My Blog

Social Media Planning

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:09:56 -0700

Spending time on social media is a must within our business. But what is the best way to get the most in return for your efforts without taking time away from other business-building activities?

On Thursday February 16^th, Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate was proud to be the only real estate company to host an event at Social Media Week in New York. The event, titled “From House to Home: Social Media’s Impact on Buying, Designing and Selling a Home,” included Kim-Marie Mullen, social media expert and Business Development Manager at Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate Rand Realty.

We sat down with Kim-Marie after Social Media Week and asked her to share a few tips and tricks to managing social media as well as her favorite tools.

Creating Your Social Media Strategy

Q: How do you plan posts and tweets throughout the week?

Kim-Marie: I would encourage anyone dabbling in a few different social channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) to determine what their goals are for each one. Once you identify what you want to achieve, the next step is to create or curate interesting content. Schedule time into your calendar to find 2-3 articles to tweet per day and at least one post for Facebook. Then take a few minutes to interact within your social sphere. It’s important that your fans and friends know there is a real person behind that information.

Q: Do you use automation to send out regular social media updates?

Kim-Marie: Social media automation is a great way to save time, but it must be used in moderation. I will use tools like Hootsuite, and Sprout Social to manage my social sites and also to schedule a few tweets throughout the week. Since I’m on the go quite a bit, my favorite posting tool is my iPhone. It’s easy to scan through Twitter or Facebook and find articles that I want to share. The Hootsuite app for the iPhone allows me to schedule tweets in a matter of seconds!

Q: What is your communication strategy?

Kim-Marie: I take time each day to interact with my friends, followers and fans. Social media isn’t a one-way street. Schedule 10 minutes at the beginning and end of your day to read and comment on friends’ and followers’ tweets, posts and blogs. Participation is the key to a successful strategy. Scheduling time into your calendar like any other appointment will keep you on track.

Q: Are you tweeting, posting and commenting at all hours of the day?

Kim-Marie: You will find that I’m far less active on social media on the weekends. I believe that it’s important to unplug and unwind. During the workweek I’m very active, but like to step away from the social side of business and enjoy my evenings or weekends. Who said we have to be available all hours of the day and night? At some point you will burn out if you don’t step away and shut social media off entirely.

Q: Any final thoughts or suggestions?

Kim-Marie: The bottom line is this: If you take the time to plan, implement and stay consistent with your efforts, your social media strategy can and will pay off. The important thing to always keep in mind is that social media is only one pillar of your marketing strategy. Decide how much time and effort you can devote and then stick with it!

Follow Kim-Marie on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook!

Winter Driving and Safety Tips

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:33:15 -0700

I know what you are thinking, if we ignore it, maybe it will go away, but the fact is, winter is around the corner, again. I know this because my weather app said so (never mind the snow on the ground this morning). The app shows a small graphic of the expected weather for a few days in advance.

As you can see, it will be "Cold" and snowy soon.

This time last year we wrote a little article with some tips and tricks to prepare for winter driving, guess what, no point re-inventing the wheel - here it is again:

Posted: November 18, 2010

It is that time of year again in the northern hemisphere, the snow and temperature are falling and the roads are getting icy.

I can think of three ways we can live with this:

1. Do nothing and hope for the best
2. Buy a snow blower and start driving south, when you meet someone that asks what that thing is, it is safe to stop.
3. Prepare your vehicle and yourself for the coming months of winter wonderland.

If we could all afford to go for option #2, it would be a different world that we live in, so most of us should look at option 3. Now, this topic is so well written, by so many, that I will not start in myself, instead, I recommend checking out the Transportation Canada website:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-safetyfeatures-winterdriving-tips-700.htm

The website goes into great detail, even teaching you how to drift your car! Here are the main points:

Prevent problems before they occur: Top 10 tips

Do the Monster Mash

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:05:30 -0700

Fall is here! Not only does that mean falling leaves and extra chores, but also there will soon be goblins, pirates, princesses and ghosts wandering the streets of the neighbourhood on one of the most exciting nights of the year – Halloween.

History

Halloween has a long and storied history. Originally a fall festival celebrating the end of summer, Samhain, which in Old Irish basically means ‘Summer’s End,’ was a celebration of the end of summer and a festival to prepare for the coming winter. They would light a large bonfire in celebration and to ward off bad spirits then use that fire to light the hearth fires (the fire each family kept in their home).
In the 8th Century, Pope Gregory III chose November 1st as a time to honour the saints, All Saints Day. The night before they celebrated those ‘Hallowed,’ honoured or holy people, was then referred to as All Hallows Eve (All Hallows night) which has turned into Halloween.

Traditions

Celebrations have changed over the years, but certain traditions are still celebrated today.

Of course there is ‘Trick or Treating’ where kids originally demanded treats or else they would perform tricks on the homeowners. These under-aged blackmailers are not as often seen today, but the term still applies. This of course doesn’t mean that tricks don’t get played, but usually that is done by the not-quite-so-under-aged teenagers rather than the kids who are actually trick or treating.

Jack o’ Lanterns are also based on tradition. While most North Americans choose to carve pumpkins, the tradition started in the British Isles where turnips would be hollowed out and carved into faces. Candles would be placed in them and they would be left out on doorsteps or window sills to chase off evil spirits. It’s generally agreed the pumpkins are a whole lot easier to carve.

My favourite tradition is of course drinking a big hot chocolate with lots of mini marshmallows. While not needed when I was living in Texas, it seems awfully important now. Now I usually just have instant hot chocolate, but this year I’m thinking about trying this recipe - Hot Caramel Chocolate.

Tips

Here are a couple quick tips to help this spooky night go right.

If you’re handing out candy at home, make sure your porch light is on – This lets everyone know that you’re passing out candy. And of course, if you aren’t handing out candy, keep that light off. If confuses all of us when my son and I show up at a door with the light on and either no one answers or we get a Grumpy- Gus telling us that he’s not giving out candy.

Speaking of lights, make sure your kids have one. A flashlight is great, but if you find they don’t want to carry one or continuously flash it in your eyes (at least that’s what my son does...) then light them up with glow sticks or even glowing bracelets that can usually be found at Halloween stores or even the dollar store. Make sure your kiddo is easy to spot by anyone who’s driving through the neighbourhood. Reflective tape works great and can be placed on the candy bag or around the bottom of your child’s pant legs to give that much more protection.

If you happen to be out and about on Halloween night, SLOW IT DOWN. Kids can come from anywhere and I promise you that there is not a single place you need to be on Halloween night that is more important as the safety of the kids in the neighbourhood.

Walk with your kids – make trick or treating a family event. If they are “too old” to have mom and dad walk with them, make sure you know where they are going, when they are coming back and if possible make sure one has a cell phone – Just in case.

This is a great holiday where everyone can have fun, but remember to be safe, too!

From all of us at Signature Service Real Estate – Happy Halloween!

For more information, check out the pages I got some of the info above:
Wiki
History.com

Forget Spring Cleaning, Fall cleaning is here!

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:54:38 -0700

The wind is blowing cooler and there is just a touch of frost on the piles of leaves that have bloomed in my yard seemingly overnight. And in case I needed another indicator of the end of Summer, I just made plans with a friend to have him come over to help put the hard top back on the Jeep.

It certainly is that time of year. Jackets are hung on the coat rack, scarves and mittens need to be dug out of storage, and I’m once again on the search for those all elusive 12EEEE winter boots.

Oh, and of course, there are new chores to be done around the house:

1)    Clean the gutters. The last thing I want is for all the melting ice and snow this winter to sit up on top of my roof.

2)    Check my chimney for any critters, critter garbage or anything else in it that shouldn’t be there. Really the last thing I want when I light a fire is a fire that doesn’t fit inside the fireplace.

3)    Have a certified service company come check my furnace for very similar reasons to chore number 2.

4)    Blow out our underground sprinklers with an air compressor because it’s a much better solution than having all the water still in there blow out the sides of the pipes once it freezes.

5)    Shut off the outside water faucets because if I ever do decide to turn my basement into a swimming pool, I want it done on my terms.

6)    Check all the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide filters – especially if you choose to skip chores 2 and 3.

7)    If you have a sump pump, now is a great time to ensure it’s working properly or else the pool thing I mentioned in chore 5 might be a reality.

8)    Check windows and doors to make sure they close securely and replace weather stripping as needed so that winter stays outside.

9)    If you own a boat or an RV, make sure you’ve winterized them completely so you can enjoy them once we get rid of all the white stuff that’s soon to be on the ground.

10)    Go HERE for some other great chores to do around the house to get ready for Winter.

If you don’t own your own home and see all the fun you’re missing, give us a call. If you’ve already had all the fun you can handle and are ready for a change, we can help you with that too.

All of us at Signature Service Real Estate wish you a safe and warm autumn season.

Does a Bad Pickup Line Still Work Today?

Fri, 20 May 2011 04:16:47 -0700

"Hey Baby, what's your sign?"

The year - 1978. The place - a crowded disco on a Saturday night. Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band's "A Fifth of Beethoven" is thumping, perspiring couples clad in their best polyester are crowding the dance floor doing the Hustle and the mirror ball is slowly turning overhead.

The scene is perfect for a single guy...let's call him Rick... to pick up a "chick." Rick spots a particularly "foxy" one sitting at the bar so he decides to make his move. He adjusts the collar on his pale blue leisure suit, smoothes his feathered haircut, and takes the stool next to her.

Then he delivers his no-fail line... "Hey Baby, what's your sign?

The "foxy chick"...let's call her Denise...tosses her Farrah Fawcett hairdo, peers coyly over the umbrella in her Fuzzy Navel and purrs, "I'm an Aquarius."

"Right on!" Rick thinks to himself, "a water sign."

He turns to Denise and smiles. "That's really groovy, baby. I'm a Pisces. You wanna boogie?"

The scene fades as they take to the dance floor. Let's just say that Rick and Denise keep on truckin'.

Examining the scene from today's perspective, the obvious issue - beyond their poor fashion sense - is whether either Rick or Denise actually learned anything substantive about the other in that brief exchange. On the other hand, I'm sure that more relationships than many of us would like to admit were launched in the seventies based solely on the knowledge of our date's astrological sign.

However, believe it or not, there are plenty of homeowners and buyers who have selected an agent based on similar surface generalizations to choose, assess and manage their Real Estate transactions.

The buyers and sellers of today have a long list of tools and resources that will assist them in selecting and hiring the right agent; such as the internet, books, and checking with the local Real Estate Board.

Let’s review a few quick and easy methods that will allow you to determine if your agent is worthy of your business. After all, we wouldn’t want you to hire someone who will end up costing you money, correct?!

1. Has anyone you know worked with this agent. A great resource is to ask the question on your Facebook, or better yet, check out their LinkedIn profile and see who is connected to them.

2. Interview this agent properly, while asking questions that demand measurable answers. An example would be: “How many Open Houses will you host over the next 120 days?”

3. What tools will the agent use to locate your next home or to sell your current home? Are they tech savvy and do they have additional resources that other agents don’t currently use?

4. How and how often will they keep in contact with you? Will it be up to you to check in with them, or will they actually treat you like a client/

5. If you select them to represent you, what are your recourses if you are not happy with the service or the outcome?

6. Do they have references and personal recommendations from past clients that you may call on or read?

7. Did they bring a portfolio to the table with tools and resources that will ease the process for you, such as a mortgage contact, a bonded home inspector, a reputable moving company, reliable cleaning services, and more?

So before your strap on those boogie boots, armed with a quick one liner, remember that selecting a good and reputable REALTOR® can make all the difference and may save you lots of money in the end. Follow the aforementioned few steps and you should be well on your way to a successful and stress free Real Estate experience.

If you are currently thinking about buying or selling a home, we are happy to assist.

Staging Your Home Step 1

Mon, 09 May 2011 04:30:02 -0700

One of the most effective and inexpensive tools in today’s Real Estate market is "staging" your house. It doesn’t matter how hard your sales agent works to bring buyers to your home, if your house does not look like the dream home they imagined, they simply won’t buy it.

“Staging” means furnishing, decorating, outdoor clean-ups and ultimately arranging homes in such a way to attract increased buyer interest

A recent national survey indicated that staged homes sold on average in 13.8 days, while non-staged homes sold in 30.9 days. That’s a difference of a mortgage payment! Starting with the curb appeal, the buyer looks at your home and considers the value weighed by the amount of work or maintenance they will need to apply to the property, once they own it. The percentage of list versus sale price is another strong reason to favour staging your home. In the next few blog posts we will address many areas of a home that can be staged on a minimal budget with maximum results. Today let’s review some quick tips for improving curb appeal, the first in-person impression a buyer will have:

•Your flowerbeds should be turned, weed free, and properly edged. Mulch is usually a great addition to a flower bed. All hedges should be evenly trimmed and the lawn regularly maintained. If you’re not into gardening, paying for a quick landscaping job might be well worth the investment.

•Check to make sure all outdoor lighting is in good working order. Consider leaving them on slightly longer than normal to encourage potential ‘drive-by’ viewings from interested buyers during the evening hours.

•Ensure your front entryway is presentable. A great exterior accent piece is a freshly painted front door, which, when combined with a few seasonal potted plants, will create a more welcoming entranceway for prospective buyers.

•Polish the front doorknob or handle and replace a dented or tarnished mailbox and door mat. Make sure your home address numbers can be easily seen from the street to facilitate potential viewings.

•Check if your aluminum siding or brickwork needs washing or your gutters need cleaning. If dead leaves are spilling over from your eaves troughs, buyers tend to get a negative impression.

•If you have a wood deck, make sure the stain or paint looks fresh. Good-looking patio furniture will contribute to the look of the backyard.

•Clean up yard clutter and put away the kids’ outdoor toys to help enhance the size of your yard.

•A free consultation is always provided when you ask to meet with a Signature Service Real Estate Professional about selling your house.

It's Easy Being Green

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:52:09 -0700

Yesterday everyone was decked out in green for Saint Patrick’s day, but we don’t have to only be green one day a year. Many people are turning to ‘green’ solutions to help our environment.

It’s amazing to me how much waste can come from owning a home. In my house, if we kept all the cardboard and plastic that we go through in a year, we could probably fill up one of our bedrooms and all the chemicals we use for washing dishes, clothes and the floors would certainly fill up a small pool.

But what can we do about it?

Homeowners who want to do a bit for the environment are finding some new (and many old) ways to be a bit more ‘green:’

First and foremost, let’s remember the 3 ‘R’s of being good to our planet.

Reduce – Always a great thing, but I noticed that as I moved from a small apartment to a three-bedroom house and as my family moved from me to a good old-fashioned North American family of 3.14 persons I started needing more – not less. More food, more clothes, more stuff and in the end more waste. We try to do our part to Reduce and while I don’t yet get to buy my milk in a bag, we have been able to buy a bit less of everything. Every little bit counts, right?

Reuse – So my son refuses to wear his sister’s hand-me-downs, which is good because he doesn’t look good in pink, but we do take our clothes that are still in good shape and donate them to the Canadian Diabetes Association. Plus we always reuse our plastic grocery sacks when we’ve forgotten our canvas grocery bags (score one for Reducing and Reusing).

Recycling – I’m originally from Texas and when I left we were just starting to build up recycling programs in the community I lived in, and I hadn’t gotten 10 cents of a bottle since I was 8 years-old. Most Canadians do a fantastic job recycling, and while I might not be real pleased by paying the extra few bucks when I buy a case of pop, I certainly try to get every penny back by taking them to be recycled. The problem with recycling is plastic. Glass, metal and cardboard/paper seem to do great when it comes to recycling, but plastic can cause some serious problems because of all the different types of plastic or dyes that are used. While recycling plastic is always a better bet than tossing it into a landfill, in the end, reducing and reusing are much better ways to go.

What else can you do around the house? If you are already taking care of the three ‘R’s then how about using fewer harsh chemicals when cleaning or washing around the house? You might even save yourself a bit of money while you’re at it.

Laundry

There are plenty of different brands of laundry soap to choose from, and while the amount of waste is being reduced because most brands are switching to stronger soaps in smaller bottles, even the small bottles aren’t going to biodegrade in a landfill and recycling, like I said before, can still be pretty hard on the environment. How about trying homemade soap instead?

Here are two recipes for homemade laundry soap:

Liquid Laundry soap:
1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
-Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
-Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
-Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
-Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:
12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)
-Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
-Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Your mileage may vary on these, but there are literally hundreds of resources for finding homemade detergent recipes, including the one where I found these.

Cleaning around the House:

Vinegar

When I was a broke college student, I tried to find ways to save money. My favourite find was vinegar. Vinegar is amazing around the house. It works as a degreaser and as a deodorizer. That last part might sound odd, considering how pungent vinegar is, but the smell will quickly dissipate leaving no odour.

Get an empty spray bottle from the store and fill it with one part Vinegar and one part water. I use it to clean my stove top and counters. It works great on floors. It’s also fantastic for cleaning your bathroom and will eat through hard water deposits. I run it through my coffee maker once in a while to make sure that it continues to work well. Be careful with tiled surfaces, however, as it can eat through your grout.

Toss half a cup of vinegar in your washing machine or your dishwasher to boost cleaning and help keep both free of hard water deposits.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a fantastic abrasive powder that can be used on any really tough problem areas. Scrub it with a warm wet cloth just like a commercial scouring powder to clean your toughest jobs. It also works great for deodorizing just about anything. You can always place a box in your refrigerator to absorb smells, but I like putting some in the bottom of my garbage can or a little sprinkled in your sneakers. For the cat owners out there, you can add it directly into your litter boxes.
For the really tough jobs or to polish silver, create a paste with 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. This makes a great pre-treater for your laundry as well.

Olive Oil

This is probably my all-time favourite ‘around the house’ item. Olive oil was used in the middle ages for everything from cleaning and polishing wood, steal and leather to offerings to the gods in Greece and even in religious ceremonies.

Olive oil works as a great wood polisher. Pour some olive oil onto a cloth and rub the wood, working the oil into the pores of wooden knife handles or cutting boards to keep them from cracking or drying out. Add a little lemon juice (2 parts oil to 1 part juice) to use it as a floor or wood polish. Olive oil can also be used on leather to keep the leather supple and keep it from cracking. Use it to polish and treat steel to keep it shiny and rust-free.

A little added to your pets food will help prevent hairballs, keep their coats shiny and beautiful and cause less shedding.

Olive oil can also be used in your hair and skin. It works great to soften cuticles or to detangle your hair. It’s also a natural moisturizer and full of antioxidants. Use on dry skin or mix with an equal amount of melted natural beeswax to make lip balm. It can also be used instead of shaving cream or as an aftershave.
It also can be used to unstick zippers by rubbing the zipper with a Q-tip soaked in the oil or to keep hinges from sticking or squeaking.

Of course, you can use it for cooking as well, if you have any left over.

What else?

These are only a couple products and a couple uses. All of these can be used in many other uses around your home as well. They are all non-toxic and, with the exception of the olive oil, extremely cheap. Witch-hazel, lemon juice, oranges, toothpaste and canola oil all have great uses around the house that allows you to use a non-toxic, environmentally friendly solution.

What about the house itself? There are some fantastic ways that we can make our homes ‘green,’ and I’m not just talking about a coat of paint. Bamboo flooring is durable, looks fantastic and is a completely renewable resource. Hardwood trees can take 60 or more years to grow before being used, but bamboo can take as little as 60 days to grow and be used. There are many products using bamboo, besides flooring. Kitchen utensils, such as wooden spoons are fantastic and beautiful and even textiles, such as towels and clothing are now being made with bamboo.

Changing out your windows can keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Any time we can reduce energy costs, we help not only our pocketbooks, but our environment as well.

Finally, solar cells are cheaper than ever and can be used to either directly provide power to your home or give you a rebate from the power company. Not only are they better for the environment, but you may qualify for government subsidies when you install them.

Finally…

Being green doesn’t mean that you’ll have products that don’t work as well or that you’ll spend more for them. Between new technology and old-time home remedies, being green can save you money and the planet at the same time.

Want more green products and uses for the ones in this post? The internet is a great way to find them.

Thinking about making your house green as well? Before you start spending money on any new renovations, talk to a REALTOR®. They can help make sure that your investment is the best investment you can make. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to meet with you for a no-obligation free consultation.

Stay green!

Don't Let it Go to the Dogs!

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:55:11 -0700

I have two dogs- two very well behaved large dogs. One is an eleven year-old border collie and the second is a 15 month old Catahoula leopard & lab mix. The city of Medicine Hat is a dog owner’s heaven. With the parks and the off-leash areas, any dog owner would be thrilled to live here.

Since moving to town, we have walked at almost every park in and around the city. Sometimes it’s just the pups and me and sometimes my 12 year-old daughter tags along.   It’s an amazing experience to be the only person walking dogs at Kin Coulee Park on a Saturday morning. You can hear the snow crunching under your feet in the otherwise silent morning air.

It’s during the quiet moments of my walks that I think about life’s little challenges. Last weekend, as I was walking, I was thinking about the difficult time we had locating the perfect house- not only for my family, but also for my dogs. We needed a big fenced back yard with a mud room for them to come in and go out of to avoid dragging melted snow all over the house.

I know I’m not the only one to be in this situation. I have three neighbours who have chairs perched in their front window area, piled with a nest of pillows or blankets, so that their pups can lounge away the day while looking out the window.   You see, we all do crazy things for our pets- baby talk, special pet beds, cute toys, etc.

After all, we love them!

Unfortunately, if you are thinking about selling your home, there is an important fact that we should consider as pet owners. 35 percent of the population is allergic to, or afraid of, pets. So if you place your home on the market today and you have showings with your pet still in the house (crated, sequestered or worse, loose in the backyard), you will appeal to only 65 percent of the buyers who are looking for a house.

A reduced number of potential buyers means that you will need to lower your asking price by at least 20 percent below other homes in similar size and value just to help a buyer over the threshold. Once the price has been lowered, you may see an increase in the appeal to offset the 35percent won’t consider buying a home with a pet. Additionally the potential buyer will more than likely negotiate a lower price, as they feel there should be compensation for the pet dander/oder/existance.

So how do we remedy this? As a dog owner and real estate professional I can tell you that there is only one real solution.

As a real estate professional I know this is the best solution.

As a pet owner it seems unfair.

The solution is to place your furry family member with a friend or relative while your home is on the market. If you don’t have anyone who can take them, you can place them in a boarding facility for the time needed.

You will sell your home quite a bit faster and you will obtain a higher offer.

Every agent at Signature Service Real Estate is not only a Dog and/or Cat lover, but also a great problem solver. As professional REALTORS® it is our duty to offer you solutions that will help you sell your home more quickly, at the highest price, and in the least amount of time.

We would love to hear your feedback in our comment area. Tell us about your pets and if you have had to sell or buy real estate while being a pet owner. If you are not an animal lover, please share with us how you feel about buying a home that is inhabited by a dog or cat.

By: Yvonne Thomas

To Buy or not to buy - first?

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:07:44 -0700

Eventually we all end up in the same place. Whether your family is quickly outgrowing your home or you’re seeing the last of your children packing to move on into the realm of adulthood, many of us find that it’s time to find a new home that better fits our needs.

But now there is a dilemma. Should you secure the home of your dreams by writing an offer subject to your current home selling or are you better to wait and except an offer before you buy?

In a buyer’s market, such as what we are currently in, we recommend putting your home on the market first. This is for several reasons. First, you’ll be able to tell if your house is priced right by the activity it generates. Because the price you get for your home will probably reflect on the price of the home you’re buying, you will be in a much stronger negotiating position when you have found your dream home. If you do make an offer on a new home expecting that you will net a certain amount at $300,000 for your current home, the outcome can be catastrophic if you can only sell your home for $250,000. If you’ve already sold your home, you’ll know exactly how much money you’ll have to work with.

A second reason for selling your home first is that having a condition in your offer can cause the seller to hold strong with price negotiations or, worst case, accept another offer.

Remember that in a buyer’s market there are more homes on the market than buyers, so there are more than enough properties that will meet your buying needs. You will position yourself stronger as a seller and you will have more leverage as a buyer.

If you’re in a seller’s market, where you have many more buyers than homes on the market, you may find yourself in the reverse situation as we have seen over the last few years. It was very possible that if you sold or purchased 3 years ago, you would have been better to buy the home you wanted as soon as it came onto market, because you were much more likely to sell your home faster and at a higher price due to demand.

As with most situations in Real Estate, there are very few rules that are absolute. While many people may be better off selling first in a buyer’s market, your individual situation may not fall into the norm, but there are experts out there who can help. Give one of our REALTORS® a call and let us help you every step of the way.

Are Rental Suites a Sweet Deal?

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:42:03 -0700

I love HGTV. I’ve especially come to enjoy the shows about real estate, but one of my favourites is Income Property. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about people who have, usually, purchased a home with the intent to rent out part of it to help cover the mortgage. The host comes in, looks at the property and then helps to renovate it to make it a beautiful rental suite. At the end, almost invariably, the home owner is thrilled with the outcome and is able to earn a large percentage of their mortgage with the rental.

Multi-family homes might be a fantastic idea for you and your family. You may even qualify for a larger home than you normally would or even be able to cut your mortgage cost in half or better. But buying a home with a rental suite brings up issues that many families would never need to consider. As with many things in life there are advantages and disadvantages to having a rental suite.
As stated, a rental suite could bring you extra income or allow you to take a large chunk out of your mortgage. If you have a $1000 mortgage and are able to rent a basement apartment for $800/month, you only have to pay $200 of your mortgage and can use the savings for home improvement, paying off your mortgage faster or anything else you want.

Having a legal rental suite in your home can also increase the value of your home. Done well, rental suites create a continued value in your home as any buyers will be able to rent the property, or better, continue renting the property to a tenant already living there. But rental properties, while being able to add value to your home also cause your home to fall into a niche. Many people who don’t want to deal with a renter will bypass your home for one where the entire square footage is usable.

Having a tenant there can also create more security for your home. If you are gone for a week, your home won’t stand empty and you can be comforted by the fact that you have someone there while you’re gone if the worst should occur. While you want to do everything in your power to find the best and most reliable tenant for your rental property, you should be aware that not everyone who will be looking for a rental is a good tenant. There are always horror stories about the bad tenants, rent not being paid, or having to call collection agencies, or worse, the police. While there is no guarantee that the renter will be the perfect tenant, checking references and thoroughly interviewing them will help. If they have rented before, check with previous landlords if you are legally allowed to do so in your area.

Sometimes your problem won’t be with the tenant, but instead you’ll have trouble finding a tenant. Before you buy, check with your local realtor. They can help you determine if there is a need for rental properties. That won’t always help during slow times of growth, but at least you can get more information.

Unexpected expenses are always something to be aware of when you own your own home. When you have a rental property, you double the things that can go wrong. Problems with wiring, plumbing or appliances can always crop up and if you have two dishwashers, you have two dishwashers that are able to break down. You should be prepared for that when you own a home, but if you have a rental you need to make sure you’re doubly prepared.

Insurance costs may also rise with a rental property. Protecting yourself and your investment is imperative to being a successful landlord. Don’t skimp on this. Insurance is there for when things go wrong, and when/if something does go wrong, you’ll be glad you paid those extra premiums.

Looking back over this post, I see what may seem to be a lot more points against having a rental suite than for, but remember to weigh those negatives against the additional income you can get from the rental suite. Having a rental suite isn’t for everyone, but many people find that it’s perfect for them.

Now, to ask the questions that need to be answered before you buy.

If you’ve read this far, let’s at least assume that you are considering having a rental suite in your home. First thing you have to find out when you’re going to buy a home with a rental suite is if the suite is a legal apartment. It doesn’t have to be legal, but make sure that you’re willing to make it legal before you rent it. If it’s going to cost $1000’s to bring the suite up to code and get the correct paperwork, is that something you’re willing to do?

You need to make yourself familiar with your local and provincial laws. Ignorance is not an excuse and some communities have very strict rules that must be followed. It’s up to you to make sure that everything you’re doing is going to be legal.

The second thing you want to know is if it’s even worth having the suite. If your new home will be only a couple blocks from a local college, it might be a perfect situation as there are always college students looking for a place to live during the year. If the new home is located in an area that is full of un-rented apartments, maybe the area won’t support another rental.

This isn’t even close to an exhaustive article. There is a lot to know before you consider renting a portion of your home, so make sure that you have the right person in your corner. Our agents will love to help you decide if a rental property is a good idea for you and your family. Call us for a free consultation. We’re here to help.

It’s my castle and I’ll renovate it how I want to!

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:55:30 -0700

You approach with a sense of excitement. The perfectly manicured lawn and the beautifully groomed brushes frame the perfect home for you and your family. Already, without setting foot in the door, you’re ready to buy, so you step into your new castle and can only wonder: What were they thinking?

Everyone does it. Design, decorate and renovate your house to fit your style and needs: Doors in odd places, bathroom fixtures in colors reminiscent of a Pepto-Bismol commercial, or a kitchen that has never seen this side of the 70’s.

Which is great for the people living there, but what happens when you go to sell? Before you spend the time, money and heartache, consider the change you are about to make. You might want that quick entry into the bathroom from the kitchen, but will the next people who move in? Will the next owner of the home want the toilet/shower combination in their guest bathroom? Most important of all, will you or the next owner be able to easily change the remodel you’re looking to do. A bold paint choice is great for you and with a couple coats of primer and paint you can have a much more neutral look for your next buyer, but tearing out your walls to make your 3 bedroom house into a two master house may not be so easy to change, and worse, will probably devalue your home.

Many home renovations are started with the thought towards not just making your home better suited to you and your family, but also increase its value. Before you start that major renovation, call the one person who can give you expert advice – your real estate agent. The Signature Service Real Estate team is well trained in this area and always ready to give you a free evaluation on your renovations and help you know you’re making the right choice before you make that first cut or purchase towards your renovation.

On the biggest investment you are going to make, you want to know that the changes are only going to make it better. Free home evaluations go a long way towards making an equitable decision you can bank on.

Signature Service Real Estate

Searching for a Home

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:27:25 -0700

When you make a decision to search for a new home, and are actually serious about purchasing a home, it is time to take the necessary steps for the search.

There are several ways to go about searching for a home, which includes searching the internet, reading the newspaper and of course, talking to a real estate agent.

It is always great to do your own research, and by that I mean searching the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) - available on our website www.ssre.ca - for homes and if you do find homes that interest you, then you can take the next step, that being to call the respective agent and setting up a showing.

The best thing you can do is talk to a real estate agent about the type of house you are looking for, it helps make the process a lot easier, and will save you time you might not have to spend.

A real estate agent will take what you want into consideration and compile a list of houses that suit your needs.

This will include the features you are looking for and the price you are looking for.

They will do the work for you, and all you really have to do is go through the list, and select what you really want to see.

Next time you are looking for a house, get yourself a real estate agent, you will definitely not regret it. And you can always connect with one of our agents through our Facebook Page.

Is your REALTOR® MerrilyMobile on Facebook?

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:37:28 -0700

With the holidays upon us and the snapshot of our year quickly developing before our eyes, for many, reflection sets in. At Holiday gatherings we find ourselves catching up with friends and professional colleagues and it seems that on the forefront of many minds are the economy, the real estate market and social media marketing.

As a matter of fact, this is the time when real estate professionals and small business owners alike should be working on a business plan for 2011. The consensus from the Holiday Party conversations is that most are very concerned about how they will network and find clients in this digital age. “Should I keep my website and should I make an attempt at a blog?”“Should I combine and streamline my websites?”“What marketing will I keep doing? What will I stop doing? What new marketing should I do?” These are all valid questions, certainly not isolated to the real estate industry.

We, at Signature Service Real Estate, have seen a 20% gth this year in mobile use and are

convinced we will see even more in the year to come. Even more than the explosion of mobile though, I

would say, was the explosion of the term “social media,” which was plastered, said and seen

everywhere you looked or at any real estate conference this year.

Overall, its explosion was greatly in the form of trial and error. Many tried it, most people didn’t make

any sales from it, and few used it exceptionally well. Another great point that was made during cocktail

conversations was the fact we can’t forget that there are millions of other ways to use the Internet to

market your business & expose your listings to buyers. But where are the people we are attempting to

expose our seller’s listings to? You guessed it; Facebook!

Whether a real estate brokerage or REALTOR® spends more or the same amount of time on Facebook

next year, one thing to take away from this year’s many trials and errors is that you better have a social

media presence and a plan to capture buyers and expose your listings. With the growth in mobile use

and Facebook exposure it is clear that people want to know on the go! They also want to connect within

the comfort of their communities on Facebook, where transparency and personal recommendations

mean more than a Google search.

So ask yourself these questions if you are thinking about buying or selling real estate in the near future; is

my agent marketing and networking on Facebook? Does my agent have mobile capture?

And if you are a REALTOR® currently working the business in Saskatchewan or Alberta, you should ask

yourself the same questions about the broker you have affiliated yourself with.

In the meantime, visit us on Facebook or check our website out on your mobile device (no app needed).

Merry Mobile & Happy Facebook from us all at Signature Service Real Estate!