INSIDE THE February 2008 ISSUE
of
** Sylvia Klein Wins the Movie Tickets for Solving the December SuDoKu **
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Johhy Mathis and Peggy Lee for You on Valentines Day.
MLS HOUSING PRICE INDEX
REAL ESTATE BOARD OF GREATER VANCOUVER
& Fraser Valley Real Estate Board
Detached Homes - January 2008
| Area |
Benchmark Price |
1 Year Change
|
|
Maple Ridge
Mission - Average
Pitt Meadows
Port Coquitlam |
$
457,522
$ 376,544
$
454,858
$
550,243 |
11.9 %
- 4.8 %
0.3 %
20.9 % |
 |
Attached Homes - January 2008
| Area |
Benchmark Price |
1 Year Change
|
|
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows
Mission - Average
Port Coquitlam |
$
315,290
$ 267,000
$
392,064 |
10.6 %
3.0 %
12.3
% |
 |
Apartments - January 2008
| Area |
Benchmark Price |
1 Year Change
|
|
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows
Mission - Average
Port Coquitlam |
$ 250,387
$ 211,600
$ 253,959 |
7.0
%
1.7 %
12.3 % |
 |
Check Past Issues to See Price Changes Over the Past Few Months.
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Where Have All The People Gone?
One misinformed statistic that is still bantered around by most realtors is that acording to NAR (National Association of Realtors), a full 84% of people who are buying real estate look to the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) on-line. While this was true a few years ago the above graph from Alexa.com clearly shows a steady decline in page views on the MLS.ca website.
- Traffic to MLS.ca is down by approximately 80% from it's highest point in early 2006.
- 84% of the people who are buying real estate are still looking on-line ... However, they are not looking for this information on the MLS.ca website.
The question is, "Where have these people gone? In a nutshell, these people are getting their information from private web sites most of which are operated by real estate agents. Think about this for a second; it makes perfect sence. Just about every real estate related web site provides a home search page. If you search for "Maple Ridge Real Estate" there are 172,000 related web sites on Google. This is a huge number of available sites which supply their visitors with a new home listing and search function.
What does this mean to you? Well, if you have listened to most real estate agent's listing presentation they tell you how the MLS.ca is still the #1 method of selling your home. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Today, in Maple Ridge home selling success heavily depends on having your home showing up in the searches on the other 172,000 real estate related web sites. Sure you want it on the MLS.ca but you also want it on as many sites as possible. This is Marketing 101. The more people who are aware of your home the more potential buyers you will have. More buyers equals better offers and, ultimately, a higher selling price for you.
To sum it up, if you are looking to sell your home I would suggest that you ask, "How many real estate web sites will the home be featured on?" Avoid the agents who still think that the MLS.ca is the #1 way of marketing your home. By the way, guess how many real estate web sites Gord Moman and Darren Revell and the REAL Pros Group operate today. We have over a dozen real estate related web sites which include a home search and featured properties page. We add a new real estate web site every two months. No one in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam or Mission can put you on the internet in a bigger way. Wow!!
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Our Purpose
“Our purpose is to make you so outrageously happy that you'll easily refer at least two people to us before we sell your house because our business is referral based. If we don't serve you at a high level, our business dies. So, all of our focus is on serving you at an extremely high level.”
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Young Family Saved Over $15,000.00
A few weeks ago I was chatting with a young couple who were considering listing their home and moving up. Their ideal date to list their current home was March 1st, 2007, a month away. This sounds very reasonable and it's done all of the time. Afterall, it can take some time to get a home ship-shape and ready to sell.
Near the end of the conversation Gord asked, "What should I do if I have a buyer for your home next week? I mean, if these people are qualified, they understand that people live here now and can see past that and want to buy your home right now; what should I do? They were puzzled and didn't know what to say. The silence was broken when Gord suggested that they list their home with him "exclusively" for the month of February 2008.
Gord and Darren would pre-screen buyers and advertise the home on the internet but, due to the nature of an exclusive listing, it would not be available on the MLS. Gord and Darren were given the exclusive, right for one month, to find a buyer. For this, they also reduced their sales commission as there was no need to include additional commissions for a Buyers agent.
The second day into the exclusive listing there were 3 showings booked for that evening. The next day there were multiple offers on the property and the home sold that evening for more than the asking price. Subjects were removed two days later and their home was sold "FIRM."
This young couple saved over $5,000 in sales commissions. They have already purchased a new home which they bought for $10,000 less than the asking price. Best of all, they have referred Gord to their parents who are planning to sell their acreage in the near future. Gord plans to meet with them on Valentines Day and near the end of their upcoming conversation Gord will ask, "What should I do if I have a buyer for your home next week?"
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Gord and Darren could send you to the movies.
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Do you have children or do you need to take a break?
Gord Moman and Darren Revell of the REAL Pros Group could send your kids to the movies. This month we have a kids valentines days coloring contest. Download the PDF file and have one of your children color it. Email, fax or mail the finished artwork to us by February 29th, 2008 and you will be eligible for the grand prize of a $25.00 gift certificate to the Cineplex Odeon theatres.
Someone wins with every news letter.
It could be you or one of the kids. Why not give it a try?
Click here to get to the Coloring page now.
Congratulations to Sylvia Klein who won a $25.00 gift certificate to the Cineplex Odeon theatres in Pitt Meadows. Sylvia emailed us the correct answer to last months SuDoKu. Way to go, Sylvia! Enjoy the movies on the REAL Pros Group.
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What's Happening In Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
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Ian Brown is the Broker/Coach/salesperson in the Exit Realty Citadel organization. A lengthy career of almost forty years to date has given Ian many opportunities to increase his knowledge and education within the industry, which he has taken advantage of, to the point of being known in some circles of Canada as “The Real Estate Doctor”. |
Achievement of the FRI( Fellow of the Real Estate Institute of Canada) and CRES ( Certified Real Estate Specialist) designations placed Ian in a small group of Nova Scotia Realtors. Out of the 700 +/- Realtors in HRM less than 40 have achieved their FRI. In the past few weeks I have had numerous people let me know that they are selling in Maple Ridge and moving to the East Coast of Canada. Of those who are planning to move to the Halifax area I have referred them to a colleague of mine, Ian Brown. When I last chatted with Ian I asked if he could share some information with us with respect to the Halifax real estate market. Wow! It's surprising what $235,000 will get you in Nova Scotia.
Check out this past sale:
Address: 17 CHITTICK AVE.
City: DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia B2Y 3J7
Listed at: $249,900 and SOLD for $235,000
| Bedrooms: |
Bathrooms: |
Lot Area SqFt: |
Grand Total Floor Area: |
4 |
3 |
10,080 |
2,600 sq. ft. |
Comments: Owners occupy this lovely bungalow with 2 bedrooms up and a one bedroom in-law suite down, plus a 1 bed apt rented @ $415.00 per month to help pay the mortgage. 2 separate driveways, 24x26 garage detached, gorgeous gardens plus a 3 tier deck. Private yard, pride of ownerships shows throughout. Walk-up attic, new oil tank 1 yr, HW heat -9 yrs old. Call to view this outstanding property.
UPCOMING EVENTS - Expect more information on East Coast properties from Ian Brown. In addition, we are planning to provide you with a local snapshot of the real estate market in LaCosta, California.
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Just Sold for $235,000
IAN BROWN, FRI
EXIT REALTY CITADEL
3370 Kempt Road. Unit #3
Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Are you interested in buying or selling
propertyanywhere in Canada or the USA? |
Give me a call at 604-467-0754 and I'll put you in touch with a licensed agent in the area. |
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The Happy Homemaker by
Amber Sweeney
Welcome to the “Happy Homemaker” section of the Life Links Newsletter where, every month, I will be sharing some helpful tips for around the house.
Print This Recipie ... Click Here
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At this point in our relationship, having known each other for a few weeks now, I hope I have managed to convince you that I would only want to lead you down a healthy path. Because, if I haven’t convinced you of that, its not going to be any fun encouraging you to bake and eat this “diet free” chocolate cake. That’s right, Thursday night is your night off from whatever diet you are on this week...This is one cake you are not going to want to miss. For many of you, this Thursday is Valentine’s day. For me and the other singley-o’s, its going to be stuff your face with delicious chocolate cake night. So all you lovers out there, grab your heart shape cake pans and your pink food coloring and lets bake a cake! And all the singley-o’s...Hide that summer speedo and get off the scale, its time to stuff our faces!
Go to the fridge or the store and make sure you have..
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
- ½ cup butter
- 2 ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cup flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup boiling water
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- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt chocolate in a microwavable dish in the microwave for about 2 minutes, 1 minute at a time.
- Beat butter in large mixer bowl. Add brown sugar and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Beat to combine.
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to chocolate mixture gradually, alternating with sour cream and beating after each addition.
- Stir boiling water into the batter - the batter will be thin.
- Pour into two 9 inch round cake pans which have been greased and floured.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until cake centre springs back when touched.
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Allow to cool completely before applying frosting.
MMMMM... now we make frosting!
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cup icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup milk
- Red food coloring
- Beat butter until ... well, until its beaten
- Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Add milk teaspoon by teaspoon until desired consistency
- Add red food coloring a couple drops at a time until the desired color is reached.
*It is very important not to add all the milk at once as it will get to a runny consistency very quickly. You may end up only needing a few teaspoons of milk. Now you have a cake to impress your sweety, or if you’re a singley-o, you have a cake that’s definitely worth bailing on your diet for! |
Think, Act & Live!
"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."
Erma Bombeck, humor humorist
"It's when you're safe at home that you wish you were having an adventure. When you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home."
ThortonWilder, author
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If you or someone you care about is thinking of purchasing or selling a home,
call Gord Moman and Darren Revell.
Let us show you how our 10 point marketing plan helps to sell your home
in half the time and get you an average of 6.9% more money. You could receive a Las Vegas mini-vacation and $500.00 cash for a phone call.
604-467-0754 or 604-619-7805 |
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Tri-cities, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge
& Mission, B.C. residents.
Find out what your home is worth on-line.
Go to: www.your-market-value.com
Free On-Line House Values. No Pressure, No Commitments.
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Kids Valentines Day Coloring Contest
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Here's one for the kids. Color the down-loadable image then fax, mail or email it to Gord Moman by February 29, 2008 and you will be eligible to win a $25.00 gift certificate to the Pitt Meadows theatres.
FAX: 604-467-0259 or Email: soapranos@shaw.ca
Address: Gord Moman #21, 11502 Burnett St. Maple Ridge, BC V2X 0Y2
Print a copy by clicking here.
Contest is limited to Lower Mainland residents only and children must be under the age of 12. Winners are announced in next months newsletter.
Enjoy the contest kids and good luck. |
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Don't Miss Las Vegas
Go to Las Vegas on us! You read correctly. To cash in on this just list your home with the REAL Pros group, buy a home through us or send us a referral for someone who may be looking for a good real estate agent to go to work for them.
Upon completion, we will send you and a friend on a Las Vegas mini vacation. Enjoy 3 exciting days and 2 fun filled nights including lodging at a major hotel. Plus, receive over $1,200.00 in casino benefits including cash, drinks, free slot play, tokens and meal discounts.
Vacation may change without notice. You will receive $500.00 cash to help pay for for taxes, transportation, airport and processing fees. This offer is not available to other real estate agents or their clients. Not valid with any other promotion. Offer may change without notice.
Call Gord Moman @ 604-467-0754 or Darren Revell @ 604-719-3805
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Send us a Buyer by February 29th, 2008 and, on completion,
you will earn a Mini-Vacation to Las Vegas. See details above.
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Priced at $498,800 - Exclusive Listing
The list of upgrades is extensive and you'll love the Brazilian hardwood floors. For those who love to cook, the kitchen will give you a huge "WOW!" Watch your favorite movie in your own media room with a new gas fireplace. Enjoy your privacy with a large west facing back yard that backs onto a treed area with a creek that's on the neighbors property. Kids can play on the huge covered deck even on a rainy day. The in-law suite gives you options for renters or guests. Located on a quiet street in West Central Maple Ridge, this home is definitely a must see.
| Bedrooms: |
Bathrooms: |
Lot Area SqFt: |
Grand Total Floor Area: |
4 |
2.5 |
9,170 |
2,124 sq. ft. |
MLS#: NEW LISTING Address: 12471 Grace Street, Maple Ridge, BC. |
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Priced at $289,900
Large fenced .27 acre lot in desireable Kawkawa Lake sub-division. Quiet no-through street is ideal for families. Close to lake and town center. Possibility of one or two bedroom suite in basement arae. Current owner will consider renting from new buyer. Quick possession possible.
| Bedrooms: |
Bathrooms: |
Lot Area SqFt: |
Grand Total Floor Area: |
4 |
3 |
.27 Acre |
2,000 sq. ft. |
MLS#:
H2705391 Address: 21080 Swallow Place. Hope, BC. |
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Priced at $399,500
Spacious comfort in recently renovated rancher. Two bedroom suite in basement. Home may be used for professional business office. Centrally located. Close to WC Express. Enjoy afternoons on covered deck.
| Bedrooms: |
Bathrooms: |
Lot Area SqFt: |
Grand Total Floor Area: |
5 |
3 |
5,473 |
3,340 sq. ft. |
MLS#: F2724705 Address: 7511 Grand St. Mission, BC. |
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The Lighter Side of Life
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Are you thinking of selling in the next few months? Do you know what you home is worth?
Let Gord Moman and Darren Revell provide you with a free over the internet home valuation.
Call us at 604-467-0811 or send us an email right now!
Take your next step in real estate with Darren revell and Gord Moman and the REAL Pros Group. |
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Copyright REAL Pros Group 2006 - 2007 . This information is solely advisory and should not be substituted for adequate professional advice. The REAL Pros group cannot be held responsible for actions you may take without proper professional advice. Any omission of credit to an author is purely unintentional and should not be construed as plagiarism or literary theft. This newsletter is for entertainment purposes only.
This is not intended to cause a breach in an existing agency agreement. Gord Moman and Darren revell are licensed REALTORS® with Keller Williams Results Realty.
Each Keller Williams office is independently owned and operated. |
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