It’s early in the evening and there’s a knock on the door. You answer and are greeted by an official-looking man who claims he needs to see your utility bill to confirm you’re getting your energy rebate.

Do you let him in?

While he may be legitimate, he may also be using deception to sell you something you don’t want. Here are some suggestions for finding out:

• Ask for a business card. Then, check if it has an address, phone number and website. If the salesperson refuses or just shows you his ID card (which anyone can fake), that’s a red flag.

• Ask for the name of his employer. Sometimes salespeople will say they “represent the phone company”. That doesn’t mean they actually work for it.

• Ask if you can call his company to confirm details before buying. If he refuses, or says the office is closed, shut the door.

• Ask if you can consider the offer and call the office the next day to place your order.

• If you’re really suspicious, ask him to come back later. Then, call the non-emergency police number. Police are aware of common scams in the area.

  Most importantly, use your common sense. Door-to-door salespeople can be pretty persuasive, but if something doesn’t seem right to you, trust your gut. Say, “No thanks.”

  Of course, if everything checks out with the salesperson, and the offer is a good one, consider taking advantage of it. 

No matter how much you love your current property, you may be dreaming of the day you can buy up into a better home in a better neighbourhood.

Is that day today, or, is it a few years down the road? Here’s a quick way to make that assessment.

First, make a list of all the practical reasons why it might be time to move up. Those reasons might include features such as: more bedrooms, proximity to work and school, a larger backyard with trees, nearby parks and walking paths and better access to things you enjoy like theatre.

Next, make a list of the emotional reasons for making such a move. Those reasons might include memorable get-togethers with friends on a more spacious deck, an easier and less stressful commute to work, more family time with the kids and enjoyable Saturday golf at a nearby course.

Finally, take a financial snapshot to determine if you can afford to move up. You’ll need to get a good idea of what your current property will sell for in today’s market, average price of homes in your desired neighbourhood, and how much mortgage you’ll need.

Once you have all that down on paper, you’ll have a clear picture of your readiness. If the practical and emotional reasons for buying up are compelling, and you can afford to make the move, then you have your answer.

The time is now!

By the way, if you need help in making this determination – especially figuring out what your home will likely sell for, call today.

When you’re out-of-town, there are plenty of kennels and other facilities that will mind your dog or cat. In fact, the pet-care business is booming! However, the same options aren’t available for your houseplants. So what do you do?

First, keep in mind that plants can go for several days or even a couple of weeks without water. This frequently happens in their natural habitats. So if you’re gone for just a few days, your flora will probably be fine.

Flowering plants tend to need the most water. Give them an extra dose just before you leave. Also, make sure they are in indirect, rather than direct sunlight. That will help them conserve water.

If you’re going to be away for a week or more, consider one of the several products on the market that water plants automatically. Many of these allow you to adjust how much water each plant gets — and when.

You’ll find plenty of do-it-yourself instructions for making your own automatic waterer on the internet, from plastic cups with tiny holes in the bottom to upside-down bottles with wicks. These might work, but you’ll want to test them first. 

Of course, your best option might be to have a friend or trusted neighbour take care of the plants for you. Just be sure to give them clear instructions.

Your houseplants will thank you. 

So excited with the new changes from the recent upgrade that Vancity did. I was able to logon to my Vancity app and now have all my accounts in one place. Makes for transferring money to my children's accounts a breeze. Because I don't have to do it often it used to be frustrating having to logout of one account double check the account number and then make sure I was transferring money to the right account. Now all I have to do is login and transfer between accounts. Easy peasy. Thanks Vancity, much more efficient banking.

Next on my agenda is to cancel my paper records and have them emailed each month...can't wait. Big steps in the right direction and finally good to see Vancity following its values and helping us eliminate paper waste!

Never have I been more thankful we have a BCAA membership. My poor husband was on his way home tonight and blew a tire in the middle of rush hour traffic. He's never had a tire go flat so fast and thankfully he was able to get over 3 lanes of traffic to the very narrow shoulder to pull over. 

It took a while for BCAA to get there, but finally the driver arrived and we have a new appreciation for tow truck drivers and the risk they take for people. When he changed the tire with the donut, cars continued to proceed in the lane next to him without slowing down or moving over. It was for this reason before the tow truck came that my husband decided to climb out of the car and climb over the cement barrier for fear of someone hitting the car with him in it. 

It is the law people...."On January 1, 2015 the previous 'Slow Down and Move Over' law was amended to require motorists to Slow Down and Move Over, for ALL vehicles stopped alongside the road, which have flashing red, blue or yellow lights. ... On undivided highways, this applies to motorists approaching the parked vehicle from either direction." I pulled this directly from the RCMP website to read more visit the following link: RCMP

I hope you will think twice next time you see a car pulled over on the side of the road. 

Kara, Erinn and I have been out canvassing our neighbourhoods around the 22nd annual Realtors Care Blanket Drive. It runs from Monday November 14 until next Monday November 21st. Each time we have been out we have managed to gather a bag or 2 of clothing. It has been a great way to get out to talk to people in our community around a good cause. 

Each year Realtors from all over The Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley Real Estate Boards band together to gather the following items for the homeless and those in need in preparation for our cold winters.

This year, again, the Blanket Drive is focusing on collecting new or gently used:

• sleeping bags

• blankets of all types, including twin sheets

• coats and jackets for women, men and children (especially plus sizes)

• gloves, toques, scarves, mittens, slippers

Several charities are also requesting new socks, underwear and pillows.

Give us a call we would be happy to pick up any donations or visit the following link to see the list of drop off locations in your area:

Blanket Drive

I posted this blog a couple years ago and wanted to give them a shout out once again as we have had clients recently use their services and were happy with the results. 


When we come across a business we are impressed with we want to highly recommend it. 

We have hired a couple different gas fireplace service companies over the years. Just the fact that there have been more than one tells you that we weren't overly impressed with any of them. Earlier this year we were referred to a company that came highly recommended - Bravo Gas Fireplace Service. With the hot weather there was no way we would have even the pilot light on, because it gave off too much heat. But the fall is also not the time to hire them to come in as they tend to get really busy. We originally sought out the referral because our fireplace wouldn't stay on. 

I called this morning looking to see when I could get someone in to clean and fix my fireplace. Bravo Gas Fireplace Service licensed Gas Fitter Fredy Cordova fit us in this afternoon and not only did he fix and clean out our firepalce better than any of the others, he did it quickly, friendly and efficiently. Having been referred to me, I highly recommend and would happily refer Bravo Gas Fireplace Service to anyone looking to get their fireplace serviced and ready for the cooler weather this fall and winter.

Contact: Fredy Cordova 
Bravo Gas Fireplace Service
4825 - 201St, Langley BC V3A 5V6
Tel: 604-533-4149
Cell: 604-721-4141
bravofireplaces@hotmail.com

Starting this Wednesday evening at 5pm Vancity will be shutting down their systems in order to upgrade their banking systems for all their members. This will affect members until Monday afternoon. 

You will still be able to use the ATM's and point of sale purchases won't be affected. Here is what I found on the Vancity website that might be helpful if you had any concerns. 
 
You can also visit the Vancity website for more details at the following link: Vancity

During the upgrade weekend:

You won’t be able to:

 - check your account balance

 -  make bill payments, including Canada Revenue Agency remittances

 -  transfer funds, including INTERAC e-Transfer

 -  use online, mobile and telephone banking

 -  do any transactions in the branch or over the phone.

You will be able to:

 -  make deposits and withdrawals at ATMs

 -  pay for purchases with your Vancity MEMBER CARD® debit card and enviro™ Visa* card

 -  access your myVisaAccount

 -  use Cash Management services and Night Deposit (for Business members)

Put your mind at ease.

Pre-authorized payments and direct deposits will be processed automatically during the system upgrade and will reflect the correct date.

Examples:

Expect your balance to catch up.

It may take a few days for your balance to catch up once we restore access to banking services. Please wait for your next account statements to do a full review and reconciliation of your transactions and balances.

We’re open during the upgrade weekend:

• Our community branches will remain open during regularly scheduled hours. We won’t be able to conduct any transactions for you or issue MEMBER CARD debit cards, but we’ll answer your questions, provide advice and give you access to your safety deposit box.

• Our Member Services Centre’s hours will be extended until 11 pm (regular hours resume, Monday, November 14 from 8 am to 8 pm).

• vancity.com will be accessible (not online banking though) and you can also reach us via social media.

Thursday our golf committee was honoured to have been given a tour of Dave Lede House at the Abbotsford location of Canuck Place Children's Hospice. Even though it's not fully operational due to lack of government funding, the house and what it has to offer brought a few tears and emotions that were felt by all of us. This is why we support them each year in our Homelife Charity Golf Classic!

Don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight!

Last week my husband and I had a pretty unique dining experience. One of my team gave me a gift certificate to the Dark Table restaurant in Kitsilano. We finally had the opportunity to make out there last week and we were not disappointed. I had always wanted to try the restaurant, unsure how it would work but always open to trying new things. 

We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and were greeted by a hostess who offered us a menu to review. We chose everything we wanted from drinks to our entree's. They had 5 different types of entrees to choose from. Beef, chicken, pasta, seafood and schnitzel dishes. We both chose to have the beef tenderloin as it sounded delicious. They let you know as part of the experience your appetizer and dessert are surprises. 

Then you wait for your server to come out get you and literally guide you to your seats. She brought us in to a dark entry where all doors from the outside must be closed before she can let us enter into the dining room...which is in complete darkness. You cannot see anything, not even your hand in front of your face....although someone dining at a nearby table thought for sure that she could. Likely her brain acknowledging that her hand was there not that she could actually see with her eyes. 

Our server - Sharon was completely blind and we were blown away at how well she navigated us through the maze of the restaurant, me holding on to her shoulders and my husband holding on to mine until we arrived at our table. Once we were seated she went to get our drinks and appetizer. She recommended we feel around to gain our bearings. The table wasn't very big. Just big enough for 2 placemats to butt up against each other across the table and room for a glass on either side of the mat. 

She returned with our mystery appetizer which was a delicious salad filled with mixed greens, pear, chick peas and some things we weren't too sure about...some we could guess right away but other items they tell you to ask about at the end when you pay your bill....but we forgot. 

Dinner arrived and you have to use your hands a little if you want to know in advance what you are about to put your fork into...I just poked my fork around and discovered the vegetables, beef and potatoes with each new bite. My husband decided to use his fingers to feel what things were so he had an idea of what he was choosing to eat next. 

After dinner, I needed to use the washroom and Sharon our server expertly guided me through the maze of tables to the washrooms. She leaves you in a small outer room that is dark and then you enter the dimly lit washroom. Once done you wait in the dark room for her to return and take you back to the table. What was incredible was how busy the restaurant was and as we approached a table she sensed her colleagues and would annouce us as we passed. Amazing!

While I was in the washroom, my husband discovered just how well his ears became attune to hearing...without meaning to he could suddenly hear a lot of different conversations all around him. He felt like he was eavesdropping on peoples private conversations, but with no other sounds to focus on.....what else do you do. I felt the same as I shuffled through the restaurant, everyone's conversations sounded so loud as I passed.

Once we were finished our dessert our server guides us to another dimly lit area where you pay with sighted staff behind a counter.   

We would highly recommend Dark Table to anyone and already have recommended to friends and family to check it out. An experience everyone should try at least once. 

The idea was started in Switzerland where a blind man - Jorge Spielmann invited guests for dinner and blindfolded them to show them how blind people eat. Spielmann's guest enjoyed the experience so much that he opened a restaurant where blind servers worked serving diners in the dark.

Dark Table is owned by the same owner that has O-noir in Toronto and Montreal - Moe Alameddine. 

An interesting fact which I am sure most sighted people don't think of is that the unemployment rate is approximately 70% for the blind. Which is not surprising with the sight focused world we live in. 

It is great that Moe Alameddine has given the blind and visually impaired an opportunity to work, but I love what he says:

"it is truly the blind offering this unique, eye-opening experience to the sighted."  

And it truly was an eye opening experience ....especially for myself as I have never had issues with my vision. It gave me a little insight into how my husband has to try and see without contacts or glasses on. Something I take for granted eveyday! I am sure most with excellent vision do....not intentionally...but ignorantly (with a lack of understanding) because even in the dark at home my eyes adjust...but there is no adjusting in a pitch black room with no source of light!  

This report confirms what we have been relaying to our clients, friends and family. The media keeps reporting doom and gloom with prices down 20% or more, but inventory is still so low and with how high prices have been and still are....it is still a good market to sell your home if you have been considering selling. Until the market changes and inventory increases, I don't imagine we will see prices drop much until then. What we are seeing is overpricing coming back down to reality, I think that is more because buyers are aware of the market and since there isn't the same urgency they know they do not need to pay for over priced listings like they would have in the spring. 

Sales increase slightly as inventory hits 10-year low for the month of October

SURREY, BC – The Fraser Valley real estate market remained active through October, with sales breaking slightly higher than the 10-year historical average for the month.p>

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,463 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in October, a decrease of 17.4 per cent compared to the 1,772 sales in October of last year, and a 12.1 per cent increase compared to the 1,305 sales in September 2016.

Of the 1,463 sales processed last month, 389 were townhouses and 400 were apartments, representing a significant portion of October’s market activity. Townhome transactions increased 10.2 per cent when compared to last year, and apartment sales reached even higher levels seeing a 56.3 per cent gain.

“Sales activity was healthy in October, especially in the townhome and apartment categories. With prices beginning to level-off, it appears that buyers are becoming more motivated to explore the Valley’s available inventory,” said Charles Wiebe, Board President.

Last month the total active inventory for the Fraser Valley was 6,035 listings, the lowest level seen for an October in ten years. Active inventory decreased by 6 per cent month-over-month, and decreased 7.7 per cent when compared to October 2015.

The Board received 2,197 new listings in October, an 18.9 per cent decrease from September 2016, and a 1.9 per cent increase compared to October 2015’s 2,155 new listings.

“It seems that there’s no bad time to sell a home in 2016 as demand for Fraser Valley real estate remains strong. Talk to your REALTOR® if you’re looking to make a move before the end of the year, and they can get you where you need to be.”

For the Fraser Valley region, the average number of days to sell a single family detached home in October 2016 was 31 days, compared to 36 days in October 2015.

The MLS® HPI benchmark price of a Fraser Valley single family detached home in October was $872,100, an increase of 34.3 per cent compared to October 2015 when it was $649,200.

The benchmark price of Fraser Valley townhomes in October was $421,300, an increase of 34.3 per cent compared to October 2015’s benchmark price of $313,700. The benchmark price for an apartment in the Fraser Valley increased 25.2 per cent year-over-year, from $203,100 in October 2015 to $254,300 in October of this year.

Full package:
http://www.fvreb.bc.ca/statistics/Package201610.pdf