All Blog Entries by Steve Harmer

Wait… What’s that on the ceiling? Is that a crack? Is the ceiling about to cave in? What does it mean?

Cracks in the foundation, ceiling or walls are worrying. Sometimes they’re signs of trouble, while often they’re just cosmetic issues.

The simple ones are do-it-yourself projects. However, in certain cases you’ll need professionals to handle the repair: They’ll keep the problem from getting worse.

Faulty Foundation

Vertical foundation cracks that are narrow and shallow are often just indications that concrete is curing or the house is settling. These happen naturally. Though small cracks are typically not serious, check them every couple of months to see if they expand.

Even if cracks are not yet big enough to pose a structural concern,

Many governments across the country are putting the final touches on their 2016 legislative agendas, including British Columbia’s. And on the West Coast it will probably be difficult to disconnect many of the announcements and policy directives from the provincial election just more than a year away.

Holding to tradition, the spring session will open some time in February, with a budget to be tabled shortly after. While Premier Christy Clark is expected to maintain a steady-as-she-goes course devoid of any major political gambles, there will certainly be moves that will attract attention and undoubtedly controversy.

Here are some of the things I’ll be looking for.

The cabinet

Since the 2013 election, Ms. Clark has only tinkered with the

It is a seller’s market. But not every house will sell. What is the best strategy for home sellers selling their home in a seller’s market?

“The best time to buy a house was last year. The next best time is right now.”

For buyers

House prices tend to go up. You can wait for them to go down. You can wait, or you can act. Waiting, in my opinion, will only lead to more waiting. You’re probably not ready to buy if you’re waiting for prices to go down.

If you are looking to buy this year, if you want to be successful with buying a home, now more than ever you have to be prepared to act quickly. You have to be fully engaged in the home buying process. With your agent, you have to see houses and revisit them (online) a week or ten days later and find

If you fall in love with a fixer-upper, you may find yourself in a tough spot figuring out how to pay the mortgage and cover the cost of renovations or postponing renos until you can afford them.

 Main Benefits of a Purchase-Plus Improvements Mortgage:

The little-known CMHC improvement mortgage (previously known as the purchase plus improvements program (PPIP)) allows home buyers in that scenario to borrow money to buy and immediately renovate a home with funds from their mortgage lender rather than taking out a separate line of credit that usually carries a higher interest rate and adds another layer of complication to their financial life.

PPIP is generally available with as little as five per cent down. However, buying with less than 20 per

'It's just too good of an opportunity to pass up,' former Winnipegger Diane Olson says

It's time to cash in for many Canadians who bought property from 2008 to 2011 in the United States, says Diane Olson, an Arizona real estate agent and former Winnipegger.

"My clients, when they call me, they're ready to sell. It's just too good of an opportunity to pass up," she said.

Substantial foreign exchange gains and appreciation in home value over the last five years have created a "perfect storm" for Canadian homeowners in the United States, she said.

"The houses that were more around $200,000, they're up. They can [sell for] anywhere from $275,000 to $350,000," said Olson. Add to that the loonie trading for about 70 cents U.S. and Canadians are

Whether you are the buyer or the seller of real estate, it is important that you obtain a lawyer to represent your interests. There are many potential legal pitfalls for the unwary when buying real estate. The agreements for purchase and sale and other related documents are complex. To most people the purchase of a home is the largest investment of their life, and the agreement for purchase and sale is the most important legal contract they will ever sign, next to a will of course!

Don't forget to check our local business directory for lawyers - CLICK HERE

There are a number of ways to select the right lawyer for your needs:

Ask friends who have purchased real estate which lawyer they hired, whether they were satisfied, and why or why not.

Is It Possible to Get a Mortgage with Bad Credit in Canada?

You had a few financial setbacks when life’s speed bumps tripped you up, but now you’re on the right path and are ready to take the leap into home ownership. The only problem is: you’re not sure if your pesky credit history is going to prevent a lender from giving you a mortgage loan. The good news is there are some options available to you; the bad news is they don’t always come cheap. Here’s a quick breakdown of how you can check your credit score and, if you need to, get a bad credit mortgage. While many brick-and-mortar banks consider customers with poor credit to be high risk, there are lenders who are willing to extend loans to clients, regardless of their payment history. One option is

Canada's dollar has been on a continuous slide, oil has dropped and the markets were all down. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's "tremendously optimistic," but his finance minister sensed a different mood on a visit to Calgary.

The Canadian dollar is in the midst of its steepest decline in history. On Jan. 15, 2014, it was trading at a little over 91 cents U.S.

On Friday, it dipped below 69 cents US for the first time in 13 years.

That’s a drop of almost 25 per cent. In just two years.

That means your one-day ticket to Disney World near Orlando, Fla., – pegged at US$105 – will run you at least C$150. Two years ago, it would’ve set you back a little under C$115.

Throw in a few nights in a hotel, some meals and the cost of travel,

Lenient border laws, permissive property rules and loose regulations are being identified as key drivers of foreign investment in the Canadian market, including money laundering by Chinese and international investors, according to a recent newspaper report.

According to an article in The Province, which obtained data from the Canadian Border Service Agency through a freedom of information request, Vancouver is being targeted by a small percentage of Chinese nationals as a place for illicit offshore investment. A recent fraud investigation reported by The Province shows that the number of Chinese, and other international groups, laundering money in Canadian real estate is increasing by the day.

Kim Marsh, a B.C.-based fraud investigation executive, told

With the upcoming preparation and approval of its budget next month, the British Columbian government is set to tackle housing relief as a primary concern.
 
Premier Christy Clark said on Tuesday (January 12) that luxury or speculation taxes won’t be implemented in the government’s bid to moderate Vancouver’s surging housing market, which has put an increasing number of homes out of reach of a growing fraction of would-be owners.
 
Clark did not give further details, only saying that the measures would focus on providing relief for first-time buyers without devaluing the properties of current owners.
 
“We’re thinking of a whole range of things. You’ll see more of it as we get closer to the [Feb. 16] budget,” Clark told media in a press conference, as