It was about time that Surrey put in legislation allowing secondary suites. With the price of homes today most buyers cannot afford a larger home without the help of renters to pay their mortgage. Since implemented on Dec 13, 2010 it seems they have only been selectively targeting homes with multiple suites. Now it sounds like Surrey will be gradually cracking down on all suites not yet brought up to code by the end of April, as they hire a new bylaw clerk and a couple new bylaw officers. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for this process to take affect.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/peacearchnews/news/118439854.html

If you are thinking of purchasing a home you have got a great selection of inventory to choose from. The pricing is reasonable and being out in the field I get to see what's on the market first hand, I can honestly say there are some really nice places at affordable prices from Abbotsford to Coquitlam and everything in between. You can contact Bettina or Myself if you would like more information on homes in your area or the area you are looking to move to.  Enjoy the article. - Kara


http://www.fvreb.bc.ca/blog/index.php/2011/02/02/increase-in-listings-advantageous-for-fraser-valley-buyers

I came across this excellent article about the odours in ones home when trying to sell. I've shown many houses that instantly put off my buyers the second they entered the home and were greeted by an unpleasant odour. 

Most people think they keep a fairly clean home. I know myself I feel my home is relatively clean. But whenever I steam clean my carpets, it's amazing to see what gets drawn out of them. No matter how many times you clean your carpets you will find you can extract a fair amount of what seems like an endless amount of dust and dirt.

With that in mind you can imagine what odours can be hard to get out of your home. Odours can set in to not only the carpeting and draperies, but even the walls, cupboards and vents. Even the nicest of homes can offend people if their first impression is hindered by unpleasant odours.

That is why it is important to hire a professional that will help you in preparing your home for sale. It is our job to let you know what our first impression is and help you to make any changes that might be necessary. Sometimes all it takes is to have your carpets cleaned and walls painted. Other times you may need to hire professionals to come in and shock the air quality within the home. Worse case scenario, you may have to do all of the above and perhaps remove any carpeting or draperies in order to eliminate the unpleasant odour. When you are looking at selling your biggest asset a few thousand dollars spent may mean saving you the loss of tens of thousands when negotiating with interested buyers. The last thing you would want is to have to knock the price of your home down because of something you could have avoided, or worse yet have people walk away uninterested from the home because they cannot see past the smell!

I came across this article this morning and it was one of those that immediately caught my eye. When my daughter was born we didn't even have a computer (not that they weren't around we just couldn't afford one) and now people are buying domain names and saving email accounts for their kids. It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next 15-20 yrs and whether those kids will even make use of such technology. Or, if the domain names and email accounts that their parents are reserving for them will be like an LP or cassette is to our generation....

http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/newsfeatures/article/951701--a-domain-name-for-baby

It's incredible what a little bit of kindness and customer service will do to brighten ones day!

Just a reminder that you have 5 days left to contribute to your RRSP's for the 2010 taxation year. You have until the end of business day on March 1, 2011. Many banking institutions are staying open later to help you make your RRSP contributions.

While an Inspector may not find every single issue in every single home they inspect, a qualified Inspector is a very important part of your real estate transaction.  It can also sometimes be helpful to have your home pre-inspected prior to putting in on the market so that potential buyers feel even more confident about your property. At the Bettina Reid Group we can help you through the process of finding a qualified Inspector to suit your needs.

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/mortgages/the-five-most-overlooked-problems-in-a-home-inspection/article1908047/

The face of banking in Canada changes tomorrow as TD Canada Trust opens for business on Sundays. In over 90 communities across Canada there will be over 300 branches open from 12pm - 4pm. To find a location near you click on the link:
www.tdcanadatrust.com

Little did I know that CIBC has been offering this service for 3 yrs now but on a much smaller scale with only 48 locations in 30 communities. I think there will be a much greater impact on banking with TD being open Sundays.