Connect2Agent - Home Buyers and Sellers

Making a move to Canada? Here are the top 10 Canadian myths revealed

If you are making a move across the border to our Canadian friends in the North, what ideas do you have about the lifestyle and environment waiting for you when you arrive? 

Our Canadian Account Representative, Lesly Matter, dispels the top 10 Canadian myths.

Myth 1: Canadians live in igloos.

Reality: We live in houses and they are very well-built.                                                                                                 

Myth 2: There is snow everywhere all year long.

Reality: Anyone who has spent a summer in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal will strongly disagree with this.
 

Myth 3: Canadians don't get the same movies Americans do.

Reality: We get the same movies, on the same day, and our censorship is less severe. Furthermore, the Paramount theater in Montreal is the most attended and most lucrative movie theater in North America.
 

Myth 4: Canada does not have a film industry.

Reality: We have a thriving film industry, and many syndicated U.S. TV shows, as well as major studio motion pictures, are filmed here. Canada is renowned to have some of the best production crews in the world.
 

Myth 5: Canadians all say "eh" and "aboot." 

Reality: Sure, some of us do, but Canada is a big country with many different people who speak many different languages and dialects.
 

Myth 6: Everyone in Quebec speaks French.

Reality: Although a large percentage of the province's population is Francophone, there is also a large number of Anglophones and Allophones.
 

Myth 7: Canadians have fewer guns than Americans.

Reality: We have just as many, if not more; we just have fewer murders. If you want stats and figures, see Michael Moore's documentary, Bowling for Columbine.
                                 

Myth 8: Canada's national sport is hockey.

Reality: Not completely true. While hockey is very popular and considered our national pastime, our national sport is lacrosse. Oh, and we invented baseball too. In 1994, the Federal Government  introduced Bill C-212, which officially made hockey Canada’s National Winter Sport and lacrosse Canada’s National Summer Sport. Thanks Rolly! So the answer is both!
                         

Myth 9: Canadians do not have the same technology as Americans.

Reality: Canadians have access to the same technology as Americans and the rest of the civilized   world.

Myth 10: Canadian policemen are all Mounties dressed in red uniforms.

Reality: Our cops are the same as American cops. The Mounties usually only dress up in red for special occasions.

If you would like to know more about the lifestyles and real estate in Canada, contact one of our Vancouver Connect2Agent members.

Do you live in Canada? Connect2Agent would love to know of any additional myths that you can dispel. Please share your insight by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Homeowners: Where can you seek financial assistance to help pay your energy bills?

Where can financially distressed homeowners find financial assistance to offset the expenses of their heating bills?

A 10-20% increase in energy bills is expected during the 2006-07 winter season, according to the EIA (Energy Information Administration), which provides the official energy statistics from the U.S. Government. A program called LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) was created to help low-income and elderly families with their heating bills. 

Families that fall into these categories are sometimes forced to make choices that affect their basic needs in order to pay for heat, like forgoing needed prescriptions or being able to pay for clothes and healthy food. Sometimes the need to heat their houses leads to unsafe practices, such as using outdated space heaters or leaving the oven open to provide heat.

To apply for energy assistance, visit the Campaign for Home Energy Assistance website. This website provides listings for each state that furnishes Low Income Home Energy Assistance. Each state offers different assistance and has different requirements.The website also provides eligibility requirements, contact phone numbers and in some cases, applications for downloading.

A coalition of United States senators are requesting that President Bush release a contingency fund for LIHEAP to $20 million for the year 2008. They are also requesting an additional $2.4 billion for the energy assistance program. Energy assistance is vital for homeowners and renters who cannot afford to pay their heating bills. 

Connect2Agent has contacted Sherry Vogel, program specialist for the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, to find the best avenue to support the release of these funds. We will publish her response when we receive it.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Home Buyers: Do you think of real estate as a long-term investment?

As I was pondering the state of the real estate market, my thoughts turned toward my family's Friday game night.

We often choose to play Monopoly on game night. This simple game got me thinking about home buyers and sellers and the reaction to the housing market. Could it be that many real estate players in the last few years--home buyers, sellers and even some real estate agents and lenders--were living for the moment? The money could be borrowed, the properties were there for the taking and the future seemed far away. 

The first time I played Monopoly with my son Zach, who is 6, and my daughter Zoe, who is 10, I was quite impressed by my children's ability to save their payday money toward future purchases. 

Zach passed GO and collected his paychecks at least five times before he considered purchasing property. He carefully studied which properties his sister and I were buying. When he did spend his money, he successfully split up my railroad properties. I wanted four and only ended up with two. Zoe's red properties that she had intended on building hotels and houses on were split up when he bought the last one out from under her.

Home Sellers: What should you do when your house has been on the market for six months or more?

Help my friend whose house has been on the market longer than six months.

If you are a seller and your house has been on the market for six months or more, what should you do?

I have a friend named Tracey who is selling her house in Lake In The Hills, Illinois (a Northwest Suburb of Chicago). 

Here are the details of her situation:

The house that Tracey is selling is in an area that had a hot housing market 2-3 years ago. If you were a home buyer and you found a house you liked, you would have needed to put an offer in that day or the very next in order to secure the house. Now, there are many similar houses for sale, and they are not selling fast.

Tracey owns a townhouse she has been trying to sell since June. Her real estate agent provided her with comparable houses that had sold in the spring for $170,000. Her house has three bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a one-car garage. The comparable houses that had sold had the same dimensions, but lacked a finished basement. Tracey's house has a finished basement that she paid a licensed contractor $12,000 to complete.

Homeowners: Do you have enough homeowner's insurance coverage?

If you own a house in an area prone to natural disasters, how can you make sure you have enough homeowner's insurance coverage? 

I recently watched a video, "Home Insurance 9-1-1", that provides a harrowing picture of the insurance industry. The video was co-produced by Bloomberg and NOW, a weekly magazine from PBS. It relays stories of homeowners who have suffered through wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes, and lost their houses in the process.

One family in the video lost their house to a wildfire in Southern California. This family thought they had full replacement coverage that would guarantee the costs to rebuild their house. When they submitted a claim from their contractor, the insurance company did not pay the full estimate. They had to get a loan for $280,000 to cover the costs needed to rebuild their house.

Another family lost their house in an earthquake. This family was not aware that their insurance policy contained a replacement clause that did not fully cover the cost related to damage/replacement in the event of an earthquake. 

The total bid to replace their house came in at $589,000. The insurance company offered $305,000, leaving this family a difference of $284,000 in total out-of-pocket expenses. They were still in mediation with the insurance company at the time the video aired, and had been for six months.

Most of the other families interviewed in the video suffered extensive damage or loss to their houses. In a room of approximately 30 homeowners, only two had received claim money from their insurance companies that covered the full cost to rebuild their houses. 

The families who were interviewed strongly suggested that homeowners take the following precautions to protect themselves against being underinsured:

• Read your insurance policy: If you receive any changes or adjustments to your policy in the mail, make sure to review them thoroughly. Ask your insurance agent for specifics if you are unclear.
• Review changes in your policy: Some insurance companies change policies with terms that may be misleading. If your full replacement coverage is reworded to read "extended replacement," there may be additional disclaimers or stipulations that can reduce the amount of money you are entitled to claim in the event of loss or destruction to your house.
• Take out sufficient coverage: Go to a contractor and find out how much it costs to buy a house. Insist on purchasing a policy for that amount. Do not leave yourself underinsured.
• Maintain extensive records: Many of the homeowners in the video had to provide extensive records of any maintenance or improvements that had been done to their houses, as well as receipts as proof for their belongings. Some of the insurance companies wanted photos and videos also.

Have you had to make a claim with an insurance company because of damage to your house? Do you have any advice that you can share about your claim process? I invite you to share by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Home Buyers: What makes your house a home?

What makes your house a home? 

Is it a home because you live in a brand new house, decked to the nines with all of the latest gadgets and upgrades?  Is it because you have formed great relationships with your neighbors and consider them to be an extended family?

I was pondering these questions as I am thinking about what I am grateful for this holiday season.  I am first and foremost grateful for my children, my health, the lifestyle that I live. 

I am also grateful to live in the neighborhood I do.  While I wouldn't go so far as to give a kidney to my neighbors should they need one, I am blessed to live in a neighborhood where people look out for each other. 

If I am behind in yard work, I have a neighbor who will blow my leaves if she is out working on her yard.  When my kids get off the bus from school I know that their short walk to get home is guided by the caring eyes of neighbors seeing their safe harbor along the way.  If I need a cup of sugar or am just looking for some friendly conversation, I know I can go a few doors down and find it.

I can't put a price tag on the comfort and security this adds to my life.

The neighborhood I live in now reminds me of my childhood days.  My family lived in upstate New York in an old 1800's colonial summer estate.  In this house, every room had a history and a story.  When we moved in we added to the house's history with our traditions and family experiences.  I believe this house had a soul.

My family now lives in Walworth County, Wisconsin.  We haven't lived in New York for nearly two decades, yet the friendships that my family made from our old neighborhood in New York are still alive today.  The stories from our childhood years in New York are retold to my children, usually during the holidays.  The house and neighborhood in New York will be with us always.

So what makes your house a home?  If you are looking to purchase a house now, what kinds of things are you looking for that will provide you with lifelong memories?  And one word of advice, if you do find that house, grab it.  It will provide you with a lifetime full of memories.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Homeowners: The Homeowner's Defense Act Bill may alleviate homeowner's insurance woes

Are you a homeowner who lives in an area prone to natural disasters:  hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes? 

Have you had problems struggling with increasing homeowner's insurance rates or lack of catastrophe coverage? 

A new bill, HR 3355-Homeowners Defense Act of 2007, sponsored by Floridian representatives Ron Klein, Tim Mahoney, and Ginny Brown-Waite has been passed by the House of Representatives.  It was designed "To ensure the availability and affordability of homeowners' insurance coverage for catastrophic events".

Tom Zucco, staff writer of the St. Petersburg Times, addresses the bill in his article, "Federal Disaster Fund Bill moves forward" and describes the following benefits available to homeowner's if the bill passes the Senate and is signed by the President into law:

• The federal government would enter into a joint venture with the states for five years.  It would provide $10 million a year in funding for catastrophes.  State governments would match this $10 million a year fund.
• The federal government would be able to loan money to any state effected by a natural disaster.
• Lower insurance rates and more widespread availability are expected.

Connect2Agent will be updating you on this bill's progress.  Relief from the costs of rising insurance rates and limited availability in some areas of the country is needed by homeowners.  If you have any insight to share on homeowner's insurance or HR3355, please share by commenting below.

Home Sellers: How to stage your house to sell during the holidays

If you are selling a house during the holiday season, you might want to consider staging to cut down your market time.  Some real estate experts suggest that staging (preparing your house in the best possible light for a home buyer) your house will cut down the time your house is on the market by as much as 50%.

How do you stage your house to sell over the holidays?

Yesterday's post on selling your house over the holidays provides a few decorating ideas.  I want to share with you a video from Ozzie Jurock.  Jurock is a known as a real estate guru and marketing expert from Vancouver, British Columbia. 

His video, "Staging a Home for Sale" offers homeowners these tips:

1.  Declutter your house to make it appear larger.
2.  Paint your house inside and out neutral.
3.  Clear areas - keep only minimal furniture in the rooms of your house.
4.  Put up your Christmas lights and Christmas tree.
5.  Bake some Christmas cookies or use cinnamon sticks to create a welcoming aroma.
6.  Take personal items off your refrigerator.

Jurock also recommends that  homeowners hire a professional if they are unsure about how to stage their house to sell.  He said that staging can be done to cut down on marketing time for condominiums also.

If you want to find a professional to help you prepare your house for sale, visit the Accredited Staging Professional's website  where you can search throughout the United States as well as Canada. 

Your local real estate agent might also have a referral for you, so make sure to ask.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Home Buyers: It is a great time to buy a house in Las Vegas, NV

If you are a home buyer looking to relocate to Las Vegas, an empty nester seeking the refuge of warm weather, or a native to Las Vegas deciding whether to keep renting or to buy, now is a great time to purchase a house in Las Vegas.

I spoke with two Connect2Agent members who are local real estate agents in Las Vegas, Katherine Huang Little and Camilla Goodwin about the housing market in Las Vegas.  They provided me with the top reasons why a home buyer should consider purchasing a property in Las Vegas, NV:

1. Housing is affordable - There are some great deals right now in the Las Vegas market.  You can purchase a 3 bedroom 2 bath house that is commutable to the Las Vegas strip in the low 200,000's, and high 100,000's.  A house that would have appraised 3 years ago for $400,000 can now be purchased in the low 300,000's or high 200,000's.

Home Sellers: Real estate agent gives tips on how to sell your home during the holiday season

If you are a home seller during the holiday season, how can you effectively market your house?

I had written a previous post on the pros and cons of selling your house during the winter.  If you already have your house listed on the local real estate market, I want to recommend a recent blog post written by Gary Smith, a real estate agent in Commerce Township, Michigan, "12 Reasons to Market Your Home During the Holidays." 

Smith's top 12 tips for selling your house during the holidays are:

1. Keep walkways and driveways clear of snow so home buyers have easy access to your property.
2. Keep your house heated.
3. Make sure your house is well lit by opening window treatments and making sure all of your light fixtures work properly.
4. Keep your windows clean.
5. Use the holiday theme to your advantage by playing holiday music softly in the background.
6. Improve the appearance of your house by keeping it clean and making it attractive so that home buyers can envision your house as their home.
7. Prepare a marketing flyer that emphasizes the winter activities in your local area.
8. Put your outdoor and indoor lights on timers.
9. Decorate your house for the holidays.
10. Appeal to a homebuyer's sense of smell by baking cookies or using scented candles.
11. Ask home buyers to remove their shoes while they are in your house.  Think about providing them with disposable slip-ons.
12. Leave a small snack for home buyers who are touring your house.

Do you have any tips for homeowners who are selling their house during the holiday season?  Have you ever sold your house during the holidays and have a success story to share.  I invite you to enlighten home sellers by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson