Tagged : property for sale

Canada needs to do a better job cracking down on shady foreign investors, many of whom may be laundering ill-gotten cash through real estate purchases. That’s according to a new report by Transparency International, a Berlin-based watchdog group.

Lax standards in Canada, as well as countries like the U.S. and China, make it easy for billions of dollars of shady money to pour into cities like Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to toughen regulations at various G20 summits, but right now finance rules are lax enough that it’s hard to determine whether foreign “money launderers and other corporate kleptocrats” are snatching up properties in Toronto and Vancouver, Transparency International Canada

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OTTAWA, November 12, 2015 — Buying your first home is an exciting time but it also comes with many questions, concerns and in some cases, nerves. With that in mind, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released today its 2015 First-Time Homebuyers Survey (#FirstTimeBuyers) coinciding with the fifth anniversary of Financial Literacy Month (#FLM2015).

“For many Canadians, buying their first home is the single, largest purchase they have ever made.” says Nathalie Fredette, Vice-President, Client Relationship Management. “Our aim is to provide mortgage brokers, lenders and other industry professionals with valuable information and useful tools so they can better guide their clients through this major life event.”

“CMHC’s survey results

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To appeal to buyers’ emotions, you have to put your own on hold and find clever ways to sell people a lifestyle.

 If you want to sell your house quickly, you need to look at it as a commodity rather than your home – a product and a lifestyle to be sold in the open market. You have to essentially become a retailer with a product to sell.

A general rule I follow when preparing a home to impress potential buyers is to satisfy as many senses as I can in each room. Use these tips as a guide to create a special experience during viewings, and keep them in mind when walking through your house.

#1 Smell

There was a time when it was rare to hear of someone having allergic reactions to typical scents such as perfume, candles, incense and air fresheners,

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One of the two things to remember when you are buying a house; first, it’s a long term deal, and second, it is a big financial decision. You have to decide wisely because what you may think as the home of your dreams may turn into a nightmare if you are not careful.

Here are 4 home buyer’s nightmares to avoid

1. Not knowing how much you can afford. It is easy to overestimate what you can afford. Before you even decide to look at houses, take a good look at your income and expenses. It is best to have a precise idea of how much you can afford for a home so you wouldn’t waste your time looking at houses not within your reach.

 

2. Buyer’s remorse. Many home buyers who didn’t think through and decided to buy a home without thinking of other

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If you are thinking of selling you home without the help of an agent, think twice. Though FSBO ( For Sale By Owners) may lure you thinking you could save money on agent commission you have to take into consideration the challenges you’re going to face when you sell your home on your own.

Here are things to consider should you decide to sell your home on your own.

1. Buyer’s agents may ignore you.

Buyer’s agents may discourage their clients seeing your home. Many buyer’s agents think that dealing with a seller without professional representation involves hassle and risk. Many agents have experienced dealing with FSBO transactions where sellers did not pay full commission to the agent who brought the buyer, sellers who are unreasonable or

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Vancouver, BC – November 12, 2015. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 8,725 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in October, up 14.1 per cent from the same month last year. Total sales dollar volume was $5.8 billion, up 32.3 per cent compared to the previous year. The average MLS® residential price in the province rose to $667,480, up 16 per cent from October 2014. - See more at: http://www.bcrea.bc.ca/news-and-publications/news-room/news-releases/2015-10-statistical-release#sthash.t0dDvUa5.dpuf Vancouver, BC – November 12, 2015. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 8,725 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing…

Buyers often make up their minds within moments of seeing your home. Tina Parker has all the essential tips to make a great impression

When people buy a home, the fact is that 78 per cent of the decision making process has already been made prior to arrival, based on the price and location of the house. But within seconds of seeing your home, potential buyers have formed an opinion of its overall condition and will likely spend the remaining time looking for consistency with the assumptions they made when they first viewed the home on the Internet. First impressions of the property’s exterior should be “welcome home.”

Exterior Facelift and Landscaping Overhaul

Beautify the front door: When dealing with curb appeal, the focal point is the front

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It might not seem like it just yet, especially since we’ve been experiencing such sunny, warm fall weather, but Old Man Winter is slowly breathing down our necks. Before long, you’ll be scraping the frost off your car windows and bundling up around the fireplace. Before you do that, though, don’t put away your garden tools just yet.

This month’s essential home maintenance task provides a checklist of to-do tasks to make sure your garden and lawn are properly winterized. So whether it’s your vegetable garden or your flowering one, grab your gloves and gardening tools one last time before the cold sets in.

Thanks to Conor Preston, gardener at Vancouver’s Figaro’s Garden, for his best advice on how to prepare your gardens and lawns for winter.

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But prepare for an “uptick” in interest rates

The Canadian 2015 election. “It was a very clear verdict that Canadians were seeking real change,” said Pramod Udiaver, CEO of online advisor service, Invisor. “The Liberals campaigned and won with a focus on the middle-class,” says Udiaver, “with many of their promises attempting to make a meaningful difference for middle-income families.”

While most Canadians still struggle with paying too much in taxes, trying to maximize savings while making sound financial decisions, the new Liberal majority government will have real impact on the nation’s real estate market.

Continued interest by foreign investors

“From a fiscal point of view, the Liberal government will be moving Canada from a modestly

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Consider it an opportunity to learn more about the house, the sellers and the neighbourhood

An open house is the real estate world’s version of window shopping. It’s an opportunity to sneak a peak at a neighbour’s home, and a chance to size up a potential house or neighbourhood.

But for most window-shoppers, ignoring or minimizing talk with the real estate agent at an open house lands somewhere between a challenge and a sport. It shouldn’t. While there’s no question that the realtor hopes to drum up business by holding an open house, they can also be a wealth of information. It’s just a matter of asking the right questions. Here are six questions to ask at the next open house you visit.

1. Why do the sellers want to move?

Listen, we all read

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