Archive for September, 2018

Watch Out for Carbon Monoxide In Your Home

Friday, September 21st, 2018

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is invisible and odourless, so you can’t actually “watch out for it”. However, you should monitor for it because an excessive build-up of this gas in your home can be deadly.

Fortunately, there are many types of Carbon Monoxide detectors you can purchase — and most are effective and affordable. Some models simply plug into an outlet. (Many also have a battery backup.) Carbon Monoxide is caused by the incomplete burning of fuel. It can be released by a faulty gas furnace, kerosene heaters, and gas fireplaces.

If you live in Alberta, Atco gas will come out and so an inspection on your furnace to ensure it is healthy – This is a FREE service!

That’s why it’s a good idea to install detectors in areas close to these fixtures, as well as near bedrooms. Experts say you should always follow manufacturer’s instructions when installing CO detectors, and test them regularly. You want to make sure you can hear the alarm from your bedroom.

CO build-up in homes is rare. So your detectors may never go off. But, if the alarm does sound, get everyone (including pets) out of the home and into the fresh air. Then call 911. Typically, the fire department will do an inspection and determine the source of the carbon monoxide.

A final tip: Never use your BBQ or outside grill in the garage or, especially, anywhere inside your home. The risk of CO exposure is very high and definitely not worth the convenience of a grilled burger!

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What Type of New Home Are You Qualified to Buy?

Friday, September 14th, 2018

When you think about looking for a new home, one of the first questions that probably comes to mind is: “What type of property can I afford?”

That’s an important question because your price range is a major determining factor in the types and sizes of homes you should be viewing. You don’t want to waste time looking at properties that are beyond your price range. At the same time, you don’t want to purchase a less-than-ideal home, only to realize later on that you could have afforded more. So how do you determine what type of new home you are qualified to purchase?

The first step is to find out what your current property would likely sell for in today’s market. I make that calculation for clients all the time. It involves reviewing what homes similar to yours have sold for recently, as well as other data — such as special features your home may have that are likely to boost the selling price.

Once you know the current market value of your home, subtract any outstanding mortgages and estimated selling expenses, and you’ll end up with an amount that can be applied to the purchase of your next home. (You may also have other funds you want to use.)

The next step is to talk to a lender or mortgage broker to see how much of a new mortgage you qualify for. (Contact me if you need a recommendation.) It’s important to get a proper Pre-Qualification or Pre-Approval. That makes the offer you make on a new home more credible and will also lock you into an interest rate. If you want to find out the types and sizes of homes you can get into, give me a call. I’d be happy to show you the possibilities!

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The Basics of Do-it-Yourself Video-based Home Security

Friday, September 7th, 2018

According to law enforcement experts, a video-based home security system is significantly more effective than a simple alarm system. The reason is obvious. Burglars don’t want their crimes captured on video, which can then be used as evidence in court. So it’s no wonder that many homeowners have, or are considering, video-based security.

These days, most video-based home security systems are wireless. The cameras either record to your DVR (just like recording your favorite TV show), or to a cloud-based server provided by the manufacturer. There are many do-it-yourself systems on the market. You simply place the cameras around your property and do some initial setup. Most of these have motion-detection that records automatically when someone comes into the frame of the camera. These are typically installed at your front door, patio door, main floor windows, and garage door. Some systems will even alert you when a camera turns on, and let you see the action on your smartphone or computer.

If it’s a burglary attempt, you have the opportunity to call the police. Although most of these products are weatherproof, check and confirm before purchasing. The packaging will say something like, “Suitable for outdoor use” or “Suitable for all-weather conditions”. Also look for night vision capability. Not all security cameras have that feature.

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5 Ways to Make the Selling Process Stress-Free

Thursday, September 6th, 2018

For some homeowners, the process of listing, showing and selling their home can be stressful. Fortunately, there is plenty you can do to make it much less nerve-racking—and even exciting and enjoyable. Here are some ideas:

1. Make a plan. Decide when you’re going to show your property, search for a new home, view listings, etc. Block out these times in an agenda book or calendar. That way, you and your family can see what’s coming up.                                 2. Be flexible. Few things go exactly as planned! So, it’s important to build in flexibility. For example, you may plan to see homes for sale on Saturdays, but if an opportunity comes up on a weeknight, give yourself room in your schedule to jump on it.                                                                                                                                                                             3. Eat well. There are numerous studies that connect poor nutrition with increased stress. When people are selling and moving, there’s a tendency to rely on quick fixes, such as hot dogs and pizza! Try to plan more nutritious meals that will keep everyone healthy and energized.                                                                                                                               4. Get stuff done early. Doing things last minute, such as finding a real estate lawyer or getting rid of clutter, can quickly lead to stress and frustration. Whenever possible, get tasks done early. That way, you won’t have to worry about them.                                                                                                                                                                                             5. Hire the right professionals. By far, the surest way to a stress-free move is to get the right professionals working for you: everyone from contractors to mortgage brokers to movers. By the way, a big part of what I do for clients is help make every aspect of buying, selling and moving go smoothly. Contact me to learn how I can help you.

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Calgary Real Estate Market Snapshot Sept 1, 2018

Tuesday, September 4th, 2018
What is really Happening in the Calgary Real Estate Market?

What is really Happening in the Calgary Real Estate Market?

 

What is really happening in the Calgary Real Estate Market?

Stay ahead of everyone else by following our Monthly Market Snapshot of the Calgary Real Estate Market. This shows what’s really happening! The market is driven by supply and demand so here we show the inventory (supply) and sales (demand) and most importantly the relationship between the two and how it affects the price of Calgary Real Estate.  A simple way to keep up to date with how the market is trending and to stay ahead of most! All numbers are taken from the Calgary Real Estate Boards Stats package for Realtors. I have also included some general comments which are simply my opinion.

Months of Inventory/Absorption Rate – the inventory divided by the number of sales in the last month). What does this mean you might ask?

Buyer’s Market >4.0 Drives prices down
Balanced Market Between 2.4 to 4.0 Prices typically remain stable
Seller’s Market <2.4 Drives prices up

 

Current Months of Inventory:  If we did not list any more homes this is how many months it would take to deplete inventory.

In August the months of inventory remained fairly flat with the exception of Attached-Row homes which decreased by .56  I see this as a correction as last month this number went up by over 1.0

 

End of July 2018    Aug 2018    Change
Detached 4.72 4.78 0.06
Semi Detached 6.07 6.45 0.37
Attached – Row 6.78 6.22 -0.56
Apartment 7.01 6.86 -0.16
Total City 5.46 5.45 -0.01

 

 Calgary Listing Inventory

In August, our inventory decreased in all sectors and overall, the highest decrease was in the Detached home sector. This is totally normal at this time of year and we should expect this trend to continue for the rest of the year.

 

Inventory July 2018    Aug 2018    Change
 Detached 4578 4433 -145
Semi Detached 911 909 -2
Attached – Row 1187 1113 -74
Apartment 1774 1666 -108
Total Calgary 8450 8121 -329

 

Calgary Sales:

Sales were down in all categories (except Attached-Row which increased by 4) , This is normal for August as we are moving out of our busy season and people are focused on vacations and outdoor activities and now back to school.

 

Calgary Sales  July 2018    Aug 2018    Change % Change
Detached 969 927 -42 -4.33%
Semi Detached 150 141 -9 -6.00%
Attached – Row 175 179 4 2.29%
Apartment 253 243 -10 -3.95%
Total City 1547 1490 -57 -3.68%

 

Sales Compared to last year:  Thought this is a number that deserves a look as the trend is changing. Chart shows this year’s sales as a percentage of last years so yes sales are down but they are down less than at the beginning of the year.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov  Dec
102% 82% 72% 80% 82% 89% 95% 93% ‘

 

 Calgary Real Estate Sales Prices:

As you can see prices in all sectors decreased in August.  As we are now in a buyer’s market we should expect prices to decline slightly which is what happened.

 

  Sales Prices July 2018   Benchmark Price   Aug 2018   Benchmark Price Change
Detached 501,300 497,000 -4,300
Semi Detached 416,200 411,300 -4,900
Attached – Row 300,300 296,700 -3,600
Apartment 259,700 258,100 -1,600
Total City 435,200 432,000 -3,200

  

Sales Prices “Year to Date”  

Same as monthly number

Sales Prices Jan 1, 2018    Benchmark Price  Aug 2018   Benchmark Price Change

$

% Change
Detached 499,600 497,000 -2,600 -0.52%
Semi Detached 416,600 411,300 -5,300 -1.27%
Attached – Row 299,500 296,700 -2,800 -0.93%
Apartment 257,700 258,100 400 0.16%
Total City 433,200 432,000 -1,200 -0.28%

  

**Please note that these numbers include only Calgary homes and do change on a community basis and more so for towns.  This report does not include rural properties.  If you would like to find stats on your community just let me know.  If you have any questions about this summary or about Real Estate in general, please feel free to contact us.

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