Over my years in this world I have found that the people who "make the most of it" are the ones we tend to envy, put on pedestals, and just plain like! They join teams, chase their dreams, volunteer, donate time and money, and they love it! They are the ones that "get" that life has more to it than TV and stress.
So how do we tap into that love and like them "make the most of it"?
By putting our hearts into it.
We have to find something in what we do that means something to us, that holds a special significance. You don't have to conquer the world at first grab, or be perfect while doing it. I think it is important to remember that it is one step at a time, life is not an over night change, over night change takes a life time to complete.
With that said, I approach life with the one step at a time mentality. I believe it is the possible absence of this mentality that has lead to us feeling over worked, stressed and unhappy.
One thing I decided to do as a Realtor was give back a little to the things I care about the most. I am happy and proud to report that currently, my brokerage RE/MAX professionals is the only true Miracle Office in all of Manitoba!!!!!! Miracle Office means that 100% of Realtors in the office have donated money to the Children's Miracle Network. This is an amazing accomplishment, and a true testament of the co-operation and dedication of the people in my office!
Above that I decided that I really wanted to foster my life long love of animals by donating a portion of my commission from every listing I have to the local Humane Society. This has been a slow start for me but I sincerely hope that the more listings I sell, the more money I make for them!
This is just part of me, putting my heart into it
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Canadian Real Estate Forecast - PRESS RELEASE
Slow and steady growth forecast for residential real estate
in major Canadian markets in 2008, says RE/MAX
Canadian home sales to top 500,000 in 2007
After posting extraordinary gains in 2007, housing market performance will moderate in most major Canadian centres in 2008, according to a report released today by RE/MAX.
The RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook 2008 examined residential real estate trends in 18 markets across the country. The report found that while economic prospects will continue to improve next year, few major markets are expected to exceed record sales levels set in 2007. Winnipeg, Hamilton-Burlington, Kitchener-Waterloo, London-St. Thomas, Ottawa, Sudbury, Saint John, Halifax-Dartmouth, and St. John’s are all predicted to buck the trend in 2008, with appreciation ranging from one to seven per cent. Average price is forecast to increase in 78 per cent of markets surveyed next year, with the lowest price increase expected in Edmonton and the highest in St. John’s.
Nationally, the number of homes sold is expected to break through the half-million threshold in 2007, climbing 13 per cent to an estimated 545,400 units, up from 483,770 units one year ago. Average price is projected to appreciate nine per cent to $303,000, up about $25,000 over 2006 levels. In 2008, home sales are expected to retreat to 500,000 units while Canadian housing values are forecast to continue their ascent, rising six per cent to $321,000.
Clearly, economic prosperity has translated into increased housing sales and upward pressure on prices across the board. The country’s economic engine fired on all cylinders throughout the year, despite dire conditions south of the border. As in 2007, inventory will be the major wildcard next year—the ultimate variable most expected to influence housing market conditions and performance. A return to tight market conditions could mean all bets are off as buyers are forced to compete, creating increased market pressure.
Major market frontrunners for price appreciation in 2008 include St. John’s (12 per cent), Regina and Kelowna – Central Okanagan (nine per cent), Hamilton-Burlington and Saint John (eight per cent) and Greater Vancouver (seven per cent). Leading the country in sales growth next year will be Kitchener-Waterloo (seven per cent), followed by Hamilton-Burlington, London-St. Thomas, Sudbury and Halifax-Dartmouth, each forecasting a five per cent gain.
Higher mortgage rates and increased inventory levels failed to materialize in most major centres, making 2007 a record year for real estate activity in Canada. By year-end, housing values across the country are expected to shatter existing records. Serious double-digit increases in average price are forecasted for Saskatoon (49), Edmonton (31.5), Regina (21), Calgary (20), Sudbury (20), Kelowna (19.5) Saint John (17), St. John’s (12), and Greater Vancouver (10).
Saskatchewan dominated real estate news in 2007, reporting some of the highest percentage increases in unit sales. The number of homes sold in Regina by year-end is expected to top 35 per cent, bringing sales to an estimated 4,000 units. Neighbouring Saskatoon is forecast to climb 28 per cent to 4,400 units in 2007. Other centres expected to post double-digit gains in activity include Saint John (19 per cent) Kitchener-Waterloo (13 per cent), Halifax-Dartmouth (12 per cent), St. John’s (11 per cent), and Toronto (10 per cent).
“Western markets were first out of the gate in 2007, but those in the East followed suit,” says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President and Regional Director, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. “By year-end, some of the most impressive gains in home sales will be realized in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Solid economic fundamentals, including billions of dollars in capital projects, a positive unemployment outlook, and solid consumer confidence levels will propel markets forward. A slow and steady growth trajectory, minus the peaks and valleys experienced in 2007, is forecast for next year.”Source ~ RE/MAX Housing Market 2008 Report, 10/17/07 - RE/MAX of Western Canada (1998) Inc.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
ummm... what's a grow op?
What?!
I was asked this question recently by a client and it really threw me for a loop! I guess its not safe to assume we are all addicted to the news channels and know what these are all about. Since they are kind of a big deal, and there is certain protocol in place here regarding the sale of former grow ops, I thought I would bring to light what exactly this was!
Grow ops, also known as Grow Operation(s) refers to when a house has been used by individuals to harvest or grow drugs. Mostly used for marijuana, we are now seeing the existence of meth labs (which are not grow ops), which is a scary reality in our world (and perhaps another topic for another day?)
The damage that cultivating marijuana can do to the house is devastating. High humidity levels are needed for the plants, and this grows MOULD. Mould can take over the house, and in extreme cases can mean serious renovating or tear down due to the damage it caused. When I say mould, I am not referring to the small amount that exists in your bathroom because you don't have a fan in there to help get the humidity out.... I am talking about entire sheets of drywall being eaten up with the harmful black stuff... gross huh? Most often you will find the most severe damage in the basement where most of the operations take place. However anyone will tell you that mould will spread out to other areas of the home. To get insurance on a former grow op after you have purchased it is possible, albeit tricky, and there are conditions which you must adhere to as a condition of the insurance. First of all, the affected area will most likely have to be gutted if it hasn't been already. Also an environmental survey will have to be done to make sure the house is safe to live in, and would pose no further threat of the mold continuing to grow and spread. However since I am not the expert on insuring tricky to insure properties, I called in my Insurance contact Kris Moffat from Niverville Insurance to see what he had to say on the subject:
Not even touching on the health detriments of folks who run these type of operations, there is a very real concern for people who buy these homes that perhaps all the mould was not eradicated. If anyone in the family has any sort of respiratory concerns (especially asthmatic children) you would be safe to stay away all together.
So by this point are you really freaked out? Try not to be! There are safeguards in place to ensure that you are not trapped into buying one. Manitoba law dictates that if the home being listed by a Realtor is/was/has been a grow op.. THEY MUST DISCLOSE THIS, absolutely NO exceptions. So rest easy there. If it is a private sale and was once a grow op they are legally obligated to tell you that as well, however, I would proceed with serious caution with a private sale that was a grow op. Also, mould does have quite a smell to it, and you will be able to tell if you are in one ( I always say that you can "taste" the mould). I suppose the only real catch here is that if the grow op was never busted... do they have to tell you about it? Well, of course they really should, but if the owner of the home is the owner of the grow op.... well.... hmmm.... might not work out that way!
Is it possible to buy a grow op, fix the problems and live in it as a normal, healthy, functioning home? I would bet it would be, and certainly has been done, but of course it entirely depends on the house itself. I saw a grow op once, house was only 25 years old at most, very solid and actually although it was bad, the damage was minimal compared to others that are out there. And imagine if the house was an old decripit house, no way could a house like that handle severe moisture damage.
For those of you in the city of Winnipeg it would be interesting to note that our police department keeps a record of the latest busted grow ops by address. The link for this site is as follows: http://winnipeg.ca/police/drug_awareness/growop_addresses.stm
There is also lots of other info on there for the interested party.
So what is my stance on selling a grow op? Since some are salvageable so I say lets give it a shot, as long as you understand what is involved in the situation. Each home purchase is approached in a unique manner anyway and this is no exception.
This is just some of the basics, if I come across new info I will add it here or in another post. There is a lot more information out there if you are interested in looking, just hit up google, see what they have to say:)
I was asked this question recently by a client and it really threw me for a loop! I guess its not safe to assume we are all addicted to the news channels and know what these are all about. Since they are kind of a big deal, and there is certain protocol in place here regarding the sale of former grow ops, I thought I would bring to light what exactly this was!
Grow ops, also known as Grow Operation(s) refers to when a house has been used by individuals to harvest or grow drugs. Mostly used for marijuana, we are now seeing the existence of meth labs (which are not grow ops), which is a scary reality in our world (and perhaps another topic for another day?)
The damage that cultivating marijuana can do to the house is devastating. High humidity levels are needed for the plants, and this grows MOULD. Mould can take over the house, and in extreme cases can mean serious renovating or tear down due to the damage it caused. When I say mould, I am not referring to the small amount that exists in your bathroom because you don't have a fan in there to help get the humidity out.... I am talking about entire sheets of drywall being eaten up with the harmful black stuff... gross huh? Most often you will find the most severe damage in the basement where most of the operations take place. However anyone will tell you that mould will spread out to other areas of the home. To get insurance on a former grow op after you have purchased it is possible, albeit tricky, and there are conditions which you must adhere to as a condition of the insurance. First of all, the affected area will most likely have to be gutted if it hasn't been already. Also an environmental survey will have to be done to make sure the house is safe to live in, and would pose no further threat of the mold continuing to grow and spread. However since I am not the expert on insuring tricky to insure properties, I called in my Insurance contact Kris Moffat from Niverville Insurance to see what he had to say on the subject:
"As for the insurance, not all insurance companies will insure former grow ops, but there are at least three major insurance companies that will. These companies want to be sure that the home is structurally sound. The major item which they want completed is an Environmental Site Assessment, which includes and is not limited to, a report by a structural engineer and a mould investigation (as a side note insurance policies contain mould/fungi exclusions any way, but they still factor this in for structural issues, potential liability defense costs…etc). If the report checks out, they will then look into insuring the property. This will of course still depend on the overall risk which will include items such as: Location of the home, the new clients claims experience, the new client’s former payment history, the coverage being applied for, etc."
"If a report does not pass, the client will not be able to apply for insurance through a standard insurance market. In those cases we would then attempt applying for coverage through a specialty market, which in turn would have extreme ratings, and multiple coverage exclusions ie: collapse. In the end even the specialty markets may still decline the risk all together as these homes should be repaired prior to looking into insurance. "
Not even touching on the health detriments of folks who run these type of operations, there is a very real concern for people who buy these homes that perhaps all the mould was not eradicated. If anyone in the family has any sort of respiratory concerns (especially asthmatic children) you would be safe to stay away all together.
So by this point are you really freaked out? Try not to be! There are safeguards in place to ensure that you are not trapped into buying one. Manitoba law dictates that if the home being listed by a Realtor is/was/has been a grow op.. THEY MUST DISCLOSE THIS, absolutely NO exceptions. So rest easy there. If it is a private sale and was once a grow op they are legally obligated to tell you that as well, however, I would proceed with serious caution with a private sale that was a grow op. Also, mould does have quite a smell to it, and you will be able to tell if you are in one ( I always say that you can "taste" the mould). I suppose the only real catch here is that if the grow op was never busted... do they have to tell you about it? Well, of course they really should, but if the owner of the home is the owner of the grow op.... well.... hmmm.... might not work out that way!
Is it possible to buy a grow op, fix the problems and live in it as a normal, healthy, functioning home? I would bet it would be, and certainly has been done, but of course it entirely depends on the house itself. I saw a grow op once, house was only 25 years old at most, very solid and actually although it was bad, the damage was minimal compared to others that are out there. And imagine if the house was an old decripit house, no way could a house like that handle severe moisture damage.
For those of you in the city of Winnipeg it would be interesting to note that our police department keeps a record of the latest busted grow ops by address. The link for this site is as follows: http://winnipeg.ca/police/drug_awareness/growop_addresses.stm
There is also lots of other info on there for the interested party.
So what is my stance on selling a grow op? Since some are salvageable so I say lets give it a shot, as long as you understand what is involved in the situation. Each home purchase is approached in a unique manner anyway and this is no exception.
This is just some of the basics, if I come across new info I will add it here or in another post. There is a lot more information out there if you are interested in looking, just hit up google, see what they have to say:)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
establishing contact with a good Realtor
So I thought I would talk a little today about one of the ways you can get the most out of a first encounter with a Realtor. Often I have heard complaints from the public about our business practices... we can address those all in due time, but today I am going to talk about that "first phone call".
The first call is the one you make when you have just decided to buy or sell, and call up a Realtor. Often people who are new to the business of real estate are nervous and don't know quite what to ask or to expect. Maybe you got the Realtor's name from the newspaper, TV or radio spot, or maybe from a for sale sign in the neighbourhood.
So you call them and they don't call you back. How did that happen! Why didn't they call you back!?
Understand that most Realtors simply cannot call you back within 10 minutes, this is not realistic. They could be driving, or out showing homes with clients. Unless I let my clients know ahead of time that I am expecting a call I will not answer or return calls when with those clients. The ones I am with deserve my full attention.. wouldn't you want the same from your Realtor?
Also, keep in mind that sometimes Realtors are busy, unfortunately they may forget to call you back, or may not have the time that day. You decide what a fair and realistic amount of time is to wait for a call back... if you haven't heard anything from them, just give me a call! All Realtors have access to the same information, and I can certainly help you out!
But back to the initial phone call!
First off you should know that a lot of Realtors use their office or a paging service to manage their calls, so most likely the person you talk to on the phone is from the Realtor's office or is from the paging service... those people do not know personal info about the Realtor or the listing you may be calling about. They will take a message and send out a page to that individual with your information. You want to make the most out of that first call, you want the Realtor to know you are a serious buyer or seller, and you want to make sure the Realtor is the one for you.
For effective call back and meeting strategy, do the following:
1. Give your full name and number, and use a real number, not a fake one!
2. Leave a small note saying what it is you are looking for information on. Are you interested in a property they have listed? Want to know about listing your home for sale? The more information you leave, the better chance you have of them calling you back.
3. When speaking with the Realtor make sure to be open to giving your information out, and feel free to ask questions of the Realtor. When a Realtor asks you for your full name and alternate phone numbers, it is not because they want to stalk you, its so we can contact you better. Also, a person willing to give out that information is a client who is serious about selling/buying.
4. When making appointments with Realtors, do not request that they meet you in odd places... this will make the Realtor nervous and make them think that you are not really interested in real estate. Saying things like "lets meet in a parking lot" Or "I get off work really late, the house I want to sell is vacant, shall we meet at 10pm?" Will NOT get the Realtor to call you back! These are "red flags" to a Realtor and suggest that it is ill will you have in mind, not house shopping. So if you are really serious, be open to meeting at their office first.
5. Pay attention to the Realtor on the other end of the phone, are they asking questions that focus on what you are looking for? They should be!
6. Make an appointment to meet if you feel a good vibe from the person. This meeting will help you get an better feel for the Realtor, get questions answered, and start to rev up that excitement! Also, it gives us Realtors a chance to educate our clients... I strive to be the best link my clients can have to the world of real estate, and you as a client deserve nothing less.
~~~
The first call is the one you make when you have just decided to buy or sell, and call up a Realtor. Often people who are new to the business of real estate are nervous and don't know quite what to ask or to expect. Maybe you got the Realtor's name from the newspaper, TV or radio spot, or maybe from a for sale sign in the neighbourhood.
So you call them and they don't call you back. How did that happen! Why didn't they call you back!?
Understand that most Realtors simply cannot call you back within 10 minutes, this is not realistic. They could be driving, or out showing homes with clients. Unless I let my clients know ahead of time that I am expecting a call I will not answer or return calls when with those clients. The ones I am with deserve my full attention.. wouldn't you want the same from your Realtor?
Also, keep in mind that sometimes Realtors are busy, unfortunately they may forget to call you back, or may not have the time that day. You decide what a fair and realistic amount of time is to wait for a call back... if you haven't heard anything from them, just give me a call! All Realtors have access to the same information, and I can certainly help you out!
But back to the initial phone call!
First off you should know that a lot of Realtors use their office or a paging service to manage their calls, so most likely the person you talk to on the phone is from the Realtor's office or is from the paging service... those people do not know personal info about the Realtor or the listing you may be calling about. They will take a message and send out a page to that individual with your information. You want to make the most out of that first call, you want the Realtor to know you are a serious buyer or seller, and you want to make sure the Realtor is the one for you.
For effective call back and meeting strategy, do the following:
1. Give your full name and number, and use a real number, not a fake one!
2. Leave a small note saying what it is you are looking for information on. Are you interested in a property they have listed? Want to know about listing your home for sale? The more information you leave, the better chance you have of them calling you back.
3. When speaking with the Realtor make sure to be open to giving your information out, and feel free to ask questions of the Realtor. When a Realtor asks you for your full name and alternate phone numbers, it is not because they want to stalk you, its so we can contact you better. Also, a person willing to give out that information is a client who is serious about selling/buying.
4. When making appointments with Realtors, do not request that they meet you in odd places... this will make the Realtor nervous and make them think that you are not really interested in real estate. Saying things like "lets meet in a parking lot" Or "I get off work really late, the house I want to sell is vacant, shall we meet at 10pm?" Will NOT get the Realtor to call you back! These are "red flags" to a Realtor and suggest that it is ill will you have in mind, not house shopping. So if you are really serious, be open to meeting at their office first.
5. Pay attention to the Realtor on the other end of the phone, are they asking questions that focus on what you are looking for? They should be!
6. Make an appointment to meet if you feel a good vibe from the person. This meeting will help you get an better feel for the Realtor, get questions answered, and start to rev up that excitement! Also, it gives us Realtors a chance to educate our clients... I strive to be the best link my clients can have to the world of real estate, and you as a client deserve nothing less.
~~~
This day in real estate... Oct 13, 2007
Hey real estate bloggers!
Welcome to my inaugural blog... dedicated to all you folks out there who are just wanting to be "in the know" as far as real estate goes.
Winnipeg woke up to a bright and sunny morning, which was a welcome change to the dismal gray skies we have all had to live under these past few days. Since I have a deadline looming for a class I am taking, no showings for me today... and I am so disappointed about that! Finally a good day, and I have to waste it sitting inside.
This week fared well on the real estate sales front for me, but how is the rest of the city hanging on? Well, every month I have been in real estate so far has yielded equal or higher sales than the same month of the previous year. That is not to say I am responsible for that, only to point out our market is hot, growing and ever expanding! This is good news for our economy as we are surging forth into the new year in a few months with great hopes for Winnipeg's home buyers and home sellers. Winnipeg Realtors (the real estate board) stats for September indicated that we again reached an all time high of over $177 million in sales, which is up 15% from September 2006... that means we are well on our way to the goal of reaching $2 billion in sales by this years end. September was also the fifth consecutive month with over 1000 units sold and with the ever increasing condo market, we can only expect some more great things!
Some of you born and bred "Peggers sometimes seem very anxious and nervous about what is happening in their neighbourhoods... how did the prices get so high, and the competition so fierce? Truth is, the housing market in Winnipeg has been lagging behind the rest of the country for years. A boom in housing demand a few years ago is what started the demand and increase in price. The good news is, on average we are STILL cheaper than any other major Canadian city! So when house hunting and selling always remember to look at the bigger picture.
Check out this link to see what average homes are selling for across the country...
http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/statistics.htm
On the downside, mortgage rates are on the rise again... so for those of you who secured a good rate in at the bank, try to get your home within the time-frame that the rate is guaranteed. If you have any questions about how you can protect yourself from scary mortgage rates give your banker or broker a call.
AND! Since this is my first blog... I am going to ask for feedback... what do you homebuyers and sellers want to hear about regarding real estate in this city? You name it, I will blog about it!
~ Cheers!
Thanks for the words
Kimberly
Welcome to my inaugural blog... dedicated to all you folks out there who are just wanting to be "in the know" as far as real estate goes.
Winnipeg woke up to a bright and sunny morning, which was a welcome change to the dismal gray skies we have all had to live under these past few days. Since I have a deadline looming for a class I am taking, no showings for me today... and I am so disappointed about that! Finally a good day, and I have to waste it sitting inside.
This week fared well on the real estate sales front for me, but how is the rest of the city hanging on? Well, every month I have been in real estate so far has yielded equal or higher sales than the same month of the previous year. That is not to say I am responsible for that, only to point out our market is hot, growing and ever expanding! This is good news for our economy as we are surging forth into the new year in a few months with great hopes for Winnipeg's home buyers and home sellers. Winnipeg Realtors (the real estate board) stats for September indicated that we again reached an all time high of over $177 million in sales, which is up 15% from September 2006... that means we are well on our way to the goal of reaching $2 billion in sales by this years end. September was also the fifth consecutive month with over 1000 units sold and with the ever increasing condo market, we can only expect some more great things!
Some of you born and bred "Peggers sometimes seem very anxious and nervous about what is happening in their neighbourhoods... how did the prices get so high, and the competition so fierce? Truth is, the housing market in Winnipeg has been lagging behind the rest of the country for years. A boom in housing demand a few years ago is what started the demand and increase in price. The good news is, on average we are STILL cheaper than any other major Canadian city! So when house hunting and selling always remember to look at the bigger picture.
Check out this link to see what average homes are selling for across the country...
http://www.crea.ca/public/news_stats/statistics.htm
On the downside, mortgage rates are on the rise again... so for those of you who secured a good rate in at the bank, try to get your home within the time-frame that the rate is guaranteed. If you have any questions about how you can protect yourself from scary mortgage rates give your banker or broker a call.
AND! Since this is my first blog... I am going to ask for feedback... what do you homebuyers and sellers want to hear about regarding real estate in this city? You name it, I will blog about it!
~ Cheers!
Thanks for the words
Kimberly
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