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Pricing is a very close second or equal to the property location factor when selling property. We have all heard the adage – location, location, location when referring to real estate selling and purchasing! And it is certainly true that it is one of the top considerations when buying a property. But after my 24 years of dealing with sellers and buyers, analyzing numerous trends and statistics and moving through various ups and downs in the market, I know firsthand that pricing is certainly one of the top considerations as well, if not the top one, no matter how well you home shows or its location, to attaining a successful sale in any market condition. Continue reading →

A new year often means that city folk dream about what life in the country might be like.  But now, more than ever, it pays to do one’s homework before heading out to stake one’s claim.  Here are some tips on buying an acreage that you could suggest to those you know who are thinking about a move this spring or wanting to start looking.  And this is a good list to take note of if you are already an acreage owner and want insight as to what a country realtor recommends to his potential buyers and issues buyers grapple with. Continue reading →

Like the saying “What comes first: the chicken or the egg? There is no generally correct answer to the classic real estate problem of whether it’s better to buy first or sell first.

Moving from one house/property to another involves the financial risk of carrying two properties simultaneously or at worst ending up on the street and having to move twice. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of both alternatives for you to ponder. Of course your decision in this regard will be affected by your risk quotient and financial resources. Continue reading →

In this issue I will be covering 2 topics:

• First, a very brief review of activity for the last 2 to 4 months in the MD Foothills & Rocky View reviewing the pricing & sales averages given our new realties in Alberta, reflecting  the continuing market challenges in the ‘higher end’ segment & luxury type acreages sector and slower activity generally across all sectors.
• And on a lighter side, a list of some Real Estate sayings (Proverbs) that are actually quite true in most cases and good food for thought for us all in considering various aspects of real estate. I’ve added a few of my own I’ve penned after 28 years in Real Estate with exposure to so many circumstances & observations.

Continue reading →

A new year has begun and If you have been writing your goals for 2015 and the plan is to find a new home or property, may I suggest that there are a number of things one can do in advance of that purchase to make your transition a smooth one. Not only that, but being prepared and ready to make a “clean” offer , particularly as it relates to financing, will put you ahead of other prospective buyers who are looking at the same properties you are, but who do not have their affairs in order and are not armed and ready to go.
Astute home buyers will begin their preparation well in advance of visiting prospective properties by undertaking the following steps. Continue reading →

I wrote an article similar in content to this one a few years ago but feel it worth a rewrite

again. The article focuses on home remedial work and property information gathering. Certainly well worth consideration for those of you who are planning to sell next year and could benefit greatly in preparing as much as possible in advance and make the listing more effective when the time arrives. Go through this list and undertake as many items as reasonable during the next few months. This list deals with several interior items and important information about your property, but if there are any significant exterior issues they will have to wait until spring unless we get many warm winter days??! Continue reading →

Up until a few years ago it was pretty common knowledge that some of the best areas of your home to renovate and be confident of a good return on the work when you sold was to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms in particular.  However, with the proliferation of HGTV Reno shows, emerging decorating trends, as well as different buyer segment preferences in home features this is changing. Now a modern up to date kitchen can be ‘dated’ in 5 years with the constant changes in styles and products! Of course you can still enjoy your space if you are not moving but the challenge is when selling because many buyers now look for and want recent trends as part of their purchase or will budget to have the work done on a property when they buy affecting pricing. Continue reading →

Some things you obviously cannot change about your home or property, and likely you have been OK to live with them as they may not bother your lifestyle and that is quite understandable (we purchase what we like and what gives us satisfaction).  But in our demanding “new realty” real estate climate and much slower sales market, where buyers have lots of choice, are not easily satisfied, take their time and are more cautious, owners now need a greater level of patience and resilience when selling. Continue reading →

Because I have been selling country and city properties for over 21 years, and have been a Priddis area resident for just as long, I have observed many changes in country living.   One recent trend I have watched and discussed with other country realtors is particularly noteworthy and it is the decreasing number of young families moving to the country. Here are my speculations on why this might be so. Continue reading →

Landscaping can add tens of thousands of dollars to the value of your property. In fact, it is one of the few home improvements you can make that not only adds value immediately, but also increases in value as the years go by. While interior decor and design concepts regularly go out of style and mechanical systems wear down, plants grow fuller and more robust as the years go by. Continue reading →