Imagine you’ve dreamed of living in a particular neighbourhood, perhaps for years, and then, when you're finally ready to make a move, finding out that the area is competitive and buying there is definitely a challenge.

A disappointment? Not necessarily.

There is a lot you can do to buy into a popular neighbourhood, even in competitive offer situations.

Your first step is to start targeting that area now. Find out about property types, prices and trends. In particular, you’ll need to know what price range you should be thinking about, and making sure that it’s going to fit your budget. To do that, you might need to get a determination of the Fair Market Value of your current home.

Next, begin making preparations so you can get a jump on…

1546 Views, 0 Comments

We saw a bit of an up turn in the Edmonton Real Estate market from January which may be an indication that people are gearing up for the upcoming spring months and we expect the trend to continue upwardly.  Single family homes saw an increase in sales price by just about 8%.  Condos also saw an increase in sales price by just under 2.5%, but duplexes remained stagnant at about a -0.37% decrease. 

Year over year, however we saw decreases straight across the board when comparing sales prices to last February's average prices and days on market.  Days on Market have increase for Single family homes, Condos and Duplex/Rowhouses, so patients is key for sellers. 

Let's take a look at inventory - Single family homes have the highest inventory level they…

1903 Views, 0 Comments

If you have been thinking about building a new home now might be the perfect time to consider buying a speculation built home.  Record High vacancy rates in January for newly constructed homes sit at 1,941 in Edmonton up over 63% from last year, which means great opportunity for buyers.  

With more supply than demand on the newly constructed homes, there is a lot of vacant inventory that builders are holding right now.  The recent slow down in new construction projects was inevitable but those houses that were underway despite the Alberta ecomomy  taking a slower rate of recovery from the recent recession (add all the qualifying mortgage changes on top of it) still had to be completed.  Lower demands combined with it being harder to obtain…

1506 Views, 0 Comments

Ideally you should have a week or two available before you list your property in order to stage your home and make it look its best for buyers. But, what if you listed quickly and within hours of the For Sale sign going up a buyer wants to view your property? In that scenario, you need to do some quick "staging" to get your home ready. Let's assume your property is already clean and tidy. Here are some other things you can do.

· Open the curtains, even at night. This will make each room seem brighter, more appealing and more spacious.

· Pull out some boxes or storage bins. Put away personal knick-knacks (like that bowling trophy) and other personal items to reduce clutter on shelves and countertops.

· Clear countertops in the kitchen and…

800 Views, 0 Comments