Kamloops’ downtown is home to many great watering holes. With some new tasty additions over the season, we thought we’d take you on our new Brew Tour! #ExploreKamloops http://bit.ly/brewtour2
October 2014
Kamloops and District
Median Residential Price:
(includes all areas, not just Kamloops, does not include
condominiums or mobiles)
$346,000
Kamloops only
Median Residential Price:
(does not include condominiums or mobiles)
$360,000
Most Residential Sales By Price Category
$280,000 -$319,999 27 sales
$320,000 -$359,999 26 sales
$360,000 – $399,999 21 sales
$400,000 – $439,999 20 sales
$240,000 – $279,999 16 sales
With a total of 214 residential sales in October, up from 183 residential sales in September
These dream clients drove expensive cars, lived in a luxury mansion and forged documents to get six-figure home loans. But their past has finally caught up with them and this celebrity couple has been sentenced to prison.
While a sleek Mercedes and a gold watch were once the hallmarks of a successful agent, some experienced agents think that flashy image is doing damage to the reputation of the entire profession.
Today’s super-heated market is making home staging a tough sell, say agents, nonetheless arguing that it’s essential to winning maximum sale price.
“If you spent $5,000 staging your home, it could get you another $50,000 on offer night,” David Fleming, a Toronto real estate agent and author, wrote on his TorontoRealtyBlog.com.
His advice comes even as CREA reports home sales climbed 10.6 per cent in September, with the average sale soaring 5.9 per cent to $408,795. That’s not traditionally the market that recommends staging, say agents.
But the fundamental reasons for staging are the same, regardless of market conditions, say advocates.
“You stage a property in order to drive buyer traffic and show the maximum potential of the space,” Chandra Bradley, CEO of Home Staging Visuals, tells REP. “As a result, you tend to sell faster for higher.”
Staging also helps potential buyers to see the space in a better light. For example, if potential buyers walk into an empty bedroom, they might not believe that a queen-sized bed can fit in the space, Bradley explains, but if that bed is in the room, they can see that.
Staging is also a reflection of the lightning-fast decision making of clients, who are increasingly inclined to place bids on a property before even seeing it in person. It’s for the same reason that staging the outside space is important.
“With landscaping, you need to think about colour and the exterior being well groomed. You also need to think about function in the backyard,” she says. “You want to romance the buyer, so you’re really selling the lifestyle.”
These dream clients drove expensive cars, lived in a luxury mansion and forged documents to get six-figure home loans. But their past has finally caught up with them and this celebrity couple has been sentenced to prison.
While a sleek Mercedes and a gold watch were once the hallmarks of a successful agent, some experienced agents think that flashy image is doing damage to the reputation of the entire profession.
Canada’s housing market – including condo sales – is off to a solid start this fall, with new data pointing to a near 11 per cent rise in sales for September compared to a year ago.
Nationally, sales for all property types rose 10.6 per cent to 42,151 units, led by significant gains in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. New listings rose eight per cent, thanks to growth in the Maritime provinces, while the average price increased almost six per cent, to $408,795.
Calgary realized the greatest rise in sales, up 31.2 per cent to 488 units sold in September, while the average price rose 8.8 per cent to $318,913. In Toronto, sales rose 20.2 per cent to 1,976 units with average price hiking 7.1 per cent to $366,588.
That increase in activity is being felt on the ground.
“A lot of people start looking for homes, or take up their search again, so I’m not surprised that sales are up,” says David Fleming, an agent with Bosley Real Estate in Toronto. “[September] is one of the busiest months of the real estate calendar.”
In terms of prices, Vancouver experienced the greatest rise, up 11.3 per cent to $476,498. During the month of September, 1,191 condos were sold in the West Coast city.
September’s performance is largely in line with industry expectations.
In August, CREA’s chief economist Gregory Klump accurately predicted no slowdown to Toronto’s housing market. “That’s because there’s a shortage and there will be a shortage because the city is trying to densify,” he said.
| This edition of the Weekly Rate Minder has the latest, best rates for Canadian mortgages. At Dominion Lending Centres, we work on your behalf to find the mortgage that suits your needs. Best of all — our service is free.* It’s the selected lender that pays us and YOU get the best rate. *(O.A.C., E.&O.E.)• Our Best National Rates • Explore Mortgage Scenarios with Helpful Calculators on http://www.starrwebb.ca |
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| Prime Rate is 3.00% |
| Variable rate mortgages from as low as Prime minus 0.55%
Please note that rates shown above are subject to change without notice. The rates shown are posted rates and the actual rate you receive may be different, depending upon your personal financial situation. “Some conditions may apply. Rates may vary from Province to Province. Rates subject to change without notice. *O.A.C. E.& O.E.” Check with your Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Professional for full details and to determine what rate will be available for you. |
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Attention all sky-watchers, the last supermoon of 2014 will cruise across the night sky on Sunday.
The moon will be 358,398 kilometers from earth making it about 15 per cent brighter and roughly 7 per cent larger, according to National Geographic. Since the distance to earth is 50,000 kilometres closer than other full moons, it’s get the supermoon monicker.
A supermoon happens during the monthly full moon or perigee when it’s egg shaped orbit takes the moon to its closest point to the earth.
“While this is nothing special from a science perspective, it is no doubt very poetical and very romantic,” Adler Planetarium astronomer Geza Gyuk tells National Geographic.
Getting a good view of the supermoon depends on the weather where you are Sunday night since the orb will be visible all night. The Environment Canada forecast for the Thompson and Okanagan regions is calling for partly cloudy skies Sunday evening so weather shouldn’t be an issue.
For the best photos and viewing, it’s recommended you get outside just after sunset when the sky is getting dark. Apparently that’s when the super moon will be at it’s most dramatic.
There were two other supermoons this summer, with the one on Aug. 10 being the brightest and the closest.
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Kamloops is full of events just around the corner! Don’t miss the long anticipated Salute to the Sockeye which is in a dominant year – expect to see millions of sockeye!
2014 is a dominant run, with millions of fish to be seen. The Adams Run Salmon Society coordinate the celebration known as the “Salute to the Sockeye” during the dominant years – held Friday October 3rd, 2014 to Sunday October 26th 2014. Usually the salmon return during the first 3 weeks of October with Thanksgiving being the peak weekend.
Three Canadian cities are ranked in the top 10 of The Economist’s annual ranking of the world’s “most livable” cities.
The magazine says its ranking “assesses which locations around the world provide the best or the worst living conditions” based on five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Melbourne, Australia, was deemed the most livable city, followed by Vienna. Vancouver and Toronto are a close third and fourth, respectively, while Calgary is tied for fifth with Adelaide.
The top 10 cities are as follows:
In general, the ranking shows a broad trend that mid-sized cities in wealthy countries with low population densities score well. Seven of the top 10 cities on the list are in Australia or Canada, for example.
“This can foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure,” the report says.
Vancouver scored so well in part because of its good score on crime issues.
“Vancouver saw a record low number of murders in 2013, after a decade-long decline that pushed homicide rates down to 1.5 per 100,000 of population in 2012.,” the report notes.
Not surprisingly, cities currently experiencing violent uprisings were clustered at the bottom. Kyiv was ranked 124th, Tripoli was in 132nd place, and Damascas was in last place.
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KAMLOOPS – This Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m McDonald Park will play host to a celebration honoring everything that makes the North Shore special, from the people and parks to the businesses and services.
Business improvement association executive director Steven Puhallo says this year Overlander Days will once again feature the Tastes of the North Shore but will include several new additions with proceeds from food sales going towards the Meals On Wheels program.
Several new attractions will also be set up for kids, including a dunk tank — proceeds to People in Motion, henna art and local firefighters with a firetruck. There’ll also be face painting, free access to the pool and splash pad, games, inflatable bouncers, princesses and super heroes.
A special seniors area will once again be set up. Live entertainment featuring local performers and demonstrations — including martial arts, yoga and fitness — is scheduled with Paisley Groove headlining in the afternoon. Information booths and businesses will also be on hand and for those cycling to the park, a bicycle valet will be available.
The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McDonald Park.
Currently Environment Canada is calling for cloudy with a chance of rain and a high of 25 Celsius on Saturday.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723.
| The data included on this website is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate by the Kamloops Real Estate Board. The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS® and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license. |
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