Carla Sinclair

Why Buyers Use Real Estate Agents

2011-05-17T03:46:00Z

Purchasing a home can be a very exciting, stressful and complex endevour. Working with a real estate agent helps ease the process and ensure you are buying a home that will best suit your needs as well as give you a great real estate investment for the future. Real estate agents are looking at houses daily of all price ranges. They know the real estate market. They have access to the actual sold prices of homes which is absolutely paramount when purchasing. Sold prices reflect what buyers are actually prepared to pay for a home. Asking prices of homes can be all over the board. Some are Seller's prices and some are prices the real estate agent have suggestedto the Sellers by looking at the actual sold prices and then there are some that are somewhere in between. A real estate agent should give you all your options. You might not know if you went up in your price range by $10,000 you would be able to buy in Orchard Heights at brand new and it would effect your mortgage payments very insignificantly especially with the interest rates where they are right now. This is the time to go for more. First time homebuyers exemptions are really important. You have to meet certain criteria to not pay Property Transfer Tax. fProperty transfer tax is alot of money. 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the balance of the Purchase Price. Once you do find your home we prepare a Contract that protects you, help you negotiate the price, faciliate the financing, house inspection, look at the title to the property, house insurance etc. The real estate agent is with you to the day you take possession of your new home.

Good Showings

2011-04-29T14:13:00Z

Go the extra mile. If you have a potential Purchaser coming for a second look go all out. Get some fresh flowers to display on your kitchen table. Clean like you have never cleaned before. Get rid of that extra clutter you have been meaning to get to. Get a new crisp comforter for your bed and load it with pillows. Leave all your lights on, table lamps included. Put some music on, create an ambience. Bake some cookies and leave them out to eat while they look around. Make them want your house as their new home.

HST Referendum and how it effects Cranbrook Real Estate

2011-03-31T13:38:00Z

We have too many taxes already attached to real estate transactions. Property Transfer Tax is the biggest one when purchasing a property in BC. You pay the government 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the balance of the purchase price. If the home you are purchasing was $350,000, your property transfer tax payment to the government would be $5000. Its substanial. The government has a choke hold on it and does not want to give it up. They made some good money when the real estate market was booming from 2006 to 2009. Now with the HST you pay more to the government again. More than double more. On real estate commissions and on new housing purchases. Don't be confused. You do not pay any HST on used residential housing purchases. On new housing purchases we were told by the government the builders, contractors, sub-contractors would be getting tax credits for the HST and then this would be passed down to the consumer. It remains to be seen.

What happened to customer service??

2011-03-30T20:59:00Z

Its a big question these days. You call the bank, you get someone back east, you call your cell phone service provider, you get someone, somewhere..you go to a restaurant and you have to beg to eat, you go to make a purchase at a store and you are listening to the staff talk about when their next break is, etc. I am not saying this is everywhere. There are alot of great places with fantastic service. They get it. We have made a switch from having great customer service to having some downright terrible service. This is a huge part of my business and I take pride in it. Good customer service. I grew up in the generation where the customer is always right and you bend over backwards to accomodate them. If you choose to deal with me to help you buy or sell a home, you will get the service you deserve. No ifs ands or buts.

Prep your Home for Sale

2011-03-28T14:31:00Z

Declutter! Start packing. You are going to move anyway, so lets get a head start on the packing process. If you don't have room to store the boxes, get a storage unit. In is not that expensive and is worth every penny when it comes to getting your house sold. If potential buyers see a cluttered home, the first thing that comes to their mind is that this house too small. If you have it staged nicely without congestion it shows it does have lots of space and good organization. This is what appeals to a buyer.

Cranbrook's Season Change Blues

2011-03-28T01:57:00Z

The dirty snow, the ice, the brown lawns, the cold, then hot, the jacket, the no jacket....the list goes on of the Cranbrook blues. Its a tough time of year in Cranbrook. Boister yourselves and push on! Take to the ski hill! Its fantastic Spring conditions. Lots of soft snow with the sun shining on your back. Couldn't be better! Welcome the brown lawns. Crush up that snow and ice knowing its on its way out! Welcome the higher temps that will soon be here to stay. We will be baking at the wonderful beaches on our fabulous Lakes in no time!

Just sold an old Property Guys Listing

2011-03-25T17:21:00Z

Just sold a property that was listed through Property Guys. I listed this property and sold it in less that 60 days. The Sellers were very happy with the sale. It was all handled with little inconvenience to them and they were assured the transaction was handled legally and professionally.

The Cranbrook Spring Housing Market is Upon Us

2011-03-21T12:51:00Z

In the last 2 to 3 weeks it came.....the Spring rush! January and February were extremely quiet. The silence before the storm...Realtors are now running off their feet! I strongly suggest if you have a house you are planning to sell this year then don't wait to get it on the market. There is not enough inventory out there for buyers at the moment. Some buyers are having to making tough decisions with limited inventory. So get out that paint can today and get it done!

Open House in Orchard Heights on Saturday - Price just reduced to $379000

2011-03-11T20:44:00Z

Orchard Heights, Cranbrook - We invite everyone to visit our open house at 1416 20th Avenue S on March 12 from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

Property information

Open House in Gordon Terrace on Saturday - Amazing High End Custom Home

2011-03-11T20:43:00Z

Gordon Terrace, Cranbrook - We invite everyone to visit our open house at 900 17th Street S on March 12 from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM.

Property information

Open House in Elizabeth Lake on Saturday - Just Reduced to $294,900

2011-03-11T20:42:00Z

Elizabeth Lake, Cranbrook - We invite everyone to visit our open house at 104 Birch Drive on March 12 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM.

Property information

Waiting for the Cranbrook Spring Market.

2011-03-07T14:37:00Z

Most homeowners anticipating a sale of their home this year wait until the Spring to list it with a REALTOR (R). Spring is when the snow starts to melt and the Spring flowers start to bloom and there home is more attractive. Don't wait. The problem is everyone else is thinking the same thing. Your competition goes up tenfold. Instead of competing against 5 houses you are now competing against 20. Yes there are more buyers in the Spring/Summer, but there are always buyers at all times of the year. There are transfers from CPR, RCMP, Interior Health, Home Depot, Tembec etc. All different kinds of newcomers getting jobs throughout the Winter/Spring months. I just had a client in this past weekend coming to a new job for Interior Health who bought. We looked at houses on Saturday, she short listed to two houses. We went and looked a second time and she made her offer.

Keep in touch with your Mortgage Brokers and Bankers

2011-03-01T14:31:00Z

Always keep on top of what the interest rates are doing. Know what you can and cannot do with your mortgage. Interest rates are so good right now. This is the time to pay extra if you can manage it because the interest is much lower than it is usually and you will get down your principal faster. Find out what your prepayment penalty for renewing your mortgage is. Is it 3 months interest or interest differential? Variable rate mortgages are always only 3 months interest. If you are prime or prime plus on a variable rate mortgage, it might be worth it to go in and check to see if you can get prime less .75 or .65 or better. Even with paying the penalty you will come out ahead. You may want to move to a new home but don't think you can because your mortgage term is not up and you have to pay a penalty. Check. Information is free. It might not be what you think. Your mortgage broker or banker may be able to get you into a better mortgage and you will be paying less in the end. Look and blending and extending. Depending on when you received your mortgage, it might be a better rate and you might be able to get into a home you will be happier with. Ask around. Information is free. Get a second opinion. Knowledge is power. Your home is your biggest investment. Managing it financialyl is one of the most important aspects of being a homeowner.

TLC's "Property Ladder" on FSBO

2011-02-23T20:42:00Z

On TLC's, "Property Ladder" the host, Kirsten Kemp, was giving property sales stats on FSBO (For Sale By Owner) vs. agent-handled sales. Here are the stats she gave:

"Stats show that the median selling price of a FSBO are 15% lower than a house that is listed with a Realtor. Homes listed with Realtors sell in less than half the amount of time than FSBO's"

Don't be mis-led into believing that "saving" a small percentage of commission by selling yourself will result in more $$ in your pocket once the deal is completed. The facts prove otherwise.

Just Listed a Great Cranbrook Townhouse

2011-02-19T15:21:00Z

I just listed a great townhouse blocks from the Cranbrook Regional Hospital. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 1700 sq ft of space. The masterbedroom is huge with double closets. Private fenced yard. Updated kitchen and flooring. Strata fees are low at $90.00 per month. Priced to sell $175,000.00.