BYOB

When there’s this many houses on the market in Victoria, it drives me crazy how much crap you have to sift through to get to the gems. What’s worse is that every price range is the same. You think the jump from $450 to $650 would be an improvement, but it isn’t. I just wish when searching our MLS we had a little tick box for Junk [ ] or Gem [ ] and that the realtors who selected had to be honest.

I’m sick of reading things like “Quaint little charmer in desirable neighbourhood” when in reality it translates into a 1940s 2 bedroom 1 bathroom home with original oil tank, knob and tube wiring, 800 square feet, possibly structural issues on a tiny lot that backs on to the highway. Why don’t you just write “BYOB”... Bring Your Own Bulldozer

Moral of the story: use a buyer’s agent to buy property; you’ll save yourself a lot of time and frustration.

Property Transfer Cash Grab

I've been reading up on the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) Government Relations Briefs and I came across a little tid bit of information which really surprised me!

The Background:
The Property Transfer Tax is a tax implemented by our provincial government that applies to all home purchases (unless you're part of the First Time Buyer Program).

When you buy property and register it at the Land Titles Office, you are taxed 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the balance of your purchase.

The Reality:
It turns out the property transfer tax started in 1987 and was supposed to be a "Wealth Tax" with the 2% portion of the charge only applying to 5% of home sold. In 2009, the 2% portion applied to about 88% of homes sold. These are provincial numbers... imagine what the percentage is in Victoria.

Shocking.

In my opinion, this is a huge cash grab for the Provincial Government. The BCREA is working to have this property transfer tax abolished by 2012. Read more in their brief on sheleter taxes here

Garage Sale for Shelter!

I feel like I’ve barely been posting anything lately but there is one cause that certainly deserves some attention. The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada’s largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women’s shelters and violence prevention and education programs. I was lucky enough to meet the executive director today, Sandra Diaz, who spoke with the Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty members, as well as representatives from the women’s shelters and transition houses in Victoria and Sooke. She spoke to us about the importance of our local shelters as well as raising awareness and teaching violence prevention.

Last year Shelter raised 1.5 million dollars and made a considerable impact in shelters across Canada. In British Columbia, $91,000.00 was raised and of this amount, $39,000 came from the Royal LePage Coast Capital offices in Victoria. This money went straight back into our community shelters:

Victoria Women’s Transition House
Sooke Transition House
Margaret Laurence House
Cridge Centre for the Family

How does the money get raised? Many Royal LePage agents (including myself) donate a portion of their commission from every transaction they complete. There is also a National Garage sale which is taking place on May 15th!


The National Garage Sale for Shelter is an initiative which started last year across the country. Royal LePage offices from coast to coast went out seeking donation of household items to sell at a community garage sale. All the funds raised went straight back into the local women and children shelters. On a national level, $120,000 was raised last year!

In Victoria, the event will take place on Saturday May 15, 2010 from 9am-3pm at 137-2924 Jacklin Road (AMJ Campbell Van Lines).

If you have any good quality household items you would like to donate, please get in contact with me or your closest Royal LePage office! This year we are teamed up with the moving company AMJ Campbell Van Lines to pick up any large household items.

If you have nothing to donate, no worries! Come down to the sale and get some good deals for a good cause!

Top 5 Worst Reno Mistakes

Really great article in the Globe & Mail: The top five worst reno mistakes you can make! Really good stuff in this article especially if you're considering the resale value of your home!


Click here to read the article!