September 2016

Whatever you do with your life, and wherever you live, you have to sort out your finances.

Having enough money to live, to pay bills, to buy treats etc… is fundamental to being independent and being able to live a comfortable life.

Being able to maximise your money (whatever your income), and knowing how to get the most out of every penny is crucial because  it frees you up to concentrate on the important things in life.

Leaving money worries behind means knowing that you have things under control. You can free up valuable time and energy so that you can get on with actually living! With all this in mind I have put together a list of my Top 10 tips to get your finances organised – starting today. I hope they will get you started and move you

You just made an offer on the house you love and it has just been accepted!

Congratulations!!

But then the panic and feeling of being overwhelmed sets in.  It’s a time filled with many different emotions, a seemingly endless To Do List, critical due dates, and a multitude of important decisions to be made. Buying a house is a tough challenge, no matter how well qualified you are, or even if you’ve done it before, and it’s pretty normal to feel stressed out.

Especially when you already lead a busy life and now have what feels like another full time job to do!  But there are some things you can do to manage that overwhelmed feeling and get done what has to be done. It's your responsibility!

1. Rely on your Buyer Agent

It’s his or her job to

Strata laws that restrict renters 'prejudicial,' says real estate analyst

Strata laws that restrict rentals do more to raise housing prices than shadow flipping or foreign buyers, says one real estate analyst.

Both the B.C. government and opposition party last week signaled their support for legislation aimed at cooling the province's housing market, including the B.C. NDP's suggestion of having buyers pay property transfer taxes at the agreement of sale and of imposing a two per cent tax on vacant homes.

But one analyst says the Lower Mainland's vacant homes are partly the result of strata councils who are unwilling to allow more than a certain number of renters into the condo building.

"You've got these small little groups of three or four

If you’re like many Canadians, you may still have a perspective of the real estate market influenced by media coverage of the 2008 crisis. However, real estate is always subject to cycles, especially around growing and expanding communities like Kamloops. The reality is this area is now facing a looming shortage of housing inventory. If your a buyer moving to the area it is key to find a local experienced realtor who can get you up to speed on your knowledge of Kamloops real estate market, its not all doom and gloom as we show in this article. IF you are a seller then the local "know-how" of a realtor is key in getting your house listed at the correct price with the best exposure possible.

From the Bank of Canada to local real estate firms, the level

Downsizing has an upside when you are talking about purging your excess when you move to a smaller home. However, it still can feel like an insurmountable task if you are not careful to follow a few simple downsizing strategies.

Emotional Energy

Downsizing is an emotional journey. Perhaps that seems like a silly statement but consider all the items in your home are there because you liked them enough to bring them home. From clothes to kitchen utensils, every item in your home has a story. As you begin to downsize you re-live those stories. As you are working through your possessions, be careful to not take on too many negatively emotional tasks at once. However when you encounter those items start asking yourself if you really want to move those

Need to sell a house underwater?  If you don’t know what this means then let me enlighten you. It means the house is not worth what you need to sell it for.

Maybe your job has just relocated you, a family member is sick, the neighborhood is declining. Whatever the reason is, you need to move, and you need to sell your house fast. You call up a realtor and they tell you all the things that you need to do to get it sold, such as cleaning up, painting the house and even what he believes it will sell for. But we have 1 problem…… The house is worth less than you paid for it. This does not mean that you made a mistake in buying the home, lots of other factors can combine to make this situation occur. In BC for example if you paid market value for a home and

Selling your home is no simple job. Here is some simple cheap advice you can use to help speed up the process.

There are jobs to finish and keeping the house clean and tidy while on the market to make prospective buyers like what they see. It’s important not to overlook those little details that keep buyers from making an offer.

Buyers are seeking move-in ready homes that present nicely and are priced correctly. Buyers are well aware of market conditions and they will know if your home is overpriced, especially of they are working with a savvy Realtor. Even the tiniest of details can alter the general appearance of the house. Here are seven little details to remember to make a huge impact without spending a fortune when selling a house.

1. Clear

Selling a paid-off home is pure profit, but our brains just don’t see it that way

Most financial choices boil down to simple math. Add up the gains, subtract the costs, and you should get a number that helps you draw a conclusion. Those numbers are particularly useful when trying to make a major life decision, such as whether or not to sell the family home.

Given how hot big city markets like Toronto are these days, the math would certainly make a compelling case to sell. Yet according to the April sales data from the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), listings are down 27% year-over-year in the GTA. Despite brisk sales and skyrocketing prices, most homeowners living in semi-detached and detached homes are choosing to stay put. (A similar lack of

July 13, 2016

Canada’s residential real estate market posts strongest growth in five years in the second quarter of 2016

Central bankers expected to keep interest rates lower for longer in light of Brexit and global uncertainty

TORONTO, July 13, 2016 – Canada’s residential real estate market continued to show strong appreciation in the second quarter of 2016, posting the highest national year-over-year gain seen in five years, according to the Royal LePage House Price Survey[1] and Market Survey Forecast released today.  Amid continued world economic uncertainty, the historically low interest rate environment that has fueled Canada’s real estate market growth in recent years – most notably in Greater Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) –

Worrying about debt is stressful. Worrying about how to avoid foreclosure is one of the most stressful situations someone can find themselves in.

If you’re struggling to make your mortgage payments or if you can’t pay your mortgage at all right now, there are things you can do that will help you to avoid foreclosure and manage your situation better.

It would be a good idea to take action regarding the following tips if you’re one, two or three payments behind on your own mortgage. There are many homeowners in different kinds of scenarios some include death in the family,  divorce, job loss, or medical emergencies that lead them to falling behind in foreclosure. The great news is because there are methods to prevent foreclosure and save your house.