The real first sign of spring…

Well the time has come. It has been a very long and cold winter so far. I was looking at Facebook the other day and saw a post by Sherrie. She was talking about the weather. More specifically The Weather Network and the 24 hour forecast that was calling for -41.

Despite the temperature shown here, spring really is on the way!

Despite the temperature shown here, spring really is on the way!

This temperature alone is enough to make me start thinking about a vacation with white sandy beaches but to add insult to injury, the bad news didn’t end there. Not only was it going to be -41 it would be -54 with the wind chill. Did I mention it has been a long cold winter?

So where does the good news come in you may be asking yourself.   Well the good news is this weekend we experience daylight savings. What’s the old saying? Spring ahead and fall back.

All I know is I love this time of year. The evenings see more light. I will no longer need a flashlight to access the lock boxes to allow entry into listed properties. Buyers get the benefit of a daylight view of the back yard on an evening showing and conversely sellers get the opportunity to have buyers see all of the hard work they have done landscaping the backyard escape.

But really the most important part of daylight savings is the reminder that our firefighters send out. This time of year has been the perfect time for the firefighter campaign to remind us all weather we rent or own it is time to change the batteries in every smoke and carbon monoxide detector is your home. That means this week you need to make a point of going out and buying fresh batteries. Don’t procrastinate it is important.

Sunday March 9 at 2 a.m we move our clocks ahead 1 hour.  Best way to make sure you have the correct time is to go around the house before you go to bed Saturday evening. Make sure you change the time on your oven and microwave and most importantly – the coffee pot. You want the coffee timer to actually have the coffee ready and hot for Monday morning.

So change your batteries in all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors around the house and move all clocks ahead 1 hour and you won’t have to worry about it again until November. And as you make these changes, remember that this is really the first sign of spring!

Tracey

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New home construction tip for builders

I have to say one of my pet peeves with some of the new construction I’ve seen in the past few years has do with bathrooms and specifically the ensuites bathroom in the master bedroom.

New construction home

New construction home

No, I’m not thinking of the bad feng shui of bed placement in relation to the orientation of the bathroom door, sadly my issue is just about the bathroom doors themselves or, my personal gripe, the lack of a bathroom door.

It’s a simple concept that has been around for a long time. A door to separate the outside world from the goings on behind the door. Simple yet useful. Outhouses have doors with the little crescent moons in them. Public washrooms have doors on the stalls (well except that public washroom in the Caribbean, but that’s a different story). Main bathrooms have doors.  Doors are important.

A door gives privacy. A sense of sanctuary if you will. A barrier between you and the rest of the world, or the rest of the world and you.

Just this weekend I was touring new homes with a client and we saw a beautiful new construction home with almost everything you could ever want. This place was loaded. Granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, main floor laundry with the latest smart washer and steam dryer and a large oversized garage with custom cabinetry built in. Gorgeous.

Then the buyers get to the master bedroom. Large walk in closet. Beautiful view of the manmade lake outside. Built in home entertainment wiring for the included wall mount flatscreen.

All of the boxes are getting checked.

But then it happens. I’m coming down the hallway to the master bedroom when I hear a loud, almost theatrical, snicker from one of the buyers followed by “that’s not gonna happen”.

I enter and there, 6 feet from the foot of where the master bed would go is the opening to the loo. And the opening is door free. Oh sure, the opening is offset to the side and you couldn’t actually see someone sitting there doing their business, but we have more senses than just sight.

Like hearing.

And smell.

As soon as these particular buyers saw that, the rain shower and double sinks suddenly didn’t cut it. This house just went from the lead to several places back in the standings for the lack of a door.

Builders, for your own sake, please stop building beautiful homes with a toilet open to the master bedroom. Thanks.

Tracey

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Leduc growth is simply amazing

When I first moved to Leduc the population was around 15,000. Eleven years later we are up to 27,241 as of the 2013 census. That’s up from 24,139 in the 2011 census when we were the 2nd fastest growing city in all of Canada… an average annual growth rate of 5.6% from 2011 to 2012 – simply amazing and a big part of the reason why Leduc real estate is such a hot commodity.

The growth can be seen with homes popping up and new infrastructure (including schools and shopping and soon a new fire hall or two) being put where once only crops stood.

Construction site for Leduc's newest K-9 Public School

Construction site for Leduc’s newest K-9 Public School

Grant MacEwan Boulevard was once what we thought of as the end of Leduc. This road runs north to south and was at that time gravel road. Today the development has Grant MacEwan paved and the development has been made on the west side of the road.  Announcements have been made that a second fire hall will be built here and construction on the new school has already broke ground.

With the close proximity to Edmonton and the vast array of jobs in the Nisku industrial area as well as the Edmonton international airport expansion, Leduc has become a seriously desirable place to live. One of the side effects of all this growth and opportunity is that Leduc has also been named one of the top 10 places to invest in real estate in Alberta by the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN).

And it’s not just growth in housing… the Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce reported at the end of 2013 that they saw a “flood” of new members in 2013, with about 120 businesses signing up last year.

I have seen the farmers fields disappear and the shopping and restaurant selection at an all time high. People are eager to call Leduc home so they can get away from the hustle and bustle of Edmonton, or to be close to their work in Nisku or the InternationalAirport.

It’s exciting to be around all that growth and to help people find homes in this booming community.  If you are interested in moving to Leduc, we’d be happy to help you too!

Tracey

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Let the ‘fun’draising begin again!

IT IS OFFICIAL – let the fundraising begin!

Sherrie and Tracey with Prosellers.ca have once again committed to fundraising for the Riseup House in Leduc as our official charity for 2014. Last year we had the pleasure of being part of the fantastic team with Amp’t slo-pitch, City of Leduc and Home Run Sports to raise a total of $10,000.

Sherrie and Tracey with cheque

Prosellers Sherrie and Tracey pose with the $10,000 cheque of funds raised for Riseup House in Leduc

It was October 9, 2013 when we had the privilege of presenting a cheque to the Riseup House with the proceeds of our efforts on their behalf.  WHAT AN AMAZING FEELING!  We heard the excitement of the hard working ladies who have poured their hearts and souls into the house and hearing what the funds will allow them to do for the Leduc community.  Hearing this made all time at the tournaments we worked, such as the Guinness World Record attempt, the Sno-Ball tourney, the Slush Ball just to name a few, along with all of the gift baskets truly worthwhile. Knowing what a difference our efforts will make was so rewarding.

Established in 2007 Riseup House Society is an equipping and healing women’s outreach centre responding to the reality of domestic violence and abuse. Riseup House provides group support, counselling and resources for women impacted by intimate partner abuse, and educates individuals and community groups about preventing and addressing abuse in Leduc Alberta. For more visit www.riseuphouse.ca

Well we are ready to start the running tally again next weekend as we will once again be working a ball tournament.  On February 15th and 16th in Leduc we will be working the Beer Garden for the SPN Valentines Sno-Pitch Tournament.  There will be a total of 16 teams with the furthest coming all the way from Saskatchewan.  This is the first tournament of many for the year that will include one on May long weekend where we are expecting 80+ teams, another on September long weekend with more than 100 teams expected, Fall Fever at the end of September with 64+ teams, Halloween Havoc at the end of October with 64+ teams and (weather permitting) there will be an “end of the line” tournament after that.

We are very proud to be part of the team raising money for the Riseup House in Leduc and invite you to come out and watch some good ball and of course stop by and say hi to Sherrie and Tracey and help us make a difference to a worthwhile cause in Leduc.

See you at the diamonds!!!

Tracey poses with the winner of a draw for a high end bat.

Tracey poses with the winner of a draw for a high end bat.

A gift basket full of goodies to raffle off

A gift basket full of goodies to raffle off

Sherrie and Tracey pose for a pic at one of the early 2013 ball tournaments.

Sherrie and Tracey pose for a pic at one of the early 2013 ball tournaments.

Tracey poses with the 50/50 winner at one of the tournaments.

Tracey poses with the 50/50 winner at one of the tournaments.

Posted in Fund Raising, General, Uncategorized by

Proper Tenant Screening Protects Your Real Estate Asset

The Right Tenant Can Help Your Investment Real Estate Business

The Wrong Tenant Can Cost You Thousands

Years ago it was enough peace of mind for a real estate investor or property manager to just meet someone to get a “feel” for them as a person.  A “what does my gut say” way of screening a potential tenant…

Sadly in this day and age this is no longer a viable way to determine if the ones signing the lease are going to take care of your investment real estate, or put another way if they will take care of your “business asset”.  And really when you look at it, the people you pick are going to be in charge of a substantial investment.

When things go wrong, you had better hope the person in charge of this valuable asset does the right things to deal with the problem, or at very least calls you or the property manager right away because if they don’t it could cost you thousands.  Imagine the damage an unattended water leak can do, or a broken window in the dead of winter.  Think of the potential damage.

To put it in perspective, would you hand over the keys to your brand new $40,000 car to just anybody to take off on a test drive without you there based on a quick gut feel?  Doubtful.  If you weren’t going to go with them then at the very least you would ask lots of questions, verify their identity, maybe take a picture of them and their drivers license before you ever let them get behind the wheel.  Even then I would guess if you are anything like me there will only be a select few who will be given the opportunity to take your baby for a spin.  So why would we hand over the keys to an investment that might be worth 10x that value?

A gut check is an important PART of to the process but let me be clear it is just the start.

First Impressions Are Important Too

Early on in my investing career I met a potential tenant at the bungalow I had just purchased.  It didn’t start well as they didn’t arrive until 20 minutes after our scheduled appointment time when I was getting ready to leave.  I stood in the living room window looking out and watched vehicles as they drove by with none of them stopping or even slowing down.  Just when I was ready to turn the lights out and lock up I see three boys on bikes.  To my surprise they rode onto the sidewalk to come to the front door… now I’m stunned… did I mention it was a snow storm?  And when I say they pulled up on bikes I mean pedal bikes.  And by pedal bikes I mean BMX bikes.

After a brief roll of my eyes, I pull myself together and convince myself I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.  Just because it is snowing and they are on pedal bikes doesn’t mean they aren’t responsible young men who just happen to enjoy riding bikes in the snow…

The doorbell rings.  I open the door and introduce myself and invite them in.  As they pass me I see the back of their jackets are soaking wet from the spray coming from the rear tire of the bikes and I realize they are even younger than I first thought.  It goes downhill from here.

I follow them around the house and listen to them rave about the beer fridge, the room for the insanely loud sound system and the firepit big enough to fit “everyone from work”.  At the end of the tour they informed me (very politely) that the three of them were representing themselves and three others who intended to share the house.  I thanked them and told them I would be in touch.

As they pedaled away, no doubt arguing over who got the master bedroom and planning their first big house party, I vowed to ask more questions up front next time.

I learned to ask more questions before I book an appointment and that just because someone wants to see the house doesn’t mean I need to take the time to show it to everyone.  A few well worded questions up front could have saved me a lot of time, but then again I guess I wouldn’t of had this story to share with you.

Check And Double Check

But back to the business at hand.  A gut check is an important part of the process but I now never stop here.  If they are good enough to show up (on time) and pass the gut check when I meet them, they move onto step 3.  For me step 3 is getting a rental application filled out.  I don’t use my own rental application but instead use one from Tenant Verification Services.  I like this one because it asks all of the regular questions like full name, employment history and references but it also asks for drivers license and social insurance number and has them to sign that they are authorizing me to do a credit check.  I always take a few minutes to go thru this part and make sure they understand what I will be doing.

This is a very important step as I have found it to often be the tipping point.  If I am on the fence about someone this is generally where the scales lean one way or the other fairly quickly.  You would be surprised how many people panic and start spilling all of the dark secrets – the unpaid phone bills, the furniture from the Brick they bought on the “don’t pay for 18 months” plan and then sold 12 months later and forgot about paying for, the notices from cable companies, and so on.

At this point I need to make a decision are these people still in the running to rent my home or have I learned enough to determine they are not a good fit?  If at this point there are no giant red flags and I am still thinking they could be the ones to rent the house I go back to the office and pick up the phone.

I call the employers past and present, former landlords and references.  If I am still happy at this point then and only then will I do a credit check.  I use Transunion but Equifax is also available and both are great.  You may be wondering why I haven’t done this as soon as I left the house, well it is because this is the step that costs me money.  It is money that is well spent and worth its weight in gold, but I won’t spend it until the free stuff has been gone through.

Once you get the report make sure that you read it and with all of the information in front of you it is time to make an informed decision and get a lease signed.  While you can’t take all of the risk away that you can have a bad experience taking these steps will help to minimize the risk.

Tenants can either keep your real estate asset in good shape or they can cost you thousands.  It’s important to do a proper screening of tenants and that includes references and credit checks.

Posted in General, Investors, Uncategorized by