Price: $269,900
Size: 1032 sq.ft.
Style: Bi-Level
Area: Westpark

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! Buy new and live surrounded by the character of a mature neighborhood. Brand new, bright, spacious duplex located in Eastview of Red Deer, this home offers beautiful finishing throughout! Beautiful earth tones throughout the home! Enjoy your large master bedroom with full ensuite, another bedroom and full bath, four appliances, vaulted ceilings, breakfast bar, pantry, back deck and gravel parking pad. Within walking distance of elementary / middle schools, shopping, recreation facilities and transit. Great value on this fantastic home for the buyer on a budget! All information deemed to be correct but to be verified by the buyer. Topsoil to grade, 5 year new home warranty, GST included in purchase price with rebate to the builder.

Mike Wiseman
True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

Price: $269,900
Size: 1032 sq.ft.
Style: Bi-Level
Area: Westpark

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! Buy new and live surrounded by the character of a mature neighborhood. Great for first-timers or investors! Brand new, bright, spacious duplex located in Westpark of Red Deer, this home offers beautiful finishing throughout! A very unique design and look for the modern buyer! Enjoy your large master bedroom with full ensuite, another bedroom and full bath, four appliances, vaulted ceilings, breakfast bar, pantry, back deck and gravel parking pad. Within walking distance of elementary / middle schools, Red Deer College, shopping, recreation facilities and transit. A fantastic home for the buyer on a budget! Topsoil to grade, 5 year new home warranty, GST included in purchase price with rebate to the builder.

True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

Price: $160,000
Size: 753 sq.ft.
Style: Bungalow
Area: Blackfalds

Cute and affordable! Get in to view this one quick! Brand new laminate flooring and paint throughout the main floor on this cozy bungalow in Blackfalds. Spacious kitchen and full bath complete the main floor, and with upgraded mechanical this house is move-in ready! An unbeatable option for the buyer on a budget looking to stop paying the landlord. If you are looking for an investment this home has brought in rents of $1050 / month in the past. Make sure you put this one on the list, at this price it is sure to get a lot of interest!

True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

Price: $484,900
Size: 1346 sq.ft.
Style: Bi-Level
Area: Oriole Park West

WHAT A LOCATION! Immaculate, fully finished 1346sq.ft. bi-level in Oriole Park West! Located on a quiet cul-de-sac with a great view of walking trails and park reserve from your massive deck! The oversized reverse-pie lot is great for summer entertaining, with ample space for the entire family to enjoy! Beautiful finishing throughout, including 5 total bedrooms, 3 full baths with on-demand hot water system. Main floor features a large master with full ensuite and walk-in closet, two-tone kitchen cabinets with stainless appliances, gas fireplace with custom mantle and wall mount tv to stay! Basement is wide open, with a second tiled fireplace, wet bar, steam shower, and acid stained concrete floors with underslab heating. Large 26×25 double attached garage is insulated / boarded with floor drain and underslab heat. A wonderful opportunity in a location that is hard to beat!Mike Wiseman

True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

With all of this going on around you, and all of the possible ways to market a home, how do you know which methods will work best?

Well, the answer is never simple. Each home attracts a different clientelle, and may require a unique approach to its marketing focus. When you sell your home, you need a good marketing strategy. And your marketing strategy needs to start where the majority of buyers are looking: ONLINE.

This knowledge is commonplace. Online is where you need to be to get your property seen. And showcasing your property online starts with great photography. Giving a buyer a great online first impression is the call to action they need to physically view your home.

When a buyer searches for a home, they don’t want to be met with the following message:

It is imperative that there is an exterior view of your home posted with your listing (on top of this your agent may have talked with you about staging, preparing the house for sale, etc. so that hopefully you have all the necessary photos, not just the exterior).

You may only get one chance to give a great first impression. If a buyer is looking online and sees the above photo, you may have lost them for good. I talk to buyers all the time that tell me straight up, “if I pull up a house online and there is no photo, I don’t bother looking at it again.”

You want to give a buyer a great impression, the day it hits the market, so that you will create the most amount of traffic possible with your newly listed property:

Marketing your home starts online. And first impressions will bring the buyers. Make sure you choose a professional that understands this, and can help you get ready to sell.

Mike Wiseman
True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

Price: $209,900
Size: 1114 sq.ft.
Style: 1.5 Storey
Area: Mountview

“BUILT TO LAST!” Great potential in this quaint 1.5 storey in the popular neighborhood of Mountview! Nice open design on the main floor and in the basement will allow great opportunities for further development. This home has been well maintained over the years, with some mechanical upgrades (high-efficiency furnace and newer hot water tank), vinyl windows and vinyl exterior as well. Front drive access to your detached double garage allows ample parking, as well as an oversized 75 x 125 lot that is hard to find in Red Deer. Home includes fridge, stove (gas), and washer / dryer. Plenty of potential to build value back into this house at a great price!

Mike Wiseman
True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

Price: $264,900
Size: 1023 sq.ft.
Style: Bi-Level
Area: Eastview

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! Buy new and live surrounded by the character of a mature neighborhood. Brand new, bright, spacious duplex located in Eastview of Red Deer, this home offers beautiful finishing throughout! Beautiful earth tones throughout the home! Enjoy your large master bedroom with full ensuite, another bedroom and full bath, four appliances, vaulted ceilings, breakfast bar, pantry, back deck and gravel parking pad. Within walking distance of elementary / middle schools, shopping, recreation facilities and transit. Great value on this fantastic home for the buyer on a budget! All information deemed to be correct but to be verified by the buyer. Topsoil to grade, 5 year new home warranty, GST included in purchase price with rebate to the builder.

Mike Wiseman
True North Realty
403.896.8383
mike@mikewiseman.com

http://www.mikewiseman.com

I had written a blog post a while back on new vs. old and the potential return on investment when thinking of making a purchase, and the other day while I was out showing houses the topic came up, yet again.

I am not going to get into a discussion about return on investment again, but it was interesting to hear some feedback on why people buy new, why people buy old, and why they make a switch. There seem to be recurring themes for each side, and I thought I would go over the main points quickly. Who knows, it may help someone down the line when they are looking to make a move and can’t decide which way to go.

New:

People who prefer new typically buy because they won’t have to worry about maintenance due to age (whether its structural, mechanical, or cosmetic). They want something they can put their personal touch on (build to suit), and then just move in and enjoy. Finishing the yard (sod / fence) is a small price to pay for living in new. A little sweat equity is a great way to add value to a new built home (for example, finishing the basement or building a detached garage – just make sure its done well!).

Old:

People focusing on old love character. They love outside space, and aren’t typically concerned with inside space (prefer a yard that is large to enjoy, yet private with mature trees). They love the uniqueness of the era the house was built, and they believe that you can’t find matching quality in a new built (solid fir joists / original hardwood / textured ceillings, etc.). They find ways to add value back in the home by keeping the character but giving it a cosmetic facelift. With a bit of sweat equity you can build value back into these homes by bringing them up to current standards (with respect to style, decor and current trends).

The Switch:

So why change from new to old? Typically privacy leads the switch. With a new build, you don’t have the luxury of a mature yard with privacy in the form of trees or shrubbery separating you from your neighbors. Add to that a larger exterior space, and this is typically why you see this switch.

How about old to new? Maintenance and inefficiency is normally the kicker here. Owners become tired of the day to day upgrading and maintenance involved with an older home. Although they do give up a bit of privacy, sometimes this is a small price to pay for the knowledge that you won’t soon be replacing the shingles or that hot water tank that just decided to stop working.

No matter which way you cut it, there is value in both purchases. There are a lot of factors to think of when buying or selling a home. If you want someone to chat with about it, I am all ears

What are your thoughts? What adds value for you? What detracts? I would love to hear what you have to say, please feel free to leave a comment below.

MW

From when you first walk into the cafe, you get a sense of what the owners stand for. A very hip and modern look, with a hint of societal responsibility. Discounts for people who arrive via bicycle instead of car, and products from companies who take where they get their product from seriously. Although it is still in its final stages of development, you can see the potential the cafe has. With plans for a rooftop patio in the spring, this little nook is a breath of fresh air for our fine city.

Add to this that it is located only steps away from our office! It is a great place to chat with friends, and relax in a laid back atmosphere that is inviting yet professional, a great fit for its location.

Both the owners, Rolland Forsland and Alison McCracken, consider themselves to be coffee connoisseurs, and from listening to Rolland explain coffee it is hard to argue that point. The basis behind the cafe is that there is a lack of high quality coffee products in town, especially coffee that was obtained in an ethical way (you know, where the communities where they were grown were not exploited?). So it really is a bit of a passion project for the two, who have come forth with a quality product from ethical suppliers, and from personal experience a very tasty and unique product.

If you are in the area and love to talk coffee, stop in and try it out. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. You may even catch a rare glimpse of me at the office, and if you do be sure to say ‘hello!’

Congrats to Jessica Brake for that submission, you win dinner and drinks at Cities Gastro Pub with yours truly!

So this gift disaster reminded me of my own, which is why I chose it. Here is mine:

At Christmas when I was about 13 is when I recall my gift disaster. I don’t remember what everyone else got, but I remember the gifts being pretty awesome. When I opened the suspect gift, I was slightly disappointed when I got a book about the history of hockey. I was big into hockey, but I just wanted to play. You know, with a stick and a puck, not a book!

After receiving the gift, I did not see it for the next couple of years. I came across it one day in my dads office, and it had a bunch of highlights and writing in it. There is a bit of history of hockey in my family, as my grandfather Eddie Wiseman (my dad’s father) played in the NHL for a number of years and actually won the cup with the Boston Bruins in 1941. The book that I received had a bunch of historical info on my grandfather, which at this point in my life I would find fascinating, but when I was 13 was totally irrelevant to me. Needless to say my father still has the present, maybe one day I will get it back, but for now it holds much more sentimental value to him than it does me, so I will let him hang on to it for a bit longer

Happy new year to you all and thanks for participating! Feel free to read up on the newest blog on new years resolutions while you are here.

MW