14 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Real Estate.

The market it is hot again and just as we saw membership in our profession balloon from 2004 till 2008, we are seeing it again with no slow down in sight. Personally I welcome this new breed of professionals into the industry. It is the new blood that innovates, pushes the industry further and prevents stagnation. As an old battle worn ninja, yet still young enough to relate to the new class of white belts coming entering the business with zero clue what to expect. I give you the class of 2017 these pearls of wisdom all learned the hard way at the world's most expensive yet least prestigious school of hard knocks.

1. Guard your reputation in the industry with your life.

It's not enough to just do right by your clientele. You need to make sure…

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Sellers: Top 4 Must-Do’s If You Plan to Sell in 2018

Must Do 1: Consult a professional REALTOR®

As I stated in an earlier blog titled “Sellers: 3 Must-Ask Questions for Your Realtor”, if you’re planning on selling and looking at doing some improvements beforehand, we can’t emphasize enough the importance of getting a consultation first. Talk to the pros. Professionals know the market, where it’s heading, what buyers are seeking, and how to help those buyers tick off all the right boxes in the most cost effective ways. The most important strategy is to base your decisions on what buyers are looking for. You must not base your renovation decisions on your own personal tastes – your likes and dislikes. The key is to make those choices based on what the broadest range of buyers are looking for so you can…

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Sellers: 3 Must-Ask Questions for Your REALTOR®

Question 1: Where can I invest 2-5k so I can see a return of 10-20k when it sells?

So where are the smartest, most strategic, return-centric places to spend your investment dollars if your exit strategy is a sale – whether a quick flip or a decision to sell? We can’t emphasize this enough - get consultation. Talk to the pros. Professionals know the market, where it’s heading, what buyers are seeking, and how to help those buyers tick off all of the right boxes in the most cost effective ways. The most important strategy is to base your decisions on what buyers are looking for. You must not base your choices on your own personal tastes – your likes and dislikes. A consultant will guide you through that process and keep you focused.

It’s not…

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Fear and Greed - What You Need To Know About The Kelowna Real Estate Cycle

I recently had the privilege of speaking at the mayoral state of the union address. Amidst all of the optimism surrounding our region and the seemingly endless growth and opportunity, I wanted to deliver a dose of practical realism to the group as we move through a predictable cycle. There’s a fortune to be made in real estate if we detach from the emotion, and become strategic and proactive in our approach. This article is an expansion on what I shared with the group. It’s precisely what I am doing inside my own portfolio.

At my firm we are tracking all 17 market drivers and a dozen different market influencers, so that we know exactly where we are in the cycle, and more importantly, what’s coming next. Since the market always moves through 3…

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Kelowna Real Estate - Speculation vs Investing

Like clock work, every time the market cycle heats up, the opportunist in us comes out to play.

The slow-and-steady-wins-the-race mentality gets abandoned as people chase the sexier, faster buck.

Great people with admirable intentions to do right by their families look to “invest” some of the freshly minted equity in their home into something that has the potential to pay off big.

The right idea, but lately the conversation has begun to shift from solid, yet agreeably less sexy investments like single-family homes with suites, and duplexes, to this idea of “buying” three units in the latest pre sales condo development. 

The thinking is: I could spread out my $150,000 by putting deposits on three units and then in a year or two, when the…

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Kelowna Real Estate - Is It Time To Worry?

The Kelowna real estate market is pretty hot right now. Just in March, my team managed to sell 46 homes - and we haven’t even hit the busy season yet. We don’t expect market activity to slow down at all, and buyers will continue to eat up our low supply of inventory. This means that sellers can get great prices for their homes. To learn more about how you can benefit in our market right now, watch this short video.

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Kelowna Real Estate - Where Are Interest Rates Heading

Before you start worrying about the recent increase in interest rates, I want to let you know what I think about the situation. It's not nearly as dire as some people have been led to believe. Your affordability should remain intact. Watch this video to learn more!

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Elkhart Lodge For Sale - 555 Elkhart Road

 Elkhart Lodge For Sale - Call 250-717-3133

Click Here or On Image Above to View Listing

35 Acre Recreational property including a restaurant, a motel, camp ground and the perfect site for a gas station. Conveniently located midway between Merritt and Kelowna (35 mins to Kelowna) makes the Elkhart lodge the perfect spot for a service station/pit stop; if you're mechanically inclined, get a tow truck for rescues, fuel deliveries, belts etc. The current owners purchased the property and have done extensive renovations throughout. This property is ready to go with all new furniture and the works. The timber construction motel has 5 suites, a store for the gas station and a laundry facility. The lodge has been completely renovated with a commercial…

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Kelowna Ugly House Tour

Hands up! Who Wants to Get Toured Around in a Limo and Shown the Best “Fix for Profit” Properties on the Market in Kelowna? Join us on our monthly Ugly House Tour where we chauffeur you to the 5 best ugly houses with fix for profit potential. It's a no pressure atmosphere, focused on educating you about this incredibly lucrative sector of the Kelowna real estate market. Whether you're an experienced property investor or thinking about taking on your first project, enter your name and email now to pre-register and we will send you our upcoming dates with all the details. There is limited space on the limo so please fill out the form below to reserve your spot today!

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Placing An Offer On A Home? Here's What You Should Know First

Are You Thinking of Making an Offer on Real Estate in the Okanagan?

Buying real estate in Kelowna is a fun and exciting journey, but it can also be daunting and confusing and if not done properly, not to mention costly. Prior to making an offer on a piece of real estate you have likely done a fair amount of the legwork, including:

• Researching the best area of town for you and your family to get the most out of your new home.
• Evaluating your potential options relative to the current market conditions so you’re confident you are not paying too much.
• Pre-qualifying for financing so you feel confident of how much you can spend to live within your means.
• Finding the lowest interest rate and most flexible financing option so you aren't locking…

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