Benefits of using a Realtor

There are many benefits that come with using a realtor!

*They can help you prepare your home for showing.
*They can help you negotiate.
*They can draw up all the paperwork properly and send it to the lawyers.
*They have access to the multiple listing service where 93% of all listings are.
*With their years of experience they have connections that you do not have when trying to sell privately.
*They carry insurance in case something goes wrong.
*They act as a go-between between buyer and seller to make sure that you are represented properly.
*They are a free service!
(If your house does not sell you do not have to pay them.)

#TeamKanderAdvantage
#47YearsCombinedExperience
#PeaceOfMind

The right lawyer can make all the difference!

Just as all realtors are not created equal, I also believe that not all lawyers are created equal. In our business dealings we use a really fantastic lawyer who is an expert in the field of real estate transactions. One time I was buying three half-duplexes and when I sat down with him to sign the papers all of a sudden he said, "nope we're not signing these". He got on the phone and called the mortgage company and said "the interest rates went down a quarter of a percent today so I want you to send new documents over right away with the new rate. We're not signing these". I sat there in shock thinking "oh dear, that's gonna blow the whole deal" but they sent over the new documents to sign as he requested. I sat down and figured out that I had just saved $5500 in interest over the term of that mortgage by having a lawyer who knew his stuff, was looking out for my best interests, and would make that phone call. Most lawyers would've just had me sign the papers and out the door I would've gone.
#TeamKanderConnections
#WorthHisWeightInGold
#ThanksDarrell

JACK UP THE LIGHTS!

JACK UP THE LIGHTS!
They always say that you'll get good returns on improvements to kitchen and bathrooms. I think one of the best returns you can get is to jack up the lighting in the house. As people get older their eyes change and they require more lighting. In fact, with every additional 20 years of age your need for light to see clearly and be safe in your home doubles. So feel free to put in lots of lighting (recessed lights, accent lights, under counter lights, etc). If you shop wisely, you can find cool and beautiful light fixtures that won't break the bank. It will update the home and it will make it brighter and more attractive to potential purchasers.
#TeamKander
#SparklyLIghts
#ICanSeeClearlyNow
#NeverTooMuchLight

Before and After

BEFORE AND AFTER.
Everyone loves a good makeover renovation. This is a property that I personally own. I bought it several years ago. It was in need of repairs which I put off a little bit too long. This goes to show you what a $19,000 investment can do for you. I got a new roof, eaves trough's, soffits, facia, new windows and patio door on the front, new hardy board siding on the front, new paint to match on the rest and a cute new screen door. Check it out!
#ThanksWolfCreek
#BeforeAndAfters
#IncreaseTheValue
#FlipIdeas
#TeamKanderRenovations

Plant trees 15 years before you want to live somewhere

I once met an gentleman who was probably in his 70s at the time. He had purchased an acreage backing onto the river and was going to move there someday. He planted a huge amount of beautiful spruce trees so that when he was ready to move there, in 15 years, his landscaping would be amazing! I thought that was a smart idea and went and planted trees at an acreage I own that backs onto trailers. I planted small trees and figured that by time I decide to develop the land you won't see any trailers; just beautiful trees!
#TreesNotTrailers
#PlanForTheFuture
#PlantYourOwnForest
#BuyNow

Tenant prospecting

Looking for Tenant's?
Now that you've purchased an investment property it's time to find a great tenant. Social media like Facebook and Kijiji can be a good resource BUT don't be afraid to do some "old school" advertising. It works!
Great tip: Always take off one or two of the phone number tabs. That makes it look like some people are interested and then others will follow suit.
#PullTheTab
#AdvertisingIdeas
#Options

A little perspective is good

A little perspective is a good thing!Last year when we were touring the Kensington area of London, one of the more sought after areas, I looked at a little three-story row house and asked my friend, "how much would one of those cost?"
She said, "5 million dollars".
I said, "for the whole building?"
She replied, "no, just for one unit".

I began to think about real estate back home and how relatively inexpensive everything is that we own. It's not really that big of a deal.

In the big picture, buying a house is still a very affordable thing for anyone to do, especially in Alberta!
#Perspective
#GeneralRealEstate
#Investing
#TeamKander

Dear Younger Me... Buy more houses!

Dear Younger Me...
When we were in Winnipeg speaking to the Manitoba Real Estate Investment Association Bryce asked me the question,
"What's one thing that you would've done differently if you had life to do over again?"
I said, "I would have bought more houses".
This is a bit of a shocker to most people as I've purchased over 40 homes since I turned 18. I love my houses and never wanted to sell any of them. In fact, I just wanted to buy more but that wasn't possible. This is especially true now as the government and mortgage companies are making it very difficult to buy homes. They are putting larger restraints on the public thereby narrowing their options of ever buying a first home let alone also purchasing an investment property.
Having said that, if you can find a bank that will lend you money to buy a home, I would advise you to do that as soon as possible because if this trend continues, it may get to the point where you won't be able to qualify. Your kids could certainly be in a tough spot too.
I always say, "you need one house for you, one for each thousand dollars of income you'd like when you retire, and one house for each child". Therefore, if you already have a child and you already have a house maybe it's time to buy a second one.
Give us a call and we can help you make a plan to achieve your goals of home ownership.

P.S. What would you tell your younger self to do differently?

#StartYounger
#TeamKanderAdvantage.
#MakeAPlan

Magic full color books

Not all realtors are the same! One things that sets us apart from other realtors is that we do beautiful high-gloss photo books of your home that are custom designed by a friend of ours. The books are an amazing tool that help keep your home memorable to potential buyers. This is important when the market gets tough or when people are looking at multiple houses. People just look at these books and they want to buy the house. I had a gentleman phone me two years after we had sold a high end house and say he wanted to buy the home from the new owner. These books leave a lasting impression. They are a treasure to keep. It's like a high-gloss picture of your child, you may put them in a drawer for safekeeping but you don't throw them away.
#SlightEdge #YouGetWhatYouPayFor #TeamKanderAdvantage

The original zero down

Fascinating History…How to increase the value of your land by giving half of it away!

"Leonard Gaetz was a brilliant businessman. in 1890, Gaetz offered half of his land to the Calgary and Edmonton Railway Co. The condition was that the railroad would cross the river on his property. In November 1890 when the railroad was built as far as Red Deer, the new townsite was surveyed and on Gaetz's Farm site. On November 23, the first train with passengers travelled from Red Deer to Calgary. Once the lots in the new townsite went on sale in January 1891 people began to move to new Red Deer."
(Excerpts from "Red Deer: An Illustrated History" by Michael J Dawe)

We have all heard the quote "build it and they will come."
How about "give it and they will come."
#SmartIdeas
#CreativeRealEstate
#TeamKander
#RedDeerHistory

The 80/20 rule is as real as the law of Gravity.

The 80/20 rule is as real as the law of Gravity.
In Richard Koch's book, "The 80/20 Principle", he speaks of the origin of this thought. In the 19th century, Pareto had written a mathematical model for income distribution in Italy that stated that 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the people. Wealth was not evenly distributed. In fact, according to Pareto, it was actually concentrated in a highly predictable way.
In his groundbreaking book "Quality Control Handbook", Juran (who had studied Pareto's equation), coined the phrase "VITAL FEW AND TRIVIAL MANY."
I was thinking about this, and I suspect that most people agree that 20% of sales people make 80% of the money. (I actually believe it is 90/10). The reason for this is that concentrated effort creates almost all the reward. These 20% of realtors or sales people are totally focussed on their job. They do them extremely well and have acquired the skills to do them masterfully, therefore creating larger rewards for their clients. That translates into more income because of their focussed efforts.

In our business, Bryce and I are extremely focussed on our clients. We have trained extensively to learn how to net people the most money and achieve the quickest sale with the fewest problems possible; which is what everyone wants.
Give us a call and we will explain our unique marketing plan.
#TeamKanderAdvantage
#MostMoneyQuickestSaleFewestProblems
#Pareto
#80/20Principle

Little things make the big difference when it comes to selling your home!

Are you preparing your house for sale or just trying to be comfortable in the home that you're in?
It's the little things that make a difference.
In the last month we've done some small improvements to some of our houses that have made a huge difference. We had a dishwasher utensil holder with holes in it so every time we loaded our cutlery it would fall through and it was very frustrating. This has been going on for a couple of years but last week we went on Amazon and bought a new holder. Problem solved:only $30!
Our carpets needed stretching since we moved in. It made them look old and was a tripping hazard. Instead of replacing them we had them cleaned and stretched and they look brand new, saving us about $3000 and a lot of stress! We had a rusty, leaky, shower head at our lake cabin and we replaced it with a lovely $89 rainshower attachment and it feels like a whole new shower!
Even things like putting down a new throw rug in your bathroom or entranceway can make a huge difference.
Try and find a few little things this week that you could improve in your house to make your home feel fresher and upgraded without breaking the bank.
#RealEstateIdeas
#SmallChanges
#TeamKander

ROLEX vs 4-PLEX

ROLEX vs 4-PLEX

People ask, "Do these pants make my butt look big?".
Does a Rolex on your arm make you look wealthy or does your Real Estate portfolio actually make you wealthy?
This week I had a client who purchased his first 4-Plex. Understandably it felt a bit scary for him and in the midst of the transaction he'd been away on vacation and seen a lovely Rolex that he really wanted.
He said, "it would look so good on my arm".
I told him that the satisfaction would be short-lived and that luxury possessions are a trap that society says we need.
I told him that if he bought the 4-Plex instead, managed it well and paid off the mortgage, in 10 years he could buy a Rolex or take a holiday every month if he wanted.
Our society is so focussed on instant gratification.
Don't worry about how your life appears to others. Focus on your goals. Buy houses/4-Plexes if you want and carry on.
Think long term, have a vision for your life and follow it.
Let your property pay for your toys and trinkets!

Remember: no one will want to rent your Rolex but they will want to rent your 4-Plex.
#AskUsHow
#YouNeedAVision
#LongtermPlan
#TeamKanderAdvantage

Repair vs Replace?

WARNING!
This may save you money!

Repair vs Replace?
If you repair something in your rental property (ie. say the furnace isn't working properly), that cost is a 100% write-off for that year.

If you replace the furnace, it gets put on a depreciation schedule and is only depreciated a little bit over the next few years.

Therefore, sometimes fixing things is faster, less expensive, and easier on your pocketbook when it comes to tax time.

You may speak to your accountant about this but this is the basic premise.

#Investing
#RentalProperty
#SavingYouMoney
#PeaceOfMind

Are you afraid...of condos?

Are you afraid...of condos?

It's so funny, I deal with people a lot who say they want to buy a townhome or small property but they don't want it to be a condo!

The other day when we had "the big storm" and the wind was blowing over trees, ruining rooftops and taking out fences I was thinking "here we are in our condo and if any damages happen there's already a fund in place to pay for it".

Condo fees are just taking a little bit of money each month and putting it away for a rainy day (or should I say a windy day). As long as the condo building is well run and in good condition, condos can be a wonderful place to live.

$10,000 down payment? BUY IT!

One of the things I've always said to my kids is "if you can find a house for $10,000 down, just buy it".
I had a client wishing to sell and that was all the equity he had in the house so I told Bryce and Cole that they should buy the house and take over the mortgage.
It was a rent to own which I can explain to you if you're interested but basically they put down $10,000, assumed the sellers payments, rented it out, and made cash flow.

The funny part of this was that neither of the boys actually saw the house. They both just took my word for it and they got a great house with great terms at a great price!

Now, you should probably find a house that actually breaks even. That's the best way to do it but I would probably still buy a house with $10,000 down even if I had to subsidize it a bit because every month on that mortgage you're probably paying down $600 a month off in principle.
All you need is a $10,000 line of credit even if you don't have the cash.
Keep your eyes open for an opportunity and be prepared to shop!

#investing
#thinkingoutsidethebox

SMART GRANDMA!

SMART GRANDMA!
I always say… "see what no one else sees!"
Just think…if your grandma had had the foresight to buy property in downtown Calgary 40 years ago, how rich would she be now!
You have to think long term. Don't you want to be THAT grandma? The one that everyone thinks was such a smart investor; ahead of her time! The one who bought and then held on to something because she could see how valuable it would become!
Don't be afraid to buy and hold something you know will go up in value. Everyone wants the quick buck but if you look at the big picture, in many instances, patience can be much more profitable.

Have prices really gone up?

"It's too late to buy a house. I've missed my opportunity."

I hear this a lot from people but is it really true???
Years ago, I bought a piece of lakefront property at Sylvan lake for $169,000. I believe I borrowed the money at 14.5 %. That seems like an outrageous interest rate but at that time it was cheap because interest rates were as high as 22%!!

Now, that same property can be purchased for around
$1 million but you can borrow $1 million at 2.3%. It does cost more per month but it's not five times more because the interest rates are so cheap right now.
So...don't ever think that you've missed the boat. It's never too late.
There's always another boat. Grab an oar and let's get going!

How to buy a job with flipping houses.

The other day, after one of my Real Estate coaching sessions with a young investor, I was thinking ...

I could probably make more money buying properties, if I had the owner carry the financing while I fix them up and flip them, than I could selling houses.
All you need is a little bit of cash and some chutzpa.

It gives sellers who are in a tough position the opportunity to sell their properties. All they have to do is carry the financing for a short amount of time so you can fix them up and flip them and sell them and make a profit. It's a win-win!
No full-time job needed!!

This makes it sound simple but it will only work if you have an agent who knows how to present the opportunity properly to the seller and also help you find a house that will actually work.
Send us a message or give us a call and we would love to help you get started.
#thatsus #realestateinvesting

100% Vacancy vs 50% vacancy

Two (or 3 or 4) are better than one!
When you're buying investment property look for buildings that have more than one space to rent out.

Rather than a single family house where you have to pay 100% of the mortgage payment if it is vacant; buy a unit where there is a basement suite as well. That way if one suite is empty you only have to pay a portion of the payment.

I once bought a fourplex and with the cash flow I could have one unit empty at all times and still make the payment. It made for a low stress purchase.

So keep your eyes open for units with extra space to rent out. A suited house with a garage is even better because it has 3 parts (the upstairs, the downstairs, and the garage) from which you could earn income.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE to all buyers and sellers...                 
After speaking with 4 different insurance agents, they all confirmed that if a hot water tank is over 15 years old most insurance companies will require it to be replaced either before they will give you coverage or within a very short timeframe following the purchase of a house. We have had two transactions in the last month where this has been proven true.

This is important to know as you wouldn't want to be a buyer within a few days of possession date trying to get insurance and need to spend $1000 to put in a new hot water tank before they'll give you your letter of coverage.

Or for sellers...if this happens to you and the buyer doesn't have the money for a replacement you could lose the whole transaction.

As a seller you may want to be proactive and replace an old hot water tank before listing.

As a buyer you may want to write in the offer that if the tank is found to be that old you will need a new one installed before possession and negotiate it into the price.

Since it seems that this is the rule rather than the exception it would be much better to be safe than sorry!  @TEAMKANDER

FIVE Things That Will Make You "RICH"!

FIVE Things That Will Make You "RICH"!
1. VISION: Have a big vision for your future that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning. A vision will keep you focused on where you want to end up. Make sure your decisions are in line with your intended target.
2. MARRY: If you marry... find someone you love so deeply that it motivates you to work hard to make their dreams come true. Marry someone that is also supportive of your work, your goals, and your dreams.
3. SURROUND: Surround yourself with successful, motivated people that will support you in your goals and also share their time and wisdom with you. "Show me your friends and I'll show you your future" (Prov. 13:20)
4. GIVE: Sow good into the world and you will reap greatness.
5. LEARN:Be a life long learner. Read books. Attend seminars. Listen to CD's, Podcasts, & TED talks. Be inquisitive. Find people who you want to be like and go for coffee with them. Ask questions. Listen to wise counsel.

P.S. Remember that being "rich" is not defined by your net worth. It is a combination of all those things that make life feel grand!

Creative negotiating

Sometimes in life you have to get creative to get what you want!
My favourite negotiation story happened almost 20 years ago...
If you bought one item at McDonald's you could get one tiny beanie baby.
OK, I'll admit we were obsessed with them and went to McDonald's often (sometimes several times a day). I would go through the drive-through and make one purchase and Cole would run inside and make another order so that we could get more beanies.

On one trip, Cole asked for a cheeseburger happy meal and then said he would like 3 beanie babies. The cashier said "no that's just one item so you can only have one beanie baby".
So Cole said "OK I'll have one hamburger..one french fry...and one pop."
The guy shook his head and gave him a happy meal and the 3 beanie babies.
Sometimes in order to get what you want, you just have to "think outside the Bag"!