Whenever it gets cold and I get tired of walking on icy streets, I start to look at real estate in British Columbia.  Even when there is snow, it doesn’t stay in the Vancouver area or on the south end of Vancouver Island (at least that is my dream).  So, I have been back looking on the Internet at real estate.  

If we are going to live in our next home for 20 or 30 years, then I need to take into account that yard and house maintenance will be a future issue as will climbing stairs to the second floor to go to the master bedroom.  I am looking at condos targeted to adults.  Now, here are 2 things that I have noticed when condo town homes, apartments and single homes are listed for these adult communities:  

1. Age minimum:  19
2. Pets:  Dogs no more than 20 pounds and no taller from the floor to the top of the head of 20″.  

Seems like there are some condo boards (called strata in BC) that have become VERY specific about the pets and about children.  I guess the definition of adult is 19 and over in BC.   What 19 year old in his right mind is going to want to live in an old folks community?  Oh yes, the 19 year old who needs free room and board.  LOL  

I got out the tape measure and the scale and with a few more walks and less treats, Hoover can meet the dog criteria.  Just one more reason for having Westies.  

Dogs and Kids but with limits. 

 Sellers often feel that, once they sign an agreement with an agent to sell their home, everything is then out of their hands.  Some Sellers seem to give up and think that the agent will – should – could do it all without them being concerned or involved.  When would these same people pay tens of thousands of dollars to a contractor for a task in their home and not want to have some say?  I think ……. NEVER.  So, why do Sellers seem to give up control on the sale of their home? 

I believe Sellers do not know what they can expect from an agent.  They get overwhelmed when they meet to discuss selling their home and just do not get pen to paper on what they want and what they expect.  For example, if the listing has spelling mistakes and errors, why are Sellers not calling their agent to get these fixed?  If Sellers expect the agent (and not the team) to be available throughout the sale, why don’t they put this in writing? 

As you would with a contractor doing a $25,000 to $50,000 job in your home, set out what you want and expect and have a frank and open discussion with your potential agent …. before signing the listing contract.  If you have some very specific requirements, then make sure that these form part of the contract so that, if these are not done, you have recourse to discuss this with the agency.  Every agent that I worked with was willing to do their best to get a home sold.  Things went awry when the Seller and the agent differed in what they assumed to be components of the sale.  Good communications will resolve so many problems BEFORE they occur.  At the end of the day

Who is driving the sale?  My hope is that it is the Sellers.

Photo credit:  Lourmanir – Namaste – three whelled vehicle

Buyers want to be able to see themselves or their better selves in a new home.  Do you have a cupboard full of chips and chocolate bars, dust on your treadmill and a stack of Harlequin Romances on your night table?  Even if the can says cheese, there is none in those tasty little treats.  

Clean up your act.  Stage it so that Buyers think that your home is for healthy, active and intellectually stimulated people.  You know, people who eat brie on an apple slice while doing their cardio on the elliptical machine in front of a television playing the BBC.  

It may be an illusion that is worth the effort.  

Photo credit: cheese

This makes me think of The Man of La Mancha - The Impossible Dream.  While condo dwelling is highly unlikely to be as unpalatable as living in Don Quixote’s dungeon, itmay not live up to the expectations of the carefree living the Boomer is hoping to obtain. 

When retirement finally arrives, many Boomers have plans to spend time traveling, reading, relaxing by a pool, maybe fishing and spending weeks every year at a cottage.  Having the big suburban home AND having the freedom to live the nomadic life may not be compatible objectives.  This is when the Boomer starts dreaming of moving to a condo.  Boomers were brought up to be owners.  Condos are a type if shared ownership.  Just remember, condos were not likely in existence when the Boomer was an apartment renter and just starting out on his or her own.  Some things are going to be a surprise. 

In life, there are always trade-offs and compromises.  The attraction of a condo is to have the freedom to close your door and take off for months without worrying about your home, to never have to mow the lawn or water the flowers, to have the exterior of your home maintained and to share in the costs of the common parts of the property.  The downside is:

• You do not have complete control on the costs.  The condo board and members (of which each owner is a member) vote on the expenditures.  So, if you decide you no longer will be using the pool and you know that it cost a lot of money to insure and maintain, you do not have the sole right to close the pool.  When the roof needs immediate replacing, SURPRISE, unless there is an adequate reserve fund, you too will be have to pay for the roof through a special assessment. 
• You do not get to pick your neighbours.  What happens if they are loud or play the drums, or have parties every Friday night, or cook weird smelling food?  Those neighbours are owners like you so the dispute is between the two (there is no landlord to impose rules and resolve issues).
• You do not make all the rules.  Some condos won’t allow pets or smoking or Christmas lights or hardwood floors or renovation work after 4:00PM or……  etc etc.  Those rules are written in the by-laws.  Check those rules before buying BUT also be prepared for new rules to be voted in at the Annual General Meeting.
• You do not have a landlord to check your unit when you are away.  In fact, there is no one to let you in if you have lost your keys.  Who is the property manager?  Can you get ahold of them at 1:00AM when you are locked out?  Do you have friends who will look in your unit while you are away?  Check your insurance, a vacated unit still needs to be checked to keep the insurance active. 
• You do not have control over the common elements. If family and friends come to visit, where are they going to park?  You only have so many assigned / purchased parking spots and the visitor parking will, in all likelihood, have limitations of who can park and for how long.  Hate the decorating in the lobby?  This is not something you can take over.  Want more outdoor seating?  Take it to the Board. 
• You cannot control the value of the condo.    Not only are condos subject to market forces but the value of your building or complex is going to be based on the condition of the property – inside the unit (which you control) and outside (which the owners control).  Buyers are going to look at special assessments, the engineering reports and the condition of the roof, windows, HVAC, etc.  These have not all been within our control. 

After living in a suburban home with the independence of total ownership, condo living trades some of this for additional freedoms and peace of mind for not having to be personally responsible for the property. 

Don’t tilt at the windmills.  Make sure that you see the windmill and not your dreams   

Photo credit:  Windmill

This is a story that is being repeated all over the country.  Boomers want to downsize.  This is hardly a surprise.   The surprise or even shock is that it is going to cost them money to live in less space.  To some, it is so appalling that they have decided to stay in their current home.  

Boomers own their home in the suburbs.  Most are mortgage free.  The home has four bedrooms, three baths, a family room, a rec room in the basement, two or three car garage and a huge yard full of trees and shrubs and maybe a pool.  Okay, there may be variations of this but the essence is – the boomers own family friendly property.  Now……  The kids have finished school and left the nest.  The Boomers are rattling around a big house and find that they live in the kitchen – family room space and their bedroom.  It seems that it is time to move to something smaller.

Here is the rub.  The new home or condo may cost more than the proceeds from the sale of the big home in the suburbs. What?  

1. The market has reacted to the demand for large condos and retirement homes by placing a premium on the sales price.  Remember, the Boomers are a tidal wave moving through demographic data.  If you, a Boomer, are thinking of downsizing then so are millions of your fellow 1946-1964 birthday buddies. Simple supply and demand economics at work.
2. Your lovely home is a wee bit tired.  Forty plus years of the same kitchen, with the wrought iron railings, pink carpet, parquet flooring and paneled rec room is telling the story.  Although you have house size you have a house waiting for updating and renovations.  Your home is not competitive.  It is not giving Buyers what they want in updates.
3. You want to move but you are certainly not going to settle for apples to apples.  Your tastes are now refined and you want granite and a bungalow backing on a golf course with grounds keepers or the whole top floor of a condo in the downtown area.  You are selling a MacIntosh apple to buy an organically grown Star Fruit.   Would you be happy buying the little bungalow down the block from your current home with the need for the same updates as your current home?  Would you be happy with the location?   No?  

After finding out that their home is not the gold mine that they hoped for, many potential Boomer Sellers make the decision to stay in their current home. In some cases, the Boomer will update the family home, adjust the buying expectations and make the move at a later time.  

Photo Credit:  UK Baby Boom and Bust by David Willets

Oh, it is tempting to see residential and condo opportunities at an unbelievable price.  For Canadians, the temptation is compounded with the strength of the Canadian dollar.  Buy or rent?  Buy or rent?  I get asked this question a lot.  Mostly these come from friends and acquaintances who have been going to Florida – Texas – Arizona for years.  I have a couple of questions just to make them think that there are both pros and cons to buying.

• Flexibility.  Buying ties you down to one location.  Do you want to travel to Europe or Africa next year?  What happens if you find that all of your friends are renting at another location in Florida?  Can you move to be near them?  
• Worries.  When you are not there, are you going to be worried about your property?  If you spend all of your time worrying about the care and maintenance of your current home then think of doubling that if you also have a home several thousand miles away.  
• Condo concerns.  If it is a condo that you are considering, take a very long and hard look at the management of the facility, the costs of maintenance, the number of full time owners versus renters.
• Rental Opportunities.  Are there real opportunities for renting when you are not there?  I know one couple was keen to buy a place and have it available all winter for themselves and then rent it out in the summer. Well, the question to ask is – If you don’t want to be there in the summer then why would anyone else?  If you want to skip a year, can you manage renting your home and having strangers living in it for periods of time.  Will they care for your things as well as you do?  
• Tax laws.  For Canadians there are tax implications if you stay in the US for longer than 6 months.  If you buy in Florida, there are tax penalties for out of state and out of US buyers.  If you rent then you have an income property and that will bring you into the tax system.  Be sure to talk to your lawyer about estate planning.  Having a property in another state or country may be a complication for the executor and for those who you hope will inherit your money.      
• Health care concerns.  Can you continue to get insurance for long periods away from your home state or province?  What happens if you get sick and cannot use your home for one or more years?  
• Value.  Has the market bottomed out and you will be getting the best possible deal?  I know people who have purchased a vacation home only to have it drop in value by $50,000 in the three years that they have owned it.  If you are buying for the long haul, do you care about the vagaries of the market?  Is there something else you would like to be doing with the money that you would be using to buy the vacation property?  
• Mortgages.   Securing financing for a vacation property is not the same as getting a mortgage for your home.  This is especially true for foreigners.  Lenders will be very hesitant to provide financing.  Most foreign buyers have to pay cash – either because they have the savings to do so or they have refinanced their home to make the funds available.  There you were, mortgage free and suddenly you have a mortgage.  Something to think about.
• Nesting Instinct.  How strong is your nesting instinct?  Do you have to paint and renovate and decorate every place you stay?  If you are renting then this is not an option.  Ask yourself if renovating is how you want to spend your winter holidays.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  If you think renovating will help you flip the property, make sure that you have a long discussion with your real estate agent about the wisdom of investing more money in the property (for resale value).  You are not always going to make your money back plus profit.

 Photo credit:  Snowy Owl

As I have been telling my friends and clients of my decision, the first question that almost all of them have asked is “What are you going to do about your blog?”. I am going to continue. I have lots of experience to draw from, lots of thoughts and some ideas of activities that will keep me in the house-related area.

For the time being, I am going to enjoy the holidays ahead. In January, I will open the box of new beginnings and see what is in store.

Wish me luck!!!

Photo credit: Gift @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/72153088@N08/6510934443/

December is the perfect month in Ontario and most of Canada for cutting back trees.  It is cold and the leaves have fallen so the crew can see all of the branches that need trimming. The sap flow has slowed so the branches are denser and easier on the chain saw.  It is hard physical labour so the crew is not at risk of passing out from the heat and not so cold that they need to wear their heaviest and warmest clothes. 

Our neighbour has a wonderful yard full of trees.  One tree has a limb that seriously overhangs the roof of our house.  We have discussed what to do about that limb.  The neighbour is a great guy, very responsible and very neighbourly.  Today, a whole crew showed up to trim back his trees and remove the huge branch that overhangs our roof.  Apparently a crane will be coming this afternoon to do the proper job of removing the big branches.  Right now, there are three guys, a chipper and their equipment truck.  I cannot wait for the real action this afternoon when the crane arrives. 

Doing this work is not cheap.  We have also asked this company to trim the branches of two small trees in our backyard.  No cranes needed and it can be done by hand.  This will cost just over $100,  I can only imagine that the work our neighbour is having done will be in the thousands. What is the cost of peace of mind – for us – with that huge branch removed.  Immeasurable. 

If you are thinking of selling your home in the next 12 to 24 months and have trees that need some work, now is the perfect time to get the job done.  

Good fences make good neighbours as do well trimmed trees. 

This work was done by:  Joe Trudeau, Premier-Treeservice.com   Cell:  613-880-5233 

Photo Credit:  Taken from the second floor window, Nikon D90

Yesterday I bought a bird. 

We went to the Lansdowne Market.  Normally, the market ends in the fall but the Cattle Barn has been let to the local producers for a few Sundays.  The guidelines for the market are locally produced goods and food within a 100 mile radius – with the exception of fruit from Niagara.  It was a bit of a surprise to see how many crafters have rented booths.  It was the best of both worlds – shopping for food and for gifts.  There is one more Sunday (December 18th) left to go and get your baking, bread, meat, fall veggies and hand crafted goods. 

I found a wonderful booth of wire-made ornaments, wall hangings and free standing birds.  I fell in love with a gorgeous little crow.  This is the photo of the little guy settling into the bookcase.  The artist, Denise Atkinson, said that this was her favourite bird so far, that the irregularity of his wings is true.  I had to have him and know that there will never be another identical bird. 

I have noticed that we like to decorate with birds.  Since the beginning of time, man has used birds in his art – they symbolize energy and freedom.  There is significant symbolism for each bird, many that we seem to know intuitively.  When I looked around, I found that

• Crows:  Intelligence, crafty and omens of change
• Doves:  Peace and faith
• Bluebirds:  Happiness
• Peacock:  Abundance and good luck
• Rooster:  Ward off evil (is that why the black rooster is so common in some kitchens?)
• Cranes:  Longevity

If you are decorating or staging your home for sale, look at birds as part of the decorations and check what symbolism they reflect. 

It is a rare bird who is not attracted to avian decorations.

 Some Sellers are so surprised when their real estate agent asks them to get out of their home during showings.  First there is the concern that every viewing Buyer has light fingers, then the concern that they will touch the Sellers’ stuff and finally, the concern that the other agent does not have the same skills to sell the house as they so – the owners.  Be not afraid Sellers.  These, while slight concerns, do not outweigh the benefits of you not being in the house.  Get out and don’t come back until the Buyers have left.

Now the question is – what can you do or where can you go.  Here are five ideas.

1. Pull out of the driveway and park, facing the house, a half block away with the visor down and the window open a crack (so that you can breath and listen at the same time).  You may feel a need to know who is going in your house.  Maybe your neighbours have begged you to sell only to a small family and you are just doing community service by being a spy.  Ha ha.  If you can see them, they can see you.  Surprise!!!!
2. Drop in on the neighbours with your kids in tow.  Bring a bucket of cookies and toys.  You may be there for an hour or longer.  You might want to bring your camera so that you can take photos of the Buyers entering your home.  Why?  Who knows?  Oh yes, don’t forget that now is a good time to test your baby monitor to listen in on the Buyers.  Remember, if you can hear the Buyers then your neighbour can hear you when you go home.  Kinda scary, isn’t it?  What did you say at supper last night about their barking dog?
3. Go to the Mall.  When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.  Remember to take your credit card and your cell phone.  The former so that you can help the economy and the latter in case your agent calls to ask questions or tell you that there is an offer on your house.  Put that credit card away – you are going to need money to decorate your new place. 
4. Take a day trip to the beach or a theme park.  Again, bring a bucket or basket of food and drinks and your cell phone.  You still need to be in contact – just in case.  Oh, if you have your kids in tow, don’t forget your credit card.  You are going to need to buy their good will with all of those trips and nothing stops whining as much as money.
5. Finally, go to your mom’s house.  You know your mom has to take you in and yes, those cupboards are loaded with food that surely must be just for you, for your and your spouse, for you, your spouse and all of your children.  Lucky mom that your house is for sale and you get to grace her with your presence several times a week.  Maybe you just want to leave the kids and run to the mall (see #3).  If you are good, you will bring back a lunch or supper and a few flowers to show your mom that your consuming $200 worth of her groceries was appreciated.  How that woman suffers!!!!

Seriously, getting out of the house is not always convenient.  Don’t accept a booking if your child is sick or the flu epidemic has hit your home.  Make every attempt to be reasonable.  You are trying to sell your most valuable asset.

While these are tongue in cheek ideas, think of some things that you can do that are cheap, interesting and will take at least an hour such as a walk in the park, a visit to the library or a visit to the zoo.  Don’t spy.  You may see or hear things that make no difference to the sale of your home but for which you will take offense.  Who needs to hear strangers commenting on their home?  It can be insulting.

  Let the agents to their job and the job will get done.   

Photo credit: Adapted from  Spy