British Columbia's Top 10 Cities For Real Estate Investment Report

New research forecasts which cities will outperform the rest of the province's markets, despite recent dramatic value increases

A new report released today shows Surrey, the second largest city in B.C. and the fastest growing, has the diversity and strength required to lead the province in real estate investment potential. The Top 10 Towns and Cities – British Columbia report helps home-buyers and sellers decide whether now is a good time to buy, or sell, a property.

The Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) is an independent research and analysis firm that has been producing reports on housing markets across Canada for 25 years and has earned its reputation as a dependable source in providing unbiased research and analysis.

Studying 36…

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BC Assessments Vs. What Your Home is Truly Worth

BC Assessment notices arrive in the mail, giving some homeowners a big smile and a bit more spring in their step (increased property taxes aside), while others wilt and lament at a modest gain or decrease in assessed value. Do these numbers make you more interested in selling your home?

Wait a sec. Neither this assessment document, nor either parties’ emotions, are tied to a current true market value. In fact, provincial property assessments can be significantly too high or too low. Values are determined in July of the previous year, and properties are rarely visited in person by provincial appraisers.

For this reason, provincial property assessments should never be solely relied upon as any sort of relevant indicator of true market value for the…

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Real Estate Questions When it Comes to Buying or Selling a Home

Fact or fiction in BC Real Estate.

The industry has been booming for well a while now. Low inventory has created bidding wars and fixer-uppers in some major cities are hitting seven figures. So how do you keep your head amid the frenzy? How can you wade through all the clutter and the chatter to suss out the info you need to make wise decisions?

How to interview your Realtor CLICK HERE

Well, you always have us in your back pocket. In the meantime lets look at some of the common misconceptions that we have all heard in real estate transactions.

#1: Question: Real estate contracts are standardized so just sign the paperwork and work out the details later.

Answer. Not on your life,. Each real estate contract is as unique as the pink and black…

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Credit Score 101 - Know and understand your credit score

We have collected information from both of the consumer reporting agencies (credit bureaus), as well as our own research to provide a full picture on credit files and credit scores, including those little known “insider” secrets.

If you are looking to buy a home soon then make sure you know your credit score and how to improve or question the details that are held on file.

What information is kept in my credit file?

Your credit file contains information on all of your credit accounts submitted to the credit bureaus, including balances, limits, payment history, etc, as well as identification information such as your name, address, age, social insurance number, marital status, spouse’s name and age, number of dependents, occupation, and employment…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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