The BC Liberal government's Home Partnership Program starts today. The program is intended to help First time home buyers with their 1st home purchase. With housing prices having climbed so much over the last year, this is supposed to be a measure to help alleviate some of this concern. For Buyers that have saved some money but not quite enough as prices have climbed, this loan will help bridge that gap.

The BC Home Partenership Program  is a loan to assist First Time Home Buyers with their minimum 5% down payment. It is not designed to be their only source of downpayment. The loan will be interest free and payment free for 5 years and registered on title as a 2nd mortgage. 

In order to qualify you must have been a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the last 5 years. 
- have lived in BC for a year
- Of course have never owned a home anywhere in the world 
- qualify for a high ratio mortgage 
- Home purchase $750,000 or less
- combined gross family income cannot exceed $150,000
- the home purchased must be the principal residence for 5 years 

At any time during the 5 years you can repay this loan without a penalty. In the 6th year interst will then start to accrue and payments will be required to be made on the principal and interest amortized over 20 years. 

To read more about how to qualify and how to apply visit the following link or speak with your mortgage broker:

The BC Home Partenership Program 

Dine Out Vancouver 2017 starts January 20th and runs until February 5th. 

Dine Out Vancouver 2017 boasts 17 days of culinary excitement with delicious meals at fabulous restaurants for great prices!!!
The catch is that you must make your reservations sooner rather than later. 

My husband and I are really big foodies, over the years we have made it out to quite a few of the restaurants that take part in Dine Out Vancouver 2017. Some of the restaurants we have been to, but not always during Dine Out Vancouver 2017. As you can see we obviously love Italian food...in fact that is probably our go to, especially when we don't know what or where we want to go. In such cases, we will often opt to head to one of our favourites. There are a few more restaurants that we love that do not participate in Dine Out Vancouver 2017 but we will leave those for another blog. 

In all honesty not everyone in the list is a favourite or even one we would frequent again or at least not often. I will give them all a mini review for your reference and then let you decide. If you click on any of the restaurants, you will be taken to their website to decide for yourselves. Even if you don't like the Dine Out Vancouver 2017 menu options, most restaurants will still offer their regular menu. We have often went in during Dine Out Vancouver but decided we preferred something else on the restaurant's main menu. Either way you can't go wrong. 

Italian
CinCin Ristorante & Bar - one of our favourite Italian restaurants, the service, the food, the ambiance...all Top Notch!
Cafe Il Nido - quaint little place tucked away with a nice courtyard patio in the summer, delicious food and great service
Poor Italian Restaurant  - excellent place to take the family, our girls love this restaurant
Francesco's Ristorante Italia - one of our go to places over the years, food is always delicious
Federico's Supper Club - usually a stop during the Italian Cultural festival in the summer on Commercial Drive
Frankie's Italian Kitchen & Bar - not really one of our favourites, food was ok...more of a chain style restaurant, lacks the ambiance of a finer Italian restaurant
La Terrazza - visited them for the 1st time during Dine out last year and very nice restaurant, not our favourite but still good food
Lombardo's Restaurant - delicious pizza and another great stop during the Italian Cultural Festival 
Mangia e Scappa - Fort Langley - they don't have a website, only real italian restaurant that we have in Langley, pizza is pretty good done in a stone oven


Steak and Seafood
Black + Blue - we have been for dinner and then my husband has been for functions. Wasn't the best experience in a large group, but we did enjoy our dinner the few times we had been before. Wagyu steaks and macaroni sticks are delicious!
The Boathouse Restaurant - been to a few locations, excellent place to take the family for a seafood dinner...we have been a few times...which is funny because my husband does not eat seafood...he usually finds something else on the menu. 
Chop Steakhouse & Bar - Richmond restaurant near the airport right off the highway, been there a couple times and a decent restaurant. Nothing exceptional to boast about, but good nonetheless
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar - we have been to a few, usually because there was either nowhere else to go or because friends suggested it....always found Keg restaurants to be a little over-rated (again my opinion, would rather spend that kind of money in a fine Italian restaurant or non-chain style restaurant)

Asian cuisine
Hapa Izakaya any of their locations are good and it is one of my husband's go to places with his colleagues for lunch downtown. They offer great tapas style Japanese dishes as well as delicious entrees. Never had a bad meal there. Their "Kalbi" beef short ribs are delicious and usually one of our favourites and my husband loves their Ishi-Yaki stone bowl dishes.

Casual
Dunn's Famous Restaurant's known for their Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches...although the best outside of Montreal we have found is "Estrella's" in Langley
Cactus Club Coal Harbour has some great views of the North Shore Mountains and Stanley Park, when we want something we know we head to Cactus Club..in Langley that is usually our go to place for a chain restaurant.
Moxie's Grill & Bar - they are part of Dine Out...but in all honesty we have not been to a Moxie's in years...Food is ok, usually a place we go for a quick bite before dropping our daughter off at the airport when she's heading back to school...but  haven't even done that in a while. 
The Old Spaghetti Factory - ok, so they are part of Dine Out Vancouver....used to be a favourite when we were kids...(kids do not have any taste...) it's a family style restaurant so maybe great if you don't want to take your kids to a nice restaurant. Every few years we give them a try...but only to be disappointed each time. They are supposed to be Italian...but I couldn't bring myself to include them in that category...just seemed wrong. Sorry Old Spaghetti Factory...but its true.
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. - Delicious flat bread and they even offer pizza making parties. How fun is that! Love too that they support local by keeping their ingredients local and organic. 
Romer's - My husband has been to a few of their locations (hazzard of working downtown Vancouver, he gets to visit a lot of amazing restaurants and I insist he take me every once in a while to some place new) Their burgers are delicious! I believe I had the Magic Mushroom burger...I mean how can you go wrong when you put Boursin cheese on it...yum!
Tap & Barrel any location...I have only been to the North Shore location. Lots of fun, vibrant atmosphere, great place to grab a bite wih friends

Mexican
Las Margaritas Restaurante y Cantina - Unfortunately, the last couple times the food was just ok. But whenever we are in Kits, I always insist on stopping by and picking up a tub of their delicious Salsa and large bag of tortilla chips to go! 

Not only are there great deals at many of your favourite restaurants but many hotels are offering special pricing during this time too. I never realized they also have some great events during Dine Out Vancouver 2017 and wish I had time to check them out. Events like Brunch crawls, Craft beer and Taco Tours (not for us because we don't drink beer...but what a great idea with Craft beer being such a craze right now), Secret Soiree sounds like fun and so many more....definitely going to plan to check the events out for next year.

For more details on the participating restaurants, events and hotels visit the following link:

Dine Out Vancouver 2017

In almost every movie featuring a house on fire, the actors seem to be able to move around the house and see just fine, while beating back flames with a shirt or coat. Of course, that’s not what happens in real fires.

When there’s fire in a home, there is typically complete darkness (because the power goes out) and a cloud of spreading thick, black smoke makes it difficult to see and breathe.

That’s why knowing how to get out of your house — fast — is crucial.

Experts recommend rehearsing what to do in case there’s a fire. Make sure everyone in the family has an exit plan. Each should know exactly how to get out, including primary and secondary exits, and where the family will meet once safely outside.

Never attempt to take anything with you. It may seem like you have plenty of time to grab a coat or purse, but the characteristics of a fire can change in seconds.

As a failsafe, in case you can’t exit through a door, you should determine in advance which window has the safest exit. Make sure that the window opens easily and everyone knows how to remove the screen or any other obstruction.

Finally, don’t call the fire department from inside your house. Get out first, then make the call. 

The BC government announced today that they will increase once again the BC Home Owner Grant threshold from $1.2 million to $1.6 million. Which means if your home is valued less than $1.6 million then you may qualify for a $570.00 grant and must apply online to receive this grant. 

Earlier today I had to take my car in for an oil change and one of the mechanics was asking about the market and had mentioned that his son just received his BC assessment and he no longer qualifies for the home owner grant as his home is now assessed at $1.4 million dollars. I shared the news and he was pleased to hear and will share with his son that he in fact does now qualify since the threshiold has been increased. 

The $570.00 will help to reduce the total property tax amount owing and in order to qualify this must be your principal residence. To learn more about how you may qualify and how to apply for the BC Home Owner Grant visit the following link: 

BC Home Owner Grant

If you forgot to apply for the grant last year, you can also find a retroactive form to fill out in the same link that allows you to apply some of it to this years property tax bill. 

If you live in Northern BC or rural areas you may qualify for as much as $770.00, once you apply online whichever amount is showing is the amount your community allows.

Property taxes are due this year on July 4, 2017 and you must apply for the BC Home Owner Grant before July 2, 2017 in order to benefit from the total of $570.00 afterwards penalties may apply reducing the amount of the grant.

You’ve probably seen signs around the area for Open Houses. You may have even attended a few. These are open invitations for potential buyers to drop by on a certain day and time, to check out the property and get more information.

When you’re listing your home for sale, you might wonder whether you’ll need to have an Open House.

To answer that question, you’ll need to consider the pros and cons. Planning and hosting an open house isn’t as easy as it may seem. There’s a lot of preparation involved. In addition, you’ll likely spend hours making your property look its best and you’ll need to be away from your home for a good part of that day.

That being said, an Open House has many advantages.

• It helps showcase features of your property that may not come across well in advertisements and listing descriptions.

• It attracts potential buyers who, for any number of reasons, might not otherwise call to view the home.

• It generates a buzz and publicity about your listing.

  However, an Open House might not be necessary if there is high demand for properties like yours and you’re likely to get multiple offers. 

I blogged about the Bettina Reid Group Open Houses last year because I want people to know that we value their homes and want them to know that when you work with the Bettina Reid Group we are committed to protecting you and your home at all times. I felt it was worth adding to this topic and once again letting people know how we run our Open Houses. We typically will run an Open house with a minimum of 2 people. But if we do not we will only allow one group of Buyers through the home per Realtor at a time. Which means if there are 2 licensed agents there then 2 groups of buyers will be given a private tour of the home. If you show up and cannot get in, we ask that you be patient as we are showing the home and will give you your own private tour as soon as we are done. If you show up with your own realtor in tow, then we will be happy to allow your realtor to give you that tour so that we can walk other groups through at the same time. 

We had a bit of flack from people when the market was at its busiest. People in general do not like to wait....and it was out of the norm. In general people are used to being able to walk through an Open House on their own freely while other people are milling about. We at the Bettina Reid Group have never done things in this manner, for 2 reasons - our own personal safety and the safety of our clients homes and their belongings. During the crazy market where we could have from 20-100 people or more walking through an Open House we felt it was even more imperative that we only allow a certain number of people through at one time. Overall this was well received, but more importantly our clients appreciated it!

It is our promise that we will continue to run our Open houses in this manner as long as we are practicing real estate. Our committment to you the public, that we have your best interests in mind!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 90% of exposures to poisons occur inside the home. Almost all are preventable, if you follow some simple guidelines.

• Look for the poison label on products you buy. Visually, it’s a skull and cross bones, often (but not always) with the word POISON above it.

• Don’t make assumptions. Sometimes a seemingly innocuous product, like a shampoo, can contain poison or other ingredients which are harmful if swallowed.

• Avoid mixing different cleaning products together. When chemicals are combined, they change. Combining some cleaning products can even create toxic fumes.

• Keep all medication, even the non-prescription kind, out of reach of children. Never leave medicine on the bathroom counter.

• Never use pesticides inside the home unless the product is clearly labeled for indoor use. Then, use only as directed.

• Never use a charcoal grill or barbeque indoors, no matter how well ventilated you think you’ve made it. Doing so can easily cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

  One final tip. Pay attention to the expiry date of products, especially cosmetics and cleaning liquids. As chemicals age, they change and can emit harmful fumes.

I keep getting posts in my facebook feed from friends that live in other provinces regarding having fun at a Paint Nite event. These posts usually display their artwork that was created during these paint nite events. So I thought I would check out and share what all the fuss is about. 

I was impressed to see that Paint Nite is actually quite the Global Community with Local artists offering this all over North America, South America, Africa and growing. The idea behind it is to spend 2 hours with friends and other locals creating "painting masterpieces" while socializing at a local bar or restaurant. I put the masterpieces in parentheses because you don't have to have an artistic bone in your body to take part and have a good time. The idea is to get out and socialize while doing something fun and different! 

Dan Hermann and Sean McGrail are the founders of Paint Nite which started up in 2012. They were inspired by a party they had in a paint studio where alcohol was served. Their goal is everything local, by supporting local artists, bars and restaurants willing to host the Paint Nite events. 

I first thought this was a new trend...I do think it is a fairly new trend. Seems to be very popular on the American east coast but there are quite a few venues here in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. I was quite surprised to see how many upcoming events were already sold out. 

What a great idea to do with a group of friends! To find out more about Paint Nite events in your area visit their website in the following link: Paint Nite

SURREY, BC – Fraser Valley real estate experienced the strongest year in its history in 2016, with record-setting numbers seen in both total MLS® transactions and overall dollar volume sold.

The Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) processed 23,974 sales in 2016, 13.6 per cent more than the 21,095 sales in 2015, and 12.6 per cent more than the previous record of 21,282 sales in 2005. The total dollar volume of MLS® sales was a record setting $16.2 billion, four billion more than the previous record set in 2015.

Of the total transactions for the year, 5,369 were townhouses sold and 5,069 were apartments, the highest each category has reached in the Board’s history.

Charles Wiebe, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, attributes this year's extraordinary market activity to a strong provincial economy and the diverse inventory available to consumers entering the Valley. "Our region boasts a vast range of homes available at all price points, which made it a very enticing option for buyers of all types last year."

For inventory, a total of 34,768 new listings were received by the Board’s MLS® system during 2016, the second highest in the Board’s history and only 883 behind the 35,651 received in 2008.

In December the Board processed 966 sales, a decrease of 37.4 per cent compared to December of 2015, but level with the ten-year average for the month. December’s total inventory in the Fraser Valley was 3,930 active listings; 29.8 per cent fewer than were available in November 2016 and 8 per cent fewer than December 2015.

Wiebe adds, “The Fraser Valley market was consistently strong throughout 2016, and at times tremendously active. However, at year’s end, we see sales returning to more typical levels and low overall inventory.

“Moving into 2017 and the spring market, would-be sellers are in a great position to take advantage of strong pricing and, depending on the area, a limited selection for buyers. Talk to a REALTOR® who can help you kick-off the New Year with incredible opportunity.”

HPI® Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $856,700, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Valley decreased 0.5 per cent compared to November 2016, and increased 27.4 per cent compared to December 2015.

• Townhomes: At $416,600, the Benchmark price for a townhouse in the Valley decreased 1.8 per cent compared to November 2016, and increased 29.5 per cent compared to December 2015.

• Apartments: At $259,000, the Benchmark price for an apartment in the Valley increased 0.2 per cent compared to November 2016, and increased 26.4 per cent compared to December 2015.

Full package:
http://www.fvreb.bc.ca/statistics/Package201612.pdf

It's that time of year again where everyone in British Columbia will be getting their BC Tax assessments in the mail over the next few days. If you still haven't received yours by the end of next week, you may want to contact the BC assessment office at 1-866-valueBC (1-866-825-8322). You can also check online now at BC assessment where you can find your own BC assessment as well as compare to your neighbours or other homes in the area.

This year's assessments across the province will be considerably higher than last years assessments after the market we went through in 2016. Here in the Fraser Valley owners are expected to see property assessment increases anywhere from ana average of 30% to as high as 50%. South Surrey/White Rock approximately 50% where areas East of Abbotsford on the lower end approximately 30%.

Already we have clients concerned about how high their assessments have increased especially if they purchased early in the year when the market was climbing. With inventory still at an all time low, it hasn't changed all that much in a year and a half. Owners need to remember BC Tax assessments are based on market value as of July 2016. Market values were and are still quite high. 

An interesting fact - over 98% of property owners accept their property assessment without proceeding to a formal, independent review of their assessment. 

Having trouble trying to figure out how to compare your home with others in your neighbourhood? Click the following link for a how to video: BC assessment e-valueBC - How to Use

For more information on your BC assessment and how to file a complaint visit the following link:

BC assessment

I wrote about this in January 2012 and shared some advice I had received from a colleague that used to work for BC assessment, if you are concerned about your tax assessment it might be worth a read:

BC tax assessments blog January 2012 

Just remember if you are considering an appeal you must file your appeal by January 31st, 2017.

Property Surveyors, sometimes referred to as land Surveyors, play a vital role in the real estate world. They are the professionals who determine or confirm the exact boundaries of a property.

Will you need to deal with a Property Surveyor when selling your home? You might.

Sometimes the mortgage lender will ask for a land survey, especially if your property is older and hasn’t changed hands in many years. You might also be asked for one by the buyer if there is any confusion about the size and boundaries of your property – or if significant changes have been made to it in recent years.

This is nothing to be concerned about.

A qualified Property Surveyor will do the appropriate inspection and measurements on your property and issue you the survey. (It looks a little like a blueprint.)

Property Surveyors are highly trained and licensed. In the United States, the profession is represented by the National Society of Professional Surveyors, with each state having its own governing body. In Canada, Professional Surveyors Canada (PSC) represents the profession nationally, and most provinces have their own professional associations.

Before getting a new land survey, make sure you don’t already have one. Hopefully, you’ve stored the paperwork that relates to the purchase of your home. Look through it. A valid land survey might be right there.

If you have questions about land surveys, call today. 

I have been meaning to post about this for over a month now and figure it was about time, especially with this cold snap we are experiencing this week....Very thankful for the service we received from all the staff at Gandy Installations....happy to have heat tonight!

The second week in October it was starting to get cold and I caved and decided to turn the furnace on. But when we did, we found the house was actually getting colder not warmer. Only the fan was blowing....After trying to source the issue ourselves to no avail, the following morning I called Gandy Installations and they were quick to get us a fact finding service call. The technician was very polite and found that the inducer assembly was shot which meant they needed to order the part and come back for another service call. 

We were going away for a week, so we scheduled it for the Monday after we returned. But I tell ya, you don't realize what you take for granted until you are without. When we returned the Saturday before the service call, it was almost the end of October and temperatures were between 0-10 degrees...we walked into a very cold house. The only saving grace was our gas fireplace and cooking meals in the oven, otherwise it was pretty cold in our house. We were definitely snuggling underneath big warm duvets at night to keep warm.

Thanks Gandy for your prompt and courteous service from everyone we came into contact with. We would highly recommend Gandy Installations to anyone.

When we come across a good local business, we like to show our support....as we know how important referrals are to anyone's business. Quality work is worth mentioning. Above were cabinets installed in a family members laundry room by Adam Hill from Unique Storage and Organizers. Below are pictures of their master bedroom closet nicely organized after the new shelving and drawers were installed.

If you are in need of some storage and/or organizers give Adam a call at his office: 604-576-6496 or on his cell: 604-612-8158 
Visit their website in the following link: Unique Storage and Organizers

Unique Storage and Organizers specialize in the custom design and installation of all types of storage organizers for closets, pantries, laundry rooms and garages.

See below for more photos from recent work they have done for family and Erinn Mate.

Before being filled with clothing.

Organized closet and drawers with sturdy shelves for more storage up top. Everyone wishes their closet was this neat and tidy! :)

Every closet should have one of these...shelving for all of our shoes.

Erinn was missing a pantry in her home and Adam built her a beautiful cabinet....money well spent as she LOVES her new pantry!