How Do I Pick Your Realtor®? I have one superpower when it comes to connecting people to great agents in BC: I love Realtors. That’s it, and as weird as it may sound, I think that makes contacting me the logical first step when you’re ready to move to BC. Strength in Diversity My parents…
I almost used an escalation clause. Perhaps my most compeling opening blog line ever. In a multiple offer situation on Kootenay Lake waterfront recently my buyer proposed we use an escalation clause, or a “referential purchase price clause” (RPPC). An RPPC pledges the Buyer will beat any bona fide offer it competes against by a…
Strong Sellers’ market conditions dominate all of the West Kootenay areas I work in as illustrated by the following recent sales. Right off the bat we’ve seen a bunch of over-list sales in the Castlegar market area in the first week of April: 555 5TH Avenue LIST PRICE: $352,900 | SOLD PRICE: $416,500 513 Kerria…
The Kootenay Real Estate Board now requires Realtors to enter images of both the CSA or BC Electrical number AND the MHR registration decal into our MLS system prior to Selling them. The CSA number assures consumers the manufactured home was built and wired to acceptable standards at some point in the past. Any changes…
You have to list, to last. That’s a kind of old Realtor proverb. And there’s no reason to believe that it’s not true. You can’t make it as a buyers’ agent alone, they say. This is an experiment Starting now, I’m not taking listings in Nelson anymore, so I can exclusively work for buyers here.…
If you’re thinking about co-signing on your kids mortgage to help them get into a market that’s hard for them to crack on their own there’s one critical and easy thing to know that will save them (or you) thousands of dollars down the road. Here are some additional resources about co-financing that are helpful…
The OSFI has already imposed a 200 basis point stress test on purchasers that need to use mortgage insurance but now they’re going after uninsured borrowers in another attempt to use a One-Size-Fits-All tool for all 150+ Canadian Real Estate Markets. Derek Diener with Dominion Lending Centres-Bluetree Mortgages gives us a complete rundown:
Here’s an interesting article about the potential causes of the increased heat in our local market. While Albertans may be a factor, I think a bigger factor is our current lack of inventory. The number of local first time buyers seems fairly high to me as well, given the interest rate environment and fears that…
I know that the skyrocketing price of real estate in Vancouver must be frustrating for anyone trying to get in to the market, and that when people get frustrated they sometimes look for an object for that frustration. In my experience the Globe and Mail almost never misses an opportunity to set up Realtors as…
The Kootenay Real Estate Board has been working on a growing partnership with the Columbia Basin Trust and specifically the Rural Development Institute and they’ve just released their 2015 “State of the Basin” report. It makes for very interesting reading and is worth a look. Some of the highlights from the report snapshot include: Business…