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 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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Kelowna Real Estate - Property Inspection

Obtaining a Home Inspection is Really "Buying Peace of Mind" A home inspection is an objective visual examination of a home's structure and systems. This inspection is more than a means to avoid a “money pit”, it also can serve as a ticket for your “peace of mind” that the decision you are making is sound and was found on proper research and due diligence.

All Vantage West Realtors recommend you obtain a home inspection for a number of important reasons:

1. To ensure you are not surprised by costly defects of the home you are looking to purchase.

2. To advise you the state of major elements of the home including structural, heating, and cooling systems, electrical, plumbing, roof, environmental safety and more.

3. To learn how the mechanical…

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Kelowna Real Estate - Proper Pricing Philosophy

"My price may be on the high side, but bring me an offer!" "Just bring me an offer..." We hear the above phrase all the time... and we totally understand your thought process however it is important you also consider our thought process (based on years of proven “field tested” experience). Serious buyers look in the price range predetermined by their down payment and monthly payment ability. Unless your property is priced correctly, the down payment and monthly payment requirements will not be competitive forcing an otherwise potential buyer to not consider your property. A buyer who is seriously shopping quickly becomes very knowledgeable in his price range. If your asking price is too high it will only discourage this serious buyer from looking at and…

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Kelowna Real Estate - Mortgage Options

11 Important Points to Consider When Shopping for Your Mortgage

How many hours do you have to work to make $40,000? If every month you had an extra $162 could you find something useful or fun to do with it? Do you realize the difference in total interest you pay to your mortgage lender on a 20 year mortgage between a 4% loan and a 5% loan is just a hair under $40,000… WOW huh? The difference in monthly payments is $162… YES that’s EVERY month. Do I have your attention? As you can see from the example above the right or wrong decision when signing your home mortgage can equate to a difference of thousands of dollars in interest paid from your hard earned money. There are very important considerations to evaluate before you commit to a 25, 30 or 35 year…

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Kelowna Real Estate - Staging A Home

Does Home Staging Work? Is it Worth the Additional Effort and Cost? The technical definition of home staging is the design process of de-personalizing a private residence prior to putting it up for sale. This is often achieved by reducing clutter, visually creating more space and hiding/eliminating negative challenges in the home. The practical definition is a method of giving your home that “WOW” factor to potential buyers who view your home. Come on… be honest… look at the 2 pictures below and tell me which one draws you in? A picture is worth a 1000 words so… what 1000 words does your home have to say? Whether it’s the home you’re currently living in or a vacant home, staging is a great way to engage the average buyer helping them to envision the use…

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