Welcome to Calgary.com's blog, featuring news and insights on Calgary. Brought to you by Justin Havre & Associates - RE/MAX First.
Close
| Buying a Home? Beware of The Hidden Costs of Homeownership | |
Anyone who owns a home knows that there are many additional costs associated with owning a home. Many first-time homeowners base their decision to buy a home on their ability to make the monthly mortgage payments. In fact, there are many other costs that go into owning a home than just the mortgage payment. |
1358 Views, 0 Comments
11 Fattest Lies About the Real Estate Industry
1. A referral is the best way to get a Realtor
Simply trusting that a Realtor has your best interests at heart can lead to disappointment. Your needs are unique. Qualify all Realtors to ensure they are competent and motivated to properly represent you.
2. Pay off your mortgage quickly
If you reduce your payment or simply pay interest only (secure line of credit) and invest the savings into a compounding interest account, your savings will be much higher than the value of your original mortgage.
3. You don’t qualify for a mortgage
Regardless of your credit or income, anyone can purchase a house. Options such as joint ventures, vendor financing, second mortgages, and many more, provide…
1046 Views, 0 Comments
When should I sell? How can I make sure that I will get the most for my home? I can’t afford to own two homes, so how can I be sure I don’t get stuck with my house?
Timing is a critical factor in determining the amount of money you can expect to get for your home. It is important to note that we are discussing a free, “no labour required” way to add thousands to the price of your home. Before figuring out when we should sell, we need to understand the two primary factors that will determine how effectively you can maximize your return in regards to timing; Supply & Demand and Motivation.
Supply & Demand
There are certain laws in life that are always right and never wrong. The principle of supply & demand is one of them. When there are more…
1033 Views, 0 Comments
Price is the MOST important factor to consider when selling. So when pricing a home, should you list competitively, or should you speculate a bit and see if you will catch the “big fish”? Let’s take a look at both options.
What would happen if the real estate market suddenly shifted in favor of sellers, and you priced your home off comparable properties in your area that were now outdated (pricing it too low)? Well… in this case, you would likely have an offer on your
home within a couple days and within 98-100% of your list price. You may even get competing offers and receive more than the original asking price. Your sale is now done and you can forget about it. You may have gotten $5,000 - $10,000 more in 30-60 days, but that is only a “may”.
…
1095 Views, 0 Comments
Step 1 - Realtor Interviews and the Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)
There are hundreds of critical mistakes you can make when selling your home, however there is a universal cure for them all . . .qualifying and choosing the right agent. Ask your agent lots of questions to ensure their motives are in the right place and they have the ability to properly represent you. Furthermore, you need to find out if you are comfortable with this person’s style of business.
In addition to an interview with an agent, have them look at your house and give you an idea of value. The agent will then assess the other homes in the area that are comparable to yours, make financial adjustments for the differences and give you an approximate value. This process is…
1079 Views, 0 Comments
This “FREE” report outlines 10 reasons why I believe may have had home trouble selling while it was listed with another real estate company. Although these suggestions are not fact, they do generally reflect views and situations why many of the homes have listed have not sold during the listing period. Please note that these reasons are only this agent’s conclusion or ideas and do not suggest or have any accusations or wrong doings toward any previously listed real estate company and or their agents.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
with you. Feel free to call me at Justin Havre at 403-294-1500 or through this site.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Communication. One of the main goals and functions…981 Views, 0 Comments
Selling a house in a slow real estate market can be difficult. In times like these, it's not enough to simply list your home and wait; you actually have to sell your home. No one really wants to sell anything when the market is bad, however, it's not impossible to sell your house in these conditions. It just takes a positive attitude and a different kind of game plan.
Even though the market's not favourable to sellers and widespread economic recovery may be months, even years off, there are a number of tactics available to increase the likelihood of a sale.
1. Know your market
One of the most important things you can do to get your house sold is to learn your market, the value of your property and your competition. Most sellers operate in the dark,…
1200 Views, 0 Comments
With so many homes for sale in the Calgary Real Estate market your first impressions count. Obviously, your home should look its best when potential
buyers arrive. However, time is not always on your side. There
may be times when you have only a few minutes to get things
ready. What you do with those minutes can mean the difference
between an interested buyer … and one who crosses your
home off the list.
Here are some things you can do to help your home look its best
in just five minutes or less:
• Put away coats, hats, and shoes. Clean up, especially
around the foyer. You don't want clutter to be the first
thing a buyer sees.
• Turn on all lights and lamps. A home that is bright
looks larger.
• Put on some soft music. Easy listening is the best…
1213 Views, 0 Comments
Since it is a buyer’s real estate market in Calgary and with over 15,000 active listings, sellers need to make the 1st impression count and here are 5 simple ways to make your house sellable. Remember when you found your current home? You walked in and got the feeling it was a great fit for you and your family. Now that you’re selling your house, you need to make that same impression on the next potential buyer. Here’s how to do it.
1) Clean and de-clutter Make sure your kitchen, bathrooms, and floors sparkle. Use old fashioned elbow grease or call in professional cleaners to get the job done. Can you walk into your walk-in closet? Does your car barely fit into your garage? Start packing early and put your…1459 Views, 0 Comments
