Archives 2011

The reality of buying a house is that you just can’t look at them all.  It will eventually become confusing and you start to look at properties to see why they won’t work instead of why they will and that’s just counterproductive.  Finding a home is kind of like finding a partner.  You are going to go through some bad ones and some that look good on paper but aren’t great in real life.  With a home you may find a couple of really good ones and have to make a choice – if you get to ...

When you are selling your home it’s very important to make it approachable.  You have to treat it like any other “good” for sale on the market.  Kim Kardashian doesn’t sell perfume with a picture of her in sweatpants – she’s all sultry and makes it look good.  I’m not suggesting you plaster a huge poster of yourself looking sultry to entice buyers but there are obvious things you can do, such as maintaining your lawn and planting flowers, but what else can you do and how do you make a home approachable during the bleak winter ...

When you embark on the process of buying a new home a good place to start is with a list.  I’m biased to this idea because I love making lists (I make lists about lists) but the truth is that it’s a good way to organize your thoughts.  It’s also a good way to make sure you are on the same page as the other person(s) you are buying the property with.

Deal breakers are just that.  They are the items on your list that if a home does or doesn’t have you won’t ...

Most people don’t think about the key when they think about staging but it is a big part of the buyer’s first impression of your home.

If the process of unlocking the door requires you to pull the door forward just a bit, turn the key a quarter turn to the left and then to the right all while balancing on your left foot the buyer standing behind the REALTOR may think this is just the first of many “quirky” things they may have to deal with or fix if they buy your home.

Consider the doorbell too ...

Whether you are a first time buyer in Airdrie or Calgary, moving up or moving out of the city to fulfill your acreage dream budgeting is paramount.  The first step is to contact your bank or mortgage broker to find out what you can afford – there now you have a budget right?!  Not so fast!  When approving you for a mortgage they will ask you a series of questions about your employment, debt, expenses and then calculate an approved amount for your mortgage.  One of the first questions you need to ask is “How much will my monthly payment be ...

When you think about counter clutter people often think of the kitchen first which is what I’ve written about before, but the other place in your home that likely has counter clutter is the bathroom.  The main problem with clutter when you are selling your home is that it is distracting for the buyer – that’s why you want to get rid of it.  You want them to see your home not your stuff.

Although dirt and grime doesn’t seem like clutter it is because it’s distracting.  So above all else – clean your bathroom!  Once it’s ...

It was announced today that Alan Tennant of RE/MAX Rocky View has accepted the position of CEO with the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB).  “The decision to give up my real estate practice and join the ranks of professional association management was hard because I’ve loved every minute of being a REALTOR^® but it was easy in many ways because my passion for this business can now be expressed by serving REALTORS^®.”  

Alan has been a REALTOR^® for the past 26 years, originally starting with Century 21 Castlewood Agencies. Alan has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of ...

How many times have you heard this one; “if you are selling your house you have to take everything off of your kitchen counters”?  I say – that’s ridiculous!  If your counters are completely clear then it doesn’t look very homey.  If the home has a warm feeling buyers will be more attracted to it.  Think of the evolution of show homes, they used to be blank slates and now the table is set, there is fake fruit on the table and sometimes (if you’re lucky) they bake bread or cookies in the oven for that "at home ...

If you are selling a condo then you will need to gather all of your condo documents and have them ready – when you list!  Condo documents are essentially the paper history of a Condo Corporation.  Some of the documents that are usually included are Meeting Minutes, Annual Budget, Condo Plans & Insurance Certificates.  So why do you need them and where do you get them?

The first reason you need to get them in order is that your REALTOR will need them to verify information that is needed to load the listing onto REALTOR.ca.  Some of the things they will ...

If you are considering buying a condo you will also have to think about where you will park.  Whether you buy an apartment condo or a townhouse condo you could have either a titled stall or a leased or assigned stall.

A titled stall(s) means you own that piece of the parking lot.  You will have a title certificate for it.  If it’s leased you are essentially renting your parking stall(s) from the Condo Corporation and you would have a contract with a specific end date.  An assigned stall is when the Corporation owns the whole lot ...

I often run into buyer’s (usually first timers) that have the misconception that they have to contact the Listing Agent (the name on the sign) for each home they are interested in, in order to book a showing.  This is not the case.

When you list your home you want to make sure you hire a REALTOR you trust and whom you feel comfortable with because they are going to be selling your largest asset.  The same applies when you are buying.  This is a huge purchase whether it’s your first house or 50th.  You want to know ...

This August 6th, I (Michelle) celebrated my 30th birthday and I received the greatest gift ever!  Matt and I met the rest of my family (my parents, sister, grandparents and Matt's best friend Jeff) at Woodside Golf Course for a drink on the patio.  When we arrived I noticed it was busy, but I assumed it was because it was a nice day.  As we greeted everyone I was surprised to see Jeff because I didn't think he was arriving into town until the next day.  I had just sat down when all of the sudden "Forget You ...

Check out Matt Carre's exclusive listing!

Listed at $3,250,000 this amazing custom built log home sits on 20 acres in Balzac.  

It is located on Centre St (R.R. 13) in-between Calgary and Airdrie.

Fully finished walk-out with close to 5,000 square feet of living space.

Incredible architectural detail throughout.

Fantastic Chef’s Kitchen with plenty of space to entertain or spend time with family.

Please call Matt Carre of RE/MAX Rocky View Real Estate at 403-771-3398 for more details.

So you've decided to sell your house. You've managed to get the kids to clean up their rooms, you followed all my staging tips and your favourite REALTOR's sign is on the lawn – but what about Fido, Fee Fee and Gus the fish? When you have pets you have to think about what you will do with them during showings and how they could affect the sale of your home.

If your pets are quiet then usually it is fine if they stay home during a showing (don't worry about strapping Gus' fish bowl into the ...

Blogging is a great way for our Group to provide real estate information whether by written post or video!

Our goal is to keep our posts short but useful and hopefully a wee bit entertaining ;-) .

We also want to hear from you. If you have a question or a topic you would like us to talk about let us know.

We will have different series where we cover multiple topics. Think of it like you do your favourite sitcom; "Friends" is the series and "The One Where No One's Ready" is the topic. We likely won't be putting ...