If you're like most people, you go to see a doctor when you're not feeling well or have a health concern. However, you may also visit your doctor for a check-up, or to ask questions about healthy living.

In fact, consulting your doctor for anything health-related is a smart idea.

The same holds true when it comes to real estate.

Many people only call a REALTOR® when they're planning on selling their property or buying a new home, or both. While that's an important reason to speak to a REALTOR®, it's not the only reason.

Indeed, there are many good reasons for you to give a good REALTOR® a call. For example:

• If you have a question about the state of the local real estate market. (Remember that it may be very different from what you hear on the news about the national market.)

• If you want to get a sense of what homes are currently selling for in the area.

• If you want to determine the current market value of your property.

• If you want to find out how much homes cost in neighbourhoods you'd like to consider.

• If you're thinking about the possibility of making a move, but you’re not sure if it’s the right time.
•  

In other words, don't be afraid to contact a good REALTOR® when you have a question or need some advice about the real estate market. 

Call The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group today!!

Every month the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB) does a survey to get a better understanding of buyers. Below is a summary of the survey that shows what types of properties are being bought, the family dynamic of buyers and where the buyers are coming from. If you have any questions about this survey or any other Kelowna real estate stats, call The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group!

FEBRUARY SURVEY SUMMARY

Property Type:

27.7% by First Time Buyers  (up from 20.8% in January)*
27.7% of purchases were by Move-Up Buyers (up from 26.4%) *
10.9% moving from Single Family Home to Strata Unit  (down from 14.4%)
6.7% buying Revenue/Investment Property  (up from 6.4%)*
5.9% buying Recreation Property  (down from 8.0%)
5.0% moving from Strata property to Single Family Home  (down from 6.4%) 
3.4% moving into Retirement Home/Seniors Community  (down from 4.0%)

* During the month of February, there was an increase in purchases by Move-up and First-time buyers, and revenue property investors, while all other property types were down compared to the previous month.

Buyer Type (Family Dynamic):
31.7% Two Parent Family/Children (up from 20.7% in January)**
24.2% Couple without Children (up from 19.3%)**
17.5% Empty Nester/Retired (down from 23.7%) 
14.2% Single Male (similar to January - 14.1%) 
6.7% Single Female (down from 17.0%)
5.0% Single Parent with Children (down from 6.7%)

** There were more purchases by two parent families with children and couples without kids during February.

Moving From: 
59.8% from Within OMREB Board Area  (down from 60.3% in January) 
18.0% from Alberta (up from 13.2%)***
8.2% from Other Areas in BC  (down from 11.0%)
7.4% from Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island  (up from 6.8%)***
4.1% from Outside Canada  (up from 1.5%)***
1.6% from Eastern Canada/Maritimes (down from 2.2%)
0.8% from Saskatchewan/Manitoba (down from 4.4%) 
0% from NWT/Yukon (down from 0.7%)

*** Compared to January, more buyers moved from within Alberta, the Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island, and outside Canada, while purchasers from other areas decreased in February.

Below are the Real Estate Statistics for the month of February 2014. 

For more information, call The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group today!

The Bank of Canada announced this morning that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. In its accompanying statement, the Bank noted that the economy is preceding largely on the path the Bank projected in its January Monetary Policy Report. While inflation and growth were slightly higher than expected in the fourth quarter of 2013, the Bank expects slack in the economy to keep inflation below the Bank's 2 per cent target this year. The Bank does not view the risks associated with elevated household imbalances as materially changed and judges the current stance of monetary policy, with the overnight rate at 1 per cent, as appropriate.

Speculation of an impending rate cut by the Bank of Canada has receded in recent weeks following a modest acceleration of inflation and stronger than expected economic growth. The uptick in inflation and growth is in part due to a sharply lower Canadian dollar and, while not explicitly targeting a lower value of the loonie, policymakers at the Bank have welcomed the decline in the dollar. A depreciation in the currency tends to be inflationary and impacts consumer prices in fairly short order while traditional monetary policy, through adjusting the overnight interest rate, impacts inflation only with a significant lag of 12 to 18 months.  With the lower loonie helping to pull inflation higher, we expect the Bank will likely maintain its target rate at 1 per cent until 2015 when economic conditions may require a gradual increase in the overnight rate. 

Information provided by BCREA. 

Electricity in the home is so commonplace that it's easy to forget how dangerous it can be. According to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, an electrical shock can knock you unconscious, cause a serious burn, or even stop your heartbeat.

Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to reduce the risk. 

• Install safety plugs in outlets that young children can reach.

• Never plug in anything with a frayed or otherwise damaged power cord.

• Never use a plugged-in computer, hair dryer, or other electrically-powered item near a filled sink or bathtub. This includes phones with power cords.

• Never touch anything electrical with wet hands or while standing in water. (Water is a remarkably efficient conductor of electricity.)

• Always turn off the appropriate breaker before doing any electrical work, such as installing a new light fixture.

• When replacing a broken light bulb, turn off the breaker first. Although the glass is broken, the filament may still be conducting electricity.

Finally, unless you're an expert or an electrician, never do any major electrical work on your own. Hire a professional.