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You can’t call yourself a dentist unless you have specific hard-earned credentials. Just about anyone, however, can hang a shingle and call himself a home improvement contractor. That’s why choosing a reputable one is so difficult. Here are some tips:


• Find out if he or she is truly in business full-time. A part-time or occasional contractor may not have the experience necessary to do a great job.
• Ask about licenses and other credentials. Some contractors have accreditations from professional and trade associations.
• Review his or her project portfolio. A reputable contractor will have photos and other evidence of work completed for similar clients.
• Check online for reviews. If there are more than five poor reviews within the past three years — that’s a red flag.

• Ask for references. Then, call at least one.

 

Finally, the best contractors are those that get recommended by people you trust.


Looking for a contractor recommendation? Call me today and I would be happy to provide you with a list of tried and true professionals.

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Figuring out how much time you should spend viewing properties for sale isa little like asking, “How long should I spend trying on shoes?”


The answer seems obvious: As long as it takes to make a decision!


Buying a home is significantly more complex than purchasing shoes – and the stakes are higher too! You need to make sure you have all the information necessary to confidently make the best decision.

 

 There are basically three stages to viewing a property:


1. Macro
2. Micro
3. Professional


When you view a home on a macro basis, you’re looking at it from an overall perspective. For example, you may do a general walk-through to get a first impression and determine if the property has the basic features you need, such as the number of bedrooms and the size of the backyard.


Macro viewing is often the fastest stage in the viewing process and can sometimes take just a few minutes. If you like what you see, then it’s onto the micro stage. At this stage you take a closer look at the details of the property. You might, for example, spend extra time in the master bedroom imagining how your furniture would look and fit.


The micro stage takes longer simply because the home is now on your shortlist. You’re interested and are considering making an offer.


Finally, the professional stage involves getting a qualified home inspector to go over the property with a fine tooth comb. That typically occurs after you’ve made an offer.


As your REALTOR®, I will guide you through a viewing so you’ll know what to look for and can make a smart, informed decision. Call today.

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August 2 2016, Victoria, BC

 

A total of 972 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this July, an increase of 22 per cent compared to the 796 properties sold in July last year. 

 

“Though we saw the seasonal slowdown that we expect this time of year, we had another record breaking month,” says Mike Nugent, 2016 President of the Board. “The last time we saw a July this busy was in 2009 when 933 properties sold.” Inventory levels remain lower than last year, with 2,161 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of July 2016, 45 per cent fewer than the 3,942 active listings at the end of July 2015.

 

“Late last week the provincial government approved new legislation that may affect the real estate market in our area, though at this time we can only guess how a foreign investor’s tax in the Metro Vancouver region will impact sales here in Victoria,” adds Nugent. “Recent data released by the government shows that nearly ten per cent of property transfers in Metro Vancouver involved foreign nationals. This is part of the rationale for applying a fifteen per cent tax on transactions only in Metro Vancouver at this time. Does this mean international demand will spill over into Victoria and other areas of BC? We won’t know until we see the data.The Capital Regional District saw two per cent out of country buyers in the year of 2015. Although this is a small percentage of our buyers, anecdotally foreign buyers do tend to favour the same core neighbourhoods and therefore can have an impact on those areas.”

 

The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in July, 2015 was $599,800. The benchmark value for the same home in July 2016 has increased by 23.6 per cent to $741,100.

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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.