Covid 19 has impacted our market in many ways. Since March when the COVID 19 pandemic entered our lives, we have seen many potential home buyers commit what is perhaps the most fundamental mistake.

They make low ball offers. The media has been buzzing about the economy here in Edmonton and it must have convinced some home buyers that they have much more leverage to negotiate than they actually do. Fact is, home values here in Edmonton are climbing. Sales values dropped markedly in March and April. Since that time, home prices have risen steadily and are now selling for 2% MORE than this time last year.

Here are 3 potential outcomes you risk creating when you low ball:

1.  It destroys seller goodwill

Getting the seller to like your offer is

Congratulations!

You have decided to buy a home. It’s exciting isn’t it? You are now scouring several websites for listings. You have a good idea of what you want to buy, where you want to live & how much you want to spend

All you need now is to go out & look at some homes. Right? How about wrong?

Sometimes you have to slow down to go fast!

We have helped many home buyers through their journey & in the first instance we suggest you engage a REALTOR® / Advisor to help you complete a strategy session.

What does this mean?

It means taking a step back. It means acknowledging what you already think you want, but it also means exploring other home options and most importantly sources of homes.

Our 10 Step Home Buying Process includes a

Homeowners Associations (HOA) which are usually set up by the land developer before they are hand off to a board of community homeowners have become a key feature in many upper end neighbourhoods around metro Edmonton. We have found that many of our clients still don’t understand what they are for. Let’s explore the pros and cons:

Pros

1.     Your neighbourhood will always look great. HOA’s impose architectural and maintenance standards on everyone. That means that there are rules in place that prevent your neighbor from painting their home an outlandish colour or failing to keep up with maintenance. With respect to general community maintenance the grass in common areas and the entrance will always be nicely kept. In Edmonton, the general care

6 Reasons to Pay Condo Fees

Many clients we work with ask us not to show them condos. Once we drill down as to why they feel this way, it is often because they don’t understand the value of paying into a condo reserve fund. In many cases, we find that once they understand what they are actually buying, selecting a condo for a home actually becomes their preference.

1. No Need to Worry About External Maintenance, Snow Clearing & Yard Work

Apart from putting some money into a slush fund for longer term maintenance, or unforeseen circumstances, condo fees pay for essential homeowner services including insurance, snow clearing, gardening and in many cases onsite management.

2. No Need to Save Extra

If you are not paying condo fees, you had

During the Covid 19 health crisis its especially important that you watch for the latest trends as our market reacts to the crisis. Each week we will publish a market report for each of the main metro Edmonton markets for your review.

Here is our report for the last 7 days. Week ending June 12th, 2020.

For more details and specific information about the communities that interest you, please call the office at 780-760-2014 or email us

During the Covid 19 health crisis its especially important that you watch for the latest trends as our market reacts to the crisis. Each week we will publish a market report for each of the main metro Edmonton markets for your review.

Here is our report for the last 7 days. Week ending June 5th, 2020.

For more details and specific information about the communities that interest you, please call the office at 780-760-2014 or email us

During the Covid 19 health crisis its especially important that you watch for the latest trends as our market reacts to the crisis. Each week we will publish a market report for each of the main metro Edmonton markets for your review.

Here is our report for the last 7 days. Week ending May 29th, 2020.

For more details and specific information about the communities that interest you, please call the office at 780-760-2014 or email us

During the Covid 19 health crisis its especially important that you watch for the latest trends as our market reacts to the crisis. Each week we will publish a market report for each of the main metro Edmonton markets for your review.

Here is our report for the last 7 days. Week ending May 22nd, 2020.

For more details and specific information about the communities that interest you, please call the office at 780-760-2014 or email us

During the Covid 19 health crisis its especially important that you watch for the latest trends as our market reacts to the crisis. Each week we will publish a market report for each of the main metro Edmonton markets for your review.

Here is our report for the last 7 days. Week ending May 15th, 2020.

For more details and specific information about the communities that interest you, please call the office at 780-760-2014 or email us

5 Reasons to Engage a REALTOR® When Buying a New Home

When purchasing a new home, it’s very easy to just walk into a show home get excited about what you see and start shopping. Unfortunately, this this approach has a number of pitfalls for you.

The builder’s representative is NOT licensed and is NOT obligated to work in your best interests. The builder’s representative usually operates under one of two objectives:

1.     To sell you a home with the lowest specification for the highest price they can get you to pay. Or
2.     To sell you a home with the highest specification and highest price they can get you to pay.

It really depends upon the builder and their culture.

As a consumer your goal is normally the opposite. Most new home