British Columbia has an abundance of mountains, streams, lakes and rivers. With such sought after landscaping it has become an attractive location for real estate investors worldwide. When buying a home in this province it is important to stand out from the others. If your home offers a pleasant view of the horizon, your home will hold its value. A view doesn’t always necessarily mean your property is worth 25% more than all the other homes in your neighbourhood. Buy a home with a view but don’t spend too much. A view will hold your property value but it does not improve your property value by leaps and bounds. Keep in mind British Columbia is beautiful no matter where you live.

When the economy is good people are confident with their financial future. They tend to spend money on going out to dinner, buying cars and buying houses. The world moves in predictable patterns and we all know that what comes up, must come down. In any healthy economy there is always a slow down. This is caused from corporate lay off’s, change in exports/imports or our surrounding companies that are suffering economic down turn. If the economy slows down enough, we get a recession.

When the economy is good people are confident with their financial future. They tend to spend money on going out to dinner, buying cars and buying houses. The world moves in predictable patterns and we all know that what comes up, must come down. In any healthy economy there is always a slow down. This is caused from corporate lay off’s, change in exports/imports or our surrounding companies that are suffering economic down turn. If the economy slows down enough, we get a recession.

Are you thinking about buying a home but not sure about the benefits? Well if you haven’t bought a home then you’re probably renting. Renters are limited to the amount of improvements they can make to they’re unit. Painting the wall to their tastes, changing the flooring or updating the kitchen all must be approved by the landlord or property manager. It also wouldn’t make much sense to invest your hard earned money into a rental property as it only benefits the landlord and not yourself.

If you’ve listed your home on the market, congratulations! When your home is on the market you’re employing several hundred buyers’ agents in your surrounding areas. The listed home must be shown even if it’s inconvenient for your schedule. An agent will likely ask for you to place a lock box on your front door, side of the house or hydro meter. This convenient box will allow for buyers agents to show your property when you’re not home. If you decide not to have a lock box easily accessible, agents will have to make an appointment. This inconvenience often times causes buyers agents to skip your home and show properties that have easy access.

After you have met with your listing agent and discussed all of the paper work, it’s time to get started with marketing. Your agent will most likely hold an open house to help promote your property. An open house is like a neighbourhood announcement. Because people are sometimes nosy, a lot of neighbours will take advantage of the opportunity and visit the listed home. Sometimes a neighbour has a friend that may be searching for the right home next to their friend. This word of mouth advertising is very effective.

If you’re selling your home the listing agent will always recommend placing a sign in the front yard. This visible prop can be used to entice buyers that are driving by. This sign will include the company you have chosen to list with; company logo’s and phone numbers. Signs in the front yard are a fantastic way to acquire leads. When someone sees a phone number and makes a call, a live person should answer. The call should never ever go to an answering machine. The phone number should be directed to the real estate office so that a professional greeting is given straight away. A message is taken and sent via text message over to the listing agent. This process is a great way to make the buyer feel well taken care of. Technology is sometimes a disadvantage when dealing with real people. There is no substitute for human interaction.

Have you purchased a home? If you did you probably enlisted the help of a licensed realtor. This realtor probably emailed your recently posted listings, showed you listings and advised you on the pros and cons of purchasing certain homes. Eventually when you’ve decided on a piece of property, you place an offer. The deal is approved and you move into your new home. After a year or more you have decided to move from your current home into something else. One mistake many people make is the assumption that all realtors are the same. Although many agents have the ability to represent both buyers and sellers, they usually pick one or the other. When it comes time to sell your house you should evaluate other real estate agents in the area that specialize in listing homes.

Are you thinking of listing your home for sale? Great! The real estate market here in Canada has managed to stay strong despite surrounding economic hardships. On the listing contract there are many details that are included. When listing your home the most important detail you should be concerned with is the price. Having a basic idea of what your home is worth is a great start. Most people keep track of surrounding home sales in their neighbourhood. Market value should be your goal when selling your home. Listing both too high and too low has negative consequences.

If you’re thinking of listing your home on today’s market, congratulations! Canada has some of the best real estate markets in the world. If you have a good idea of what your home is worth, you’ll probably make a few appointments with your local realtors. When you call a realtor they will most likely offer you a free market evaluation. This evaluation will include homes that have recently sold in your area, similar to your home.

Real Estate agents here in Canada will always suggest working on the outside as a priority. First start with the inside of your home and make necessary changes without running into overcasts. Work from the inside of the house outward into the landscaping. Think of your home as a house. Detach yourself from the emotions of your home and make your house a valuable and marketable commodity. First impressions are based on curb appeal. This term refers to how well the landscaping looks along with the outside of the home. Take a walk and look at your home from across the street. Take a picture and look at the picture. Is there anything that you could easily change that stands out?

Keep your cost down when fixing up your home for sale. It’s not necessary to do a major remodelling project in order to get a fair value for your home. Charging up credit cards and acquiring loans is also not advisable during this period of selling your home. Charging up credit cards could affect your ability to purchase a home. So what will you do when your home is sold, but you don’t have enough room on your credit report for a purchase? Sounds like a step backwards.

If you’ve found your dream home, get excited! Buying in British Columbia is one of the best financial decisions you could make. Take a sigh of relief and crack the Champagne because it’s all over! Wrong. The deal isn’t done until you’ve moved in! As a buyer’s agent, there is an art to negotiating the real estate deal. Because many sellers and buyers are dealing with raw emotion, sometimes it can take a while for the dust storm to settle and a deal to be made. Buyers want to low ball and sellers won’t budge. With proper market evaluation a compromises can be made. Often times facts speak louder then anything else. If you have hard evidence that the home will require certain repairs, these can be used against the seller as a price reduction.

In any market, real estate investing can be a tricky task. But as an investor here in British Columbia, there are unlimited ways to profit from these investments. Your personality must be one in which decisions are made easily. The goal is to surround yourself with people in the industry that are reliable, successful and confident. Without confidence in what you are investing in, the deal will fall through. I am not suggesting blind confidence with a project that is obviously unprofitable. I am suggesting an educated approach and looking at all of the factors without the use of raw emotion.

Buyer’s agents have a big job when it comes to showing houses that are on the market. Hunting for the keys can sometimes be too much of a hassle. A lock box holds the keys to the property for sale. It can be opened by all realtors with permission from the listing agent. When selling a home it is absolutely essential that in order to have success, you must show your property to as many buyers as possible. This is the advantage of using a lock box. If you’re not going to be home, your agent can simply instruct the buyer’s agent to use a conveniently placed lock box.

Humans all have an ego when it comes to buying and selling real estate. Many people involved invest heavily in emotions and think it’s a clever tactic. This often happens when the seller blows their counter offer presented by the buyers’ agent. In real estate it is the sellers overall objective to sell the home in question. Marketing tools are in place and the seller woos the buyer until an offer is placed. Even if the offer is reasonable, the first offer is almost always rejected. The seller will make a counter off and the buyer must decide on what to do. This process can go back and forth depending on the issues at hand.

So you’re looking for a way to make your hard earned Canadian Loonies grow! The best way is to invest in BC’s Greater Vancouver or Lower Mainland areas. There are many investment opportunities that are ripe for the picking. Dedicated investors make large profits with real estate. So how will you find these good deals?

As a local realtor here in British Columbia I often have listings in the Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland areas. More often then not I am approached by buyers that are eager to buy the home. They do not have a real estate agent and are surprised when I’m not excited to work for both the seller and buyer. Yes, the commission is better but it isn’t all about the money. Let me explain why.

Home owners enjoy the convenience of city and suburban living. One draw back can be the lack of privacy that comes with it. Some zoning laws here in British Columbia do not permit you to put up a fence. You’ll run into this scenario often times when living in a townhouse or attached residential subdivision. One solution to this problem is the use of plants and small tree’s. Trees are always a good natural barrier that shield out the sun and provide oxygen. Some fruit trees may not be permitted by the strata counsel so talk to your president before you go buy yourself some fruit trees. Unfortunately pre-grown trees are expensive to buy. Check out your local Home and Garden store for the best landscaping ideas.

Everyone’s number one goal is to get the maximum value out of their property here in British Columbia. This trend has lasted the last 10 years and experts expect the trend to continue here in Vancouver, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, North Van, East Van, West Van and all other city’s here in BC. Marketing is always the key So how can we get the most for your home? Well first things first we need to look at how we are viewing the situation. Do call your home a home. Instead, call your home a house. Distance yourself from your home and look at your house like any other consumer product. Marketing will be a big factor to the sale of your house, but it isn’t as effective when there are personal possessions inside.

Conveyancing is when the previous home owner transfers his ownership data to you. In BC, the real estate conveyancing process takes place after a written agreement has been signed and all subjects to the deal have been signed off on. In other words, this is the final contract. The process may seem simple but this is not always the case. There are strict legal requirements for property transfers in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, and Abbotsford. It gets more complex when the property has unpaid taxes, leans or liability involved. Third party interest or claims get involved and this can delay the process of transferring ownership. In BC, there are several different options for the conveyancing process. Often times your realtor will recommend a real estate lawyer or legal professional. The convenience of the internet allows you to do you own research by typing key words into Google or by reviewing your local real estate related directory. Many directory companies recommend real estate lawyers available in the BC area.

When it comes to buying a home here in British Columbia, people often have the misconception that you’ll need a hefty sum of money in order to buy a home. This particular scenario is not necessarily true. We’ll show you how to find a home with a nice price tag on it. If you’re currently renting and you would like to stay at the same monthly cost, you can actually find a home for almost as much as you are paying for rent. But you’ll need to have the resources ready and available. One excellent place to search is at home auctions where there are foreclosure proceedings. Some US investors have properties here in British Columbia and have been forced to sell due to the subprime mortgage crisis. Most of these homes are vacant and bank owned. The bank does not want to keep the home and is often times eager to get rid of the home at a lower price rather than waiting for it to sell at market value.

Selling your home can be difficult in any market but there are always things that you can do to make yours stand out from the rest. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to get your home sold. De-personalize your home! It is very important to minimize the number of personal items shown. Having family is very important and putting up pictures makes your house feel more like a home. However, it may have exactly the opposite effect on potential home buyers. When a new home is constructed it is vacant with white walls. People can then imagine where they would place their personal items. You want to take this example and apply it when staging your home for sale.

Are you taking your first look at being a homeowner in Abbotsford, British Columbia? If you’ve found the right location and you’re looking for more information on how to get started, this easy to understand guide should help with the process. Quickly grab a pen and paper and jot down the advantages vs disadvantage of owning your own home. Ask yourself how long you plan to be in the area. If it is longer then 2 years, you should take that into consideration.

Well it’s true we would all like to have a crystal ball that predicts the future of the real estate market. There are some tools that the experts use that help to explain the trends of the market. As you know, what comes up must come down. If you put pen to paper it wouldn't be a simple straight line down and a straight line up. Like any other market, it goes up and down in waves. After reaching the top, it will go down and gradually find the bottom. If you look at the bottom of any curve it is generally flat. So before the market can go up, it must go flat first.

Canada's housing demand is the strongest it has ever been. This 10 year trend is still going strong despite the housing downturn in the United States. Last year Canada set an all time record for resale home sales. Although 2008 will most likely not match those levels, the market continues to be healthy across the country. One province in particular, British Columbia stands above the rest.