just a few examples.

When buying a home, there are many things that can scare away a potential buyer from a seller’s home. Keep in mind, some buyer’s can be scared away by very minimal things.  Many of the things that can scare away a potential buyer are things that a seller has complete control over.  Many of the things that can scare away a potential buyer are actually fairly minimal while…

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