There are a lot of preparations that need to be made when you are buying and selling a home. You have to arrange for financing, prepare your property so that it’s as attractive as possible to potential buyers, start the process of looking for a new home, and on and on.

A great REALTOR® will help you do all that.

But there's one item on the list that's as important as the rest: Preparing yourself and your family. 

You want to make sure everyone is prepared for the excitement – and, yes, sometimes turbulence – of selling a home and buying another. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

Engage the Kids

Get them involved, as much as possible, in the decisions.  Ask them to make a list of the features they want most in a new home. Get them excited about the new friends they’ll be able to make in the new neighbourhood – and assure them that they can keep in touch with their current friends after the move.

Stay Healthy

With all the additional activities associated with buying and selling a home, it’s all too easy to skip exercises, home cooked meals and other healthy activities. Make a commitment to not let that happen.

Keep Up With Family Time

Like going to the beach with the family on weekends?  Enjoy a game of golf with your spouse? Kids involved in soccer, baseball or other sports? Do your best to keep up with these activities.

Ask for Help

Even the most well organized move doesn’t go smoothly 100% of the time. When you and your family are feeling some stress, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Give your REALTOR® a call! 

Want more ideas for making your move go smoothly? Call the Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group today!! Your best source for Kelowna Real Estate listings. 

Let’s face it. Most of us have strong emotional connections to our homes. It’s where our kids grew up. It’s where we spent time with friends and family. It’s where we went to relax and unwind.  So it can be difficult to let go of those emotions when you put your house or condo up for sale.

But it’s important that you do.

Why? To sell your property quickly, and for the best possible price, you need to think of it as objectively as possible — as a product.

That mindset is especially important when potential buyers drop by to view your home. 

The majority will be polite, but a few will be candid about what they like — and don’t like —about your property.

Buyers may talk openly about their dislike of the living room color that you worked so hard to select and paint. Or they may make tentative plans about converting the backyard flower bed that you adore, into a new sitting area. 

Don’t be defensive. It’s a normal part of the home shopping process to speculate about what can be changed to make a house a home. This is actually a good sign because buyers who make these types of comments are usually the ones who end up making an offer.

If there is a pattern to the feedback you are hearing about your property, you can use this information to your advantage. For example, if enough people comment that a room seems dark and gloomy you can eliminate the problem by installing light bulbs with a higher wattage. Conversely, if you notice that buyers are loving your spacious kitchen, then you and your REALTOR® can make sure this selling feature is highlighted prominently in the promotional materials. 

Always keep in mind that your real home is your next home. The property you’re selling is a product.

Need more tips on selling your house or condo? Call  the Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group today! Your best source for Kelowna Real Estate Listings!

Selling a home is no small venture. Whether you are selling to move up, move down, move away or for some other reason, you want the process to be relatively fast and painless. You also want to make as much money as possible.

Like fixing a car, some people will be tempted to do the job themselves, reasoning that they can "pocket" the real estate commission. But for most, this is a false economy that makes no more sense than trying to rebuild a car's transmission without the knowledge, training, experience or time needed to do the job properly.

Saving the real estate commission is not a  true bargain because most buyers will expect a "bargain" when they see a For Sale by Owner sign. They will offer less than fair market value and the owner will be forced to negotiate upward to realize a small part of the anticipated commission savings. The do-it-yourselfer will also have to factor in the considerable amount of time and expense required to market the property, respond to enquiry phone calls, show their own property and fill out all the legal paperwork.

Selling your home is a complex procedure that involves large sums of money, stringent legal requirements and has the potential for very costly mistakes. That's why there are plenty of experienced real estate professionals to help you make the best sale possible. A REALTOR® has the qualifications, experience and commitment needed to do the work for you.

By REALTOR®, we mean a licensed real estate professional who is a member of a local real estate board - where there is one - and is also a member of the British Columbia Real Estate Association and the Canadian Real Estate Association. When you work with a REALTOR®, you can expect that person to adhere not only to provincial law governing the real estate industry, but also to a national code of ethics.

In addition to following up on details promptly and accurately, a REALTOR® is an expert in effectively marketing your home. Moreover, when you work with a REALTOR® your home will receive far-reaching market exposure through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS®). And the more exposure your home gets, the more likely you are to find a buyer willing to pay "your price".

Source: www.omreb.com 

The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group, your best source for Kelowna Real Estate Listings!

Today's interest rate announcement will be Mark Carney's last as Governor of the Bank of Canada, however that is the only meaningful change as the Bank once again opted to leave its overnight target rate at 1 per cent.  The Bank expects first quarter growth to be stronger then its original projection of 1.5 per cent, and forecasts that the remainder of the year will remain in line with its April projection. The Bank expects inflation will remain subdued before rising to 2 per cent in mid-2015 when the economy returns to full capacity. The Bank once again stated that the considerable monetary policy stimulus currently in place will remain appropriate for an unspecified "period of time" after which some withdrawal will likely be required.

The Bank of Canada remains caught between the rock of a muddling economy and the hard place of elevated household debt burdens. If the second half of this year unfolds as most forecasters expect, economic growth should accelerate, helping inflation to get back on a path to the Bank's 2 per cent target. However, if that scenario does not unfold and the economy continues its slow growth trend, the "period of time" the Bank has noted may stretch out longer than the Bank currently has in mind. Our own analysis of the Canadian economy suggests there will not be any movement on interest rates until late 2014.

Information provided by www.bcrea.bc.ca

Use a yard sale to reduce the clutter in your home and get rid of items you don't want to move.

1.    Check with your municipality to see if you need a permit or license.

2.    See if neighbors want to participate and have a "block" sale to attract more visitors.

3.    Advertise. Put an ad in free classified papers, put up signs and balloons at major

       intersections and in stores near your home.

4.    Price items ahead and attach prices with removable stickers. Remember,  yard sales are

       supposed to be bargains, so don't try to sell anything of  significant value this way.

5.    Check items before the sale to be sure you haven't including something you want by

       mistake.

6.    Keep pets away from the sale.

7.    Display everything neatly and individually so customers don't have to dig through boxes.

8.    Have an electrical outlet so buyers can test appliances.

9.    Have plenty of bags and newspaper for wrapping fragile items.

10. Get enough change, and keep a close eye on your cash.

Thinking of buying or selling real estate? Call The Dion-Ivans Real Estate Group today!!