Saturday, March 23, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Who does not love a contest! Easy to enter...and brought to you by REMAX of Western Canada & in-part by my monthly REMAX Dues that I pay;o)
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
A flat market is not a bad market!
I recently Sold Townhouse at 7360 CORONADO Drive, Burnaby North, British Columbia Montecito.
This is an upper unit, bright & spacious, 3 bedroom + den, 2 level townhouse overlooking tranquil greenery, in popular Villa montecito complex. Featming new carpets, paint, trim & doors upstairs with lot of storage, in suite laundry, parking, 2 bathrooms and an open floor plan. Enjoy the community and amenities, including outdoor entertaining areas, outdoor pool, children's play area and just steps of golf courses, schools, shopping, parks and much more!
Monday, March 18, 2013
How Young is Too Young for your first day of work?
Well, Saturday at just 9 weeks old Justin had his first day as my new assistant.
We sure got a lot done! We did a couple of client pop-by’s, visited two open houses, preped for two buyer tours for Sunday, removed subjects on a property, caught up with a friend and wrote an offer that got accepted yesterday.
A very succesful & busy day, Justin sure was hunger after that day and showed me how to drink with “No Hands!”
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Virtual Floor- Plan Tour... A great tool to help market and sell a listing.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
I am looking for new listings!
A great way to end the Day!.. another one SOLD!
Even in the pouring rain, placing SOLD stickers on a sign feels great!
Monday, March 11, 2013
“What is the Home Buyers Plan?”
For exact & current information on the Home Buyers Plan, please visit Canada Revenue Agency. www.cra.ga.ca Enter “Home Buyers Plan” in the search box
· You cannot have owned your principal residence in the last 5 years;
· Each purchaser may withdraw up to $25,000 from their RRSP;
· You must make repayment payments to your RRSP of equal amounts over the next 15 years;
· If the amount is not repaid in a year, that year’s amount will be taken into income and taxed;
· IF less than 1/15th is repaid in one year, the difference is taken into income for that year and taxed;
· The home must be intended to be your primary residence;
· The funds must be in your RRSP for at least 90 days prior to withdrawal.
Source: The Canadian Revenue Agency & August 13, 2010 Edition of Realtor Link
Friday, March 8, 2013
Mortgage Insurance or Personal Life Insurance..... a no-brainer in my books... here are some reasons why
Mortgage Insurance or Personal Life Insurance..... a no-brainer in my books... here are some reasons why
| Mortgage Insurance | Personal Life Insurance | |||
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The lender (bank) owns the policy
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You own the policy | |||
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The lender (bank) controls the death benefit. The lender will use it to pay off the remaining balance of your mortgage |
You name the beneficiary who controls the death benefit. Your beneficiary can decide to pay off the mortgage, other debt or to replace lost income
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The policy is not portable and is terminated once you change lenders (banks) or your property is sold
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The policy remains in force regardless of who holds your mortgage or if you move to a new home | |||
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The cost usually increases each year while the coverage decreases as you pay off the principal
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The cost is set of a fix period (10, 20 years or for life) and the coverage is constant | |||
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The policy is not convertible to permanent insurance.
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The policy is convertible to permanent insurance | |||
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Your insurability is tested EVERY time you change lenders (banks)
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Your insurability is tested and captured once when you apply | |||
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The coverage is not underwritten and claims are 7 times more likely to be denied.
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Insurance contract is established and can only be denied in cases of fraud. | |||
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Person 35 years old pays $65.00 monthly for coverage of $500,000[1]
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Male, 35 years old pays $40.95 monthly for coverage of $500,000 Female pays $29.70[2]
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http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/Marketplace/ID/1581783345/?sort=MostPopular
[1] Based on 0.13 per $1,000 of coverage taken off RBC, TD and BMO website January, 2013
[2] Based on Canada Life Term-20 insurance. Term-10 monthly costs are lower (for first 10 years).
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Christmas is over & its March 6th! remove your christmas tree's folks!
The BANK OF CANADA just announced that it will be keeping the benchmark rate the same
This was expected by the market given the side-ways global growth we are currently experiencing. This decision places further pressure on the Canadian dollar, we are sitting somewhere north of $.96/to a US greenback.
On the Canadian front…Canada’s economy grew by 0.6 per cent at annual rates in the fourth quarter of 2012, with solid growth across most domestic components of GDP offset by a sharp reduction in the pace of inventory investment. The Bank expects growth in Canada to pick up through 2013, supported by modest growth in household spending combined with a recovery in exports and solid business investment.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Congrats 2012 Medallion Club winners
Roland Kym
2012 & 2011 Medallion Club Member ~ Re/max Executive Club & 100% Club Member
Monday, March 4, 2013
March 4, Vancouver Home Stats just out: Home sales continue at below average pace
Home sale activity has trended below historical averages for a full year in the Greater Vancouver housing market.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver reached 1,797 on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in February 2013. This represents a 29.4 per cent decrease compared to the 2,545 sales recorded in February 2012, and a 33 per cent increase compared to the 1,351 sales in January 2012.
Last month’s sales were the second lowest February total in the region since 2001 and 30.9 per cent below the 10-year sales average for the month.
“Sales in February followed recent trends and were below seasonal averages, though our members tell us they saw more traffic at open houses last month compared to the previous six to eight months, said Eugen Klein, REBGV president.
The sales-to-active-listings ratio currently sits at 12.2 per cent in Greater Vancouver, a two per cent increase from last month. This is the first time this ratio has been above 11 per cent since June 2012.
“With a two-point increase in our sales to active listings ratio and a reduction in the average number of days it’s taking to sell a home, February showed some subtle indications of a changing sentiment in the marketplace compared to recent months,” Klein said.
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 4,833 in February. This represents a 13 per cent decline compared to the 5,552 new listings reported in February 2012 and a 5.8 per cent decline from the 5,128 new listings in January. Last month’s new listing count was 4 per cent higher than the region’s 10-year new listing average for the month.
The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the Greater Vancouver MLS® is 14,789, a 5.2 per cent increase compared to February 2012 and an 11.6 per cent increase compared to January 2013.
Since reaching a peak in May of $625,100, the MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver has declined 5.6 per cent to $590,400. This represents a 3.3 per cent decline compared to this time last year.
Sales of detached properties in February 2013 reached 704, a decrease of 36.1 per cent from the 1,101 detached sales recorded in February 2012, and a 49.8 per cent decrease from the 1,402 units sold in February 2011. The benchmark price for detached properties decreased 4.5 per cent from February 2012 to $901,500. Since reaching a peak in May 2012, the benchmark price of a detached property has declined 6.8 per cent.
Sales of apartment properties reached 760 in February 2013, a decline of 25.5 per cent compared to the 1,020 sales in February 2012, and a decrease of 37 per cent compared to the 1,206 sales in February 2011. The benchmark price of an apartment property decreased 3 per cent from February 2012 to $360,400. Since reaching a peak in May 2012, the benchmark price of an apartment property has declined 5.1 per cent.
Attached property sales in February 2013 totalled 333, a decline of 21.5 per cent compared to the 424 sales in February 2012, and a 31.9 per cent decrease from the 489 attached properties sold in February 2011. The benchmark price of an attached unit decreased 0.7 per cent between February 2012 and 2013 to $455,500. Since reaching a peak in April 2012, the benchmark price of an attached property has declined 6.5 per cent.
I sold this house in record time and the sellers loved it!
