All Blog Entries by Steve Harmer

A house being sold “as is” is a real estate term you should know before you start house hunting.

You found a house in your dream neighborhood. It has the right number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and a nice backyard. It’s just what you were looking for. Then you learn it is being sold “as is.” That house that seemed so perfect now seems a bit frightening.

Selling as house “as is” basically means the seller will make no repairs or improvements and is selling the house in its current condition. In many cases, the houses are “as is” because the seller can’t afford to make the improvements. “Once you buy that house, it’s yours and you’re pretty much stuck with whatever decision you made, so you really need to be very educated and thorough about what you’re

What is a Kamloops buyer’s agent?

A buyer’s agent is a licensed Realtor who works on behalf of the buyer through the process of purchasing a home. The fiduciary relationship between the two parties is established when the buyer and agent both sign an buyer agency agreement which goes into detail about the buyer’s agent’s duties to you, how they’ll get paid, the duration of the contract, and what their role will be throughout the process.

With a buyer’s agent, you will have someone to accompany you on showings, familiarize you and your family with the selected neighbourhoods and what they have to offer.

First off the term “Agent” actually refers to the Brokerage that a salesperson or broker works for and the contracts are technically with that

A special thank you to my past and present clients, friends and family for another great year.

I am proud to announce that I have been recognized at the ‘Red Diamond’ award level by Royal LePage corporate. The ‘Red Diamond’ recognizes some of the country’s top performing Realtors, and I have been ranked in the Top 2% of Royal LePage’s 18,000 Realtors. 

 Thank you SO much to all of our clients. Obviously, we could not have achieved this without your trust in allowing us to support you through the buying and selling process. We feel so lucky to be able to do what we do for a living, and we are extremely excited to see what 2019 brings.

 I very very pleased to also announce that I ended the year at the Royal LePage number 1 Realtor for Kamloops

In a nationwide survey of over 9,000 prospective homebuyers carried out on its platform, Point2 Homes found that 66% of the Millennials interested in purchasing a home would like to do so within one year.

However, almost half (49%) of the survey-takers aged between 25 and 38 years old have savings significantly under the national average down payment amount, which is $25,000. Moreover, some of the Millennials in the survey state that they haven’t managed to set aside anything at all, meaning that the desire to buy a home might be in conflict with Gen Y’s budgetary realities.

Most Millennials Set Aside Less Than 10% of their Monthly Income

35% of Millennials state that they set aside less than 10% of their income each month and 30% of respondents

There are some parts of Canada where the prices of real estate have already shot up toward what is likely to be a peak for the time being.

In some other areas, though, the markets are just heating up, and interest rates are still relatively low. This makes this a terrific time to start investing in real estate. However, if your liquidity is on the low side, where do you get the funds?

Why borrow against home equity?

What is home equity? It’s the difference between the market value of your home, as determined by an appraisal, and what you owe on the mortgage. If you bought a house for $750,000, and you’ve paid down the balance on the mortgage to $250,000, but the value of the home has gone up to $900,000 in the years since you bought it, you have

Many homes these days have surveillance equipment ranging from high-tech motion detector and video cameras to so-called “nanny-cams.”

Home buyer beware! The seller may be watching. And listening.

A growing number of home sellers are using security cameras and microphones to watch potential buyers as they tour their houses or condos. They then may use what they hear or see as leverage in price negotiations.

Home sellers also use such equipment to protect their belongings during open houses and showings. The trend has been fueled by the spread over the past five years of inexpensive Wi-Fi enabled cameras and mics that homeowners can buy and set up themselves for home security. Motion sensors notify them by text or email that a visitor is in their

When buying a home – most of the negotiations occur before the seller and buyer sign the contract.

You’ve found the perfect Kamloops home for sale. You write an offer.  It gets accepted. And now, you feel like the transaction is a done deal.

Although, the negotiations don’t necessarily end with the acceptance and signing of the purchase contract. In fact, sometimes negotiations continue after the signing. In many cases, just after the buyer home inspection, issues typically arise, and any such issues can spark another round of buyer and seller negotiations.

So, you do the home inspection, which brings up a whole slew of issues. The electrical wiring isn’t up to code, there’s water leaks in the basement, and squirrels have wreaked havoc on the

British Columbia and Ontario continue to be the most expensive place to rent a room, or rooms, in Canada.

A new rental report from PadMapper shows that Montreal is the only city in the country outside of those two provinces to crack the top 10.

Toronto takes the top spot for priciest one bedroom units with an average cost of $2,270, but Vancouver is easily the most expensive market for two bedroom units with an average cost of $3,280.

Alberta's major cities managed to stay out of the top ten, with Calgary and Edmonton ranking 13th and 18th respectively.

In Calgary, one bedroom units average out at $1,130 a month, while in Edmonton the average cost of a one bedroom home is $950.

On the east coast, Halifax leads the way at 16th with one

Several factors affect the value of a house, and a single house may be valued at varying figures.

The two assessments of primary concern to buyers and sellers are the market value and the appraised value but other factors such as appraised also comes into play. Understanding a home’s true market value is about more than pictures, software assessments and price-per-square-foot. Whether you’re a current homeowner thinking of selling or are house-hunting, it’s crucial you understand what factors affect home valuation. By partnering with a local market expert, sellers will avoid pricing their house out of the market (the kiss of death in real estate) and buyers will ensure they get a good deal on their next home. 

The market value of a home is

Homes cost a lot of money to maintain.

But are you spending extra money unnecessarily on upkeep? Here are the 10 most expensive mistakes you could be making in your home.

1. Using Traditional Light bulbs

If you still have incandescent light bulbs in your home, you could be throwing a lot of money away every month on inflated electric bills. Over its life span, an incandescent bulb can use $180 worth of electricity. A CFL will only use $41 worth of electricity over the same time period. Even better is the LED bulb, which only uses $30 per bulb. Think what replacing every light bulb in your home could do to your home's bottom line.

2. Ignoring a Leaky Faucet

A leaky faucet that drips one drop per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per