10 Things Buyers Shouldn’t Overlook When Viewing a House

“This house is lovely, I’m going to buy this!” one buyer decides within 5 minutes of viewing the property. Sounds crazy? Believe it, it does happen.

It is easy to fall in love with a property within few moments of seeing it and buyers forget to be objective. A home is one of the biggest purchase people make, do not make a decision on a spur of the moment you will likely regret in the end.

When viewing a home, it is recommended to spend more time viewing every nook and cranny of the property. So many spend so little time viewing a house and they live to regret it. After buying the house, buyers experience one problem after another – anything from dodgy wiring to noisy neighbors – which could have been avoided had they spent more time researching the…

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Home Staging Tips: How to Have a Successful Yard Sale

Decluttering is the first step in staging a home for sale, but what to do with all those unwanted items? Tina Parker has a great solution and how to execute it.

 We all know that when you’re selling up, decluttering is a key part of staging your home for sale. But after you have decluttered and come up with storage solutions, you will need to get rid of everything you have decided to part with. A good way to use this to your advantage is to have a yard sale.

In order to have a successful yard sale, you will need to apply the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. So you must know your products, set appropriate prices, find a place that will showcase your items, and promote your sale properly.

Product

Be organized and make…

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Dinner in Kamloops: Turn off the highway to discover B.C.’s newest food and wine region

You probably think of Kamloops as a refuelling stop, a place to pause for a tank of gas and a Tim’s before hitting the Coquihalla Highway. But it’s so much more than that.

Seemingly overnight, Kamloops has become B.C.’s newest foodie destination, where a small but mighty contingent of chefs, farmers, winemakers and craft brewers are discovering the potential of this city in the Thompson River Valley.

Perhaps it was inevitable. Kamloops is quietly booming. The population has slowly but steadily been growing (it’s now around 100,000), and the city has attracted a number of diverse new businesses. And yet, it’s still affordable enough for young families to buy a house and make a life there.

As Monica Dickinson, the acting CEO of Tourism Kamloops,…

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Info for Sellers: How to sell your home (Pricing)

 What is the correct price for your home...

Billy Buyer is looking for a new home. He has been pre-approved for a $360K purchase.  He has already expressed his desire to not even look at anything above his affordability level, so we’ve added just a bit of room to the price to allow for negotiating and will only be viewing those homes at or below a $375K limit.

Unfortunately, your house is priced at $410K, which is way above his $375K cap, and which is also about $50K above the market value.  Only you and your agent know why you priced it so high, but I do know your home would be PERFECT for Billy, and I also know it’s definitely overpriced.  Billy won’t see it, and therefore won’t buy it.

Not pricing a home properly for sale can be the biggest…

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Home Staging Tip- Stand Out Like a Red Sweater!

Even though it is currently a seller’s market, you don’t want to leave the sale of your home to chance.  And, you want to do what you can to protect your investment.

Years ago when I placed office support staff, we would tell our applicants that they needed to have something that made them stand out like a red sweater in the crowd.

All things being equal...you live in a sought after neighborhood, you’ve recently painted your home and you’ve made all attempts to keep up with maintenance…what else can you do? How can you stand out?

How to Make Your Home Stand Out Like That Red Sweater…

1.Take another look at the front of your house.

It’s not enough to have your lawn mowed.  What does your whole picture say? Can buyers see your…

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Five Great Tips For Selling Your Home During Winter

On dark, dreary days, your home may not be looking its best.

Sometimes the last thing someone wants to do during the winter months is shop for a home. As real estate agents we always dread showing units on dreary, rainy days because it often doesn't show a property in its finest light (quite literally).

Now that the holidays are over, let's have a look at some tactics to make your house stand out in the crowd. Don't let the winter blues get you down, just follow this great advice and your property sale will happen sooner rather than later.

1. Don't Let Winter Win

Even when it's driving rain and super cold, there are things you can do to use this to your advantage. Focus on providing a warm, dry home to prospective buyers, make sure your…

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October Kamloops Real Estate Sales

Kamloops and District Real Estate statistics for October 2015

In the month of October the Kamloops real estate market slowed down from September As can be seen from the latest news from Kamloops and District Real Estate Association (KADREA) there was a  drop in sales in the Kamloops property market, not untypical for this time of year. As can be seen by the following chart there was an overall drop of around 20% of sales over September.

Kamloops And District Real Estate Association
Kamloops Residential Sales by Sub-Area - Monthly - October 2015
Generated on: November 1, 2015

Brocklehurst keeps the highest number of sales as it did in September 2015 even after a 36& decrease. The difference between September 2015 and last months sales…

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Kamloops - Top BC Real Estate Investment Towns

The Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) released the 2013 edition of its Top British Columbia Investment Towns report.

 Why not sign up for our free home buyers e-book - CLICK HERE

The 110-page report analyzes the current and future prospects for real estate investment opportunities in the province over the next decade and has once again ranked Kamloops as a top investment community. However, the city’s ranking has dropped slightly, from third place in a previous edition of the report to fifth place in the most recent edition. The entire report is available for download free of charge at www.topbctowns.com.

While remaining a popular vacation destination for BC residents, Kamloops has also succeeded in attracting many non-tourism related…

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What is CMHC Mortgage Insurance?

When you buy a home, your best results will come when you make it a point to make a 20% down payment. However, for some Canadians, that much of a down payment is prohibitive. So, what can you do if you can’t make such a big down payment? If you are willing to pay extra for your mortgage, you can get special insurance to help lenders feel better about approving you for a loan with less than 20% down.

The Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation provides mortgage loan insurance to lenders for home buyers with a down payment of less than 20%, to as low as 5%. It offers a way for borrowers to get away with putting down a lower down payment than a lender might like. It’s one way to boost home purchases in Canada.

However, it is important to note that this…

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Can I ditch the home inspection when I buy a house?

To inspect or not to inspect - that is the question!

The question:

I’ve been house hunting for months and finally found a great house, but I know there’s going to be a lot of interest. I know everyone says I need a home inspection, but I’m afraid I’ll lose the house if I put any conditions on the offer. Should I ditch the inspection?

The answer:

Finding the right approach to offer conditions, is hot button topic these days, especially in the Toronto market where multiple offers have become the norm. Sellers with multiple potential buyers will often look to offers with the minimum of conditions, and the home inspection clause is often one of the first to go.

My advice: Don’t succumb to temptation or pressure to ditch a home inspection. If a…

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