6 tips for Showing Your Home In Winter

6 tips for showing your home in winter

Winter isn’t the most popular season for home sales, but the market is still active in colder months. Follow these simple tips to make your property shine for winter home buyers.


1. Keep pathways clear
First impressions are everything, and snow and ice are dangerous hazards. Shovel sidewalks, your driveway and front steps and de-ice them. Ensure that pathways to your home are well lit.
2. Schedule showings for daylight hours
Winter daylight hours offer less time for taking advantage of natural light. If you can’t schedule showings during daylight hours, brighten your home with interior lighting. Warning: bright winter sunlight can draw attention to dirty windows – so keep them clean.
3. Think ‘cozy’
Turn up the thermostat during showings so visitors will feel the warmth of your home. Create ambience by using features such as gas fireplaces and wood stoves. Accent your home with soft throws, duvets and pillows. Play low, soothing music such as jazz or classical.
4. Use natural scents
Avoid scenting your home with products with a chemical odour, such as artificial room fresheners and cleaning solutions. Air out your home and clean or dispose of odour-causing rugs and other fabrics. Employ natural fragrances that feed the imagination and appetite. Examples include freshly baked bread, cookies, cinnamon, apple pie and vanilla.
5. Ask visitors to remove footwear
Showing pride in your home suggests to potential buyers that it is clean and properly maintained.
6. Showcase your winter assets
Does your home and surrounding green space look picture-perfect in the snowy winter months? Do the trees in front of your home bare a beautiful view this time of year? Other assets, including proximity to main driving arteries in icy or stormy driving conditions, can also add value to your home.

Go to Century21.ca to view winter properties currently listed across Canada.
Shopping for a holiday tree?

Shopping for a holiday tree?

Under ideal conditions, a fresh cut tree can last up to two weeks in your home. Follow these tips for choosing and maintaining a fresh holiday tree:

* Buy from a reputable tree seller.
* Inspect fresh trees by lightly shaking them or pulling on the needles. A fresh tree should hold its needles and show no signs of browning.
* Make a fresh cut in the bottom of your tree when you get home. Secure it into a sturdy base that contains water.
* Always keep the end of your tree just below the water line to prevent it from drying out. Check water levels often.
* Place the tree away from furnace vents, fireplaces, radiators and heat-generating appliances, including televisions.
* Decorate with energy-saving lights that give off little heat; unplug all tree lights before going to bed or leaving your home unattended.

CAROL BACON - CENTURY 21 ASSURANCE REALTY LTD.

CAROL BACON
Century 21 Assurance Realty Ltd.
Phone: 250-469-2353
Email: carol.bacon@century21.ca
Website: www.carolbacon.net
Marketing
I WILL:
1.Complete a free comparative market analysis on your home.
2.Hire an Accredited Staging Professional to stage your home.
3.Create a dedicated webpage at www.YourAddress.com for your listing.
4.Create customized signage, including a sign topper that displays your listing’s webpage.
5.Advertise your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), on castanet.net, and Kijji Kelowna, twitter, facebook, Homes and Land magazine.
6.Advertise your home in Capital news, and relevant newspapers
7.Advertise your home on my website and Century 21 Assurance Realty Ltd. Website.
8.Include your home on professional realtor tours.
9.Have a professional photographer take 21 beautiful pictures of your home which will be showcased on every website.
10.Provide full color professional feature sheets for your showings.
11.Provide you with free access to a Century 21 moving van.

British Columbia Housing Market

HOUSING MARKET OUTLOOK - CANADIAN EDITION - THIRD QUARTER CMHC

Following a strong first half of 2010, the pace of new home constructionin British Columbia is expected to moderate during the second half of the year. The resale market in British Columbia has moved to
balanced conditions, with demand for homeownership in line with the supply of existing homes for sale.

Overall, housing starts will range from 22,100 to 25,600 homes in 2010,the range refl ecting the degree of uncertainty in the economic outlook. A number of one-time factors moved existing home sales andstarts forward in 2010, including the July 1st implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), and thewidely-held expectation of gradually rising mortgage rates beginning midyear. During the second half of 2010,momentum in the economy and accompanying job gains will support homeownership demand, partly offsetting the impact of gradually rising mortgage rates. During the first five months of 2010, job growth was almost evenly splitbetween part-time and full-time positions. As the provincial economic recovery gains traction, job gains willshift to full-time positions, which will push income growth higher. At the same time, the population will expanddue to strong international migration. Most new migrants will settle in the Lower Mainland. This will fuel demandfor rental accommodation and homeownership.

In Detail Single Starts: The annual level of single-detached home starts will be onpar with the ten-year average this year. Activity is expected to ease in the second half of 2010.Multiple Starts: Builders continueto focus on smaller phased projects. Apartment condominiums, row and townhouse starts are trending higherand are forecast to reach 12,950 units this year. A number of larger scale projects are in the approvals process in the Vancouver and Victoria CMAs. These projects will likely get underway in 2011, boosting multipleunit starts next year.


Resales: The number of existing home sales recorded on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) is expected
to be slightly lower than last year’s level. The forecast is that resales will remain in line with job and population
growth, approaching 83,000 sales in 2010 and 87,000 sales in 2011.

Prices: The average MLS® resale price in B.C. will increase in 2010 to $491,750. The sales-to-newlistings ratio, a predictor of home prices, points to modest price easing during the second half of this year. An increase in new listings and moderating levels of existing home sales moved the sales-tonew Listings ratio from 0.66 in the final quarter of 2009, to 0.49 in the first quarter of 2010. This level is consistent with balanced supply and demand conditions in the province. Resale market conditions will remain balanced and then move towards sellers’ market conditions as new listings are absorbed and resale demand is rejuvenated by improvingeconomic fundamentals. Moving into 2011, the average MLS® price is to be $493,700.

Home Buyers Q&A - C21 Real Estate Professionals

Have you set aside enough money for all the incidental costs involved with closing a transaction? Do you know what a buyer’s next steps are once an offer has been accepted?

Avoid any surprises by having a CENTURY 21® real estate professional guide you through the necessary steps. Rely on their expert advice to keep you informed and prepared. It's just one more way that your CENTURY 21 sales representative takes the anxiety out of buying a home.
So, whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned homeowner, gathering information about the buying process can help you avoid potential pitfalls - and this section contains some of the most important things you need to know. Select a topic that interests you, and learn more.

What’s the difference between a buyer’s REALTOR® and a seller’s REALTOR?

A buyer’s REALTOR is legally obligated to operate at all times in the best interest of the buyer. A listing, or “seller’s” REALTOR has similar responsibilities, only with the seller’s concerns at the forefront. And if a REALTOR represents both the buyer and seller in negotiations, this is known as dual agency.
Real estate professionals are required to disclose exactly who they represent in a transaction. But it’s always smart to discuss the pros and cons of various types of representation with your REALTOR - including dual agency – to ensure that you understand what’s best for your specific situation.

How do you know if a property listed on the MLS® is fairly priced?

The Multiple Listing Service indicates a specific price for each property. But how do you know if the list price is fair? One that’s on par with similar property in the area?
Buyers who choose a licensed REALTOR to represent their interests have easy access to unbiased comparable information. This info - known within the real estate industry as ‘comparables’ – specifies lesser known details relating to the specific property and properties in the surrounding area, often providing additional insight not detailed in the MLS listing.
Your REALTOR can also determine the buy-sell history of any property, the availability of similar property in the area, and whether or not there are competing bids – information which is crucial in assessing the fairness of the listed asking price, and making an educated purchase offer.

What’s the best way to negotiate price once you’re ready to buy?

Moving forward with an offer can be complicated, which is why you should agree on details with your REALTOR, and then allow them to use their experience to enter into negotiations on your behalf.
As you’d expect, your REALTOR will use in-depth ‘comparable’ information as a valuable negotiating asset when presenting your offer to the seller. But it’s also a good idea to authorize your REALTOR to relay pertinent details such as your desired possession date and financial ability to complete the sale. Having a substantial deposit on the property at the time of the offer is also recommended, to show that you’re serious about the purchase. Sellers are much more likely to accept an offer if they’re confident that it’s financially solid.
Your REALTOR can also advise you on other ways to ‘package’ your offer, based on their knowledge of the seller and the REALTOR representing the seller’s interests.

Great sources for historical property information include the land titles office and the city property tax administration office in the related area. But of course, these methods take considerable time and effort, and the information you find can be difficult to understand. Here’s where working with an experienced REALTOR pays off.
A knowledgeable professional can locate several years worth of historical property information by searching through MLS database systems – viewable only by licensed REALTORs. Not only do they know where to go to acquire the information you need, but they have the industry experience to determine what’s relevant to the property you’re interested in.
Of course it’s still a great idea to do as much of your own homework as possible, but make sure you provide your findings to your REALTOR for additional details and insight that you may have overlooked.

How can you discover “hot” properties not currently listed on the MLS?

Quite often the best properties in a ‘hot market’ are sold before they ever make it to the Multiple Listing Service – and exclusive listings never appear. This is when having a REALTOR on your side is crucial.
On a daily basis, your REALTOR is able to locate new listings in your specified area, and relay that property information directly to you. They do this in part by referencing REALTOR-only ‘hot sheets’, which indicate new properties on the market before they reach the MLS.
Your REALTOR can also alert his or her network of real estate contacts to your specific property needs, and will be notified accordingly when new listings become available that might be a good fit. Your REALTOR can then arrange a time for you to view and perhaps even make an offer on the property, well before it receives MLS exposure.

Are you familiar with ALL the costs involved in closing your transaction?

In addition to the listed price of a property, there are certain incidental closing costs involved in completing the transaction. And although they’re not hidden, they can certainly come as a surprise, especially to a first-time buyer.
These incidental costs include:
• Deed Transfer Taxes
• Mortgage Insurance
• Appraisal fees, legal fees and disbursements
• Adjustments for property tax, property insurance and mortgage
• And applicable home warranties
Incidental costs vary from region to region, so it’s always a good idea to investigate all the details – especially for new home construction. Be sure and ask your REALTOR for a complete list of the estimated closing costs for your market area before you make an offer, so that the only surprises are good ones.

Century 21’s services are second to none and I am proud to provide them to my clients.
As a CENTURY 21® Real Estate professional, I am dedicated to providing you with the highest quality service possible. My personal knowledge of the local Real Estate market is combined with the power of the CENTURY 21 brand - the most recognized name in Real Estate today.
Let me assist you in finding your dream home, in a neighbourhood that is right for you, and in the price range you want. If you are interested in selling a property, I have the expertise to help you get the fastest sale possible and at the best price.
I look forward to the opportunity of working for you!

Carol Bacon
250-469-2353
carol.bacon@century21.ca
www.carolbacon.net

K is for Kayak

Come ply crystal clear waters, slide silently over drifting beds of giant kelp, paddle between islands where seals and seal lions play, explore hidden coves or glide past orcas. The meandering waterway of Victoria's Inner Harbour and the Gorge features an urban environment at first, then widens to Portage Inlet - a favourite of expert and novice kayakers alike. If you have never kayaked before, don't worry - it really is as easy as it looks.

L - is for Links

The lords of the links have blessed British Columbia like few places on earth. So, pack your bag and golf your way around all fore points of the compass in British Columbia. The courses are spectacular and the scenery absolutely awesome - from ocean's edge to mountain plateau. In fact, Golf Digest has rated Whistler one of the top 20 golf destinations in the world. NO wonder - with courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Rober Cupp, it is a golfer's paradise.

M - is for Mountains.

British Columbians love their mountains. From the majestic Rocky Mountains to the Coast Mountains, BCers like to climb them, ski them or just gaze in wonder at them. Fact is, we are completely surrounded by mountains - including the peaks in famous provincial parks like Bugaboo, Kokanee Glacier and Tweedsmuir. We even call two North Shore mountain peaks the Lions because we think they look like sleeping lions - and we named the Lions Gate Bridge after them.

Carol Bacon

Century 21 Assurance Realty Ltd.

250-469-2353

J - is for jazz

The Jazz scene in BC is so cool, daddy-o - real cool. vancouver's legandary jazz haunts include The cellar, The Yale and The Orpheum for bigger gigs. If that don't beal all, there are of course the International Jazz Festivals in Both Vancouver and Victoria, running simulataneiously from June 23rd t oJuly 2nd. You Dig?

Carol Bacon
Century 21 Assurance Realty Ltd.
250-469-2353

I - IS FOR ISLAND

Off the main land, there are over 200 islands. Many of these are visited by British Columbians, who go to rest and relax or play in the sun and sand. To help you sound like a local, here's a little BC-ese: we call our largest island - Vancouver Island - "The Island". However, with smaller islands, we drop "island" completely. So it's "Bowen" "Gabriola", "Gambier", "Savary", "Saltspring" and well you get the idea!