Microsoft Corp. will open a major game design studio in Victoria BC, early in 2012.
The technical director of the project said it was an easy decision to choose Victoria. It was chosen for its “liveability:

• “The sun shines over here, there are no hour-long commutes, housing prices are half as much…”
• “We wanted to live where we worked and we love the community feel of Victoria … the walk-ability, the village centres, the bike lanes.”
• “Victoria offers proximity to world-class universities, a thriving, advanced technology industry with a highly educated and skilled workforce, located in one of Canada’s best communities to live in.”
• Click here to Link to the Times Colonist article

If you are considering moving to the Victoria BC area like Microsoft because of its “liveability”, and to get away from the cold and the snow, please Click Here to Contact Us. My team has in-depth knowledge in many areas such as: Real Estate, Staging, Building, Renovations, Home Design, Decorating, Vacation Rentals & Income Properties. Information will be provided via email, free of obligation. Please visit our BCVictoriaRealEstate.com Home Page.

Imagine… at some point during the day, a lot of those buyers got on the internet to look at homes. The internet hosts an extraordinary amount of information and photos for potential home buyers. They can view listings by location and price and can visualize the house through the photos and virtual tours. Potential buyers know if a house is “Move in Ready” or a “Handy-man Special”. By the way, did you know that buyers are willing to pay more for a house that is “Move-in Ready”? But I will talk more about that in a later blog on how you can maximize re-sale value and minimize days on market by staging.

Over 85% use the Internet to find a home!	Realtors give you a competitive edge!	Only 15% use newspapers, magazines, signs & open houses.
Where do I start???	I’ll guide you through the process!	There has to be a better way???

Your best chance of selling is in the first 2 weeks of your listing hitting the market. You want to attract those buyers who are actively looking for a home, but have not found one yet. A seller’s goal is to get on a buyer’s short list and that’s a tall order especially when, on average, less than 20% of listings sell in any given month*. That’s a one in five chance that your house will sell and this number goes down for every month it stays on the market.

Sellers today must understand that buyers are informed, savvy and ready to negotiate. Sellers must ask themselves:

1. Why would a buyer consider looking at my house?
2. Does my home address the wants and needs of today’s potential buyers?
3. What do I need to do to my house meet buyers needs?

Sellers today need to remove the emotion from of the sale and treat it like a business transaction. Engaging the services of a professional Realtor® is a seller’s and buyer’s competitive edge. An experienced Realtor® understands the wants and needs of potential homebuyers. Their expertise will give you access to information and knowledge you didn’t even know existed. In addition many Realtors® offer an extensive list of services to help you sell or buy your home.

In this Blog Series “How the Internet has Changed Real Estate, Forever!” we will zero in on what buyers are looking for, and how sellers can use this information to their advantage. Whether you’re planning on buying or selling, we’ll show you how to get the biggest bang for your buck, when you team up with a Realtor® early on in the process.

Until next time, if you are thinking about making a move or just have questions, Click Here to contact us. My team has in-depth knowledge in many areas such as: Real Estate, Staging, Home Design, Building, Renovations, Decorating and much more.

Sources: http://www.internetworldstats.com; National Association of REALTORS; RESA; Victoria Real Estate Board