Tax assessor may increase your taxes by accident!

One year I was looking over my tax assessments on the different properties that I own. I was comparing a duplex with another property not near as nice or expensive and I noticed the less expensive property had noticeably higher taxes than the other one. I went in to the city to challenge the assessment. When they brought out the statement they said, “so you have two decks on your property” and I said, “no, just one”
“your basement is finished,right?” I said, “no”
Then she said “oh, well we just assume that after 10 years people have finished their basements and we tax them accordingly. We can’t get out to see every house to make the assessments.”
They made the necessary adjustments and lowered my taxes but if I had not gone in to challenge them, I would never have got the correct information on this property and would’ve been paying high taxes forever on things that weren’t even there.
When you get your tax notice sometimes it’s good to chat with your neighbours to see if yours is in line with their’s. Sometimes there are mistakes. I appreciate the city and all the work they do but no one is infallible.
#TeamKanderTips
#TaxAssessment
#ItPaysToDoubleCheck

Will working harder get me ahead?

People want fresh horses, they don’t want an old nag!

I’m sure people wonder why I take lots of breaks throughout the year to travel or spend a weekend at the lake.
Everyone needs to stop and breathe; to regenerate, to refocus, to allow your mind to become quiet so you can be creative. When I come back from these breaks I hit the ground running; batteries charged, ready to go!

You don’t want the old nag who has been ploughing through the year, day in & day out, trudging through waist high snow exhausted and grumpy.

Hire the fresh horses and let them win the race for you.
We are ready to help you achieve your goals faster.
#TeamKander
#SellingHouses
#Energized
#TakeABreak

Increasing net worth at lightning speed!

Increasing net worth at lightning speed!
We received a note from one of our clients who purchased a suited property. It said, “I was looking at the amortization schedule the bank gave us on our mortgage. We will have paid off almost $50,000 at the end of this term! That's only in a year and a half! WOW!” In only 5 years they paid off $50,000! This is why we love, love, love, suited properties. That 5 years goes by quickly so you might as well be investing in your future. Most people would never be able to save that amount of money in 5 years so that is the power of paying down your mortgage and even having extra money to put down on the principal every year. Give us a call and we can explain how this works.
#TeamKander
#HappyClients
#DebtFreeSooner
#IncreaseNetWorth

Splitters and super-splitters

I was reading an interesting chapter in the book Microtrends by Mark J Penn. It was written in 2007 and it’s spot on for today. He says with use of smart phones, iPads, and laptops, people can live and work virtually anywhere. This is good for the housing market. He defined splitters as “people who own at least two homes and split their time between them for recreation, worklife balance, or to connect with family and friends“

Where snowbirds shift residences once or twice a year at most; splitters go back-and-forth five times or more per year on average and sometimes as often as several times a month.

THEN there are super-splitters! People who divide their time between three or more homes. He said “don’t just think about Oprah or the Kennedys”. In a study done by the National Real Estate Association, it showed that 1/3 of all second home owners would like to purchase a third home in the next two years.

This is great for communities and economies. More income for vacation home builders, furniture companies, also they will put more into the communities than they will take out. They’re not using the schools but they are hiring people to cut the grass, check their homes and maintain their properties.

They are adding jobs and creating new industries.

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Bryce/Penny Kander Realty Executives Alberta Elite

403-896-7331

Do You Want To Live In The Grand Canyon??

Do You Want To Live In The Grand Canyon??
While attending a very high-end open house the other day I was thinking about “functional design”. With its big open spaces & vaulted ceiling’s it wowed the senses, but we have to LIVE in our spaces and sound travels.
I have lived in a few places that were like this. They were awe-inspiring to the senses but when I actually lived there I found that voices would easily echo from the kitchen to the master bedroom where someone might rather be sleeping than listening to everyone’s conversation from the other room. With children, if there is no separation in the space the toys and baby gear can easily take over the entire house. When you are shopping for your home, visualize how the space and sound flow will work for you. Sometimes a more formal design could actually be a perfect home for you! You may want to separation from noise and toys! 🧸
#TeamKander
#TryingToSleep
#BabyStuff
#FunctionFirst
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Trial by 🔥...The Dog 💩 Adventure

Trial by ...The Dog Adventure

We are always talking about becoming a landlord but it’s not all roses and peaches that’s for sure. When my kids were young, I purchased a home using their baby bonus money as part of the down payment and I had some really great tenants that turned very very bad. Their life kind of fell apart and they went from being one of my best tenants to probably one of my worst. They ended up leaving their 5 Doberman pincher’s locked in the home by themselves. They literally tore the place apart...ate the furniture, scratched the doors, and you could imagine how much dog poop was left when no one let them out.
I took the boys over and said “well kids if you’re thinking of owning more rental property you need to see how bad it can get and then you can decide whether it’s something you want to try”.
We took a large barrel and filled it with dog feces and it was literally leaking out the bottom. It was so disgusting but I had them help me drag it out and we put it in the back of the truck. When we got to the dump site it smelled so bad they made us drive to the far corner up the hill and dump it onto a separate pile of garbage. Undeterred, both boys still own lots of rental properties but when you’re going to become a landlord you need to have your eyes open to some of the things that you could experience.
Thankfully, even in bad shape we sold it with over a $100,000 profit but that was about as bad as it gets.
Being a landlord can be great but it’s not a business for the faint of heart.
#TeamKander
#SoYouWantToBeALandlord
#Investing
#RealEstate

How to Revive an area.

In south Palm Springs one of the premiere areas is called Deep Wells. This is where some of the original movie stars had their homes.
Right next-door is a cute little subdivision; very similar but in transition.
On one street it looked like a builder had purchased three old houses in a row and had put up these stunning homes.
When you’re looking to invest in an area,
look for a well located area that is up and coming and then either by yourself one at a time or partner up with a few people to purchase a few tired looking homes and make them look cool and sexy. You will end up changing the face of the entire subdivision.
This is also a way to change an entire town as I’ve seen on occasion with $1 houses in Spain, Tumbler Ridge rejuvenation, etc.
#BeTheChange
#UpAndComingNeighborhood
#TeamKander
#ThePriceIsRight
#DealsForDays