Penticton Real Estate Blog

Hoping this September weather can make up for the lack of hot weather Penticton experienced at the beginning of our usual! But as summer is coming to an end, world class Jazz is coming to Penticton!

September 9-11, 2011. You can buy tickets online (save some money) or at the door.

This September come out and listen to the  15th Annual Pentastic Jazz Festival.

Which bands are coming to Penticton? Click Here for the line up!

For 6 years I have taken on this real estate world on my own, it’s been fun! I have primarily worked with buyers and have been recruited to join the listing force of the results team! Ill be introducing you all to Steve Janzen and partner Ralph Webb in the coming blogs!

When people ask how I like real estate, I can’t help but think about all the lovely, interesting people and families I met originally as buyers or sellers who have turned into friends. It is much more than a career; it is a way to help those I care about or who through real estate have entered my life.

I think of one great family: the Gaudiuso’s. Who’s bonfires and home cooking I would never miss. A pampered chef party here, Christmas recital there and a few conversations with lawyers in regards to a not so nice neighbourly interruption.

The McPhersons who I just love! Rob is airport security (that comes in handy!) no not really he did announce that I may have been travelling across the world with only twizzlers and clamato??? another story……he bought a screaming deal….lake view home with a suite. He pops by the office with his 2 dogs: lady and bill.

I love thinking about the opportunity to assist my bestfriend buy her first home.

Marianne and Jeremy who bought their first place, then married, then just had a baby boy.

They referred another high school friend Leanne and Sean who bought a home in my neighbourhood and also are having a baby!!

Gail who downsized after losing her husband.

Mason who referred Brooke, another wine maker, and then buys his second home.

The childhood friend Scott who buys a gorgeous lake view home anyone would dream to own.

Arrian and Adriana the empowering single woman home purchasers!!! Both found great homes!

This list goes on and on (thankfully!) I just really appreciate all the people who have allowed me to help in one of their largest lifetime investments. It makes real estate much more than selling homes, for me it is about the people.

Being a realtor brings with it a variety of interesting industry emotions…

Buying, selling, downsizing, splitting, amalgamating, estate sales, foreclosures…. This wonderful real estate world brings about all sorts of different life situations and as the Real Estate Agent I play a part in these big life moments.
Don’t worry I won’t get too deep here. But, I thought I’d share my conflicting emotion on this last sale.

I have been working with a local talented wine maker for how many years? 1-2? Either way neither of us could actually recall the year but it has been a while! I have really, really enjoyed showing him homes here and there, the good ones or not so good ones, too.

This month we found “the one” and I was shockingly sad when he called to say that we could lift the conditions. My client assured me I would be fine without him….There would be no more eye rolls from the girlfriend who would politely smile and not saying anything about the terrible and the semi-dumps that were presented in a glowing MLS picture. 

So with this blog post I wish my extremely talented wine maker luck with his new home close to Kings Park where I hope he and his beautiful girlfriend will join co-ed non-serious-semi-beer-league soccer considering it is just at the end of his street.

I had the opportunity of helping a pair of young first time home buyers. These folks have 2 little ones and were looking in the Penticton area for $310,000.

After some frustration of just not finding that perfect place we discovered one in OK Falls. I am really excited for the planned renovations these guys are planning. I must say the backyard is a young families dream come true. I think it is perfect and can’t wait to hand over the keys at the end of June.

I recently was called by an awesome spunky lady in her late 70′s. She was contemplating selling her home on the West Bench. She just wasn’t too sure about the timing of selling her home without finding a house to buy. She has a little dog named Daisy who doesn’t think she is so little. So my lovely seller needed a fully fenced yard and was hoping for a gated community. Sandbridge is really really nice but a little pricier than it’s neighbor The Springs. At The Springs you can luck out and find a fenced yard while at Sandbridge it’s not the case.

Sold - Full Price - 1 Day on Market!

There was only one unit listed in The Springs at $510,000 and that was just not in our budget! So I spent sometime talking with my good friends and Realtors® in the Royal LePage office to see if anyone knew of a place coming up for sale. I just had to find this lady something before it hit the market and disappeared before we could sell her home. Plus she didn’t feel comfortable listing it without knowing where she would move all her belongings and most importantly her dog Daisy. I found one! It wasn’t ready to be listed quite yet, so the other Realtor and I let my client take a sneak peak before it even was close to being listed. The price point at $325,000 was within our budget to sell her home and have some nice funds left over. Currently the average market time was well over 100 days and this is a slower market so I knew I had to get my butt moving to sell my clients home.

It was a unique property and there hadn’t been too many sales actually none at all that were comparable. So we listed it without a price, on that Wednesday I brought the office tour through and asked everyone to write down a price and we would take a look at what all the experts thought. Well there was quite the range!!! We ended up listing it at $449,9000 and received a full price offer on the Saturday after having almost 20 parties through my open house. The best part was that my seller had coffee and cookies waiting at the open house! Subjects were removed the following week.

The purchase of her new home at the Springs was flawless. It wasn’t on the market, she had first dibs and bought the property after doing our due diligence. It even has parking for her 2 seadoos!

It was so nice to help this lady out and even better hearing how happy her family was that she could make the transition so quickly without the headaches that some sellers go through!

SOLD - first dibs - before hitting the market

This past Saturday Royal LePage Agents across Canada hosted the annual garage sale for shelter!

In Penticton we were happy to announce the total funds raised at the garage sale was $13,000

We also had some generous donations from wineries and had a draw for enough wine to fill your fridge. The total raised on the wine draw was $7405.000

All the funds are donated to the local women’s shelter we all know as SOWINS.

Thinking of selling? Want to maximize your return on simple renovations. Where do you start and how much do you spend?

The answer for this decade is Kitchens and Bathrooms. Kitchens and Baths sell homes!!
I call these lipstick renovations.

• DO If you have outdated appliances that can be replaced for $1,000 or less (like swapping a beat-up old fridge for a basic new one). DO IT!   If you don’t have a dishwasher, go to Sears and pick up a cheap model for under $1,000.
• DO invest in cabinet re-facing if your cabinets are extremely outdated.  Consider painting the boxes and changing the hardware for a fresh clean look.
• DO hire a professional cleaning company such as La Maison Verte to come in and make what you have sparkle.
• DO declutter the counters. A disorganized kitchen is a buyer deterrent. Clean up the counters and pare down counter-top items to essentials, such as a plate of cookies and tea pot.
• DO keep your pantry and cabinetry clutter-free too. You don’t have to alphabetize your cereals – a potential buyers will probably open those cabinets, so they won’t want a cheese puff falling smoking them on the head.
• DO add some colour to your breakfast bar or dining room table. A colourful vase with a tasteful flower arrangement, try Carl’s Flower Shop on Front Street, their arrangements are classy and economical. (plus they didn’t tow me the other day when I was illegally parked in their spot while having a nibble at Gypsy Heart.) Thanks Carl!

In the Bathroom

• DOreplace dated bath and shower fixtures; this can be done quite inexpensively. For instance, if you have an old icky showerhead, replacing it with a large, rainwater-style model will lend a subtle spa-like quality without costing a lot.
• DO freshen up a focal point: the vanity area. Invest in a big mirror and put bright lights over it. A  nice new faucet is well worth it.
• DO add a little life to the wall, with a simple, straight-lined wood or stainless-steel floating shelf with a few candles on it. It’s an elegant, boutique-hotel touch that doesn’t cost much. Toss down a colourful floor mat. Bathrooms are often devoid of color; this is a great way to add a warm hue.

POINT: Seems self-explanatory … yet how often we see investment properties either ‘over’ renovated or worked on in the wrong areas.