Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs - Home Selling in Vancouver As a Home Stager in Vancouver, I often give advice on curb appeal.  I suggest several things: - Plant colourful flowers - Add planters with flowers or ornamental trees - Paint the front door a contrasting colour - Clean up the yard, store the hose reel, pick up after Fido - Clean the windows - Prune the bushes - Cut back the tree to better see the house - Add a new mail box - Add more up-to-date house numbers One point that has never come up before, is the question of election signs in the front yard while you're trying to sell your home.  We are having a national election here, and voting day is today, May 2nd.  There are political signs everywhere right now, littering the city.  I recently staged a home that is located... 05/01/2011

Residential Attached at 212 1450 7TH Avenue East Vancouver NOW SOLD!   Search All MLS Listings  |  See More Listings  |  See Full Listing Details Description: North facing 1 BR in rainscreened Ridgeway Place. This unit has been completely updated with fresh paint laminate floors, fixtures, new modern kitchen and bath. Nothing left to do but move in and enjoy the mountain view.Bring Fido with you to enjoy this fantastic building. It has been rainscreened, repiped, and has a new parking membrane as well. Located minutes from 99 bus, skytrain, and all the coffee that commercial drive has to offer. Open Sat 23rd 2-4. $319,900 - 212 1450 7TH Avenue East Vancouver (Vancouver East, Grandview VE) V5N 1R8 Price: $319,900 Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1.0 Year Built: 1984 MLS® Number: V883177   Full pr... 04/23/2011

According to statistics released today by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national resale housing activity held steady in March 2011 compared to February. Sales of existing homes in Canada during the first quarter reached its highest level in a year due mostly to the voracious demand for houses in Vancouver and Toronto. Recent changes to mortgage regulations may have caused a number of sales in some of Canada’s more expensive housing markets to be brought forward into the first quarter that would have otherwise occurred later in the year. Strong sales in metro Vancouver market helped push the average home Prices across the country up 8.9% in March from a year earlier. If Vancouver is excluded from the equation, the national average price increase is cut by more than half to... 04/17/2011

Arbutus Walk Home Staging - Vancouver - Before & After Sometimes life just gets in the way.  This busy couple were run off their feet with their jobs, and a young child.  They had outgrown this lovely townhouse in a fantastic neighbourhood, and were ready to sell and move on to a larger property. Knowing that presentation is everything when selling your home, this couple called in Exit Stage Right, home staging, to transform their home into a desirable house that buyers would be anxious to purchase.  A half day was spent packing up excess items, and storing boxes and some furniture into an off-site storage unit.  Cleaners were hired, as well as carpet cleaners, to make sure every corner gleamed and shined.  Buyers want Q-tip clean homes.  Our Vancouver home staging company, Exit Stage R... 04/08/2011

How to start the week my favorite motivational frog video. I found this video and I watch it more than Monday mornings. Every Monday morning I wake up and watch this video while having a coffee. I also what a video from Vince Lombardi " What it takes to be number 1". I will post that video next week but for now here is the frog. 03/14/2011

Real Estate DelaysHow To Prevent Delays When Closing A Greater Vancouver Real Estate Deal [This article is published by the Author of this Blog as well as SoldByJark.com, he can be reached at: jark@soldbyjark.com, 604.790.9945, or at soldbyjark.com] When buying Greater Vancouver real estate, it is very frustrating to face delays at the close of a purchase. You may be forced to change your moving date and make other arrangements at the last minute. There are some things that you can do, however, to avoid this situation from happening at your close. The items here are just the tip of the ice-berg. For a complete list of things to check off on your list please contact me at my contact above. MortgageEnsure that your mortgage is in place well ahead of time to avoid last minute delays. Avoi... 03/13/2011

My body shop is better than your body shop!! Not that we're in competition! :) I just came back from picking my car up from THE BEST body shop here in Vancouver, BC. Do you need some body work? Visit www.vieta.com - Vieta Import Auto Body Ltd. is located at 110 West 2nd Avenue. First - how did I get there? :( I was in an accident a couple of weeks ago (NOT my fault!).. I got rear ended and my bumper had some damage. This is accident number 3 for my poor little car (again - NOT my fault!). Now I don't know about you - but I am more attached to my car than I am my own family (kidding....kind of). She's a 1992 Lexus SC400 - she's in her cougar years... but I LOVE HER!! Some of my friends tease me for having a car that's close to 20 years old... but if you know this model you'll know what I... 03/11/2011

In solidarity with everyone who's recovering from eathquakes and/or Tsunamis both in Sendai and the surrounding Prefectures, as well as Yunnan, I would like to extend the following.  I received a great message from my associate first thing this morning, at 7am.  "I was catching up with the global news this morning, as our team always does.  I saw both news of the chinese website and of course Japan got a lot more attention.  I don't understand why the China part wasn't well broadcast because clearly there are so many living in Yunnan.  If you go search on Google, you will be able to find more such information.   I encourage people to look outside of their comfort zones, and pay attention to what is going on abroad.  This could very well happen here any time.   It seems like there are mo... 03/11/2011

Nortel Business Phone Systems Users can experience what TMSI just did for Garibaldi Mortgage!  READ ON We just successfully completed another installation of flexlines for client in Whistler. Garibaldi Mortgage company in Whistler helps puts clients together with homes through providing cost-effective mortgages. Communications was paramount for Doug and Carrollyn and their Phone Bill reflected that before we came along. TMSi Telephony Managed Solutions analyzed their phone bill and determined that we could reduce their telecommunications cost in the order of $15,000 or more per year very easily and without losing their phone numbers. Garibaldi mortgage was one of our first companies in Whistler so it did take a while for us to build the infrastructure to accommodate this company. But no... 03/10/2011

Vancouver Home Staging, Scotch and Plaid What do Home Staging, Scotch Whiskey and Plaid all have in common?  Why, Colin & Justin, of course!  Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan, design gurus, HGTV personalities, and hosts of such design shows as Home Heist, recently visited Vancouver, B.C. for the B.C. Home & Garden Show.  As a Home Stager myself, and owner of Exit Stage Right, home staging Vancouver, I'm always anxious to see the homes Colin & Justin transform from ugly ducklings to beautiful swans.    This dynamic design duo has charm, wit, wonderful personalities, and design talent which make them a huge draw at the Home Show every year.  I know!  My friend Gita and I have gone to see the boys every year for the past 4 or 5 years.  C & J's performance on the Main Stage is a little bit ... 03/10/2011

 Purchasing Greater Vancouver Land - How To Find The Right Piece Of Land?I'm working with a growing group of builders who are looking to "rehab" or "gut" or "demolish and build" on great lot locations.  As the power of attraction has it, I've been coming across all sorts of great information on the topic and, in property Raining fashion, here is some of the "nitty gritty" I've stumbled upon. When you are thinking about buying Vancouver land property there are many factors to consider before making a final choice. Some people will be attracted to a tall building in the middle of the city while others are more interested in a big building located on a huge piece of land. Some are attracted to a quiet property while others prefer a busy place. Here are some key points that you must conside... 03/09/2011

  TriMetro Business Exchange and our Professionals can help you in finding a whole variety of Investments in Greater Vancouver.  This article will briefly discuss "Passive Income" Properties.  There are no simple answers in Real Estate, so here is an initial look at the very basics of selecting an investment property in Great Vancouver.  A residential Greater Vancouver investment property is your ticket to making money through resale or leasing of the property to residents. There are three different kinds of residential properties including condos, homes and multi-family properties. Each type has its own set of financial requirements as well as advantages and disadvantages. Privately owned homesThis is a single-family residence occupying an independently owned piece of land. This type o... 03/05/2011

A group of Professionals can make a tremendous difference in selling your home. Contact any of our members and ask us how we can collectively help. Further to my post on "Preparing Your Home For Sale" from a week before - which included 19+ Videos, checklists, and many other resources - this post is a short and sweet recap of the Top 5 questions I received from my clients.  Regardless of the pace of the real estate market, home staging in Greater Vancouver is an effective way to increase the value of your property and the selling price of your home. Staging helps you create a visual example of how the property would look if fully furnished. You can either hire a professional stager or take on the task of staging your property for yourself. Here are some useful tips on how you can effect... 03/04/2011

As a REALTOR(R), one of the critical conversations I have with my clients is, inevitably, about Mortgage Rates.  It's pivotal for me to have a clear and well-rounded answer to contextualize bank policies into terms my clienits can understand.  What follows is a summary of the most recent Mortgage Rate and Rule changes for the next quarter.As expected, the Bank of Canada today announced it was leaving its key rate unchanged and warned of the negative effects of a rising currency. The loonie was 0.12 of a cent lower to 102.82 cents US after the Bank announced its decision to keep the key interest rate at one per cent. The Bank observed that the recovery in Canada is proceeding slightly faster than expected and that "while consumption growth remains strong, there are signs that household s... 03/01/2011

[My Vancouver-central Networking group "The Bridgemakers Group" has hosted a presentation on the Asian-Pacific Community, their popular media, their cultural events, as well as a historical context necessary to understand our unique Position here in Vancouver, BC] [This presentation is courtesy of Brett Featherstone-Price, her contact information is below] Starting 10 years ago, a wave of immigrants from Mainland China came to Canada. 30 years before that saw the next latest wave- they were from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Came from different governance, from different history, different dialect. Today, they favor different news sources: Ming Pao and Sing Tao serve the Hong Kong and Taiwanese abroad. Only the Epoch Times serves the Mainland Chinese pop. which are 80% of the Chinese speakers ... 02/27/2011

My team has the expertise and resources you need to help you sell your home quickly and successfully. It all begins long before you open your home to showings. You need to see your home like a prospective buyer. To do that, you need to look at both the inside and outside with a fresh perspective. If you follow these simple steps, you will be helping to set the stage for a property that shows great to potential buyers. You are not alone when it comes to preparing your home for sale. In fact, I have some great links for you from my website which are invaluable in the process. 1. Deal Makers for Home Buyers: FAQ on Preparing Your Home: 3. Accentuating Features of Your Home: 4. Preparing Your Home for the Right Buyer: 5. Top 5 Issues in Preparing Your Home: 6. Top 10 Mistakes in Preparing ... 02/26/2011

You Get What You Pay For I had a wish and ambition to come up with brilliant and all-inclusive reasoning behind the mathematics used to calculate per square foot maintenance fees in Stratafied buildlings like Condos, Townhomes, Duplexes, and other Multi-Plexes.   After dozens of buildings were compared and all their concomitant amenities were factored into the "equation" I have concluded this.  There is no necessary rhyme or reason for why one building charges more for strata fees than the other.   After making this inductive conclusion, I have found other literature to support it online and in print.  As for the former, this is a great article on the myth of low or high maintenance fees.  I actually couldn't have put it better myself.  At the end of the day (1) you always get what you... 02/26/2011

Surviving Your Serengeti - Sticking your Neck Out I just finished reading the first two chapters of Surviving Your Serengeti, by Stefan Swanepoel.  This book is an easy read, and reads like a story, rather than a dissertation on what type of personality you are.  I was taken on a virtual, self-discovery trip to the Serengeti, where wild beasts roam the land, and learn to survive in harsh conditions.  Only two chapters?!!  I'm left wanting to read more, and I will when I purchase my copy of this amazingly insightful book.  We are presented with several animals:  the lion, crocodile, giraffe, wildebeest, mongoose, elephant and cheetah.  Each animal symbolizes traits we have in life and business.  You can take the quiz here to find out which animal you are.  Ok, I'm really sticking my neck... 02/25/2011

1. Colour schemes that are at the flamboyant side of personal taste need to be removed. You may find a Mickey Mouse-themed kitchen the most cutest thing in the world, but a potential buyer will only think about how hard it will be to get rid of it and what it may cost. Go for natural themes and simple changes when you are preparing your house for sale, make sure what you do can be easily changed by the person who buys your home. Don't forget, first impressions are the most important, so make sure to stick with neutral themes.2. Make sure that your yard is kept in decent condition as this can reflect of the price you can get for your home. You may have dogs who have turned the garden into dying grass with big holes all over, or children that have run around so much it is just a pile of m... 02/18/2011

RE/MAX of Western Canada, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic and RE/MAX Quebec released the RE/MAX Housing Barometer Report 2011 to the Canadian media on February 8, 2011. The initiative measured monthly sales-to-new listings ratios in 18 major centres across the country from January 2000 to December 2010. Elton Ash speaks on the Vancouver Market. REFERENCES: Remax Youtube of Western Canada. 02/14/2011