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You’ve seen fire extinguishers in commercial environments, such as schools, stores and workplaces.


Does it make sense to have one in your
home?


According to the experts, yes. In fact, a fire extinguisher can quickly put out a blaze that would otherwise quickly grow out of control.


There are several types of fire extinguishers that are made especially for residential use. That means they put out the most common fires that occur in the home (Class A, B & K fires), and they are easy to handle and use.


Since most residential fires happen in the kitchen, that’s the best place to keep your extinguisher. Make sure everyone in your household knows where it is and how to use it.


Keep in mind that a home fire extinguisher is meant for small fires that are easy to put out, such as a pan of vegetable oil igniting on the stove. If you find you can’t control the blaze within a few seconds with the extinguisher, get everyone out of the home and call the fire department.


Also, never attempt to fight a major fire yourself. Leave that to the professionals.

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Setting the right list price for a home is a mystery for many sellers. How do you begin to determine what buyers are likely to pay for your property? After all, no two homes are exactly alike.


Yet, setting the right price is crucial. You need to avoid the two price “tipping points” that, if crossed, can cause you a lot of problems.


The first tipping point is a price that’s low enough for buyers to begin thinking something is wrong. They wonder, “Why is your price so low? What are you not telling us about your property?”


But that’s not even the worst problem with this tipping point. If you do get offers at that low price, you’ll have a bigger issue – leaving thousands of dollars on the table.


The other tipping point is setting your price so high it discourages buyers from giving your listing a second look. When your price is that high, you’ll get few enquiries and even fewer people coming to see your property. Of course, you can lower your price later, if necessary. But experience shows that reduced prices make potential buyers skeptical. Most sellers who price high in the hopes of getting a windfall actually end up selling for much less than they would have if they had priced their properties correctly in the first place.


So what’s the right price to list your property? The answer is somewhere inbetween those two tipping points.


Call today for help determining the right price for your property.

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July 4 2016, Victoria, BC


A total of 1,174 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this June, an increase of 29 per cent compared to the 910 properties sold in June last year.


“When we look at month over month numbers, sales are down almost 9 per cent in June compared to the record breaking sales we saw in May, which may be due to the very low inventory available,” notes Mike Nugent, 2016 President of the Board. “It’s likely that sales would be higher were there more on the market to buy, but with the current conditions people may be hesitant to give up the homes they have.”


Inventory levels remain lower than the year previous, with 2,289 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of June 2016, 42.8 per cent fewer than the 4,003 active listings at the end of June 2015.


“June marks the halfway point for 2016. By this time last year 4,282 properties had sold,” adds Nugent. “In the same six months this year, 6,181 properties have sold. If sales continue at a similar rate, we may meet the total sales from last year by the end of the summer. However, this may depend on available inventory, which continues to decrease.”


The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in June, 2015 was $594,700. The benchmark value for the same home in June 2016 has increased by 21.9 per cent to $724,900.


“Even in this market, price and strategy are important,” says Nugent. “It’s smart to engage a local REALTOR® to identify a price point and marketing strategy to sell your property. We have seen many multiple offer situations and record breaking numbers in the past few months, but there are properties that sit unsold. Sellers trying to test the upper price limits in their specific range will find that buyers are as discerning as ever. Even in this market there is no guarantee of sale.”

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MLS® property information is provided under copyright© by the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board and Victoria Real Estate Board. The information is from sources deemed reliable, but should not be relied upon without independent verification.