Buying a home

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

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

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,

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

Spring and all its glory is right around the corner—just take a look at the signs all around you.

No, we’re not talking about the budding flowers or the chirping birds—we’re referring to those “For Sale” signs that start popping up on lawns across the country as the weather starts heating up.

And once the home-buying season commences … so do the bidding wars and mad dashes from one open house to another.

Since the housing market can be a tricky one to suss out, we asked agents across the country to give us their assessments for this season’s real estate landscape.

Their overarching observation? This will be a competitive home-buying season—so if you snooze, you may lose out on that perfect home you’ve been eyeing.

The current market is a

So are you looking to buy a home in Kamloops? Tired of looking on www.mls.ca and constantly sorting out the good from the bad? Ever wonder how folks get to see the latest properties first?

Why not give me a call today and I can set you up on your very own Private Client Services (PCS) program.

PCS is your very own web based page that we setup together. It uses your criteria for location, price, bedrooms etc. and will email you a list of properties that match your specifications, not only that but you learn about new properties before they hit mls.ca. In today's market of low housing inventory that could be the difference in getting your home or losing out.

Its free and there is no obligation whatsoever, you can cancel anytime or request the

Canada’s Housing Market Posts Strong Growth in Fourth Quarter Led By Gains in Country’s Largest Markets 

TORONTO, January 13, 2016  – Canada’s residential real estate market showed strong growth in the fourth quarter of 2015, led by hot Vancouver and Toronto markets according to the Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast released today. Looking forward to 2016, Royal LePage expects continued price increases in most markets, but not at the pace that has been the recent norm. Instead, the national real estate market is expected to slow later this year, principally due to the effects of a dampened economy in Western Canada and eroding affordability in Toronto and Vancouver.

According to the Royal LePage National House Price