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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.

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

Province posts highest number of residential unit transactions ever recorded for the month of December, propping up weaker Canadian markets

 Home sales across BC smashed all December records, according to BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) figures issued January 15. There was a total of 6,590 residential unit sales on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in December 2015 – a rise of 29.8 per cent from December the previous year. BC’s total home sales dollar volume in December hit a record $4.62 billion for the month of December, up 55.4 per cent compared to the previous year.

This is attributable to both rising transaction volumes and the average price in the province climbing above the $700,000 threshold for the first time in BC, rising 19.7 per

So you got a “Low Ball” Offer on your house for sale…Unfortunately, “low ball offers” on homes are more common than you may think, particularly among investors. A “lowball offer” is an offer that is far below a home’s asking price (sometimes ridiculously low—but the value of “low” is in the eyes of the recipient). There is not really a benchmark for how low an offer is to be considered a “low ball,” but believe me, if you receive one when selling your home, you’ll know!

So…how should you respond? Should you tell them where they can stick it?

(It is soooo tempting!!) I say, usually, no! WHY?? You know, a bird in the hand and all that…

More than likely, you are angry. You are probably also insulted. It is difficult to do, but try to place your

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