All Blog Entries by Steve Harmer

Found 586 blog entries published by Steve Harmer.

Price My Kamloops home to sellWhen selling a house, pricing it correctly is one of the most important steps.

If the house is priced too high, it can linger on the market for months without any chance of selling. Even worse, if the price is too low, it will certainly sell, but the seller could be leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table.

As the homeowner, you play a vital role in preparing your home for the market, determining your asking price, striking the deal, and handing over the role of ownership.

There are two methods that most people use to figure out the price of their home; a comparative market analysis (CMA), and an appraisal. A CMA is prepared by a real estate agent and can come either before or after the agent is hired. An appraisal is done by a licensed

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Candian SnowbirdsIf you spend most of the winter outside Canada, you may want to explore the opportunity to rent out your Canadian home while you’re away. 

Renting out your Canadian residence can have a number of benefits, including helping to cover the costs of your winters away. The extra income can be used to supplement or even offset the cost of your winter home or rental. Another benefit is that your home will be lived in and therefore you won’t have to find someone to inspect it daily or every other day, to meet your insurance requirements.  Finally, your home will be occupied, which will deter break-ins, and any damage due to non-use, such as your pipes freezing or bursting, and other risks.

However, renting out your home isn’t for everyone. You have to be

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Costs of selling your Kamloops Real EstateYour Comprehensive Cost List for Selling

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you’ve most likely thought about the cost of selling a house in BC and what that calculates to exactly. This article helps to break down the cost of selling a home so that they can estimate what your take away profit will be after everything.

Home Preparation and Staging

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and in real estate first impressions are everything. In a hot market, like we have in BC, there are many buyers that only get to see a home once at an open house before they put an offer on it. Many buyers are seeing 10-12 homes on average per showing day, which means you have to stand out from the crowd. Sprucing up the home before you take

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BC real estate newsSharp drop in B.C. home sales should be followed by steady recovery: BCREA

Ban on open houses foreshadows short- to mid-term trouble for property sales, as COVID-19 infects all aspects of the market

As COVID-19 makes its way around the globe, it is also bulldozing its way through the economy.  While airlines and event venues were the first to be infected, many are anxious about how the virus will affect other parts of the economy, including the real estate market – which made up 17.4 per cent of B.C.’s GDP in 2018.

Earlier this month, B.C. real estate brokers cancelled all open houses. When houses aren’t shown they become more difficult to sell, and when houses aren’t selling the broader market suffers. While the outlook doesn’t look good, it is

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We are open 24/7 and safe to browse.

In this time of great change don't forget that the Kamloops Property For Sale Website is open 24hrs a day for all of your real estate questions and answers.

Kamloops Real Estate Webiste

It's a safe way to get the info you need now and be ready to sell or list your Kamloops Real Estate when the time is right. If you register today you can save searches and get the information you need delivered to your email.

So how does everything effect the real estate market?

The B.C. government’s 2020-2021 budget envisioned about $1.6 billion in revenue from the property transfer tax, and the real estate sector, which employs tens of thousands of people, is worth more than $22 billion annually to the province’s GDP, according to the industry

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Canada and CoronavirusCOVID-19 has hit 2020 like a wrecking ball, slowly making its way across borders.

Social distancing has us all pressing pause, letting go of priorities in favour of time spent indoors, connected only though our screens. Alas, in the real estate market, even amid a global pandemic, there are still sellers who need to sell, and buyers who need to buy. Lucky for us, in this age of technological glory, real estate agents have access to some great solutions to ensure that processes remain safe, and transactions can continue to take place. This too will pass, and in the meantime, we can all use a little creativity to ensure that our brief pauses don’t turn into a full stop.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver is "strongly recommending" against its

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Downsizing in KamloopsAre you considering down-sizing?

Don’t wait to downsize

If you have been thinking about downsizing, it’s probably time to do it. There are lots of reasons that people decide to give up their large homes; their kids have moved out, they have paid off their home, they are tired of cleaning so much house, or they don’t want the upkeep of a large outdoor space. If any of these reasons have crossed your mind, don’t hesitate.

Downsizing takes a little preparation and often people wait until there is an illness or a family crisis that forces them into a rushed move. It’s better to move while you are healthy and can take a few months to plan. It’s never ideal to deal with moving and a family crisis simultaneously if you can help it.

What should you be

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Kamloops NeighbourhoodsSo you’re looking to buy a new house – and pouring over all of the great real estate offerings in the Kamloops Area.

Each property slideshow conjures images of a new era of domestic bliss in your mind. It’s an exciting time, full of possibilities. But while you’re envisioning yourself in that new place, don’t forget to consider the big picture. You’ll be calling a new neighbourhood “home” too.

Read on to determine what information you need to know about choosing your new neighbourhood.

It’s not merely a question of “good neighbourhoods” and “bad neighbourhoods”. What you want, ideally, is a neighbourhood that offers the specific qualities required to enrich your life (both now and during the years to come). Those requirements will vary greatly

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Kamloops Home InspectionHome inspections are a huge part of buying and selling a home.

While in most cases a home inspection is optional, it’s highly recommended by experts so you can be aware of the home’s condition and potential problems. One of the most common pitfalls new home buyers experience are issues with the home they didn’t know about but could have been fixed prior to closing. Remember, if you have an inspection before purchasing a house, the issues are the seller’s, but if not, the buyer, you are responsible.

One of the most common subjects to a real estate transaction is the home inspection. An inspector’s report is often the deciding factor to move forward with a purchase and can be used to renegotiate the sale price or allow sellers to make repairs. It can

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Kamloops Real Estate FactsIf you are in the market to sell or buy a property, you may have some incorrect misconceptions.

We decided to debunk some real estate myths that may be impacting your search. Consider these as guidelines for buying and selling.

Myth One: Listing your home for more than what you expect to receive will net you the price you want.

This is often considered room to negotiate. But it’s a mistake you don’t want to make. Listing too high may actually net you a lower price. Why? Because buyers and agents often won’t even look at homes priced above market value. You always have the option to reduce the price after a few weeks, but that’s not a situation you want to be caught in. A price reduction can signal to buyers that there are problems. Even in a low

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