Tom Dunn's Bloghttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/blogVictoria British Columbia real estate market news provided by Tom DunnMon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMTElectrical Upgrade Had some electrical upgrades done just before Christmas by Connected Electrical Contracting and Ian Duthie. Excellent work, on time and fair price. Highly recommended.http://www.connectedelectrical.com/

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Electrical-Upgradehttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Electrical-UpgradeMon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMTPlumbing Repairs Had some plumbing repairs performed by Miles Plumbing and Heating in November and was very pleased with the results. On time, reasonable price and courteous. Highly recommended. Check out their website at http://www.milesplumbing.com. 

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Plumbing-Repairshttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Plumbing-RepairsMon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMTJeweller ExtraordinaireOn the occasion of my 40th wedding celebration, I consulted with an acquaintance of mine in the jewellery business to design a ruby ring for my wife. Chris Hemien, of L'Atelier, did a wonderful job and I would highly recommend him for any of your jewellery needs. He is located at 190 - 911 Yates Street in Victoria next to London Drugs. Call 250-386-1111.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Jeweller-Extraordinairehttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Jeweller-ExtraordinaireFri, 12 Feb 2010 09:29:00 GMTHST and B.C. Property SalesHST will come into affect July 1, 2010 in B.C. It is, however, not a 12% real estate tax. It is a provincial harmonized tax on most goods, services and consumer products including new homes. There will be partial rebates for new B.C. homes up to $400,000.

The B.C. Harmonized Sales Tax of 12% will be applicable to any cost and fees associated with the purchase of property such as legal/notary fees, commissions and other closing costs.

Also, the cost of owning property will go up when the HST is applied to starta fees, residential heating fuel, commercial rents, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, repairs, cable TV, internet, electricity, gas, renovations, painting and other professional services.

Buy now and complete before the end of June and at least save on some of these costs.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/HST-and-BC-Property-Saleshttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/HST-and-BC-Property-SalesThu, 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 GMTVacationing Down UnderJust got back from travelling through Australia and New Zealand. Highly recommend arrangements through Goway Travel represented by Pacesetter Travel in Victoria. Flawless! Great accommodation, flight arrangements and tours!

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Vacationing-Down-Underhttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Vacationing-Down-UnderWed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:00 GMTSelling Advice from HoteliersHoteliers know that if a customer is impressed with the bathroom, they will likely feel the same way about the rest of the property.

Something to think about when selling your home.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Selling-Advice-from-Hoteliershttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Selling-Advice-from-HoteliersTue, 25 Aug 2009 12:15:00 GMTSimple Repairs To Help Sell Your HomeTo find simple repairs to help sell your home faster, go to my recent newsletter at www.forsalevictoria.com.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Simple-Repairs-To-Help-Sell-Your-Homehttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Simple-Repairs-To-Help-Sell-Your-HomeThu, 06 Aug 2009 10:27:00 GMTHuron CountyMy wife and I visited friends in Huron County, Ontario. What a beautiful area with lots of beaches, fishing and boating opportunities. Kincardin is especially pretty with a picturesque harbour!

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Huron-Countyhttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Huron-CountyFri, 17 Jul 2009 14:28:00 GMTWebsite ManagementFor the best Website Management, I recommend Stepforth Marketing. Lots of experience and invaluable when designing a website to ensure you use techniques essential for being found on the Web. Ask for Ross.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Website-Managementhttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Website-ManagementTue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMTCruising TipIf cruising in the Southern Gulf Islands, I recommend Otter Bay Marina on North Pender. Great service, protected moorage and super hosting by Charlene and Jess Mansley.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Cruising-Tiphttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Cruising-TipMon, 15 Jun 2009 14:06:00 GMTTraffic MattersLike taxes, traffic is a fact of life. So when shopping for a new home, consider how the road situation will affect your commute to work.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Traffic-Mattershttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Traffic-MattersWed, 06 May 2009 14:08:00 GMTActivity IncreasingI have been a bit tardy with my blogs. I can be a somewhat excused because there has been a flury of activity, especially with homes priced between $350,000 and $500,000. Once again, mortgage rates seem to be the driving force. 5 year rates are now down as low as 3.95% for 5 years!

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Activity-Increasinghttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Activity-IncreasingTue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMTNeeds and Wants When BuyingYour needs and wants when buying are important, but, should not completely interfere with your decision. It is not always possible to find everything you want in a home. Especially when a maximum price is concerned. Perhaps the "good bones" are already there and all you have to do is budget a few alterations to make everything perfect. Buyers should always compare the pros with the cons when viewing property and be realistic with there demands. In this market, first time buyers have a chance to buy under $450,000 but the very low mortgage rates available today may pass them by if they are hesitant to make a decision.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Needs-and-Wants-When-Buyinghttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Needs-and-Wants-When-BuyingThu, 19 Mar 2009 13:59:00 GMTSpring Is Just Around the Corner!I don't know about the rest of Canada, but it is almost time to take the tarp of the boat, clean the decks, fill the water tanks and reprovision for the up and coming boating season. I am looking outside to sunshine and warmer temperatures.

That is what is so great about this part of the world. Some sailboats have been racing all winter long. The cruising season starts now and runs through to October for most recreational boaters. I guess that is why so many people retire to the Gulf Islands and Victoria.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Spring-Is-Just-Around-the-Cornerhttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Spring-Is-Just-Around-the-CornerThu, 12 Mar 2009 15:07:00 GMTOld House Village Hotel & SpaOne of the best kept secrets for accommodation in the Comox Valley is the Old House Village Hotel & Spa. It is establishing itself as the premier Hotel but is still very affordable. It is situated next to the Potlatch River and only a short walk to shopping and restaurants in Courtenay's town core. If you want to eat closer, just steps away is the Old House Restaurant.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Old-House-Village-Hotel-Spahttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Old-House-Village-Hotel-SpaThu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMTLandscape SolutionsI was present at an interesting talk by two ladies who operate a business called "Good To Grow Landscape Solutions Inc.". They seem to be very approachable and love to answer garden questions. You can even email them a question at goodtogrow@telus.net.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Landscape-Solutionshttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Landscape-SolutionsWed, 25 Feb 2009 14:53:00 GMTBest Mortgage Rates in 30 YearsWow! Mortgage rates are at unprecedented lows! 4 year rates are available at 4.19% and 5 years at 4.39%. Even 7 year rates are 5 bases points better than my own 3 year mortgage on a revenue property.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Best-Mortgage-Rates-in-30-Yearshttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Best-Mortgage-Rates-in-30-YearsTue, 17 Feb 2009 11:19:00 GMTHow Lucky We Are To Live In Victoria!I was thinking today how lucky we are to live in Victoria. The temperature is mild with the sun popping out every so often and the birds are singing! Compare this with most other areas of Canada and the Northern United States where there is still snow on the ground and below zero temperatures. Even the economy is not as bad as some other areas.

The fact that we have a Naval Base and are the capital city of British Columbia helps dramatically with our economy. Commercial building vacancy space is very low and has encouraged the development of new construction in the Greater Victoria area.

So, even though property sales are quite slow and there is doom and gloom every day on the news, we must not loose site of the fact that we are living in the best place in the world!

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/How-Lucky-We-Are-To-Live-In-Victoriahttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/How-Lucky-We-Are-To-Live-In-VictoriaFri, 06 Feb 2009 14:27:00 GMTShould I Buy a Home Now?I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.

]]>http://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Should-I-Buy-A-Home-Nowhttp://www.forsalevictoria.com/Blog/Should-I-Buy-A-Home-NowTue, 30 Dec 2008 09:36:00 GMT