Understanding Real Estate Appraisals

Understanding how appraisals work will help you achieve a quick and profitable refinance or sale.

When you refinance or sell your home, the lender involved will insist that an appraisal be performed. An appraisal is the process of valuing real property and is simply an opinion of the market value of your home based on what similar homes in your area have sold for in recent months by a licensed appraiser. But what is market value? Market value is the estimated amount for which a property should exchange on the valuation date between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm’s length transaction, after proper marketing and where the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion.

The

A FSBO, also known as a for sale by owner, can easily be described as a homeowner selling their property without the representation of a real estate agent or broker. 

There are many reasons why homeowners attempt to sell their home on their own.  A few of the most popular reasons for FSBOs are they want to save the money that would be spent on real estate commissions or that they feel they don’t need a real estate professional to sell their home.  No matter the reason, according to the National Association of Realtors, less than 10% of FSBOs actually sell.

There are many reasons why FSBOs fail and do not sell.  Whether it is because the FSBO doesn’t understand how to price their home or whether it’s because they don’t know how to screen potential

The internet has changed the way we buy and sell our homes.  

If you're ready to sell your home, here are some things you should understand about today's buyers.

Today's Home Buyers are Informed 

The internet has made it easy to access information about the real estate market.  Home Buyers can and will find out what you paid for your home and when you bought it.  They will know what similar homes have sold for.  With so much information at their fingertips, they will avoid your home if you over-price it.     

Don't Rely on Computer Generated Home Values When Pricing Your Home

Buyers are likely to check the online estimates of your home's value.  Unfortunately, the information they are viewing isn't always accurate, the market changes

It’s not just Vancouver residents who are angry and frustrated about increasingly out-of-control housing costs, says an NDP MLA leading the charge on the issue.

The much bigger scope of the problem will be obvious, David Eby says, when people come out to B.C. housing forums he’s organizing for Victoria, Maple Ridge, Surrey and elsewhere that are similar to the one held in Vancouver this week.

“This is a regionwide affordability crisis we’re facing,” said Mr. Eby, whose event for his Vancouver-Point Grey riding Wednesday drew about 600 residents concerned about everything from the lack of rentals to money laundering that is allowing foreign speculators to drive up local housing costs.

“It’s the number one issue in Metro,” he said.

NDP Leader

Selling your home is not only a big decision financially, but also emotionally.

Your home is no longer the bricks, drywall, and hardwood floors you fell in love with when you bought it. You have tackled some of life’s many milestones and made memories inside the house you now call a home. Whether you have simply grown out of the house, are choosing to downsize, or you’re looking for a new location, there are many factors that may influence your decision to sell your house. Currently (1st half 2016) we are in a sellers market, inventory of homes is low and interest rates are as low!

Check your Finances: Do some research to determine the payoff amount of your loan so you can determine what your sales proceeds will be after you have paid off your

What is the Purpose of Selling A House As Is

A lot of people are not familiar with selling a house as is. They don’t know what the term means. They don’t know the process behind it. They don’t understand the purpose of it.

Selling a house as is can turn out to be a problem solver. Let’s first define what it means and then discuss a couple of reasons as to why people sell their house as is.

Homeowners usually resort to selling a house as is when they don’t want to deal with the hassles and cost of fixing up a house. Essentially, this lets all buyers know that you are not willing to fix anything or lower the price for repairs.

You might have been given an old house from a relative in their will and don’t want the added stress of taking care of

No one gets married expecting divorce – yet it happens to many people all the same.

The relationship between you and your spouse has ended and you need to move on. When you own a house together, this can create some real difficulties. You need to get your house sold so you can split the money and put an end to that part of your life.

When this situation arises, you need a real estate agent that is sensitive to the circumstance you find yourself in and that can effectively move your home no matter what the market looks like currently. You need a teammate that can sell your house now. Hiring a Realtor while going through divorce is an important consideration especially when the marital home is one of your largest assets.

How to pick a real estate

Are you preparing your home for sale and wondering if you should make any changes?

There are ways in which you can force equity back into your home, and make it more appealing to buyers. Just be careful not to overdo it and improve your house outside of the neighborhood price range!

The tips we will discuss in the article are low cost ways to net your more money on the sale of your home. If you’re preparing your home for sale you’ll want to be sure to pay attention to the tips in this article that will help you maximize the return on your investment!

Don't forget to call me at (250).319.5896 to discuss your home selling needs

Without further ado, here are…

Home Improvements to Increase Value

Cleaning your Home Before Listing it for Sale

Selling your home is a big deal. Thinking of selling on your own?

Do you hire a Realtor, a discount brokerage, or do it yourself to receive top dollars? Before we continue, let’s get one thing straight, in any profession there is a dividing line between a true professional and the average Joe, and real estate is no exception. With the understanding that I’m speaking of the former, here are my thoughts.

Hiring a discount brokerage or doing it yourself is almost one in the same thing in my mind. For $500-$1000 you can have your listing posted on MLS through a discount brokerage and then you’re left to sea, just like doing it yourself minus the whole MLS thing. Here’s some food for thought:

Additional Legal Fees

You pay more than normal to your

When buyers look at your home, you want them to focus on the features and upgrades.  You don't want to distract them with items that might offend or puzzle them.  

It's amazing how many times we show homes and the buyers will refer to one as "the one with the guns" or the "one with the pictures".  Granted, you're still living in the home but it's time to start packing up your personal items.  In many ways, packing is an important step in moving on with your life.  

Putting away as many of your knick knacks and personal items as possible is a must when getting your home ready to show.  On top of getting rid of clutter, there are some items that should not be left for buyers to see.

Things Buyers Shouldn't See When Viewing Your Home

Guns and