I’ve never really understood the point of posting pictures of just the stairs on the MLS. They’re stairs, same as they’ve been for thousands of years. They go up, they go down.

March 10th, 2010

I Love Lamp

Um… wow.

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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #704 & #705
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #313
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #374
• Poll: Horrible MLS Photo of the Month
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #37

Photo credit: sometimes_anna on Flickr

The Capital Regional District (CRD), along with non-profit The Land Conservancy (TLC) has agreed to buy up more than 2300 hectares (nearly 5700 acres) of land that was slated to go up for sale today. The land, belonging to Western Forest Products (WFP) has been the subject of much controversy in our area since the provincial government allowed WFP to remove its private lands from a tree-farm license (TFL) in 2007.

The lands being purchased include Sandcut Beach, the Jordan River surfing beach and townsite, and lands surrounding the Sooke River near Sooke Potholes Park.

While some of the land on the interior side of the highway may be sold off to help finance this purchase, most of it will be dedicated as park. One exciting feature of this deal is that the land acquired near the Potholes completes the Sea-to-Sea Green-Blue Belt, which, besides having the distinction of being the most awkwardly-named park reserve/network on the Island, will now stretch all the way from the Sooke Basin to Saanich Inlet.

The land deal is worth nearly $19 million, most of which is coming from the CRD’s parkland acquisition fund, and will be paid over 3 years. The rest of the money will come from TLC, and hopefully, the provincial government, who have been under fire since the land was released from the TFL three years ago. Many see it as an opportunity for the province to right a wrong that caused great controversy.

And speaking of the parkland acquisition fund… this is part of your yearly property taxes. Since it was established in 2000, it has been $10 per household per year, which has been well used in my opinion, protecting  nearly 3000 hectares of land at a value of nearly $31 million. Your contribution to the fund will be going up this year by $2, and will eventually rise to $20 per year, allowing the CRD to purchase lands such as the Jordan River WFP parcels for everyone’s use and enjoyment, forever. I’d happily pay $50 or even $100 per year to pad this fund and enable the special areas in our region to be protected. It’s a great example of taxpayer money going into something we all benefit from.

The deal is still tentative, but is slated to close in August. I’m looking forward to the CRD’s plan and longterm vision for these newly acquired lands.

What’s your take on this announcement? Good, bad, otherwise? State your opinion, but be nice to one another!

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Ilkay Completes Purchase of Ex-TFL Land Near Jordan River
• Another Large Condo Development for Langford?
• Sooke Real Estate Market MLS® Sales Statistics – May 2008
• Running, Jogging, and Walking in Sooke
• BC Government Funds Sooke Spirit Square at Ed MacGregor Park

It's a FENCE!

Wonderful. Simply great.

March 8th, 2010

Sideways bathroom is sideways.

I think they forgot to click ‘rotate’ before uploading this one.

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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Also, Christmas Theme!
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #26
• Poll: Horrible MLS Photo of the Month
• One Year’s Worth Of Horrible MLS Photos – A Mosaic
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #271

"Daddy, don't leave me here!"

For the last time: leave your clients’ kids out of the picture! This happens way too often.

March 6th, 2010

This wouldn’t be such a bad shot if it was straight. It looks like the REALTOR® who took it is falling over.

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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #13
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #362 & #363
• Poll: Horrible MLS Photo of the Month
• Is Your Potential Sooke Neighbourhood Good For Kids? [Video]
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #11

Satellite TV included (Some Assembly Requred)

Sometimes we’re not given much to work with – ancient faux-wood paneling, a vacant room, etc. But clear up the debris and other junk out of the photo to improve the look.

See all the usual suspects here.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #466
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #370
• Sooke’s Seaview Mobile Home Park Eviction Notice Upheld
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #60
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #425

Something’s been bugging me for a while now, and I’ve been meaning to write about it. You know the commercials on the radio and TV. I probably hear them half a dozen times a day, more if I’m listening to a Canucks broadcast.

“Making your home equity work for you…..”

“If you own your home,” say the commercials, “we’ll lend you money.”

Sounds great, right? Free money! Against the value of my home! More and more, Canadians’ chief source of wealth these days is the equity built up in their home. Equity is the difference between the market value of the home and the outstanding balance on the mortgage on the property.

Homeowners should approach equity take-outs with extreme caution, because managed improperly, they can cost dearly. Many financial advisers will tell you it makes good financial sense to refinance high-interest debt such as personal loans, lines of credit, and credit card debt with low-interest mortgage money. While this is true, one needs to first examine how the indebtedness happened. If you’ve got $30,000 of student loans at a high interest rate, it makes good financial sense to pay them out with lower interest money. However, if you’ve racked up $30,000 of credit card debt at really high interest rates by consistently spending more than what you make, what is stopping you from doing it again once you’ve paid it out?

The point is: spend within your means. Irresponsible credit use is one of the biggest financial problems in this country, if not the world.

Some people have the mistaken assumption (and perhaps some members of my profession are partially responsible) that real estate prices only go up. We don’t have to look far back in history to bust this myth. If you had purchased a home in Victoria in the spring of 2008, with a 5% down payment, there is a very good chance you owed more on it than it was worth by February or March of 2009. Real estate prices fluctuate, and the worst situation you can be in is to owe more than you could get for your home if you had to sell it.

Treating your home like an ATM is a great way to end up in that situation.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Interest Rates may decrease; at least hold.
• First Time Buyer Friday #10 – How Does Rent To Own Work?
• New Canadian Mortgage Qualification Rules Announced Today
• The Crisis Of Credit Visualized
• Bank Of Canada Likely To Cut Interest Rates

Give Us Dirty Laundry

Laundry rooms almost never look good in photos – especially when there are socks and underwear and other mess lying in the photo. It’s best to leave the laundry room out.

March 3, 2010

Tragically, this was the last thing the agent saw before tumbling down the stairs in a crumpled heap. Ahh, the hazards of the job.

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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #379
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #659, #660, & #661
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #54
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #366 & #367
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #147

See all the usual suspects here.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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None Found

Whoa, that's heavvvvv-y, brah!

But, that’s the picture right there – how can it not be “as shown,” I’m looking at it right now, and it is as shown! *head explodes*

February 28th, 2010

Great. What is it?

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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• District of Sooke Launches New Website
• More On The Origin of Real Estate
• Win 2 Free Nights At Sooke Harbour Resort From DiscoverSooke.com [Video]
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #683 & #684
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #688 & #689

There are bad bathroom shots, and then there is this.

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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #319
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #284
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #4
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #613
• Horrible MLS Photo Of The Day #412