The Relocation Coach » real estate

Do realtors earn their money?

Frank — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:17:01 +0000

One last look at the old place

This week Toni was excited because she was moving out of her apartment and into her townhouse. Her sale completed on Monday and as usual we found out that all was well when Magda in our office tells us that the sale has registered. This means that the [...]

Can I get that in brick please

Frank — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:25:07 +0000

A wood frame building

When we are taking our overseas clients around they sometimes say things like “there are not too many brick houses around here”. Usually they are from Europe and expect homes to be made of bricks and mortar.

Here in British Columbia it is very rare to see any brick buildings. You may [...]

How to save money by keeping your mouth shut

Frank — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:37:35 +0000

Open House sign - tread carefully

In Canada one of the main ways of marketing homes is by holding open houses. These are pretty much what it says on the tin … a house which is open for you to come in and look around.

But did you think what you say at that open house [...]

House price trends in BC

Frank — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:37:04 +0000

Average price trends in British Columbia

Here we are in November and year ago we were looking at a housing market correction (translation: prices dropping, low sales volumes). Who would have thought that we would now be seeing a market that had bounced back and is now testing previous highs, both in the number of [...]

Why time is important when buying a home in Canada

Frank — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:24:01 +0000

I can remember all too well how stressful it was when we were moving house in England. I am sure I don’t need to say too much about this for anyone in England. The fact that your buyers can walk away at anytime, change their offer or squeeze you for a bigger reduction after [...]

The view from up here

Frank — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:38:33 +0000

Vancouver as seen from the North Shore

We recently had a sale complete for a view property in West Vancouver. Now views are important here – as they are anywhere I guess. I thought it worth running through what you might expect here on the North Shore of Vancouver.

In West Vancouver buyers can be really picky. [...]

May’s real estate market sees sales up, listings down

Frank — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:19:10 +0000

This is a commentary on the real estate statistics for Vancouver. For those who want the details you will find the full report on our real estate blog

This month has felt like a turnaround one for us. We were extremely busy with buyers and even found ourselves competing for desirable properties – something you would not expect to [...]

Can I walk there?

Frank — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:26:25 +0000

What can you walk to from here?

When we talk to people about what they are looking when choosing an area, they often talk about what is in the neighbourhood. Often this is in terms of being able to walk to things like schools, shops or restaurants. That is why we think that the new [...]

Vancouver real estate sales strengthen in March

Frank — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:29:31 +0000

A heritage style home

This is my monthly look at the real estate market. Below is the official report from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

PROPERTY SALES STRENGTHEN IN CURRENT MARKET CYCLE

VANCOUVER, B.C. . April 2, 2009

Home sales in March 2009 returned to levels witnessed at the beginning of the decade, with 2,265 sales [...]

Taking possession of your home in Canada

Frank — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:07:37 +0000

Just one thing you should find in your new home

This week we had a family move into their new house. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of our job. After all it is what the whole business is about: getting our clients into their new homes in Canada.

I thought it would be [...]