It’s not often that I do this; talk about a home builder in this way. I have a real distate for most builders, as I’ve had far too much experience with inexperienced or unethical builders. In fact, it’s probably only the 2nd or 3rd time I’ve endorsed someone who isn’t actually my client.
Category: Buying Edmonton Real Estate
Aztek Homes – Great People, Great Homes
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012Tags: aztek homes, edmonton custom builders, john carle
Posted in Ask John Carle, Buying Edmonton Real Estate | No Comments »
Should you buy a “Diamond-in-the-rough”?
Thursday, January 5th, 2012Sometimes buyers/investors may consider buying a home, that for one reason or another does not show up to the potential it could. (A Diamond-in-the-rough…)
Let’s face it. When you visit a home during a scheduled viewing or open house, you’re usually seeing it at its best. The rooms are tidy. The sinks are clean. The closets are organized and uncluttered. Even the lighting is set to its brightest.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, buying your home, cmhc, DIY, edmonton home, Edmonton Home Maintenance, Edmonton homes for sale, edmonton real estate, edmonton real estate agent, edmonton real estate blog, edmonton realtor, edmonton realty news, edmonton remax, http://www.knock-knock.ca, john carle, real estate edmonton, Sarah Dulmage, st albert homes for sale, St. albert real estate, Twitter, yegre
Posted in Around Edmonton, Buying Edmonton Real Estate | No Comments »
What about the Property Taxes ???
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011Property Taxes…. the bane of a homeowners existence. You don’t like paying them but the city/county needs them to keep running and to keep up the maintenance of roads etc…
Property taxes are usually due once per year, on June 30th. This is for the entire calendar year. Some cities give you a break of 1 to 3 % on your taxes if you pay them in full earlier.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, buying your home, Edmonton homes for sale, edmonton real estate, edmonton real estate agent, edmonton real estate blog, edmonton real estate news, edmonton realtor, home ownership, john carle, remax edmonton, Sarah Dulmage, st albert homes for sale, Twitter
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate | No Comments »
So you wanna buy a new home (Part 2) – The draw mortgage.
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011Its exciting to plan for and execute the new home purchase. You are choosing the builder, the lot, the style, and all the little details like flooring etc… True choice.
Now, you ask yourself how do I get financing for something that doesn’t exist yet? Good question.
You have to either pay cash (I wish I could….) or get financing through your Mortgage Broker or Lending Institution. To qualify you usually need at least a 5% down-payment and a total cost for the amount to be financed.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, buying your home, edmonton house, edmonton real estate blog, home ownership, john carle, Mortgages, moving to edmonton, real estate tweets, Sarah Dulmage, st. albert property
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate | 4 Comments »
So, you wanna buy a new home (Part 1)
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011The lure of a new home can be quite strong, and for a lot of good reasons. They often incorporate the latest building methods and materials, require little to no major maintenance, and are full of comfortable features.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, edmonton, edmonton homes, Edmonton Property, edmonton real estate, edmonton real estate news, john carle, real estate tweets, Sarah Dulmage, st albert homes for sale
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate | No Comments »
When buying a condo, the condo documents are very important.
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011If you have purchased a condominium then you will have looked over the documents that describe the unit, building, condo corporation etc…
As a REALTOR®, I have had many clients purchase apartment and townhouse condos in many varied complexes. Usually, one of my many jobs when my clients are looking at the condo is to help them to understand the documents.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, edmonton, Edmonton HHT, edmonton real estate, edmonton real estate agent, edmonton real estate blog, john carle, real estate tweets, Sarah Dulmage, st. albert remax
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Condo Developments | No Comments »
What makes an Offer to Purchase conditional…?
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011The offer to purchase a house, condo, or land can generally be either Conditional or Unconditional.
First, most of the purchase offers that are written are Conditional. Usually they are subject to:
a) the Buyer being approved for New Financing (Mortgage)
b) a satisfactory Property Inspection
c) a satisfactory check and approval of the condominium documents (if purchasing a condo)
When the buyer and seller agree to the conditional purchase offer, then the buyer is given a certain amount of time to “satisfy” the conditions on the offer.
- The financing needs approval from a lender (sometimes an appraisal is ordered by the lender) before the Financing condition can be met.
- A property inspection needs to be completed, discussed if necessary, and approved by the Buyer.
- The condo documents must be given to the prospective buyer to review however they deem necessary to check in to the condominium.
Once the buyer has satisfied each condition, their Realtor can help them remove (satisfy) the condition. Once all the conditions are removed, the property is then considered “SOLD”.
If a buyer decides not to satisfy/remove a condition, or if the set condition day and time pass without the condition being removed, then the offer to purchase is voided.
This is to protect the buyer from inadvertently buying a property through an error. There must be wilful completion of the transaction.
Now, there are other conditions that can be attached to a purchase offer. Some examples are:
- Subject to Sale of the Buyers home
- Subject to viewing and approving the property
- Subject to satisfactory testing of a well and septic system
There are almost unlimited conditions that can be written. Heck, Sellers are also able to put conditions on an offer too, if they want.
Unconditional offers are also sometimes seen. When the market was particularly hot in 2006 and 2007, I saw quite a few offer with no conditions. I must say that I personally don’t think anyone should put in an unconditional offer unless they know ALL the possible ramifications of doing this. You could be stuck with some pretty big problems.
Finally, the conditions that are put on an offer are to protect either the buyer or seller (or maybe both)depending on the situation. If the two sides agree to a condition then they are making reasoned decisions. If all goes well, then the conditions can be quickly satisfied, the home sold, and both parties can move on with life.
If you have any questions on conditional offers to purchase, or any other real estate matter please give me a call or email. I’m here to work with you.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, Edmonton homes for sale, edmonton real estate, john carle, moving to edmonton, real estate edmonton, real estate tweets, remax edmonton, Sarah Dulmage, st albert homes for sale, yegre
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Real Estate News Edmonton, Selling Edmonton Home | No Comments »
Set aside your emotions when showing your home.
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011Let’s face it. Most of us have strong emotional connections to our homes. It’s where our kids grew up. It’s where we spent time with friends and family. It’s where we went to relax and unwind.
So it can be difficult to let go of those emotions when you put your house or condo up for sale.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, edmonton homes, edmonton house, edmonton mls, edmonton real estate market, home ownership, john carle, Sarah Dulmage, selling your home, Twitter
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Selling Edmonton Home | No Comments »
What role does the “Title” play?
Friday, April 29th, 2011So, have you heard that someone has “Title” to the property? What does that mean?
Well, as a REALTOR®, I deal with Title to properties day in and day out. Yet, I am by far not an expert on it. (Lawyers get paid to know all about it).
What I do know is that its important for homeowners and prospective homeowners to know what Title is and how it affects them. Generally, each residential home, condominium unit, and piece of land has a registered owner on the Title. Lawyers transfer the ownership (or Title) for a property through the Land Titles office when a property is bought and sold.
1. In Alberta, the Provincial Government oversees Land Titles through the Land Titles office. Each Land Title Certificate has the legal description of the property, the title number, the land location (or ATS reference), and the municipality its in.
2. Next, is the Registered Owner(s), the date of & cost paid for the property. (Check this over, its important)
Note: this is where it becomes interesting….
3. The next section is “Encumbrances, Liens, and Interests”
If there is a mortgage on the property, the lender and the original mortgage amount are also found on the document. (If there is no Mortgage and no money is owed, then it known as “Clear Title” I want to be mortgage free and clear title someday!!!!)
You may have heard the term “1st Mortgage” , ” 2nd Mortgage” , well that applies to how they are listed, in order, on the Title document. This is because if/when the property is Sold or Foreclosed upon, it goes in order from the 1st to the Last on who gets paid out first.
That is normally why, 2nd mortgages charge more for an interest rate because of their lower (less secure) position.
Also, you may have heard of a “Reverse Mortgage”. This is just using your home as collateral for a loan, and having it registered against the Title for your home. It stays there just like a normal mortgage (unless you pay it back) until you sell your property.
The only difference to this is in the case of property taxes or assessments to the city or municipality. They top everyone, including mortgages. They get first dibs, if the property taxes are not paid.
Also listed here are utility-right-of-ways, Caveats & Liens, restrictive covenants (such as building restrictions for acreages or neighbourhood architectural controls), zoning regulations, and anyone/company that has an interest in the property.
Now, as a Realtor, I pull title when I’m going to possibly list a home for sale so I can be assured that I am talking to the registered owner or owner(s) of the property.
You as a homeowner, might want to check the Title for your home once a year to make sure there is nothing wrong with it. (It costs $10 on the Land Titles website to download a copy of a Title)
Making sure: your information is correct, nobody has put a Lien or Caveat against the title, the mortgage(s) listed are correct, or anything else you don’t understand. If you have any questions, contact the Land Titles office or a Lawyer that deals with Real Estate matters.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, buying your home, Edmonton homes for sale, edmonton real estate, edmonton real estate blog, edmonton realtor, home ownership, john carle, real estate edmonton, Sarah Dulmage
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Selling Edmonton Home | 2 Comments »
What is a Real Property Report? Is it important?
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011As a home-owner, or prospective home-owner you have a lot of information to sort through. One item is the Real Property Report (RPR). It can also be called the Survey.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, edmonton, Edmonton homes for sale, edmonton real estate blog, home ownership, selling your home, st albert homes for sale, Twitter
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Selling Edmonton Home | No Comments »
What types of properties are there?
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011The Main Types of Residential Properties
Buying a property is certainly one of the most important purchases you will ever make. It is important to make an informed choice and to go for the type of property that will best suit you. When you contemplate becoming an owner, consider the many types of homes available. Besides the single-family home and the condo, you can always choose to opt for a type of income property known as the “plex” (duplex, tri-plex, four-plex and five-plex), or townhouse.
Tags: Albre, Ben Officer, buying your home, edmonton homes, edmonton mls, edmonton real estate, moving to edmonton, real estate tweets, st albert homes for sale, St. albert real estate
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate | No Comments »
Think of the Kids, even if you don’t have any!
Sunday, March 20th, 2011As an adult, you might be interested in a neighborhood that is easy driving distance from a golf course, close to shopping and fine dining restaurants, or has nearby trails suitable for walking and jogging.
But kids are different.
Tags: buying your home, edmonton home, edmonton house, Edmonton neighbourhoods, edmonton real estate blog, real estate tweets, st albert homes for sale
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Edmonton Neighborhoods | No Comments »
BEN’S FORECLOSURE FRIDAY LISTINGS – MARCH 11th, 2011
Friday, March 11th, 2011I think the end of winter is in sight. Our thoughts to-day are with the Japanese. At least we only have snow and cold to deal with, not earthquakes and tsunami.
- – - – - -
Tags: buying your home, edmonton homes, edmonton real estate, real estate edmonton, real estate tweets, remax edmonton
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Foreclosures | No Comments »
Why Hire a REALTOR® (Part 1 of 3)
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011“Reasons to Hire a REALTOR®” (Part 1 of 3)
With so much information readily available online, clients sometimes ask me, “Why should we hire a real estate agent?” They wonder, and rightfully so, if they couldn’t buy or sell a home through the Internet or through regular marketing and advertising channels without representation, without a real estate agent. Some do OK, many don’t. So if you’ve wondered the same thing, here are 10 reasons why you might want to consider hiring a professional real estate agent.
Tags: buying your home, edmonton homes, edmonton real estate agent, real estate edmonton, real estate tweets
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Selling Edmonton Home | 1 Comment »
Moving requires a lot of preparation.
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011It can take years to accumulate a home full of treasured belongings but only a matter of days to pack it all into boxes for a move. Packing up and moving requires organization and planning. In fact, it can be the greatest test for a procrastinator – what seems like few belongings can take far longer and use more boxes than expected.
Tags: buying your home, Edmonton Property, moving to edmonton, real estate edmonton, real estate tweets, selling your home
Posted in Ben Officer, Buying Edmonton Real Estate, Selling Edmonton Home | No Comments »
