What's one of the most important rooms in your home? When it comes to selling your property quickly, and for the best price, the answer is clearly the kitchen. In fact, one of the most common explanations a particular buyer gives for not making an offer is, "I liked the house, but I wasn't too keen on the kitchen."

 

That doesn't mean you must do a major renovation. However, you should do what you can to make the kitchen as attractive as possible to buyers.

 

Here are some ideas:

 

First, clear the countertops. Put away the toaster and other items. You want to make the entire countertop area seem as spacious as possible.

 

If the cabinetry is old, you can spruce it up by installing new knobs, handles and other hardware. A fresh…

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If you have a basement, or even just a crawlspace, the last thing you want is water infiltrating the area. Even a minor leak can cause damage to walls and flooring, and may even lead to mould issues. Here are some precautions worth taking:

  • Every spring and fall, check the grading around your home. The ground should gently slope away from the foundation. Pay particular attention to areas where shrubs and other foliage make the grading difficult to see.
  • Look for cracks in the foundation. Get them fixed right away. Even a minor crack that doesn't appear to penetrate all the way through can cause problems eventually.
  • Check the caulking on basement windows. If it's worn and cracked, it's time for recaulking. The lifespan of most exterior caulking…

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If you're planning to look for a new home sometime in the future, you may be wondering how long the process will take. How much time should you set aside for viewings? How many of the listed homes should you see?

 

Of course, the process varies from person to person. According to the Department of Housing & Urban Development, home buyers view an average of 15 properties before finally choosing to make an offer on one of them. That number may be a good benchmark for you.

 

On a Saturday afternoon, you can comfortably look at three or four potential properties. You can see more if you want to make a full day of it.

 

One factor that impacts the home shopping process is how clearly you know what you're looking for.

 

For example, if…

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You have smoke detectors. Your doors have good locks. The bathtub has a slip-free pad. By all accounts, your home is a safe and secure place for your family to live.

However, there are some hazards that many homeowners don't consider or even know about. For instance:

  1. Blocked eavestroughs. Eavestroughs clogged with leaves and other debris can cause rainwater to overflow next to your foundation and create a basement leak.
  1. Clogged dryer vents. High temperature air combined with lint is a near ideal condition for a fire. Check and clear the dryer vent at least once a year.
  1. Dirty faucet heads. Kitchen and bath faucets often have built-in screens to spray the water evenly. Unfortunately, dirt and other contaminates can build up on these…

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The Spring market is here and so are house sales in the Fraser Valley.  Sales are up as we saw 1,298 re-sale homes sell in the month of April which is up 7.9% from last April.  We are also seeing less homes for sale as the listing inventory is down by -2.0%when we compare the amount of homes that were on the market this April compared to the same time last year.

So for April 2014... we experienced a "Balanced Market" because the list to sales ratio was 19.89%.  It is a "Balanced Market" when the ratio ranges from 15% to 20%.  It is deemed to be a "Buyer's Market" when we are below 15% and a "Seller's Market" when we are above 20%.

We finished April with 5.33 months of inventory.  That inventory level tells me that prices are fairly flat because around…

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The Spring market is here and so are the sales for Greater Vancouver.  Sales are up as we saw 965 homes sell in the month of April which is up 13.9% from last April.  We are also seeing less homes for sale as the listing inventory is down by -9.3% when we compare the amount of homes that were on the market this April compared to the same time last year.

So for April 2014... we experienced a "Seller's Market" because the list to sales ratio was 29.61%.  It is a "Balanced Market" when the ratio ranges from 15% to 20%.  It is deemed to be a "Buyer's Market" when we are below 15% and a "Seller's Market" when we are above 20%.

We finished April with 4.15 months of inventory.  That inventory level tells me that prices are rising.  When inventory is…

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The Spring market is here and so are the sales for Metro Vancouver.  Sales are up as we saw 1,656 homes sell in the month of April which is up 15.1% from last April.  We are also seeing less homes for sale as the listing inventory is down by -6.4%when we compare the amount of homes that were on the market this April compared to the same time last year.

So for April 2014... we experienced a "Seller's Market" because the list to sales ratio was 22.29%.  It is a "Balanced Market" when the ratio ranges from 15% to 20%.  It is deemed to be a "Buyer's Market" when we are below 15% and a "Seller's Market" when we are above 20%.

We finished April with 4.83 months of inventory.  That inventory level tells me that prices are rising.  When inventory is around 5…

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Even homeowners who have moved a few times can be intimidated by the real estate market in general, and the buying and selling process in particular.

First of all, making a decision to sell your home can be difficult. There are so many questions, such as:

  • Is "now" a good time to list?
  • How much can you expect to get for your property?
  • How long will it take to sell – and what if it doesn't?

Then there's the buying and selling process:

  • How do you prepare your home for sale?
  • How do you find homes that meet your criteria and are within your price range?
  • How do you prepare your home for viewings?

Yes, there's a lot to think about. That's why finding a good REALTOR® who is an expert on the local market is so important.

…

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