When you make or receive an offer to buy a property, it's important that you read and understand every clause. It is especially important to understand any conditions or any changes that are made to the standard offer.

An offer may contain several types of conditions. The most common are "conditional upon arranging financing" and "conditional upon passing a professional home inspection." However, there may be other conditions as well.

You should be aware of – and fully understand – all of them.

In addition, the wording of an offer may change during the back and forth negotiations that often happen. Aside from changes to the price, other clauses may be added, removed or reworded as well.

A good agent will always ask you to initial changes. This is done primarily to ensure you know and approve of what you're signing.

A recent newspaper article tells the story of a buyer-seller legal dispute that resulted in a six-figure judgement against the seller. This was due, in part, to a lack of understanding of one of the clauses in the agreement.

You don't want that to happen to you. Take the time to carefully review and understand an offer.

Want to make sure everything goes smoothly with your next move? Call The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Team today!

If you have pets, you probably adore them. They're part of the family! But when you're preparing your home for sale, you need to think about how you're going to deal with the "pet issue".

Some potential buyers who view your property may love pets as much as you do. However, others may be turned off by the tell-tale signs of pet ownership – such as kitty litter, dander, and smells.

So be sure to make a plan for how you’re going to deal with your pets.

It's a good idea to keep pets out of the house during viewings. Even if your dog or cat is friendly, some buyers will be uncomfortable around them. So, you'll need to decide where your pets will go when buyers view your property. Consider a local kennel or "pet day camp".

"Can't I just take my dog out for a walk?" you might be asking. You could,; however, you may not always be available to do that during a viewing. So have alternate plans available.

You should also consider how you will deal with pet dander and everyday pet odours. You're probably used to them. Unfortunately, some buyers will be turned off or even be allergic. So, in addition to cleaning your home before a viewing -- especially in those areas where pets spend time like a favourite cushion or scratching post – consider using specialty air sprays available on the market that will neutralize pet odours.

Finally, it's a good idea to advise buyers that they're viewing a home with pets. That way, they'll be more forgiving if they catch a whiff of cat dander.

Need more tips on preparing your home for sale? Call The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Team 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 Team!

AUGUST SURVEY SUMMARY

Property Type:
25.4% of purchases were by Move-Up Buyers (down from 29.2% in July)  
17.3% by First Time Buyers  (up from 14.9%) *
13.7% moving from Single Family Home to Strata Unit (up from 12.9%) *
11.2% buying Recreation Property  (up from 10.2%) * 
9.0% buying Revenue/Investment Property  (down from 9.2) 
6.5% moving into Retirement Home/Seniors Community  (down from 6.8%) 
4.0% moving from Strata property to Single Family Home (down from 4.1%)  

* During August, there were increases in purchases by first time buyers, those moving from strata properties to single family homes and purchasers of  recreation property compared to the previous month.

Buyer Type (Family Dynamic):
25.4% Couple without Children (down from 26.7% in July) 
25.0% Two Parent Family/Children (up from 24.7%) **
20.2% Empty Nester/Retired (down from 23.0%) 
13.6% Single Female (up from 13.0%) **
13.2% Single Male (up from 9.7%) **
4.1% Single Parent with Children (up from 2.7%) **

** There were more purchases by two parent families, single females and males, and single parents during August.

Moving From: 
50.1% from Within OMREB Board Area  (down from 50.3% in July)
22.6% from Alberta (down from 22.7%) 
9.8% from Other Areas in BC  (down from 11.7%)
5.2% from Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island  (down from 7.3%)
4.9% from Saskatchewan/Manitoba (up from 3.6%) *** 
4.5% from Eastern Canada/Maritimes (up from 1.3%) ***
2.1% from Outside Canada  (down from 2.3%) 
0.7% from NWT/Yukon (same as July)

*** Compared to July, more buyers moved from Saskatchewan/Manitoba and Eastern Canada/Maritimes in August, while movement from other areas declined.