Tips and Tricks

Low Home Appraisal - What now?

In the home-buying process, there are several crucial steps along the way that Sellers and Buyers alike will have to navigate: the home inspection, title issues, getting a survey and negotiating when an appraisal comes in significantly lower than the accepted offer.

When this happens both sides can go through many different emotions.

Either you, as the Seller, will feel as though you paid more than the property’s worth, especially if you just recently completed renovations, or, if you’re the Buyer, and you don’t have extra cash to hand over, the deal can fall apart. (Your lender’s not going to spring for a higher loan amount if the appraisal came in lower than expected, so Buyers will have to make up that difference

House hunting might seem like an easy thing.

You go online, search for a home and put in an offer, but there are some key steps you need to consider when you’re entering the real estate market. Here are eight house hunting tips you might want to consider before starting your home search.

1. Take an honest look your personal finances before you start your search.
   Understanding your personal financial situation is the first step in finding your dream house. You will need to know how much you can contribute to a mortgage payment, the cost of maintaining a home, and also if you have any liquid funds to contribute to settlement costs. Don’t skip this step because you don’t want to fall in love with a house just to discover you can’t afford to live

Are there any great houses for a good price?

I have written before to advise home sellers about some of the key things they can do to improve the marketability of their properties. However, awareness of these same principles can also help the sharp-eyed home buyer to land a great place at a bargain price. The crucial thing, always, is to remember what’s important in a home, and what isn’t. Some of the apparent “problems” with a property may actually be very easy to fix. As always use your professional Kamloops Realtor to help you uncover a great property that is right for you.

Here are some of the ways you can find a great deal by disregarding some of the relatively minor problems with a home.

Some of the relatively minor updates needed for

If you bought or sold a home recently, chances are you signed a listing agreement – but did you truly understand what you were signing?

Selling a home is a stressful time and can be worse if an employment change for example is forcing you to move quickly. While a common component of real estate transactions, listing agreements can have language that can be overlooked. Here’s what you should know about them – before signing on the dotted line.

What is a Listing Agreement?

A listing agreement is standard paperwork between the listing agents brokerage and the Sellers of the property. This document is much like an employment contract between the Sellers and the Listing Brokerage. This paperwork is completed before the listing can be active as an

Let’s say the vacation home you recently purchased is a real show-stopper.

Amazing views of the mountains are reflected in the tranquil lake below. Beautiful fireplaces, heated floors, and vaulted ceilings – it’s everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Now, how are you going to afford the mortgage, on top of your primary residence?

Here are five tips to make your vacation home pay for itself:

1. Make That Mortgage Disappear

In reality, your cottage is a second home – a vacation spot. You will use it a couple of weeks out of the year. The rest of the time you will be paying a mortgage on a place you don’t use…or will you? Smart investors know the secret to owning a great cottage is making it pay for itself. By renting out your vacation home, you can

Every British Columbian deserves a place to call home. That is why we are taking action to control the cost of housing, increase access to affordable rental units, and help families make their dream of homeownership come true.

What is the Home Owner Mortgage and Equity (HOME) Partnership?

From middle class families to young professionals, first-time home buyers are looking to invest in a secure and stable future.

For many British Columbians dreaming of buying their first home, the hardest step is saving for a down payment. That is why the Province is partnering with British Columbians to help make that dream come true, through the B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity (HOME) Partnership program.

Through the B.C. HOME Partnership program, the

So you’re looking to buy a new house – and pouring over all of the great real estate offerings in the Kamloops Area

Each property slideshow conjures images of a new era of domestic bliss in your mind. It’s an exciting time, full of possibilities. But while you’re envisioning yourself in that new place, don’t forget to consider the big picture. You’ll be calling a new neighbourhood “home” too.

It’s not merely a question of “good neighbourhoods” and “bad neighbourhoods”. What you want, ideally, is a neighbourhood that offers the specific qualities required to enrich your life (both now and during the years to come). Those requirements will vary greatly from homebuyer to homebuyer, and you’ll want to sit down and create a personalized list of make or

As many Baby Boomers near retirement age, the stage is set for social shifts nearly as dramatic as the ones that shaped the 1960s – shifts that are already affecting housing patterns. People in their late 50s and 60s will be asking themselves important questions about the suitability of their living situations to changed professional, personal and financial circumstances – and the current market offers a number of intriguing possible answers to those questions.

Of course, one of the wonderful things about home ownership is the way we become attached to the places we own, especially when we’ve raised our children in them. In some cases, that attachment will trump any other considerations. However, those other considerations can be very persuasive,

If you look online you will find tons of articles supporting both FSBO and Realtor supported real estate transactions.

The real answer to the undying question of whether you should use a Realtor to sell your home or if you should go it alone, is really up to each individual seller. There are pros and cons of both processes, most involving money, but to say one is better than the other can be kind of difficult depending on what criteria you hold most important. If cost is your main concern and you have the relative experiences needed to negotiate, write a contract, and perform all the legalities of such, then by all means, you may find doing a FSBO more beneficial.

Cons of For Sale By Owner

If time, security, expertise, and ease are more important

Moving into a new house involves a lot of things

From supervising the final touches and buying new fittings to hunting the right moving company to help with relocation, one is likely to feel overwhelmed. Unfortunately, your house doesn’t feel like home not until you have given it a thorough cleaning. If you are wondering where to begin or how to go about it, this cleaning guide for new home owners has all the answers you need

1. Clean before you unpack

First of all, it is a good idea to do your cleaning before you begin unpacking. In an empty house, you have enough space to conduct proper cleaning of places that would be difficult to reach when items are already arranged. For instance, you can take care of the closet effectively when it has no