A Fresh New Decade!

Today I’m sharing how you can improve yourself in the coming decade and how you can help us give to families in need this holiday season.

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Can you believe this will be our last blog of the decade? I was looking back at 2009 and thinking about where I was in my life, business, and relationships, and thinking about how far we’ve come. Have you reflected on how far you’ve come in the past 10 years? They say that people will often overestimate what they can do in a year but will almost always underestimate what they can do in a decade.

If you adopt what’s called a Kaizen approach, which is slow, incremental improvement over time, you can better your situation whether it’s income, net worth,…

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All the Info About iBuyers

What is an iBuyer and how can Canadians take advantage? Find out here.

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Today we’re going to discuss something you’re going to hear much more about in the coming years: iBuyers. What’s an iBuyer? The “i” stands for institution. iBuyers are institutional buyers that are popping up in the U.S. like Opendoor, Offerpad, and now Zillow Offers. These are publicly traded, Wall Street-backed companies with billions of dollars that are looking to provide a new option to home sellers and hopefully grab market share.

As you can see by the graph at 0:35 in the video above, their growth in the marketplace has been exponential. In 2019, pardon the pun, the numbers have been off the charts! Big…

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The Purchase Plus Improvements Program

The Purchase Plus Improvements Program could help you make improvements to your new home.

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Today I’m discussing a program that I love and one that many people don’t know much about. It’s called the Purchase Plus Improvements Program. It’s offered through CMHC, the government insurance company that insures high ratio mortgages. This is a tremendous product for people who have saved up for a down payment for a home, but if you’ve just drawn your down payment together, that doesn’t leave you with much room to improve the home once you own it. This program especially works for this particular type of buyer.

One thing we regularly find when working with buyers, especially those working with a…

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How Does the Government’s First-Time Homebuyer Incentive Program Work?

Here’s what you need to know about the government’s new first-time homebuyer incentive program.

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What do you need to know about the government’s new first-time homebuyer incentive program? Is it something you should take advantage of?

Before I answer that question, I first want to say that I think it’s wonderful that our government is trying to stimulate the first-time homebuyer’s market. This market is critical to the health of our market overall because it’s the start of an important domino effect—entry-level homes need to sell so everything else can sell.

However, in order to qualify for this incentive program, you have to fall within certain parameters.

First, you must be a…

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Are We in a Buyer’s or Seller’s Market?

What kind of market are we in right now? Allow me to explain today by sharing an update on current happenings, as well as a few common terms that will help you better understand what’s going on.

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Have you ever heard a real estate agent use the phrase “absorption rate”? What about the terms “buyer’s market” or “seller’s market”? And if you have, do you know what kind of market we’re in?

Parsing out the meaning behind real estate jargon can be difficult for those who don’t work in this industry, so allow me to give you a quick lesson on these terms and phrases today, followed by an update on what kind of market we’re facing at a local level. Knowing what each of these things mean will make…

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How to Choose The Best Lawyer For Your Real Estate Transaction

It doesn't matter if you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned property investor, home ownership can be one of your biggest assets in life or the biggest liability. Handling transactions of this magnitude should involve the professional counsel of a lawyer who will make sure your rights are protected, and help you understand all of the legal jargon and paperwork that's involved in the homebuying process.

Here are some easy tips to ensure that you find the best lawyer for your Kelowna real estate transaction.

Do You Need A Real Estate Lawyer/Notary Public to Process Your Home Purchase?

Before we dive into listing what you need to look for when hiring a lawyer or notary public, let's review the reasons why you should hire a professional to…

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Learn Ins Outs House Flipping Kelowna

Is There Money to be Made in Flipping Property?

So, you're thinking of investing in property to flip? At Vantage West Realty, flipping property is one of our favourite aspects in the real estate business to consult clients on. Since this type of investing is something we have engaged in for over a decade in numerous projects ourselves, we believe we have the necessary "real world" experience to comment on the full gamut of this sort of venture. Acquiring and renovating property can be incredibly rewarding and it's our pleasure to share what we've learned after many successful flips for both ourselves and our clientele.

Let's Get Right Into It - What is a Fixer Upper?

If you are unacquainted with the term, a "fixer upper" is a distressed…

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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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