The asking prices of most homes on the market indicate the current state of the market, and usually mirror the prices for which other similar homes in the area have recently sold. In deciding upon a selling price, a home-seller must establish a balance between the desire to draw the highest offer and finding a price that will be reasonable enough to attract an appropriate pool of prospects, and competitive offers. While most selling agents counsel their clients to consider this equation when pricing their home, keep in mind that some homes are not properly priced.

It’s important to educate yourself about the current market before approaching the purchase of a home. The market will always influence a property’s value, regardless of the state of a home, or its desirability. Here are the types of market conditions and how they may affect you:

1. Seller’s Market:

A seller’s market is considered a “hot” market. This type of market is created when demand...

It’s official: you’ve signed the papers, dotted all the i’s and crossed the t’s—you own a new home! You’ve almost reached the end of your journey. However, now, faced with the daunting task of moving, it may seem as though the journey has just begun. Moving can be a time-consuming and stressful experience if you let yourself be overwhelmed by the job. Remember, though, having a successful move means taking care of the details, one by one. If you break the process down into steps and arrange your time accordingly, you can make it manageable. Use the following checklist to ensure you’re covering all the bases, and you will be well on your way to a successful move!

Household

• Arrange to have your mail forwarded to your new address.
• Forward or cease all deliveries to your home, and forward or cancel newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
• Disconnect or take care of utility, cable and phone services and accounts.
• Arrange for utilities to be connected...

Setting a realistic price for your home that reflects current market values will help sell your home quickly and for top dollar. When you price your home properly, you increase the chances that the offer you receive will nearly match your asking price, and that there will be competing offers-which may net you even more in the long run.

Your property has the best chance of selling within its first seven weeks on the market. And, studies indicate that the longer a property stays on the market, the less it will ultimately sell for. A property priced 10 % more than its market value is significantly less likely to sell within this window than a property priced close to its actual market value. About three-quarters of homes on the market today are 5-10 % overpriced. Sellers will usually over-price their homes by this margin if, either, they firmly believe the home is worth more than what the market indicates, or if they want to leave room for negotiation. Either way, if you choose to over-price...

Don’t get discouraged if your property hasn’t sold during its first appearance on the market. Your home may actually have been one of the most appealing listings of its kind-and the reasons it didn’t sell may have nothing to do with the property itself or the market. Rather, a number of separate factors may have influenced the outcome. Take a step back, break your original selling method into parts, and allow yourself time to evaluate each one. Make a commitment. Establish a new approach. Stick to it. A reassessment of your system, and a shift in perspective, may be just what you need to realize your ultimate goals in the sale of your home.

If your listing has expired, you will usually find weakness in one of the following areas:

1. Appearance and Condition of your Property

When preparing your home to show to buyers, always remember: the decision to buy a home is one coloured primarily by emotion, not logic. Every buyer has different ideas of what “Dream Home...

The process of buying or selling a house seems to involve a million details. It is important that you educate yourself on as many parts of this process as you can-this knowledge could mean the difference of thousands of dollars in the long-run. The legal issues involved in the process are often particularly intricate, ranging from matters of common knowledge to subtle details that might escape the untrained eye. Any of these issues, if not handled properly, could develop into larger problems

With so many legal issues to consider, your first step should be to seek out experienced professionals to help educate you and represent your best legal interests. Begin with an experienced real estate agent, who can help guide you through the initial hoops. S/he should also be able to point you in the direction of a reputable local real estate lawyer to assist you in all legal matters involved in the purchase or sale of your house.

While there are countless legal details involved in a real estate...

Finding a real estate agent who is right for you requires doing a little homework, and asking the right questions. Choosing an agent is a decision that could ultimately cost or save you thousands of dollars. Keep in mind the individual you choose will be handling almost every maneuver in the biggest financial investment of your life. Experience, interests, and expertise vary from agent to agent, so you should be asking very specific questions in order to align your own needs with the abilities of an appropriate representative. Use the following list of questions as a guide to finding the real estate agent that is right for you:

1. How long have you been involved in residential real estate in this area?

If the agent hasn’t been connected to the residential real estate market for several years, s/he will be out of touch with the cyclical nature of the current market.

Your agent must be familiar with trends of the local market and have an eye for the ways in which it will change. This...

A very common question that most homeowners ask their Realtor is how or what type of home renovations increase their property value? There is no universal answer to how a homeowner can immediately increase property value with extensive or moderate renovations. Every property is different and some may require more work than others.

The health of the local Geographic’s real estate market must also be considered when asking in what a homeowner can do in order to increase its property value.

If the market is heading towards a downturn than it might be prudent to approach this ordeal with more caution before spending money and time. If you’re a homeowner that would like to monetize and take advantage of a growing market in order to capitalize a higher retune on investment (ROI) when wanting to sell a home in Burnaby BC or any other Canadian city, there are fundamental things that can be done to achieve your goal.

Mechanical Systems

Most people who are searching for the...

If you are considering looking for a new house, and are a current home-owner, then chances are you’re wondering what your strategy should be: do you wait to find the perfect new home before you put your current home on the market, or do you sell first and then look around? You have a few options. Use the following as a guide to explore what might be the best move for you.

Sell First:

There are several benefits to selling your current house before searching for your next home. First of all, once you have sold your house, you will know precisely how much money you have to work with. With a concrete price range, you’ll be able to narrow the pool of houses before you begin looking, and negotiate accordingly. This will allow you to immediately make firm offers on houses that you are serious about purchasing. You can be first in line with an unconditional offer you know you can afford, and this will grant even further negotiating leverage as Sellers tend to take unconditional offers...

Your home is likely your largest asset, so selling it may be the biggest financial move you’ve ever made, one that requires significant thought and strategy. However, once you’ve entered the market, the process may move very quickly: your property has the best chance to sell within its first seven weeks on the market. Studies indicate that the longer a property stays on the market, the less it will ultimately sell for. So, you need to ensure you’re ahead of the game. Get your property into top selling shape before it hits the market in order to increase its chances of selling within the desired window of time and drawing top dollar.

Use the following tips to seize control of the home selling process before you begin:

1. Establish the Reasons you Want to Sell your Home:

These reasons will direct the path you take in the home-selling process. If, for example, you have already purchased a new home and your goal is to make a quick sale on your current home, this reason...

As more-and-more home buyers enter the housing market the more difficult it’s becoming for them in finding the right Realtor fit.  Regardless if they are first time home buyers with little to nil experience or savvy real estate investors that have purchased and sold real estate for decades, they all have one thing in common- finding a top Realtor that they can trust as well feel understood throughout the home buying journey.

Most would agree that the task should be an easy one but not all real estate agents are equal. Aside from commercial agents, residential sales representatives all focus on the same product, single family homes, condo sales, residential leasing and a very few are courageous enough to sink their teeth into investment real estate products like- multi-unit homes or even smaller low-level apartment buildings. They all have the same information available to them equally through their MLS board and they have all gone through the exact same licensing...

Buying your first home can become a daunting task, but it shouldn’t be, rather it should be uplifting, educational and most of all, it should feel exciting and fun. For many, the real estate world is complex and confusing, and it’s tough to know where to start when you’re ready to search for your first home, this is especially true as a first time home buyer.

It helps when a first time homebuyer can identify what their long term goals and how home ownership fits into those plans. Some just want to convert all the monthly rent payments into something that is tangible in which allows them to build equity over time, while others relate owning a home to gaining their independence. Having a sense of what your big picture looks like will help point you in the right direction.

Work with a Real Estate Agent or Realtor MLS

A client once said “I wish there was a thing called the internet when I bought my first home so I could find articles that promote first time...

Why do you need a realtor?

A person's home is often the largest single purchase he will ever make. If you are considering first time home buying or selling (or condominium, duplex, triplex, etc.) in Canada, then a realtor (real estate agent) can help you avoid the pitfalls of real estate transactions. You may also be interested in a realtor if you want to buy or sell commercial real estate, such as a warehouse or office space. Other types of property sales that can benefit from the help of a realtor include buying or selling acreages or farms.

Some people opt to sell their real estate directly. This is sometimes referred to as "for sale by owner." While selling your own property may save you the commission in the short term, you need to be ready to deal with the significant administrative overhead of real estate sales, and the risk that you will not get top dollar.

What does a MLS realtor or real estate agent do?

Some of the services provided by a real estate agent or realtor include...

Selling your home is a complex process that can be time-consuming and stressful. An experienced MLS Realtor has the skills, knowledge and connections to help you through the process every step of the way. Consider the following benefits of working with a Realtor in Real Estate:

Professional Experience:

With knowledge and training in marketing strategy, negotiation tactics, and the workings of the current real estate market, a Realtor will be able to guide you through the steps of the home-selling process and be able to explain exactly what to expect. S/he will make you aware of your rights and responsibilities, work with you to strategize the best moves according to your own goals, discuss financing options, and point you in the direction of other specialized professionals who will aid you in different stages of the process.

Best Price:

Realtors have their fingers on the pulse of the current real estate market, and will know what comparable properties in your...

Each home buyer has different ideas of what will constitute the ideal home for them, these notions often based on particular aesthetic preferences. But one thing that unites all potential home buyers is the desire to find a home that is fundamentally sound - in areas beyond the immediate sweep of the eye - and that will provide a safe, comfortable, and efficient foundation for their life behind a new door.

This is where the services of a home inspector come in. During a home inspection, at least 30 areas of the home are placed under the home inspector’s “microscope.” We’ve compiled the ten most common weaknesses uncovered in a typical home inspection. If not addressed, these problems could cost you thousands of dollars in the long-run. So, knowing what to look for, and performing your own thorough pre-inspection, will help you to identify areas for repair or improvement before they grow into costly problems.

1. Damp Basement:

If a mildew odour is present,...

You’ve been saving for awhile, weighing your options, looking around casually. Now you’ve finally decided to do it - you’re ready to buy a house. The process of buying a new home can be incredibly exciting, yet stressful, all at once. Where do you start?

It is essential to learn from the experiences of MLS realtor or other, do some research. Of course, with so many details involved, slip-ups are inevitable. But be careful - learning from your mistakes may prove costly. Read carefully all points of pitfalls as a guide to help you avoid the most common mistakes for buying a home.

1. Searching for houses without getting pre-approved by a lender:

Do not mistake pre-approval by a lender with pre-qualification. Pre-qualification, the first step toward being pre-approved, will point you in the right direction, giving you an idea of the price range of houses you can comfortably afford. Pre-approval, however, means you become a cash buyer, making negotiations with the seller much...

Searching a house of your dream is not so easy, but we at Mason Oskoei make sure that the experience of buying and selling a property becomes as easy as shopping in a grocery store. Burnaby MLS real estate market is very transparent and hassle free as we can easily list the properties in the MLS® listings which is a centralized system. It allows us to view all the Townhouse for sale, Condos for sale, Homes for sale or the Land for sale in Burnaby BC, Canada and as soon as the property gets sold out it gets removed for the MLS real estate listings also.

MasonOskoei.com is the one of the best MLS real estate listing platform where all your property related buying and selling needs can be fulfilled, we provide all kind of deals such as renting/leasing a property in Burnaby BC Canada, Burnaby houses for sale, Candos for sale in Burnaby, Canada BC land for sale, Townhomes for sale in Burnaby etc. At MasonOskoei.com all you have to do is enter your desired location for buying...

Not all social media platforms are created equal, each one serves a different purpose. It’s important to keep in mind what your goals are when selecting which platform you want to commit spending most of your time.

If brand awareness is your goal then choosing Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is a great place to remind your followers of your business specialties are.

If lead generation is your top goal, then YouTube is a great place to start while combining some efforts on other platforms like Twitter and Google+.

Here is a run down with some tips on how to use these platforms for best results.

Facebook and Facebook Live/Periscope

Your Facebook business page is a great way to promote your open house, post the day and time with pictures of the subject property and never forget to add the property address in the post description and fire it away. If you wanna take it to the next level, you can boost the post for a small amount of money and engage...

There is a misconception among home buying and selling consumers as well with many Realtors across the country in regards to what a power of sale real estate transaction is and how they are completed. A power of sale listing is being sold by the bank, not the homeowner. Some people misconstrue a power of sale with a short sale as that term has been floated around regularly as the media has reported about the housing crisis in the United States.

A “short sale” is very rare in Canada, this why you won’t see a property being promoted as such unless the homeowner agrees to a short sale with the lender. Tier one banks would not agree to a short sale, they prefer the power of sale route as they are governed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Act whereas a private lender may not be governed depending on the particular situation.

When any type of real estate is being by power of sale in Canada, the subject property is being marketed at true market value...