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.

This gorgeous Fall Day was too nice to waste inside, so we made it out today to talk to people in the Cloverdale community about the Realtor Cares Blanket Drive which starts next Monday November 14th and runs until the 21st. 

If you have any blankets or clothing to donate to the Realtor Cares Blanket Drive visit the following link for drop off locations or give us a call and we will be happy to arrange to have your items picked up!

Realtor Cares Blanket Drive

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

I came back from a week in Ontario last week visiting family and friends while my husband worked. Having grown up in Ontario, every time we have visited in the past it has always been like going home. This time it has been 6 years since our last visit and for the first time we realized it truly isn't home anymore. We are definitely west coasters now. Just like my bio says there really is no better place than having the mountains and the ocean in our back yard. Unfortunately, there are no mountains across the skyline in Ontario and the closest thing to an ocean are the great lakes. 

While visiting, the weather went from unseasonably warm to fall cold weather for our last 2 days. Drastic changes in weather are definitely not something we miss. Thankful we flew home before the snow hit and yes it did hit less than a week later in some areas. 

Now don't get me wrong Ontario has a lot to offer. My sisters and some of our closest friends are probably the biggest reason for us to stay connected with Ontario. Then there's the restaurants...Staying downtown Toronto I had dozens of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which is probably the second thing we miss the most...there are lots of chain restaurants here in BC. But not enough good quality restaurants to choose from here in the lower mainland and fraser valley. 

We were a little too early for the peak of the Fall colours which was always one of our favourite things about fall in Ontario. The colours in BC just don't compare. But we managed to find a little.

The other thing we love about Ontario, there's no other place in Canada that has an amusement park to rival Disney like Canada's Wonderland. 

So Ontario even though you are no longer home...we will be back to visit!

Every year we send out our Colouring Contests at Easter and Halloween and we always look forward to receiving the entries. Each year the number of entries grow and there are always so many that we would love to choose as the winner. But unfortunately we can only pick one from each age group. We always want to share everyone's masterpiece and finally found a way that we can. So we will share every one of our entries over a few blogs this week. Stay tuned for our winners once they have picked up their prize, we will post them for all to see!

Be sure to watch your mail for a little thank you treat for entering our colouring contest!

We hope everyone had a Happy and safe Halloween!!!

Erinn and Kara out door knocking in Cloverdale today around the upcoming  Realtors Care Blanket Drive for the homeless going from November 14th to the 21st.
If you have any clothing to donate, please visit the following wesbite for locations to donate or give us a call and we will arrange to pick up your donations.

Realtors Care Blanket Drive

Growing up in Ontario, apple picking was part of our fall tradition. There are plenty of Apple farms within a short drive from where we lived. In elementary school its pretty common to have a field trip to an apple farm each year. We would also take our daughter, nieces and nephews to pick apples. Always made for a great family outing on a gorgeous fall sunny day. 

That's exactly what today was, a beautiful, warm, sunny fall day. Ever since moving here 11 years ago its been a tradition for my aunt and I to make a trip to Abbotsford in September or October to pick apples at The Taves Family Farm - The Apple Barn. We discovered them after searching for a u-pick apple farm all those years ago and they were the only ones that actually let you pick your own apples. Most of the other farms were more pumpkin patches that had apples for sale. I was shocked that it wasn't as big as it was in Ontario. But when we visited The Taves Family Farm - The Apple Barn this year after missing the last couple years we couldn't believe how much it has changed and grown into a great family outdoor experience. Much like going to Krause berry or Driedeger Farms for berries. The Taves Family Farm - The Apple Barn has a small petting zoo, play area, country farm shop, pumpkin picking and of course Apple picking. It was here many years ago where we discovered Jonagold apples. A deliciously sweet, but slightly tart apple that can grow quite large. They are great for eating and baking. Ealier on in the season they had a variety of other apples, Jonagold's were ready this month.

If you are looking for a something fun to do with your family this weekend, I would highly recommend making a trip to The Taves Family Farm - The Apple Barn there's fun for the whole family!

ven take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch