The Calgary Real Estate Blog

Calgary Real Estate – One To Do Prior To Buying a Reno Home

Jared Chamberlain — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:48:50 +0000

Jared Chamberlain a Calgary REALTOR® talks about he one biggest thing that you must do before buying a house that needs renovations. Whether it is a full tear down or gut reno job or just a simple moving a wall, this is a must for you. You can contact Jared at jared@tcgroup.ca for comments or questions about this.

photo from flickr - marleneford

The “Don’t Touch Me” Cat

Jared Chamberlain — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:41:34 +0000

I was showing properties in Altadore or ‘Marda Loop’ tonight and came across this very cute looking (from a far) cat that would attack if you got too close… Gotta love psycho pets! If your pet isn’t psycho you should enter them into our cutest pet & kid contest! www.CalgarysCutestKid.com

1532 McAlpine Street, Carstairs, AB

Jared Chamberlain — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:57:28 +0000

This beautiful 3 bedroom, 1408 sq. ft home is in the quiet town of Carstairs, AB and only a 30 minute drive from Calgary. With quality and top end craftsmanship that will be noticed as soon as you enter. You will find that it is very energy efficient with a high capacity and efficient hot water tank, a high end furnace, and Low-E Argon filled windows. There is hardwood, tile and lino on the main level with an open kitchen and upgraded cabinets. The living room has beautiful hardwood floors with a fireplace. Built by Terra Banah Builders of Calgary, and part of the Alberta New Home Warranty, this home is one that you will truly be in awe of. If you would like more info on this home or to inquire about a newly built home, please call the listing agent for more details. Please check out the Brochure links for more info on the home.

VIEW VIRTUAL TOUR OF THIS HOME!

1534 McAlpine Street, Carstairs, AB

Jared Chamberlain — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:55:17 +0000

This beautiful 3 bedroom, 1408 sq. ft home is in the quiet town of Carstairs, AB and only a 30 minute drive from Calgary. With quality and top end craftsmanship that will be noticed as soon as you enter. You will find that it is very energy efficient with a high capacity and efficient hot water tank, a high end furnace, and Low-E Argon filled windows. There is hardwood, tile and lino on the main level with an open kitchen and upgraded cabinets. The living room has beautiful hardwood floors. Built by Terra Banah Builders of Calgary, and part of the Alberta New Home Warranty, this home is one that you will truly be in awe of. If you would like more info on this home or to inquire about a newly built home, please call the listing agent for more details. Please check out the Brochure links for more info on the home.

VIEW VIRTUAL TOUR OF THIS HOME!

Who’s The Appliance Criminal Among Us? -Part 1-

Jared Chamberlain — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:27:20 +0000

Whose The Appliance Criminal Among Us? from Jared Chamberlain on Vimeo.

Jared Chamberlain a Calgary REALTOR® vlogs and tells a story about stolen appliances in a home that his buyers moved into. If you are able to help him and his clients out in any way with tips or have a story of your own, please leave a comment below or head over to http://www.ChamberlainGroup.ca to tell your story! You can also email Jared at jared@tcgroup.ca.

The House Of Wallpaper…

Jared Chamberlain — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 03:42:52 +0000

I was showing houses in Brentwood in Calgary tonight and came across the house of wall paper… WOW!

This is truly a treat for your eyes…

Home Maintenance Tips

Jared Chamberlain — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:12:39 +0000

I received this list of great tips for ongoing maintenance for your home from Tom Connell of Whole House Inspections and wanted to pass it along to you all…

Upon Taking Ownership

Shot by maarcos (Flickr)

After taking possession of your new home or property you should consider doing the following improvements:
Change the locks on all exterior doors, for security purposes.
Install smoke detectors on each level of the home; install carbon monoxide detectors where any fossil fuels may be burned. I.e. near heater, gas range, near garage entry’s, near fireplaces, etc. If these devices are already present, change the batteries and make a note of when you did to schedule future battery replacements the same time next year.
Install fire extinguishers near stoves, in garages, and keep one handy near fireplaces and woodstoves.
Create a fire exit plan to evacuate your home or business in the event of fire or other emergency.
Make repairs of any trip hazards that were not repaired prior to settlement to avoid possible injury. (Both inside and Out).
Review your inspection report for any main shutoff location of water, gas, and electrical systems. (These locations will be pointed out to you if you joined your inspector during inspection.)

Monthly

Check that your fire extinguishers are fully charged. Remove and replace heating and cooling filter elements. If they are the reusable type just clean and replace.
Inspect and clean electronic air cleaners and humidifiers.
Bleed the radiator valves if you have hydronic heating systems in the home.
Clean your gutters and downspouts to ensure proper water flow.
Check plumbing fixtures for leaks, these are used many times daily and a leak can happen quickly.
Check your water bill, sewer bill and energy bills for excessive costs. Often times these can point to a leak or even a failing electrical device, such as your refrigerator.

Spring and Fall

Check your roof and flashings for signs of damage.
Check in your attic for evidence of leaks, make sure vents are not clogged, and level out the insulation if necessary. Often times when windy the insulation around your vents will move around. Trim back trees and shrubs away from the home.
Photo Shot by Kaola (Flickr)
Check the basement for evidence of leaks.
Check all walks for movement and repair any trip hazards that may develop.
Clean and operate all windows and doors.
Test all GFCI and AFCI devices installed for proper working condition.
Shut off exterior hose bibs in the fall; turn back on in the spring.
Test your TRP (temperature pressure relief) valve on your hot water heater. Inspect for the evidence of vermin, termites and insects, treat as needed. Test your garage doors and clean and lubricate all moving parts.
Clean or replace exhaust fan filters.
Service, clean or inspect all major appliances in your home per manufacturers recommendations.

Annually

Replace all smoke detector batteries and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
Have all heating, cooling and water systems serviced and cleaned. Inspect chimneys and clean them.
Examine all electrical panels and operate breakers to ensure they are not sticking.
DO NOT TAKE THE COVER OFF THE PANEL!!
If you have well water, have your well tested and have your pump and service tank inspected for leaks or evidence of wear.
All homes are suspect of wood destroying insects (termites, carpenter bees, carpenter ants, etc.), have your home inspected annually by a professional and treated if necessary.
Your home is your single largest investment of your lifetime. Take these measures to protect your investment. For more home maintenance tips and energy saving advice contact your home inspector.

Your home is your single largest investment of your lifetime. Take these measures to protect your investment. For more home maintenance tips and energy saving advice contact your home inspector.

Looking at Amortizations

tdmortgage — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:58:12 +0000

One of the most common subjects I have been discussing with clients about in the last few weeks is amortization, so today I wanted to clarify the meaning of it, show you the different options available and provide a few examples. A common misperception is that you pay significantly more interest on a monthly basis by choosing a longer amortization, however this is not true. Although your interest cost over the long term is greater because you are increasing the amount of time over which your mortgage will be paid, it’s how much you pay to principal that makes a huge difference. Lets take a look at an example of a $300,000 mortgage with an interest rate of 3.99% over a 5 year term, amortized over 25 years. These are numbers are taken from our TD Mortgage Payment Calculator.

Principal: $300,000
Payment frequency: Monthly
Mortgage type: Fixed rate
Interest Rate: 3.99%
Amortization: 25 years
Total Payment: $1576.43
Total P+I Payment for term: $94,585.80
Total Interest Cost for Term: $55,697.22
Total Principal Repayment for Term: $38,888.58
Mortgage Balance at End of Term: $261,111.42

Now let’s take a look at the same example, but amortized over 35 years.

Principal: $300,000
Payment frequency: Monthly
Mortgage type: Fixed rate
Interest Rate: 3.99%
Amortization: 35 years
Total Payment: $1320.64
Total P+I Payment for term: $79,238.40
Total Interest Cost for Term: $57,290.85
Total Principal Repayment for Term: $21,947.55
Mortgage Balance at End of Term: $278,052.45

So as you can see from the examples above, there’s not a significant difference in interest cost between the two scenarios for the first 5 years. The difference in interest cost is $1593.63. But the difference in paid principal? $16941.03. So why would anyone choose a 35 year amortization over a 25 year amortization? Flexibility. By choosing a maximum amortization of 35 years, it allows you to reduce your monthly payments. Not sure which option to go with? Talk to your mortgage advisor or give me a call and I can help you crunch the numbers, and determine what makes most sense for your unique situation. No matter what type of mortgage financing you are looking for, it makes sense to speak to me first. If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment, please do so below. Thank You!

Sincerely,
Josephine Ng
www.tdmortgage.wordpress.com

How To Use Apple’s iPad in Real Estate

Jared Chamberlain — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:21:01 +0000

Calgary Real Estate | Jared Chamberlain a Calgary REALTOR® vlogs about a better way he has found to use the iPad for signing docs and using the iPad for showing properties. You will need a Dropbox account and you’ll need to purchase the app Noterize along with having all your real estate forms in pdf format saved in your dropbox account. If you have any comments or suggestions please email Jared at Jared@tcgroup.ca

#FF This Week’s #YYC Tweeps to Follow

Jared Chamberlain — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:24:12 +0000

So here is a list of some interesting folks you should consider following on twitter if you are in #YYC (Calgary) that you should check out…

@stuartrcrawford

Stuart Crawford is a great guy to follow and interact with. Him and his team at Ulistic.com are a great resource of knowledge when it comes to SEO and Social Media. If you follow him you will get some great tips on how to further your Social Media experience..

@petrodude73

Nick is an interesting guy who has many different posts that make you think and want to interact with him…

Good Guy!

@camhoff

Cam Hoff is a graphic a graphic designer in #YYC and a great guy all around… He does awesome graphic design work and is very interesting to follow and interact with. Has great contacts like @ecardoza too!

That’s who I got for you today… So…

WHO IS YOUR #FF? Let us know below!