"Staging" your home is all about making the space in your home as appealing as possible to buyers. You may already know the basics, such as eliminating clutter. Here are some other tips that are less well known yet very effective:

• Chandeliers. Surprisingly, these are one of the simplest ways to make a foyer, dining room or living room dramatically more eye- catching. You can buy a good-looking chandelier for a few hundred dollars.

• New linen. This is something many home sellers don't consider, but should. Replace any worn linen – sheets, coverings, towels, and even oven mitts with new ones. Believe it or not, new linen makes a big impression on buyers.

• Pedestal sinks. It may not be practical for you to replace a bathroom sink. However, if you are doing a renovation, keep in mind that pedestal sinks – especially in small washrooms – are a big hit with buyers.

• New appliances. A brand new fridge, stove and dishwasher are motivating selling features to buyers. That's because new appliances make the whole kitchen look brand new.

• Avoid multi-use rooms. Have a spare bedroom that doubles as a home office? That's a turnoff to buyers. Whenever possible, stage each room so that it has a singular purpose. A guest bedroom, for example, should be only that.

  Want more tips on how to stage your home so that it attracts buyers? Call today. 

From our Families to Yours all of us at the Bettina Reid Group wish you all the best throughout the holidays and into the New Year! We hope you get to spend some time making memories with your families and friends.

Every year it seems like many communites are having evening parades to be able to show off all the pretty lights. This year is no exception, whether during the day or at night though there's nothing like the excitement of seeing Santa at the end of the Parade. 

The Magic of Christmas Parade and Country Christmas in Langley City is Saturday December 6th from 6-8pm and starts on Fraser Hwy between 203rd and 207th and finishes off at the Douglas Recreation Centre where they will have a tree lighting ceremony with lots of fun for the whole family.


As well, who doesn't love listening to Christmas music and even better when its done the old fashioned way with carollers. Five nights ithis month, McBurney Plaza will come alive with the sounds of Christmas. In Partnership with 4 local churches, the City of Langley will be hosting carolers on December 5, 12, 13, 18 & 19th. For more information: events@langleycity.ca or call 604-514-2940

Having started my family in Ontario, every year in November since our daughter was 1 year old we would make our way into downtown Toronto for the Santa Claus Parade. Now our girls are teenagers and the twinkle in Santa's eye just doesn't do it for them anymore....I miss seeing all the little ones and the excitement in their eyes. 

This Sunday December 7th, Surrey's Santa Parade of Lights starts at 5pm and runs through downtown Cloverdale.The parade route starts at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds parking lot at 60 Avenue and will make its way to 176th Street, heading east on 60th Avenue to 177B Street, then south on 177B Street, right at 58th Avenue, and then west to 176th Street. From there, the parade turns left and heads south to Highway 10. At the end of the Parade they will have a tree lighting ceremony to cap off the evenings events.

Vancouver also hosts the Rogers Santa Claus Parade in the afternoon on Sunday December 7th starting at 1pm.

For the parade route visit the following link:

Vancouver Santa Claus Parade

If you are planning on taking your little ones, be sure to dress warm and head down early to get them a comfy spot where they won't miss out on anything!

Fingers crossed the rain holds off, so far the forecast is not calling for any rain.

The Bank of Canada once again held it's target overnight rate at 1%. This is the longest the rate has held at this point since the 1950's. Economists are forecasting the rate to slightly increase towards the end of next year by 25 basis points. But this forecast essentially helps to keep mortgage rates low until later in the year next year. Making it a perfect time to get into the market or make a new purchase. 

I expect 2015 to be another good year for people looking to buy or sell a home. It will be interesting to see if this holds true.

This morning our boards stats came out, along with a news release that supports what we have been telling our clients over the last few weeks. We have been working with a number of buyers throughout Cloverdale, South Surrey/White Rock and Langley and the inventory in each community is quite low. Which seems to be the case in other communities as well. The lack of inventory makes things harder for our Buyers when they are looking for a new home. If there's a well priced property that has a lot to offer, it is gone before we can even get our clients in. We have had to explain to clients, if there's any interest they need to get out to see the home right away and then not take too long thinking about it. If they do, they will likely miss out on it.

All this bodes well for Sellers, so when our clients ask if this is the right time to sell their home, I always let them know in my opinion it is. The Buyers out there shopping right now are serious Buyers and the likelyhood of sellers getting their asking price is greater when there is less for Buyers to choose from.

If you thinking of making a move, why not consider putting your home on the market now adn give us a call today!

2014 trend towards increased sales and steady pricing continues into November

December, 02 2014 11:04:13 am, by FVREB 
Categories: Statistics

SURREY, BC – The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,136 sales on its Multiple Listing Service (MLS®) in November, an increase of 15 per cent compared to the 986 sales during the same month last year and 22 per cent lower than the 1,448 sales processed in October. 

New listings in the Fraser Valley decreased by 2 per cent in November, going from 1,774 last year to 1,748 last month taking the number of active listings to 8,302, a decrease of 4 per cent compared to the 8,641 active listings in November of 2013. 

“This is the time of year when families are settling in for winter and the holidays, so we expect to see a decrease in activity,” explains the Board’s president, REALTOR® Ray Werger. “After a busy fall with volumes reaching 5-year highs, we’re winding down the year with sales on par with the ten-year average, but about 8 per cent fewer new listings therefore home buyers will notice a shortage of inventory in certain price ranges.” 

Pricing continues along the same trends as seen for most of 2014, with single family detached prices continuing to rise; townhouse prices remaining steady, and apartment prices decreasing. The MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI) benchmark price of a detached home in November was $575,400 an increase of 4.6 per cent compared to November 2013, when it was $550,300. 

The MLS® HPI benchmark price of townhouses increased 2.2 per cent from $292,400 in November 2013 to $298,900 last month. The benchmark price of apartments decreased year-over-year by 3.5 per cent, going from $196,200 in November of last year to $189,400 in November 2014. 

“Prices are a function of supply and demand - which your REALTOR® will explain varies considerably from area to area and within the different property types - as well as local amenities, transportation options and future community development, underscoring the importance of expert guidance when you’re looking to list or buy,” says Werger. 

“Overall, 2014 is shaping up to be a good year for Fraser Valley real estate,” continues Werger. “We hit a bit of a trough during the summer of last year, but since then sales have recovered and we’re tracking towards a 15 per cent increase in year-to-date sales for 2014 compared to 2013 with prices remaining relatively stable.”

Happy Thanksgiving to All of our American Friends and Family from all of us at The Bettina Reid Group!

We hope that everyone has the oppportunity to share some time with family and friends at some point this weekend.

I wanted to share my many experiences with Apple this year, because of how impressed I was and continue to be by their exceptional service....So much so I have convinced my husband we are putting some of our investments into buying Apple shares.

Yes, I have drank the koolaid (maybe not as much as my husband...who's a former Blackberry user, who swore by them and now absolutely HAD to have the new iPhone 6 when it came out even though his 5S was still in perfect condition) But after my many experiences this year I really do think their koolaid is worth every last drop!

I did need a new phone. This summer my iPhone 4 was on its last legs...apps crashing, freezing, very little battery life...driving me crazy! My husband was also having trouble with his iPhone 5S so we booked an appointment for both of us to take our phones in to the Guildford Town Centre location.

Everytime you enter an Apple store you are always pleasantly greeted, the place is always packed....but still you manage to get amazing service. Once there I was also having trouble with my contacts, somehow I had lost a whole bunch of contacts. After they did a diagnostic and found all the issues on my phone they spent an hour or more with me to help resolve my issue. I no longer had a warranty and even the warranty I did have was crap. I will only ever puchase Apple Care for all of my Apple products going forward. The best part was that they gave me all that time and I had no warranty for them to have to give me the time and still they did. They helped to resolve my issues a couple times as best they could.

I previously spent $169 with Rogers back in 2012 for a 2 year warranty that I thought for sure would cover my phone (I had cracked my screen twice before and figured the cost was worth it) Only to find out when I needed it... if I wanted to send them my phone and be without a phone or better yet they would charge my credit card approximately $1000 and then there was no guarantee what kind of phone I would be getting in its place. Once I received the phone and returned my old one, then they would return the majority of what my card was debited but not before keeping what I was told was a standard deductible which would have been just under $200. In the end this so called warranty would have cost me close to $400, when I purchased it I was told that they would repair or replace no questions asked to a maximum of 3 times. 

Needless to say my husband convinced me to hang on to my phone until the new one came out this fall. I love it, first time I got a new phone when it was released. I even sat up until midnight just to book my phone because they only had so many to release each day. Thankfully I purchased the Apple Care because I once again smashed my screen. My last phone I managed not to crack the screen at all and then this one is only a couple months old and after numerous drops it cracked. I know I deserve it. My family just loves it because all four of us have an iPhone and I am the only one to crack my screen. 

The only complaint I have is that there are very few cases to choose from, I really wanted one that is like a book style. Found one but every time it falls it opens up and lands flat on the screen. Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend these cases unless they have a strap that keeps them closed. That or just be sure you never drop your phone....Good luck!

This time because I had purchased Apple Care I booked my appointment and I was in and out in less than a half hour with a brand new phone. I still had to pay a deductible of $79 but no charging my card a fortune and no giving me a lesser model. They gave me the choice I could either have the phone fixed or they could replace it. The cost was the same. I figured might as well get a new one. The service was once again amazing. The Apple rep that took care of me was explaining how much he loved his job. Which is something that seems to come across with all the staff everytime I have ever been in the store. 

I forgot to mention, another nice thing when I got my new phone. I was able to trade in my old phone and they gave me a credit for $125. 

I wanted to share my experience with everyone because each time I am amazed at how positive an experience I have had. So all those nay sayers out there, or die hard Blackberry or android users .....do you get the same kind of support?

Imagine you're viewing a potential new home. You walk in the front door and are instantly impressed. You explore the property room by room and like what you see.

Then there's something you notice that's not quite right. An odour. You realize that it's likely cat dander and, now that you've identified it, you smell it everywhere. Suddenly the home doesn't seem as attractive as it did just moments earlier.

The owner of the property is probably so used to the smell that he doesn't even notice it. Neither does anyone else in the household.

So, when marketing your home for sale, be scent sensitive. Think about the odours that you may have become used to but others are likely to notice. Even odours you think are pleasant, like the strong scent given off by some house plants, may not be pleasing to everyone.

An odour can easily distract a buyer from appreciating the good qualities of your property. Pay particular attention to garbage bins (which can smell even when empty), pets, kitty litter (even when fresh and unused), the kitchen (especially after cooking), perfumes, and closets.

The smell of cigarette smoke is particularly unpleasant to many people. Its odour can linger even on an outside deck or patio.

Bottom line? Don't assume buyers won't notice certain smells. They will.

Looking for more advice on selling your home quickly and for the best price? Call today.