Is it Worth the Bother of Staging a Studio for Sale? Why, yes, it is!  Some may think that a 425 square foot studio apartment is too small or insignificant to stage.  Wow, are they wrong!  One of the most confusing spaces for buyers to figure out is a studio apartment/condo.  Where does the kitchen table go when you're looking a one small square?  Is there room for an office area?  Where do I sleep? By staging a studio, zones are spelled out for potential buyers.  A home stager takes out all the guess work, and buyers can relax, knowing there's enough space to eat, sleep and pray study or work.  Here are some before and after photos of a studio condo we recently staged.       02/08/2011

  Just a few of my favorite articles over the last week :) Dealing With The Black And White Thinker In A Grey WorldI agree that Win win's, while tripe, is definitely the way most deals work out.  It of course depends on how desperate either side is, and how little one side has to love when times get rough. But, I also agree with "Win-Lose most often means no one wins! Win-Win may be total fiction, it's certainly tripe! To close more deals you must assure that both sides win, but to maintain your fiduciary most closing turn out WIN-win."  The question is, how many others feel that win-win is a fiction?  Is it really? How Much Money Did You Make Going To The Gym Last Year?I just started working out again.  My good friend wants to quit smoking and wanted me to help him, and was already tal... 02/07/2011

Time Wednesday, February 9 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm Location Bridges on Granville Island http://www.bridgesrestaurant.com/ Created By Bridgemakers Group: Networking to the N'th Power More Info Come out for an informal night of networking, presentations, and referrals with a vibrant team of business savvy Vancouverites! Our diverse group strives to reach out to as many different industries as possible in order to help each other move forward through a community of support. We try to limit our group to one person per industry to create that "go to" person in order to generate leads for that individual. This open-mindedteam is never short on innovative ideas in business, and how to take this group to another level in the future. Presentations are given on a broad range of topics with a general b... 02/07/2011

My top 5 picks on AR from the last week - I hope you enjoy these articles as much as I have. 1. Frugal is the New Greed http://activerain.com/blogsview/2055542/frugal-is-the-new-greedThanks for this article.  I'm in Agreement on this as well.   I think there is an assumption that having purchasing power is actually a power that one is exercising, assuming that one is accomplishing anything of value by shopping, buying, consuming things.  I know that there are bear necessities for life and things which we need, but even a lot of things we talk about, even in this article, like movie tickets and candy, are not necessarily things we need for survival.  Learning about 'stretching' the dollar is first and foremost realizing what we need for survival and happiness and what we "want" to sustai... 01/25/2011

We have a half dozen spaces still available!  Look forward to seeing you there.  Hear from Seasoned Professionals and First-time Home Buyers who have learned from their own mistakes. We will also cover things like: 1. Different financing options available to you,2. The legal aspects of purchasing real estate,3. Tax planning through real estate investing,4. How to structure a purchase differently to save on tax,5. Financing requirements if you are a first time home buyer, businessowner or new arrival to Canada; and last but not least,6. How to find a great REALTOR, Broker, Banker, Financial Planner to start and embark on your next  investment7. What items should be on your Due Diligence Checklist8. if you're always leveraging with a 20% correction you're save, but any lower the % is dang... 01/25/2011

The majority of us need every penny of a home sale to go into our new home, so selling your home can be extremely stressful. There are quite a few ways in which home sellers unwittingly decrease the value of their property. Avoid these problems and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the price your house sells for. The following are a few of the blunders made and some tips on how to dodge them:1. An unsuitable floor plan: If your rooms are tiny and bathrooms cramped, it may be a deal breaker for a future buyer. Rearrange your furniture and take out excess items from rooms, so you can create at least the feeling of space, you won't be disappointed. Access problems around the home are another area you need to think about, when you need to go through rooms to access other areas of the house ... 01/24/2011

RESA Conference 2011 Vegas Just wanted to send a quick update on the RESA Conference here in Vegas!  Have to say, we're having a blast.  Although the speakers have been great and the food extraordinary, the highlight for me has to be meeting my Active Rain friends for the first time in person.  The strangest thing is that I feel like I already know them.  We are picking up where we left off in a post.  Two A/R members who are truly missed at the RESA Conference are Roger Mucci and David Ames.  We sure wish you could be here! Here are a few photos of the RESA Conference so far.  Enjoy and wish you were here! Left to right is Laura's business partner, me, Valerie Sagheddu and Laura Baker. Valerie, Laura, Charlene's sister-in-law, Charlene Storozuk and Laura's business partner. It's been s... 01/24/2011

  The Mortgage Broker on my team has just released a brilliant Mortgage update I would like to share with the rest of you.  This is very pivotal for Vancouver because our prices are a "dash" higher than the rest of the country.  We know that Canadian household debt was higher than in the US in 2010, therefore  Canada is looking to prevent any changes of a major economy crisis in Canada relative to Mortgages.  The question is: " Can this affect people's getting into the market?"  The answer to this should be obvious.   For more information, please contact Farnam Mohasseb at the contact provided.           Farnam Mohasseb   Tel: 604.825.2482   Email: farnam@mohasseb.ca Website: www.mohasseb.ca                     Department of Finance tightens CMHC rules   For the second time in twelve m... 01/17/2011

Does a Home Stager Keep up with Current Trends and Information? As a Home Stager, I like to keep up with current trends.  I also like to keep informed and on the cutting edge of the Home Staging industry.  By keeping myself educated, and networking at design events, I use this knowledge to create up-to-date, beautiful spaces for my home selling clients.    So what have I been up to lately?  Well, last year my Stager friend, Wendy Casey, of A-List Home Staging and I attended the first ever Real Estate Staging Association's Conference.  I was able to meet and compare notes with other Home Stagers from all over North America.  What's working for them?  What's not working?  How our markets are different or similar.  I listened and absorbed so much information from speakers and panels at the... 01/17/2011

WHAT IS A HOME STAGING ACCESSORY PACKAGE?   A home stager offers many services, including staging a vacant property, or a furnished property.  If the home is vacant or empty, a home stager can organize rental furniture while your home is on the market.  Along with furniture, a home stager also rents out accessories.  It’s often the accessories that really make a space come alive.   One way to rent out accessories is to take the cost of the accessory, then rent it out at 10 – 20% of the original cost.  For example, if I purchase a vase for $20, I can rent it out at between  $1 - $2.  You can just imagine how tedious it would be to count up every small amount, especially when homes can be staged with quite a few accessories.  That’s why at Exit Stage Right, we charge one lump sum for all ... 01/13/2011

WHAT IS THE HOME STAGING PROCESS? Home staging is a bit of a mystery.  Most people are well acquainted with the “before & after” shots on a home stager’s portfolio, but what is a home stager’s process?  Let’s use an empty or vacant property as an example. We check out the lay of the land… I visit your home before you place your home on the market, take a walk-through of your home (this takes about 20 minutes), take some photos of each and every room, and chat with you about when you are looking to have your home staged. We add it all up… I return to my office and immediately upload the photos I’ve just taken.  I’m a visual person; written notes aren’t that helpful to me.  I study each before photo and start planning out what piece of furniture would look good where.  I consider what typ... 01/12/2011

Hear from Seasoned Professionals and First-time Home Buyers who have learned from their own mistakes. We will also cover things like: 1. Different financing options available to you,2. The legal aspects of purchasing real estate,3. Tax planning through real estate investing,4. How to structure a purchase differently to save on tax,5. Financing requirements if you are a first time home buyer, businessowner or new arrival to Canada; and last but not least,6. How to find a great REALTOR, Broker, Banker, Financial Planner to start and embark on your next  investment7. What items should be on your Due Diligence Checklist8. if you're always leveraging with a 20% correction you're save, but any lower the % is dangerous.9. 5% downers don't need a heck of a lot of tax planning.10. parents financ... 01/11/2011

Brilliant or Baffling: Hiring a Private Investigator to Check Out a House I am sure this breaks a number of council guidelines so I would not recommend this to any of our clients, but I thought this information was worth reading nevertheless.  It shows the more "lived" complexities and exceptions of shopping for real estate that the majority of the proscribed processes may not address.  The article below, also at the link above, lets you vote on what you think - for all intents and purposes it's an intriguing question! "I was talking to a friend of mine who recently just purchased a house with his wife. He told me that the deal had initially seemed too good to be true, so they were slightly concerned. They were afraid that somebody died in the house, or the neighbors were really horrif... 01/11/2011

Canadian buyers will find an opportune time to shop in the next 3 months, but then? According to the latest data, the recovery in Canada and the US is well on it's way, surpassing expectations, and thus the forecasters are starting to consider that the Bank of Canada may raise rates sooner than expected. Some feel that we could see an increase as early as March. Should there be an increase, it will, in all likelihood be no more than 25 basis points.  In comparison to current fixed rates, which are around 3.89% for 5 year terms, the variable rate is still favourable. Current variable rate discounts are around Prime less 0.75%. If you or anyone that you know bought, refinanced or renewed into a variable or adjustable rate mortgage between mid-2008 and late-2009, it might be worth looking... 01/10/2011

The following is an actual question given on a  University of Arizona  chemistry mid-term, and an actual answer turned in by a student.  The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :   Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?   Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.  One student, however, wrote the following:    First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving, which is unlikely.. I think... 01/06/2011

The last tax calculator of our serie is pretty unique. Until now, there was no other way of assessing different tax obligations in the Greater Vancouver Area, than visiting every single municipal page and counting your tax with a calculator in hand. Not anymore - Jay Banks of Vancouver Lofts introduces Greater Vancouver Property Tax Calculator, where you can comfortably choose any municipality within Greaer Vancouver and let it count the tax obligation on your existing or prospective home. Beside the calculator itself, there is an extensive frequently asked question section with details about property taxes in BC and especially BC assessment. 01/05/2011

Today is a calculator day! Jay Banks from Vancouer homes decided to contribute to the efforts of helping future homebuyers, who have to struggle with tax burden. His BC Property Transfer Tax Calculator will serve any homebuyer in British Columbia. Besides the calculator, there is an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section. 01/04/2011

Parking - An Issue?One thing that is very uninviting to a potential buyer is seeing lots of cars parked in front of your property. Many individuals do not use their garage to park their motor vehicles, so a garage is not essential to parking your car off the road. If you don't have the space available to extend your drive, then check with your local council who may provide you planning permissions to drop the curb of the pavement next to your house. Whilst some improvements to the home may not add value, by improving off-street parking you could increase your home value by up to 10 percent.Swimming Pool/Tennis CourtIf you are looking at installing a swimming pool to your home you could find that this throws up some difficulties, such as where your property is and whether it is going ind... 12/21/2010

There are SO many property values rising, and SO many property values dropping - Greater Vancouver is a safe haven for some and a nightmare for others... Why You Love Numbers and They Love You Over the year, BC Assessment assesses the changing market values of the 1.64 million residential property titles across British Columbia. On January 1, the assessment notices go out and myriads of homeowners get advance warning of what the government thinks those homes are worth and based on these figures, what those homeowners will face in terms of upcoming municipal property taxes, mill rates and all other giddy financial delights that goes with owning a home. Although assessed values are used for taxation calculation, the tax you pay is not set by BC Assessment, but by local government (in mos... 12/08/2010

Quest For the Best: Gastown Edition Neighbourhood Outline Gastown is one of the most vibrant and historic neighborhoods in Vancouver, and with its old warehouse conversions, and lofts it has become a popular place for artists and entrepreneurs to set up shop in their modern live-work spaces. With plenty of "diamonds in the rough," opportunity is knocking on every corner. The top three buys for this week's edition of "Quest for the Best" are all located on east Cordova Street. With their exposed break and wooden beams, not only are they architecturally appealing, but they provide ample square footage which can be hard to find in Downtown Vancouver. Loft and warehouse conversion housing isn't for everyone, but have alook at these properties--these hidden gems are definitely worth a quick ... 12/08/2010