Trent's Tuesday Top Ten (Common mistakes when selling)

10. Your family all thinks your Vancouver Island house is worth $350,000 when the actual market value is about $275,000. Of course you believe and trust their opinion since they live in Mongolia and obviously have their finger in the local market.

9. You decide to paint your house before you list it for sale. Unfortunately, you cover everything inside and out in lime green with purple trim.

8. You are pretty sure your suite in the basement is legal but you have a nagging feeling that the ten illegal immigrants that are cooped up inside are not.

7. You list your house for sale by owner. A sophisticated buyer comes along and asks you for a list of the chattels that come with the house. You get angry and tell him to leave because you aren't selling any of the cows.

6. Vacuuming and making your bed does not count as staging.

5. You decide to stay at home while your house is being shown because you really want to express the frequency with which you flush septo down your toilet.

4. Your Realtor shows up to host an open house on a Saturday morning and politely informs you that there is an offensive odour that may not be appealing to buyers. You inform your Realtor that fried liver and onions is a common breakfast in your country.

3. Your harvest gold kitchen set is not cool...never was...never will be. Period.

2. You decide to spruce up your yard a bit before an open house. You hire a dump truck to bring in some top soil. Unfortunately there is a clerical error and the dump truck loads your front yard with a load full of nicely composted steer manure.

1. You pick your real estate agent based on a photo from the company website. Unfortunately when he arrives at your house he is now a she and is about thirty years older than the picture suggests. Believe me, one picture does not last a lifetime.


5.

THREE OPEN HOUSES! THREE GREAT PRICES!!!

Saturday September 27th, 2008

10:30am - 12:00pm 3535 12th Ave $198,900
12:00pm - 1:45pm 3806 China Creek Road $229,900
2:00pm - 4:00pm 5413 Woodland West Crescent $219,900

Stop by for information on our market and info if you are buying or selling.

Wood Heating: Part Three

Here is the last installment on wood heating. I hope this has been of use to some of you.

Storing Wood

In the early spring, wood should be cut to the right length, split to a variety of sizes and stacked off the ground on rails in an open area exposed to sun and wind. Prepared this way, the firewood will be ready for burning that fall. The tops of the stacks should be covered to prevent rain from soaking down through them. Prime time for firewood seasoning is the very hot days in July and August when the sun beats down, warming each piece of wood while gentle summer breezes rinse away the moisture driven out of the wood. If possible, don’t pile wood in a shady area and never stack green wood in a woodshed because it will not dry properly in time for the heating season.

In the fall, ideally after a few sunny days, the wood is moved to its winter storage location. Winter storage should be close to, but not inside, the house and fully sheltered from rain and snow so the wood stays dry.

Different designs mean that no single set of procedures will work perfectly in all appliance types.These suggestions come from many years of experience and information from scientists, research studies, stove manufacturers, retailers, chimney sweeps and people who rely on wood to heat their homes.

The procedures are suitable for most current and older models where the fire is built on a solid hearth (not a grate); the combustion air reaches the fire at the front, nearest the loading door; and, there are no catalysts.

However, householders can adapt most of these suggestions to other designs, including catalytic stoves.

You may not be able to use all of the tips that follow exactly, but you can adapt most of them to your circumstances. The result will be more consistent, efficient fires that produce the heating results you want.

How to Start a Fire with Little or No Smoke

A kindling fire that collapses into a smouldering mess is frustrating and also embarrassing if someone is watching. By following the suggestions offered in this About Your House, you can avoid future frustration by building kindling fires that ignite quickly and burn reliably.

The kindling fire should quickly heat up the chimney to create strong draft and heat the brick and steel of the firebox to create a good environment for stable combustion. The type and form of kindling materials affect the behaviour of the fire. The edges of split firewood heat up and ignite first, so the more edges there are close together in the kindling fire, the faster it will ignite.

Kindling pieces need to be finely split to produce many edges where the fire will first catch. The lower density and usually higher oil content of softwoods like cedar, pine and spruce make them better for kindling because they ignite more readily than hardwoods. The drier and more finely split the kindling, the faster and more reliably will the fire ignite and burn.

In preparing to build a wood fire, remove excess ash from the firebox. Ash should never be allowed to build up to more than five cm (2 in.) in thickness. Next, locate where the main supply of combustion air enters the firebox — that’s where you want the fire to first ignite. Open the air control fully.

There are two popular strategies for building kindling fires that don’t collapse and smother themselves: the two parallel logs technique and the top-down fire technique.
Two Parallel Logs

Place two split logs parallel to each other in the firebox with a space between. Fill the space with crumpled newspaper and fine kindling and place several larger pieces of kindling crosswise on top. Light the paper.
Top-Down Fire

First, place two or three standardsized pieces in the firebox. Then add a few pieces of heavy kindling. Finally, add some fine kindling. Roll up single sheets of newspaper, tie a knot in each and place four or five on top of, or in front of, the kindling. Light the paper.

This type of kindling fire can provide two or more hours of effective heating without having to open the door to add wood or adjust the fire.

Owners of small stoves oriented east–west (see Figure 8) may have some trouble using either of these methods. One way to make lighting fires easier in small, east-west stoves is to cut some of your the firewood in half, especially logs intended for kindling, so that each piece is only about 20 cm (8 in.) long. A kindling fire of small, crisscrossed pieces should light easily if the wood is dry enough.

Leave the combustion air inlet open at least until the firebox is full of flame, the surface of the wood is charred black and the edges of the pieces are glowing red.

Wood Heating: Part Two

So I guess I was wrong. I couldn't hold out any longer. I got the wood furnace started and away I go with the heating season. This part of the article may seem simple but beleive me there is importance to what is being said here. Read on...

Buying and Preparing Firewood

Good quality firewood is essential for efficient and convenient wood heating. Good firewood is the right size for the appliance firebox and is properly seasoned.

While hardwoods like oak and maple are fine for very cold winter weather, softer woods like birch and poplar make better fuel for milder spring and fall weather.

As much as half the weight of freshly cut logs can be water. This water content must be reduced to 15 to 20 per cent before the wood can burn efficiently. How you process and store the wood is critical to achieving this moisture reduction goal.

Cut the logs into pieces that are at least 75 mm (3 in.) shorter than the firebox. For convenient handling and fire management in most woodburning appliances, firewood pieces should not exceed 40 cm (16 in.) in length. Piece lengths as short as 30 cm (12 in.) can be better for small heaters. Just because your stove’s firebox can handle 50 cm (20 in.) logs does not mean that logs that long are needed or even desirable.

Split the wood into a variety of sizes for convenient fire building and maintenance. Large pieces are fine for large fires in cold weather but smaller pieces are needed in mild weather and for fast ignition of new fires or fires rekindled from coals. Commercial firewood is generally not split small enough. For most appliances, split the wood in a range of 8 to15 cm (3 to 6 in.) measured at the largest cross-sectional dimension. Although this means more splitting and more pieces to handle, each piece is easier to lift and more importantly, fire management will be much more convenient all winter long.

Wood Heat Introduction

When I woke up today fall smacked me in the face. It sure got cold all of a sudden. I thought this would be a great reason to give you some info on wood heat, which is how I heat my house. And yes, the five cords of wood I chopped are all ready to go but it's going to have to get a bit colder before I can convince myself to start burning up all my efforts from the summer.

 

Here is the intro to an article from the CMHC about wood heat. I will post the rest in coming days because it is fairly lengthy. Enjoy.

Efficient, Convenient Wood Heating

Introduction

More than one million Canadian families heat their homes at least partly with wood. For these households wood is an important energy source, one that involves their active participation. Having control over the fuel supply offers security from electrical power interruptions and shelter from rising conventional energy costs.

Considering the many advantages for those who live at the urban fringe and beyond, wood heating is worth doing right. "Done right" means making sure the wood heating system is installed exactly to safety codes, preparing good quality firewood and operating the system using techniques that will produce the best efficiency and effectiveness.

Figure 1 — This chimney and flue pipe arrangement gives the best performance

System Design and Safety

The chimney is a critical component of a wood-heating system. It is much more than a simple exhaust pipe. It is the engine that drives the system by producing the pressure difference, or draft, that draws in combustion air and expels exhaust outdoors.

To work properly, a chimney must be installed up through the warm space of a house, rather than through a wall and up the outside.

The venting system — the flue pipe and chimney — should be as straight as possible. The best performing system has the flue pipe running straight up from the flue collar of the wood-burning appliance to the base of a chimney that runs straight up through the roof.

"Advanced-technology woodburning appliances," which have been available since 1990, are about one-third more efficient than older conventional units, such as 1970s and 80s "airtight" stoves. They are identified by their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification or compliance with CSA standard B415 of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) for low smoke emissions. If you are planning a new wood-heating system or thinking of replacing your older stove, take advantage of the new technologies and save yourself time, money and work.

Your best resource for reliable woodheating information and service is a WETT-certified retailer, installer or chimney sweep. WETT stands for the Wood Energy Technical Training program, Canada's national training system for wood-heating professionals. You can find the WETT-certified professionals near you by visiting http://www.wettinc.ca

Our Market - What do you think?

Do you own a home? Are you thinking of buying? Is the current market holding you back or do you still have confidence. Do you think it is a good time to sell?

Let me know what you think.

Fall is here! So is the rain. How to Improve Stormwater Management in Your Yard

Hello everyone,

 

Fall is my favourite time of year, especially September when the days are usually still sunny but the evenings are cool. I also like the fact that my vegetable garden is finally producing some food. I have piles of squash, carrots, potatoes and much more. I also look upon fall as a time to start thinking about water in my yard. In heavy rains, water can sometimes turn my yard into a lake. So between excessive fall rains and the gardens in my yard, I thought I would provide an article about controlling water on your property by using a rain garden. Enjoy!

 

Designing a Rain Garden - CMHC

How to Improve Stormwater Management in Your Yard

Whether it's melting snow in the spring or rainfall all year round, stormwater runoff from your roof, driveway and other hard surfaces in your yard can tax municipal sewer systems, pollute lakes and streams, and harm aquatic habitats.

One relatively easy and inexpensive way to reduce runoff is with a rain garden — a planted or stone-covered bed specifically designed to receive stormwater, and allow it to be absorbed into the soil. To help you let your stormwater runoff soak in, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has a series of tips on how to design and build an attractive rain garden for your yard, including:

• First, find a suitable location. Observe where stormwater normally accumulates in your yard, and place your rain garden at a low point along that natural flow.
  
• Make sure your rain garden is as level as possible, to prevent water from simply flowing over the lower edge. If possible, avoid slopes greater than 12 per cent to minimize the amount of soil you need to build up on the lower edge.
  
• To avoid moisture problems, place your rain garden at least 4 metres away from vulnerable areas, such as your house foundation, septic beds or neighbouring homes.
  
• Look for soil that is sandy, gravelly, loam or a mix of soils that drain easily so that you don't have standing water for more than 2 days. Avoid clay soil, because it can substantially slow the drainage process.
  
• Direct your roof downspout extension into your rain garden to absorb runoff from your roof.
  
• Loosen compacted soils in the rain garden to a depth of between 0.6 – 1.2 metres, to ensure that the soil drains easily. You can amend your soil to this depth by working in sand, fine gravel and organic matter to improve drainage.
  
• Make certain the surface of the depression is at least one metre above the seasonally high shallow groundwater table.
  
• Consider locating your rain garden in a sunny or partially shady area, to allow you the greatest selection of plant varieties and species.
  
• Make sure the rain garden is at least 1.5 times longer than it is wide, to capture as much stormwater as possible.
  
• Finally, select perennials, shrubs and grasses that can tolerate both wet and dry conditions. Or, for an attractive alternative, cover the rain garden with loose, hard materials such as pebbles or river stone or combine pebbles and river stone with plants.
  

Follow-up to what the market is doing this fall.

Well yesterday was a day full of meetings for me.

First at our Coast Realty staff meeting we discussed the slowing market and what kind of things we can be doing to stay in business even through tougher times. We discussed such things as using the internet as a low cost or cost free way of developing a sound marketing system for homes. Websites such as Craigslist, eBay, Kijiji, facebook, blogging, personal websites, local websites and so on were discussed as useful tools for marketing ourselves and our listings. I think this is great and I have been using many of these marketing avenues in the past but our meeting put it into focus that these need to be further developed in a slowing market. Community involvement in service clubs, networking groups or other social setting was seen as great ways to develop business. We also discussed many other topics but I won't bore you with the rest.

What amazed me is that if this kind of thing works to sustain business in a slow market, what must it do in an active market? I think sound business practices and marketing strategies are essential even in the strongest markets, but this is beside the point.

My second meeting of the day required me to change my hat and meet as a member of the City of Port Alberni Planning Commission. On this month's agenda was the proposed rezoning of three apprtment buildings of four units each that sit on one acre of land. The owner wished to subdivide into three separate titles. The motivation for doing so seemed to be so the owner would be more reflexive to changing market and would have options of selling or redeveloping one, two or all three parcels separately. Seems like common sense to me, but again this is a reflection of where our market is headed in the short term and solidifies most of what the market has been telling us for the last six to eight months.

My dinner time meeting was as a candidate member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada. It was an interesting meeting with a room full of around 60 appraisers from the Nanaimo (mid-island) chapter. The unanimous view here was very much the same as my previous meeting of the day. We discussed what the slowing market meant for appraisers but what was surprising was how well, comparatively speaking, the Alberni Valley is doing in comparison to our surrounding markets.

Campbell River representatives are worried. With mills and mines shutting down coupled with an already high number of listings and low sales, they are preparing for prices to fall considerably. Parksville and Qualicum Beach have already begun to experience price drops. Port Alberni and the Alberni Valley, however, have not seen these price drops yet, and I think it is a function of affordability. Our relatively low house prices have put us in a position of higher demand for retirees and young families seeking affordable housing.

So again, between the three meetings, I got a clear picture from many others in the real estate industry that local markets are slowing. I am happy, however that although we are in a buyers market, we are just barely into a buyer's market and are very close indeed to a balanced market. I expect that the local market in the Alberni Valley should fare much better than surrounding areas as long as we continue to develop strong local economic strategies and further diversify our economy.

I also truly believe that any real estate professional that weathers any storm over the next year and a half will come out flying on the other side. Well let's wait and see what happens.

Please let me know if you agree or disagree with any of this. Comment or email trent@trentsnikkers.com

 

Heading into the fall market.

I

So the question on everybody's mind lately is...What's the market going to do in the next six months to a year? Great question. If only there was an easy answer. Here are my thoughts:

 

Our local economy in the Alberni Valley and to a similar extent on Vancouver island will experience moderate overall price reductions in comparison with the lower mainland or the rest of Canada. These price reductions will come mainly come from overlisted prices that are coming down into reality. Overall I expect our average and median prices to move upward at or just above inflation. This will be mainly due to the Alberni Valley's overall affordability in comparison with even our closest local markets of Nanaimo, Courtenay, Parksville and so on.

I do see sales, however, slowing, and listings will need twice the market exposure time as this time last year. This is due primarily to the high number of homes that are listed and buyers that are becoming increasingly cautious. These factors coupled with new lending regulations set by the CMHC and the 35-year maximum amortization and 5% down requirements will make it more difficult for first time home buyer entering the market. This will, in the long run, provide more stabilization for the overall real estate industry and should moderate the peaks and valleys of a market that has become complacent with open lending policies.

Properties at or slightly below our average price will sell faster than higher end properties or properties priced lower but needing extensive renovations. This will provide a market with less speculation, both in new construction and in renovating (flipping). Again, this should help to stabilize the current downward trend in prices in preparation for the next upward trend in the cycle.

 

These are only my opinions. Don't use them as specific investment advice. I don't have a crystal ball but if you want to discuss any of this further please comment on the blog or email me at Trent@TrentSnikkers.com

Home Maintenance Tips for Fall - CMHC

Protect Your Home — and Your Investment!

Your house is more than the place where you live. It's your home, and your most important investment. Carrying out a regular program of maintenance and repairs can help you protect that investment for as long as you live in your home, and help keep your family safe and sound in every season.

This fall, for example, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a variety of simple tasks you can perform to avoid the most common — and costly — problems before they occur, in just a few minutes a week. For example:

* Check and clean or replace your furnace filters on a monthly basis during the heating season.
* Have your furnace or heating system serviced by a qualified service company (every two years for a gas furnace and every year for an oil furnace).
* Bleed air from the hot water radiators, and turn the gas furnace pilot light on.
* Vacuum electric baseboard heaters to remove dust, removing the grilles on forced air systems and vacuum inside the ducts.
* If the heat recovery ventilator has been shut off for the summer, clean filters and the core, and pour water down the condensate drain to test it.
* Have well water tested for quality.
* Check the sump pump and line to ensure proper operation, and that there are no line obstructions or visible leaks.
* If you have a septic tank, measure the sludge and scum to determine if it needs to be emptied before spring. Tanks should be pumped out at least once every three years.
* Replace window screens with storm windows, and ensure all windows, doors and skylights shut tightly, including the door between your house and garage.
* Ensure that the ground around your home slopes away from the foundation wall to prevent water from draining into the basement.
* Clean leaves from eavestroughs and downspouts to ensure proper drainage from the roof, and check chimneys for nests or other obstructions.
* Cover the outside of air conditioners, and drain and store outdoor hoses. Close the valve to outdoor hose connection, and drain the faucet (unless it is frost proof).
* Winterize landscaping by storing outdoor furniture, preparing gardens and, if necessary, protecting young trees or bushes for winter.

For more information or a free copy of the Ask CMHC About Your Home's Possibilities catalogue, "About Your House" Home Maintenance Schedule or any of the other "About Your House" series of fast-and-factual guides covering virtually every facet of owning, maintaining or renovating your home, visit our Web site at www.cmhc.ca or call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is Canada’s national housing agency and a source of objective, reliable housing expertise.

Housing Starts Up in August

OTTAWA, September 9, 2008 — The seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of housing starts was 211,000 units in August, up from 186,500 units in July, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“After a brief pause in July, the volatile multiple segment bounced back to a level of activity that is more consistent with our forecast for this year,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC's Market Analysis Centre. “Most of the volatility in housing starts over the last three months reflected swings in multiple starts in Ontario.”

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts rose 15.2 per cent in August compared to July. Both urban multiples and singles moved higher, with an increase of 25.2 per cent for multiples to 114,700 units, and a 2.0 per cent increase for singles to 71,200 units.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts was down in every region except Ontario where housing starts jumped 81.0 per cent to 86,500. Urban starts sagged 22.5 per cent to 23,700 units in the Prairies and dropped 11.5 in Atlantic Canada. Smaller declines of 8.7 per cent and 8.2 per cent were recorded in Quebec (37,600 units) and British Columbia (30,400 units) respectively.

Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 25,100 units in August2.

For the first eight months of 2008, actual starts in rural and urban areas combined were down an estimated 4.3 per cent compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date actual starts in urban areas have increased by an estimated 1.0 per cent over the same period in 2007. Actual urban single starts for the January to August period of this year were 16.8 per cent lower than they were a year earlier, while urban multiple starts were up by 17.6 per cent over the same period.

1 All starts figures in this release, other than actual starts, are seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) — that is, monthly figures adjusted to remove normal seasonal variation and multiplied by 12 to reflect annual levels.

2 CMHC estimates the level of rural starts for each of the three months of the quarter, at the beginning of each quarter. During the last month of the quarter, CMHC conducts the survey in rural areas and revises the estimate.

As Canada's national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country.

3806 China Creek Road – PRICE REDUCED!!! To $229,900

Hello everyone, I wanted to let you all know that 3806 China Creek Road has been reduced to $229,900 from its original price of $257,900.

I think that this is an exceptional deal in a great neighbourhood. The house has been extensively renovated including: refinished hardwood floors, new paint inside and out, brand new kitchen cabinets and appliances, some new windows, new concrete retaining walls, marble counter in bathroom and much more. It is located in a great neighbourhood near schools, church, nature trails, shopping and more. Call me at 888.723.1800 or email trent@trentsnikkers.com to schedule an appointment to view.

 

This offer is only available for two weeks so call now.