Saturday, July 31, 2010

HOME OWNER ADVICE: PLAN BEFORE YOUR BATHROOM RENOVATION STARTS!

Bathroom renovations often yield unforeseen complications that may need the expertise of a qualified professional. Whether you handle all, just part, or none of the aspects yourself, this short informational contains valuable tips to help insure project success.

Permits, Local Building Codes, and Inspections

Bathroom renovations often require plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and new structural aspects within the project. Except for projects that are solely along the lines of cosmetic remodeling, each of these will normally require a building permit. Many times, a formal

A professional bathroom remodeling contractor will be familiar with which permits will be required as well as code requirements in your area. If you plan on doing some of these-type renovation projects yourself, check with your local code-enforcement office to see what is required.

One thing you never want to do is get a permit in your name, and hire an unlicensed person to do the work. Doing so could mean significant trouble for you. Unless you do the work yourself, only licensed contractors should be hired to do your bathroom renovation project.

5 Prudent Bathroom Renovation Tips:

1.) If you are a do-it-yourselfer and tearing apart your old bathroom is part of your renovation project, thoughtfully consider hiring a renovation contractor for the job, instead. Even one oversight could prove a costly mistake.

2.) Before beginning new bathroom installations such as cabinets and counters, check the walls to be sure they are plumb. If they are not, deal with the walls to make them plumb before making new installations. Otherwise, visible gaps will result.

3.) If you plan on staining your trim material, finger-joint trim is not a good option; joints will show through the stain and mar the overall effect. Likewise, nails should be countersunk using a nail punch and holes covered with putty.

4.) Flexible air ducts can sometimes be used to carry heat or cool air from the main trunk to the bathroom’s outlet register – making installation easier and much less hazardous a task.

5.) When purchasing primer to coat the new walls and ceilings, ask the paint dealer to tint the primer to match the color of paint you plan on using over it. The effect will be richer color and the need for a second coat of paint is often eliminated.

A bathroom is one of the most important rooms of any house. When all is said and done, quality of work, increased function, and desired effect should be top priorities when it comes to making bathroom renovations.

Acquiring the services of a reliable, professional contractor will help guarantee project success and protect your financial investment.

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Friday, July 30, 2010

BC Home Sales to Rise in 2011

BC Home Sales to Rise in 2011 

BCREA Housing Forecast Update - Third Quarter 2010

Vancouver, BC – July 30, 2010. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) released its Housing Forecast Update for the third quarter of 2010 today.

BC Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales are forecast to decline 7 per cent from 85,028 units in 2009 to 79,500 units this year, before increasing 5 per cent to 83,400 units in 2011.

“The volatility in consumer demand characteristic of the past 24 months is expected to give way to more gradual improvement through 2011,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “Housing demand has fallen back to earth from its break-neck pace at the end of 2009 and is expected to more closely match overall economic performance over the next 18 months.”  

“A larger inventory of homes for sale has created the most favourable conditions for home buyers in more than a year,” added Muir. “However, the buyers’ market is expected to be short-lived as total active listings peaked in May and are beginning to wane, with more balanced conditions set to emerge in the fall.”

The average MLS® residential price is forecast to climb 6 per cent to $492,800 this year and remain relatively unchanged in 2011, albeit declining by 1 per cent to $489,500

 

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REBGV Stats June 2010- Activity steady to start the summer season

The Greater Vancouver housing market experienced steady activity to begin the summer season.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,972 in June 2010, a decline of 30.2 per cent compared to the 4,259 sales in June 2009, which was the second highest selling June on record.

“Activity in June marked a healthy balance between the near record setting pace of June 2009 and the considerably slower activity witnessed in June 2008, a period of recession as we all know,” Jake Moldowan, REBGV president said.

Compared to June 2008, last month’s sales represent a 22.6 per cent increase over the 2,425 sales recorded that month, but are 30 per cent less than the 4,244 sales in June 2007. June 2010 sales also represent a 5.8 per cent decline compared to the previous month’s sales totals.

“We didn’t experience any record-breaking activity in June, but we did see a stable summer market,” Moldowan said. “The number of new listings coming on the market is not as dramatic as we saw over the previous three months and demand remains at a healthy level for this traditionally quieter time of year.”

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties totalled 5,544 in June 2010, a 3.2 per cent increase compared to June 2009 when 5,372 new units were listed, and a 21 per cent decline compared to May 2010 when 7,014 properties were added to the MLS®.

At 17,564, the total number of property listings on the MLS® increased 1.2 per cent in June compared to last month, and is up 32 per cent compared to this time last year.

“There has been less upward pressure on prices in our market the last few months, which has allowed prices to ease back from the record high numbers seen in April,” Moldowan said.

Over the last 12 months, the overall MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver increased 11.8 per cent to $580,237 from $518,855 in June 2009.

Sales of detached properties in June 2010 reached 1,139, a decrease of 31.7 per cent from the 1,667 detached sales recorded in June 2009 and a 24.1 per cent increase from the 918 units sold in June 2008. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 13.4 per cent from June 2009 to $795,025.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,258 in June 2010, a decline of 29.7 per cent compared to the 1,790 sales in June 2009 and an increase of 19 per cent compared to the 1,057 sales in June 2008.The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 9.7 per cent from June 2009 to $391,528.

Attached property sales in June 2010 totalled 575, a decline of 28.3 per cent compared to the 802 sales in June 2009 and a 27.8 per cent increase from the 450 attached properties sold in June 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 11.6 per cent between June 2009 and 2010 to $492,861.

 

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Buy your East Vancouver 2-bedroom for $237,900,- cash positive rental potential!

We are proud to announce that this Saturday, July 31, 2010, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 16 LAKEWOOD Drive in Hastings, Vancouver East. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Condo for sale in beautiful Hastings.

Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Hastings Condo for sale.

As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604-970-0393 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.

Roland Kym
Remax Select Properties

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

$468,000, Beautiful 2-year old house in a prime Squamish Neighbourhood.

July 26th, 2010 ““This week I am looking for leads... annual check-up or evaluation of their Real Estate profile.”

 

Good Morning,

My name is Roland Kym, I am a residential REALTOR with REMAX.

My company is called Right Priced Realty,

What makes us different is our core values.

We have modeled and built our business from the actions that have always  worked and will always continue to work in selling & buying Real Estate.

We have then improved on the real estate model by adding our own...

·        Leading edge marketing & promotional creativity;

·        Deeper client relationships;

·        Use of more systems & technology for better business operations;

·        A simply, a lot of hard work for our clients.

The results are that our clients rave about us. Our clients know that they get amazing service with us, they appreciate what we do and they know that we value their business. Our clients become our biggest supporters.

“This week I am looking for leads... do you know of anyone who has a family member, friend or college that has thought about upsizing, downsizing, getting into the market for the first time, moving or anything else... I want to sit down with your leads and give them an annual check-up or evaluation of their Real Estate profile.

Again, my name is Roland Kym, My company is called Right Priced Realty....

“At Right Priced Realty, we are always ATTRACTING the right buyer at the right price!!”

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July 31, 2010, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House

 
We are proud to announce that this Saturday, July 31, 2010, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 16 LAKEWOOD Drive in Hastings, Vancouver East. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Condo for sale in beautiful Hastings.

Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Hastings Condo for sale.

As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604-970-0393 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.

Roland Kym
Remax Select Properties

Posted via email from rightpricedrealty's posterous