Are you thinking about selling your home before the end of the year? If so, now is the time to take action. September is your window to get your home ready and ensure a successful sale before the year is up.

The first step is to identify any repairs or updates that need to be made. These could include fixing leaky faucets, replacing outdated light fixtures, and painting rooms that need a fresh coat. And, these updates are all doable in September! By making those improvements, you’ll not only increase the value of your home but also make it more appealing to potential buyers. Next, declutter and stage your home. Remove any personal items or clutter that could distract buyers from seeing your property’s true potential. You may want to take advantage of professional staging advice to help create an inviting and neutral environment that appeals to a broad range of buyers. In addition to those updates and improvements, it’s also important to price your home correctly. The list price you present to the marketplace is crucial. It needs to reflect the up-to-date market value of your property, current market trends, and the condition of your home. While you don’t want to leave money on the table by pricing it too low, setting too high a price could lead to your home languishing on the market.
You don’t want that!

Finally, marketing your listing should start as soon as possible. High-quality photos — and possibly video — will need to be taken to highlight the best features of your property. In addition, the word will need to be spread to active buyers who are looking for a property just like yours. By taking these steps this month, you’ll be well on your way to successfully selling your property before the end of the year. We can help make that happen.

Call us today!

Dave & Tara

Earlier today, the British Columbia government announced that the property transfer tax rate payable by foreign entities on purchases of residential property in the Greater Vancouver Regional District will increase to 15%. This increase in PTT payable will come into effect on Tuesday, August 2, 2016, and will be payable regardless of when the purchase agreement for the property was entered into. The additional tax applies on a foreign entity’s proportionate share of any applicable residential property transfer, even in certain circumstances when the transaction may normally be exempt from property transfer tax. For further details, please see:

• Bill 28 – 2016: Miscellaneous Statutes (Housing Priority Initiatives) Amendment Act, 2016;
• BC Ministry of Finance Information Sheet 2016-006 – July 25, 2016; and

        Additional Property Transfer Tax Return

 


We polished up the CRX again after the big restoration project. Amazing what paint, polish, wax and elbow grease can do!

Photo day!

Very early Sunday morning Dave and I finally had new real estate photos taken.
The last time Dave had his taken his hair was lets say, a different hue.. and the most recent business one we have together was when I was 15. 
Time for an update for sure.
It was a gorgeous spring day in Victoria and we able to shoot at some of our favourite spots in town, like cattle point and gonzales hill.
Jesse Moore was very professional, encouraging and most of all extremley patient.

I can't wait to see the finished product. Here's a couple behind the scene shots.

 

Hi All, This month's report is about Buying a Home.

Finding the right home may be a process of elimination, but nothing beats the feeling you get when you know you've found
the one. However, before you get caught up in the excitement of it all, here are five things I'd like to go over with you, if you're interested, before you put in an offer. Feel free to forward this on to family and friends who are inthe market for a new home—remember, it would be my honour to help them through the process.

Finding the right home may be a process of elimination, but nothing beats the feeling you get when you know you've found the one. However, before you get caught up in the excitement of it all, here are five things I'd like to go over with you, if you're interested, before you put in an offer. Forward this on to family and friends who are in the market for a new home—remember, it would be my honour to help them through the process. 

I know I'm supposed to be blogging about Real Estate but cars are more fun. After arriving home from the auto supply with bags of filler, paint, sandpaper ect. I got to work rebuilding the rear fenders on Tara's car. Luckly I'd made a template of the shape out of a convenient house for sale sign. I filled in the missing fender sections with a self adhesive expanded metal. Then the fun stuff. I mixed up some long thread bondo and worked it into stips of fiberglass cloth then applied the whole mess to the fender and expanded metal. Using wax paper on top, the concoction could be moulded into shape just before it set up. Now for some grinding and more filler.  

Last winter I cleaned out the garage and brought Tara's little CRX in to clean up a couple of rust spots on the rear fenders. Anyone who's worked on older cars knows where this is going. After blocking the car up and removing the mouldings I got to work with the grinder. OMG this little weekend project took on a whole new dimension. (see pics). So armed with a shopping list it was off to the auto supply store for me. (to be continued)
 

Thank you so much to everyone who made it to this year's 17th Annual Neighbourhood Skate at Oak Bay Rec.
It was great to catch up with everyone over the holidays. If you missed this one, don't worry Dave and I have it every year to thank our clients, friends and family for their on going support. 

If you'd like to see more photos of the event check out my facebook page.

Royal LePage, Country Grocer and Creekmore Coffee Support the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

Royal LePage in partnership with Country Grocer and Creekmore’s Coffee are pleased to announce their support for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.Three dollars from every bag of Country Blend Coffee purchased at any of the seven Country Grocer locations on Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island will go directly to support the women’s shelters and transition homes in those areas. This promotional fundraiser will run from November 16th through December 13th.The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada’s largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women’s shelters and violence prevention programs. 100% of the money raised, locally, directly supports the transitionhouses in the local communities For more information on the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation visit www.shelterfoundation.ca

 

Interesting couple of 'showers' we had the other day! Time to get out the jackets. :( We got away for the long weekend (along with everyone else) and went up to Salmon Arm for a few days of birding. We saw over 100 species for the trip but the highlight had to be the Great Gray Owl at daybreak on a misty morning. It stands more than 7in taller than our local Barred Owl. We meandered home via Nicola Valley and saw a great selection of birds at Beaver Ranch Flats.

While the anticipation of a new home is exciting, moving everything to a new place is often a daunting experience. Below are several tips to help you streamline your move and take the pain out of the moving process. Forward this information on to friends and family to help them organize their moves as well. 
Like this type of information? Feel free to sign up to my E-report here.

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! It was great connecting with old and new clients at our Mother's Day Open Garden event. See you next time!

 

Hi there, I wanted to invite you to our Annual Mother’s Day Open Garden this Sunday May 11^th 1:00pm to 4:00pm at 3913 Woodhaven Terrace in Cadboro Bay. The rhododendrons are in full bloom, with a good number of other flowering shrubs and trees, including native plants. There will be tea and cookies and it would be great to catch up!

Hope you can make it!
Tara

You're a first time home buyer and you've decided 2014 is the year you'll be a home owner!

But where do you start? Check out this great article
Five New Year's Resolutions for First Time Home Buyers.

It has tips on goal setting to get you headed in the right direction for purchasing your first home.

Also check out my Home Buyer's Video Series which explains the different stages of buying real estate.

When you're ready, please give me a call for a free buyer's consultation to go over the process of buying your first home and get you started the right way. 

The Lynns’ 16th Annual Free Neighbourhood Skate

Sunday, December 29, 7:00-8:00 pm.

Oak Bay Recreation Centre.

 Bring your family, friends and neighbours for a fun hour of skating.

 Rental skates and hot chocolate will be available (no charge).

BC's Real Estate Market has rebounded with sales similair to last year, but weak economic growth will limit consumer demand. Check out this month's BCREA Housing Market Update for more details.