All Blog Entries by Steve Harmer

Found 586 blog entries published by Steve Harmer.

Kamloops home selling tipsSelling 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

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What do you do with your Kamloops HomeSelling 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

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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

Kamloops Royal LePageTORONTO, 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) –

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Foreclosure worryWorrying 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.

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Kamloops Owner Financing5 Reasons to Offer Owner Financing

It seems a bit counter intuitive for someone who owns home to allow a buyer to pay over time for their property. After all, wouldn’t it be better to get all the money in one go thereby requiring the buyer to get financing from a bank? Well, sometimes it’s more lucrative for the seller to offer financing and here’s why:

1. Better Selling Price

In a buyer’s market, it can take a while for a property to sell, and once a home has been on the market for longer than 60 days,  real estate agents often encourage the seller to drop the price. To attract more interest, they make sure that all the marketing materials, including the For Sale sign, clearly show that the price has been reduced. However, instead of cutting the

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Is your Kamloops home overpricedÉPricing a Home For Sale

Overpricing a home is one of the biggest blunders in Real Estate. In fact when you overprice your home it is one of the hardest things to recover from even if you end up reducing later on down the road. After being in the Real Estate industry for the last twenty eight years it has become common place to see overpriced homes languish on the market. Pricing a home for sale properly is critical part of any successful real estate equation!

You see it so many times over and over by sellers who think their home is worth more than the next guy down the street. I suppose it is human nature for all of to think anything we own is better. Sometimes a seller’s misguided belief is fueled by some foolish Real Estate agent who has mislead

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Paint the frontHere are Some Fabulous ‘home Upgrades On A Budget’ Ideas You Need To Try Out

1. Paint the Door

Create a striking first impression by either changing the front door altogether or repainting it. An additional coat of paints for the other doors in the house would also not hurt much. Change all the handles, door knobs and hinges. These are easy and inexpensive changes that would make a radical transformation to the way your house looks.

2. Change the Backsplash

Kitchen tiles tend to become dirty and dull pretty soon, spoiling the entire look of the kitchen in the process. So opt to change at least the backsplash to make your kitchen look cleaner and more inviting. Tiles can be expensive, so opt for alternatives like wooden beadboards, tin ceiling

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New home builder upgradesNew home builders make money by selling upgrades.

Usually, if you get all the builder upgrades, you can easily double the price of your home or more. This article will explain which upgrades are best to purchase from the builder and which can be done at a later date.

Lot
Upgrading your lot to a larger lot or a more preferred location is a great upgrade to purchase since you generally cannot change your home's location in the future.

Structure
Structural changes are also good to upgrade before the home is built. Adding an additional garage, an extra bathroom, or a covered back porch are usually more difficult and costly after the home is built.

Electrical and Plumbing
Electrical or plumbing additions or changes are good to upgrade before a home

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Whats my Kamloops home worthIt’s safe to say we all know what would hinder us from buying a home.

If we were to harness those ideas and think about what would prevent us from buying a house, we can begin to make a list of what will factor into the resale value of our own homes. The resale value of a home is the amount the home is worth to potential buyers if you were to place your house on the market. Some factors influencing resale value are beyond a homeowner’s control and the factors also vary greatly from one consumer to the next. As you discuss your home’s resale value with your Realtor, it is important to remember it is time to put your best foot forward. The following are a list of general, and valuable, factors that play into the worth of your home. 

 Size and

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Kamloops Home InspectionIf you decide to have a home inspection, the major components of the home will be visually inspected and in some cases, tested by a trained professional.

You will receive a written report outlining details about the home and the inspection results. Com­ponents inspected generally include the roof, heating unit, plumbing, electrical system, structure, foundation, major appliances and much more.

A Great Tool For Buyers And Sellers

The question of whether or not to have an inspection should actually not be a question at all. One of the most common com­plaints against home sellers is in the area of condition, specifically disclosure of the condition. A home inspection is a valuable tool in deter­mining and disclosing condition to both buyer and

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