Are You Affected By The Recession RESULTS…

So we asked the question and took a poll of the readers on our site and below are the results…

We will have more polls along the way… stay tuned…

Everything is Amazing… and Nobody is Happy!!

It’s truly all about perspective isn’t it???

Check this out…

Louis CK is in this video

Are They Serious…

So here is a photo that I came across on MLS today, and had to share it with all of you…

The true designer colors in this photo simply amaze me, and truly bring me to my knees in pure jealousy… ENJOY!

5 Reasons Why House Stylizing Sells Homes

It doesn’t take a genius to know that the better a home looks the easier it is to sell. Then why do so many people try to sell their homes empty or in deplorable condition? It’s not usually because of lack of time and not always because of lack of funds. So is it lack of common sense or just laziness?

Home Staging expert and trainer, Barbara Jennings said “I think many people shut down when it comes to preparing their property for sale. The task feels overwhelming. They have emotionally set their minds and hearts on where they will live next and just don’t want to go to the trouble and expense to fix up the home to be sold.”

But here are 5 good reasons why every homeowner should pay attention to the principles of house staging, whether they hire a professional to stage their home or they do the work themselves.

1. Home Stylizing fixes the most glaring negatives in the house. No one wants to buy a house that looks as if it has been unkempt for many years. No one wants to pay for someone else’s mistakes or lack of attention.

2. Home Stylizing diminishes the defects in a house. Every house, no matter how well built, has defects of one kind or another. But even if it were perfect, it will not meet the needs and wants of every potential buyer that sees it. The key is in making sure that the defects are minimized, so it will appeal to the most buyers.

3. Home Stylizing accentuates the home’s attributes. Every home has a charm all its own but one may have to work at it to bring out that charm. Whether the house is old or relatively new, house staging can go a long way to dramatically enhancing the best features of the house.

4. Home Stylizing reaches buyers on an emotional level. It is a well known fact that buyers do not make offers unless and until they have an emotional connection with a property. But most people struggle with visualizing their furnishings in the home. That’s why proper house staging can make a dramatic statement because it helps them visualize living in the home and even suggests ideas for arrangements.

5. Home Stylizing brings the sizzle to the steak. While some people (mostly men) like seeing the shell of a house, women definitely respond more favorably to a well appointed, nicely decorated home. Once problems are fixed, house staging creates a cozy, comfortable feeling that helps potential buyers make a real, lasting connection.

We have on staff a professional Home Stylizer who will come to the listing appointment with me, and asses your home, clean and stylize your home with all listings that we take on.  This is all included in our listing agreements, when you list with The Chamberlain Group.

January 2009 Market Update

Single-family property new listings offered to buyers in January 2009 were fewer than listings coming to market during the first month of 2008 by 31.6% while new listings of condo apartments and townhouses fell by 33.1% and 24.4% respectively.

Sales of Calgary single-family properties numbered 550 this January, 22% higher than sales activity in December. The median price of a single-family property in January 2009 recorded at $374,700, 8.6% below the median selling price last January of $410,000. The listings-to-sales ratio was 7.35:1 and the average days on market for properties selling in January 2009 was 62.

In the condominium market, 225 units found new owners during the first month of the New Year, up from the 205 condominium transactions that took place during the month of December. The median selling price of a condo unit in Calgary this January registered at $243,000, 16% below the median selling price recorded during the same month last year. The listings-to-sales ratio in this market segment was 8.55:1 and the average days on market for properties selling in January 2009 was 64.

148 townhouses changed hands this January with the median price of $320,000 a 7.17% decline from last year. The listings-to-sales ratio was 14.72:1 and the average number of days to sell was 81.

As month-over-month reveals what 2009 has in store for us, know that we’ll be here for you to keep you up-to-date on market activity. We’re committed to our long-term relationship and want all of our clients informed and confident with any decisions you make.

It takes many shaped pieces to complete a puzzle, so our information will vary. For the most part, we’ll compare month-over-month to help you see trends as they unfold.

If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling, call us early in the process. You’ll have needs specific only to you. The smallest pieces complete any puzzle and are the most satisfying to identify and solve.

Cheers!

Home Staging Errors To Avoid

More and more agents and brokers are beginning to recognize the importance and benefits that comes with real estate staging before putting the properties they represent on the market. But what they fail to realize can waste valuable time, create undue pressures and stress, and sink valuable resources into a black hole. There actually is a science to house staging.

Here are a few of the issues that cause many agents to stumble when trying to stage a home according to Barbara Jennings, director of the Academy of Staging and Redesign.

1) Inability to advise sellers of the benefits of redesign – No seller looks forward to spending more money to prepare their home to sell. Yet it is a rare home that requires little to no work. But if the proper tasks are done right, it is amazing how costs for redesign are reduced while making a dramatic improvement in the look and feeling of the home.

2) Inability to keep from offending the sellers – No one likes to be told that their home is a mess, that their decorating efforts are dreary or dreadful, that their home is in disrepair, or that it smells terrible. So getting the truth across to a seller without totally offending them is an art that few agents have mastered. This is one reason why it helps dramatically to bring in a professional stager to give the bad news, keeping the seller/agent relationship in tact.

3) Ignorance of interior design concepts – One cannot hope to properly conduct a proper house staging service if one does not know basic redesign concepts. How much furniture is kept in each room and where it is placed are crucial elements to successful staging of the property.

4) Failure to go far enough in the staging concepts – Knowing how much to do is as important as knowing what to do when it comes to house staging. Far too often untrained beginners are afraid. Fear immobilizes. You really only get one chance to launch a home for sale for the greatest impact. So if it is not handled properly the chance is lost, or at the very least, it is downgraded.

5) Failure to hire professionals to manage the staging – Reducing costs is always a concern and no one like the idea of spending money to make money. But when it comes to house staging, spending money is often required. There are many tasks that will not involve money, such as rearranging furniture and accessories however. Professional stagers are the most reliable people to lean on when it comes to good redesign techniques.

Because home staging is so important, it is something that we offer to all our clients when they list with us.  Contact us to learn more if this is something that you are interested in having along with your listing.

Your Credit and You – Understanding the ever-elusive Credit Report

Credit scores aren’t generally something we really and truly think about until we’re applying for a mortgage. Sure we all know that it bodes best for us if we make our payments on time and don’t carry a balance on our credit cards, but after that how many of you know what you can do specifically to improve your credit score? I’m going to break it down for you into several different blog posts as I’m sure you’ll find this to be captivating information!

Part 1:

What is the purpose of a credit score report and what type of information can you expect to see on the report?

As per the www.equifax.ca Canadian credit website, you can expect to find the below information on your report:

• Personal Identification – Includes key identification information, such as your name, address, date of birth and Social Insurance Number (SIN)
• Consumer Statement – Allows you, the consumer, to add a brief comment about any information in your report
• Credit Information – Provides details of your credit accounts and transactions and shows if payments are being made on time
• Banking Information – Includes information on your bank account and NSF cheque history
• Public Record Information – Contains information about secured loans, bankruptcies and/or judgments
• Third-Party Collections – Contains information about any involvement with a collection agency trying to collect on a debt
• Inquiries – Includes all organizations or individuals that have requested a copy of your credit report in the past three years

*Note re: the above bullet on inquiries. Unless you really, really, really require that ‘free baseball hat’ or ‘free t-shirt’ that they are promising you at the Flames game when you sign up for a Mastercard, do not go through with this. This will be a “hard hit inquiry” on your credit bureau and will lower your credit score needlessly!

The credit report exists to provide lenders a glimpse of your financial history at any given point in time. When you being to establish credit or receive a loan from a bank, all of this information is documented on your credit report. If you were to miss a payment or go into collection over an unpaid bill – this too is documented on your credit report.

All of this information produces a FICO or Beacon score, which ranges from 300-900 and is known as a credit risk scoring system.  Someone with a credit score of 720 is much more likely to pay their monthly mortgage payments each month and on time than someone who has a 545 and has in the past gone to collections for unpaid bills.

The credit report also highlights all active and inactive trade lines, providing the lender with a snapshot of your financial history as well as your sillingness to repay the debt.  It is most beneficial to have no more than 5 trade lines at a time.  If you have numerous credit cards with a balance of zero, simply because you qualified for them but do not utilize them, why not cancel them and clean up your bureau?

The next post in the credit series will explain how the credit score relates to your ability to ‘qualify’ for a mortgage.  Keep reading for more exciting information!

Vacant Condos Create Unease in Calgary Market

The Altus Group Housing Report said most of the unsold units in Calgary are already completed or under construction and the expected decline in new condo apartment sales this year could lead to a “sizable” increase in the number of completed and vacant units.

“Many buildings in Calgary began construction with less than 50 per cent of the units pre-sold,” said the Altus Group Economic Consulting report.

There are indicators of a “much more serious problem for Calgary,” said the Altus Group. Those indicators include a high level of condominium starts in 2008 (5,335 units) and a high level of condos under construction. The pace of condo starts has also declined “dramatically” since the end of July, but “very few projects in Calgary have been formally cancelled so far.”

The biggest cancellation was the two-tower downtown project known as Gateway Midtown.

“Excessive investor activity has also been a concern in Calgary,” said the Altus Group report. “While the percentage of condominium apartment units offered for rent declined in Calgary between 2007 and 2008, the vacancy rate rose significantly from 0.7 per cent to 3.5 per cent.”

Understanding your Credit Score

Credit scores aren't generally something we really and truly think about until we're applying for a mortgage. Sure we all know that it bodes best for us if we make our payments on time and don't carry a balance on our credit cards, but after that how many of you know what you can do specifically to improve your credit score? I'm going to break it down for you into several different blog posts as I'm sure you'll find this to be captivating information!

Part 1:

What is the purpose of a credit report and what type of information can you expect to see on the report?

As per the www.equifax.ca Canadian credit website, you can expect to find the below information on your report:

• Personal Identification - Includes key identification information, such as your name, address, date of birth and Social Insurance Number (SIN)
• Consumer Statement - Allows you, the consumer, to add a brief comment about any information in your report
• Credit Information - Provides details of your credit accounts and transactions and shows if payments are being made on time
• Banking Information - Includes information on your bank account and NSF cheque history
• Public Record Information - Contains information about secured loans, bankruptcies and/or judgments
• Third-Party Collections - Contains information about any involvement with a collection agency trying to collect on a debt
• Inquiries - Includes all organizations or individuals that have requested a copy of your credit report in the past three years

*Note re: the above bullet on inquiries. Unless you really, really, really require that 'free baseball hat' or 'free t-shirt' that they are promising you at the Flames game when you sign up for a Mastercard, do not go through with this. This will be a "hard hit inquiry" on your credit bureau and will lower your credit score needlessly!

The credit report exists to provide lenders a glimpse of your financial history at any given point in time. When you being to establish credit or receive a loan from a bank, all of this information is documented on your credit report. If you were to miss a payment or go into collection over an unpaid bill - this too is documented on your credit report.

All of this information produces a FICO or Beacon score, which ranges from 300-900 and is known as a credit risk scoring system. Someone with a credit score of 720 is much more likely to pay their monthly mortgage payments each month and on time than someone who has a 545 and has in the past gone to collections for unpaid bills.

The credit report also highlights all active and inactive trade lines, providing the lender with a snapshot of your financial history as well as your willingness to repay the debt. It is most beneficial to have no more than 5 trade lines at a time. If you have numerous credit cards with a balance of zero, simply because you qualified for them but do not utilize them, why not cancel them and clean up your bureau?

Next post in the credit series will explain how the credit score relates to your ability to 'qualify' for a mortgage. Keep reading for more exciting information!

What Does The Future Hold?

This is always the big question… When should I sell my house or when should I buy?  There are normal cycles in the Real Estate market that take place, but when the market isn’t normal, they cycles aren’t there… they happen when they want to…  Last year was a year of declining prices, and frustrated sellers… For 2009, what will happen?  CREB (Calgary Real Estate Board) did a forecast breakfast a couple weeks ago, and they predicted that over 2009 we will see a 2% decline in the average price of single family homes and a 5% decrease in condos.

Below are some graphs to take a look at…

You can download the entire presentation here!

Next Page »