Baddeck Real Estate

 So…you’ve bought a home. Congratulations! Now the work begins. Here are a few tips to get you organized so you move will go smoothly.

Firstly.., sort through every room and get rid of everything you do not need or want in your new home. Have a garage sale with the items that are still of use. Get lots of boxes. Defrost the fridge the day before. Make sure you cancel newspapers, milk delivery, water, cable, power, and fuel.

 Return library books. Collect medical and school records. Cancel club memberships. Obtain a copy of your will. Close out local charge accounts. Change insurance policies to reflect the new home.  Get a change of address at the post office. Notify charge accounts. Get medical records for all your pets.

I hope this helps make your moving day a success.

Wishing one and all a super day!!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902-295-2364 ph, 902-295-3019 fax

902-295-3472 home

www.harveyrealties.com

terri@homezilla.com

According to the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors.

Continued…..

Buyers and sellers must understand that their brokerage representatives:

• cannot make or accept an offer on their behalf unless they have the legal authority to do so;are their representative for the purposes of communicating and receiving notice of offers, counter offers and acceptances unless written instructions to the contrary have been given by the Buyer or Seller.

Keep in mind the following exceptions:

• an offer may be withdrawn by the Buyer at any time before the Seller’s acceptance of the offer has been communicated to the Buyer;
• a counter offer by the Seller is irrevocable, which means the Seller cannot cancel or withdraw a counter offer they have made to the Buyer;
• an acceptance of an offer or counter offer is only effective once the acceptance is communicated to the party who made the offer or counter offer or to their duly authorized agent;
• an acceptance must be communicated in the manner specified and by the time prescribed, if any, in the offer or counter offer; and
• when an offer or counter offer has been accepted, there is a binding contract between the Buyer and Seller, even though the contract may specify certain conditions that must be met ( for example, the Buyer being approved for a mortgage).

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have additional questions.

Have a super day!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902 295 2364 ph, 902 295 3019 fax

902 295 3472 home

terri@harveyrealties.com

www.harveyrealties.com

According to the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors;

When a buyer finds a property they wish to purchase, it is customary for them to make an offer on an Agreement of Purchase and Sale to the Seller through the brokerage representative. The offer may be accepted by the Seller or modified and returned to the Buyer as a counter offer. If the Buyer receives a counter offer they may  accept or reject it. If the Buyer rejects the counter offer, they must make a new offer to continue negotiations.

The exchange of offers and counter offers may continue until the Buyer and Seller accepts the terms proposed by the other party or withdraws from the negotiations. Where buyers and sellers are working with brokerage representatives, the exchange of offers, counter offers and acceptances is conducted through their representative.

To be continued…..

Wishing one and all a super day!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902 295 2364 ph, 902 295 3019 fax

902 295 3472 home

Good day.  Many of you are asking about this process. What it is and why must I have it completed in order to sell my property. Well, basically it is a guarantee of title to the land owner. This land registration was designed to ease the process of how land is bought and sold. It’s a new, modern way to manage land ownership and can be managed online from any location in the world.

There are more than 600,000 land parcels in Nova Scotia and many of these have not been converted to the new system. There are mandatory triggers such as selling for value, mortgages and subdivision resulting in three or more parcels, condominium development, land title clarification and quieting of title. You may voluntarily migrate your property as well.

From my perspective, it is much easier to sell a converted ( migrated ) property as I know the historic search has been completed and ownership has been established. In the past, sales have been held up due to gaps in title, for weeks or even months, while lawyers try to rectify the problem.

You may start your migration with a call to your lawyer if you wish the process to be completed now rather than waiting until it must be done. Here is my tip for the day. If you have a large parcel of land and are thinking of subdividing it into smaller parcels, then you should convert the parent(original) parcel prior to subdivision so you only have to pay for it once.

I hope this clears up any confusion or at least answers a few questions regarding migration of land.

Take care and have a great day!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902 295 2364 office, 902 295 3019 fax

902 295 3472 home

www.harveyrealties.com

terri@harveyrealties.com

To buy or not to buy…the Bank of Canada dropped its key interest rate to 0.5%. Historic! Now is a great time to buy property as we will, albeit eventually, come out of the recession and the rates will slowly climb back into the clouds again. While most people with disposable cash are hanging on to it, some are realizing it’s a buyers market and a great time to make a purchase, especially if it is for investment purposes.

 As soon as the market changes people become realistic about selling property. In good times where an average turn around time might be 60 days, it now takes much more time and sometimes requires a drop in price to see fruition. The buyers mindset is…if I am going to risk my money in volatile times, I want a great deal!

Let us hope this recession runs its course in due time and by the time the snow is gone we’ll be back in business and back to a fair market for both buyers and sellers….see photo below!

Wishing one and all a super day!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902 295 2364 ph, 902 295 3019 fax

902 295 3472 home

Some people say the real estate market is soft and investment dollars are scarce…well, I say it’s a great time to buy property. Prices are down and people are ready to deal as they are unsure of how long this economic downturn will last.  Bank rates are low and the market is flooded. No better time to invest than now. The Canadian Real Estate Association President reacts to the  federal government stimulus plan in the 2009 budget.

“The change announced to the popular Home Buyers’ Plan will help Canadians who want to own their own home, and do it in a responsible way that is not a major drain on taxpayers,” says the President of The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), Calvin Lindberg.

Research conducted for CREA by the Altus Group shows that each residential real estate transaction in Canada generates $32,200 in ancillary consumer spending. The study also reported that 94,700 full time direct jobs were generated annually by that ancillary or spin-off activity. The study is posted on the www.crea.ca website.

“The federal government has found a way to introduce economic stimulus and housing initiatives for specific groups, and for Canadians who want to buy their first home.” Mr. Lindberg added. CREA had proposed the federal government do that by increasing the limit of the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) to help stimulate the housing market.

So…what are you waiting for? 

Wishing one and all a super day!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902-295-2364 ph, 902-295-3019 fax

902-295-3472 home

Thinking of moving? Upgrading? Downsizing? Whatever your reason for selling there are a few simple things you can do to optimize your selling price. Firstly, walk around your house and really look at things. Are there small tears in the linoleum? Cracks in a windowpane? Worn weather-stripping? Pealing paint? These are small things that many people choose to live with as they  sit on the ” to do” list for eons. You many not notice them as you go about your daily routine but I can guarantee you potential buyers will notice, and comment about, all the “small repairs” that scream at them. It’s important to take care of any minor repairs as well as more considerable ones prior to listing your property.

 Curb appeal is very important as well. As potential buyers drive up to your property they should feel like wanting to go inside and not want to do the 100-yard dash down the street to the next available property. Two of the most important things to remember are to de-clutter and de-personalize your home. Clutter takes up valuable space and personal items remind potential buyers that this is not their home.

Also, kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. It’s true. If it’s in the budget to upgrade, these are the rooms that will get the most bang for your buck. Always have your home ready to show , neat, clean and screaming “buy me”. I hope these tips will help you get your property ready for new owners! Good luck and give me a call if you need help.

Take care and have a super day!

Terri Brewer

Catherine E. Harvey Realties Ltd.

Baddeck, NS

902-295-2364 ph, 902-295-3019 fax

902-295-3472 home