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Meeting with a REALTOR® can be stressful. To ease some of this stress, here are a few quick tips on things to do before talking to your REALTOR®.

Talk to Your Significant Other

It is extremely important that you and your partner are on the same page. Decide what’s important to you. If it matches your partner’s wishes, then perfect! But often, our needs and wants vary from our partner’s ideas. The best way to handle this? Communication and compromise. Sit down and write a list with your significant other. Each choose 1 or 2 things that top your list of importance. Try to focus on those things when house hunting. It will make the experience much more enjoyable for you both. Continue reading →

Springtime has arrived in Langley! Luckily this year it has even brought us some sunshine. Between the hectic kids schedules, busy work lives, and the dreaded Spring cleaning, it can be difficult to find time to give your home the love it needs. Here are a few great and easy ways to touch up your living space and get it ready for Springtime!

Flowers Will Liven Up your Living Space

Sun is out, flowers are blooming, Spring is finally here! Let’s bring some of that colour and excitement into your living space this year. Tulips, daisies and lavender are great springtime flowers that will liven up your Langley home instantly. If you’re lucky enough to have a blooming garden at home, get creative and make your own bouquet! You can even get the kids involved. Great glass vases are inexpensive and can easily be personalized and transformed. For a more rustic look, even try use a mason jar as a vase. Scrub down vases with a little soap and water to start, give it a quick scrub with rubbing alcohol, and then it’s ready for a quick coat of spray paint. It’s easy, fun and a great way to decorate, while adding your own personal touches and sense of style. Also, don’t forget about the fabulous floral shops we have in Langley! Check out Walnut Grove Flower Boutique or in Fort Langley, go to Floralista Flower Studio for beautiful springtime flowers to jazz up your home. Continue reading →

Title Insurance is a product designed to protect homeowners and mortgage lenders with protection against losses resulting from title fraud, title issues, survey issues and title defects. Most mortgage lenders will require that you obtain title insurance at the time you purchase your property. If it is required, your lawyer will coordinate ordering the policy on your behalf during the document preparation process. Depending upon the Title Insurance Provider and whether the property you are purchasing is a free standing home or a strata property, the typical, one-time premium for title insurance ranges from $130 to $180. The law firm you choose to complete your conveyance for you can let you know exactly what the premium will be for your particular transaction. Continue reading →

Fixed Rate Mortgage A fixed rate mortgage is a basic mortgage with limited prepayment privileges and often has high penalties for refinancing or payout out your mortgage. This is a good mortgage to have if interest rates are low and you don’t foresee any imminent changes required in your term or payments. However, if you plan on paying out your mortgage because you anticipate a large lump sum of money or inheritance, this might not be a good mortgage for you. Variable Rate Mortgage As prime rates fluctuate, so will your mortgage rate. There is slightly more risk, so in turn, you are offered the lowest rates, but you must pay attention to prime rate and lock in if they climb too high. This is a great mortgage if interest rates are low or lowering, but not a good idea for somebody who likes minimal risk and prefers security with their finances. CHIP Reverse Mortgage CHIP (Canadian Home Income Plan) Reverse Mortgages have been in Canada for over 25 years and are designed for Canadian senior homeowners giving them access to borrow up to 50% against the value of their home. The great thing about this loan is that you don’t have to repay the loan for as long as you own and live in the home.

You have been looking at dozens of houses in the neighbourhood you desire but there always seems to be one or two major issues with each one that cause you to walk away and keep on looking. The last one you saw with your realtor had everything you wanted except for the 1970s bathroom with cracked tile, leaky faucets and a dingy old bathtub. It’s a deal breaker for you because the house is priced at the top of your budget and there is no money to renovate. Or is it? Of course, if you have enough of a down payment and the income to qualify, you may be able to add a line of credit to your mortgage and take care of it that way. But what if you don’t have that much down? The answer may be in the purchase plus improvements program. This option covers the sale price of the home plus any renovations that would increase the value of the property. Let’s say that the bathroom is going to cost you $15,000 to renovate. Using the purchase plus improvements program you would add the $15,000 to the purchase price and borrow up to 95% of that amount for your mortgage. In this scenario, based on current rates, the bathroom renovation would add $75 per month to the mortgage payment over 25 years all in one mortgage with one monthly payment! Here are a few important facts to know about the program:Ø The renovations cannot be strictly cosmetic in nature and must improve the value of the home (ie. flooring, bathrooms, kitchens etc) Continue reading →

Not many people try to sell their home by themselves, but some do, and some do it very successfully. However, statistics show that 85-90% of For Sale By Owners will end up hiring a Professional REALTOR® after trying unsuccessfully by themselves. In fact, it was only just a few short years ago that Colby Sambrotto, one of the founders of the Internet listing site ForSaleByOwner.com, ended up hiring a REALTOR® to sell his condo after he spent 6 months trying to sell it through online and classified ads! So what are the Pros of selling your home by yourself? The answer is simple, and I can only think of one. Continue reading →

I’m pleased to announce the launch of my new dedicated website and search engine for Acreage in The Fraser Valley. Users can search for property with acreage based on price, lot size, location and many other factors. Take a peek at http://acreageinfraservalley.com The website focuses on the core areas within the Fraser Valley, Langley, Surrey, Abbotsford and Chilliwack. All listings are updated daily to ensure the best results for Acreage for sale in The Fraser Valley.

Many people buying a home find they have to complete a questionnaire for their insurer and one of the questions they will be asked is what type of plumbing pipe do they have in the home. There is a type of pipe called polybutylene which is on insurance company’s radar due to leaks and water damage to homes caused by leaks.
Polybutylene is a grey flexible pipe and was used extensively between 1978 and 1995. It became popular due to the high price of copper and the lower installation costs. Possibly 200,000 homes in British Columbia were plumbed with this pipe. Polybutylene was subject to a class action law suit which has closed. This pipe is no longer manufactured and was removed from the National Plumbing Code in 2005. Continue reading →

I recently wrote a blog about Unauthorized Suites in the Langley Township and detailed some of the options for authorization in order to be in compliance with Township Bylaws, which were passed in May 2013. As well as the option to authorize, there is also the option to de-commission, or remove, the suite. Decommissioning is possibly an easier option for some people, especially if you don’t have anybody occupying the suite. This will eliminate the additional utility charges and you avoid the necessity of a Secondary Suite License. Decommissioning includes: Continue reading →

I am being asked more and more frequently about Secondary Suites, Unauthorized Accommodations or Basement Suites as they’re also known. As of May 2013, all secondary suites are required by the Township of Langley to have a Secondary Suite License. A building permit is required to ensure the secondary suite has been inspected and can be licensed accordingly. One of the biggest questions is: what are the requirements for the suite to be authorized. Firstly, the property needs to be owner occupied and you are only permitted one suite in the home. It cannot exceed 968 square feet or 40% of the total living space of the building. As well, the ceiling height cannot be less than 6’6”. Continue reading →