Our Realtor Tips

Man Walking

Dower Rights. Yes, it’s a thing.

DID YOU KNOW that Dower Rights apply when a couple is legally married, but only one spouse is on the title for the marital homestead? What does that mean? Long story short, HIRE A REALTOR. While we are not experts, we leave that up to Real Estate Lawyers, we have been educated and come with many years of experience to recognize Dower Rights and when they apply. Under the Dower Act, neither spouse may sell or mortgage the homestead without the other’s written consent.

Dower Rights do NOT apply when a couple is not legally married, or if both spouses are on the title for the property. Dower Rights DO apply when only one spouse is on title. What does that mean? The spouse not on title has legal rights to the marital home. This is very important for situations when a couple is separated, but not legally divorced.

If…

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Wood Foundation

Preserved Wood Foundations, What’s The Deal?

Preserved Wood Foundations or PWF have sadly be given a poor name when compared to concrete foundations, so we are going to take a closer look. Let’s first begin by stating that in no way are we experts; we are however, realtors who have helped numerous clients buy and sell homes with preserved wood foundations. Preserved wood foundations came onto the scene back in the 60s and were used as a cheaper alternative to concrete. We have scoured the websites of Canadian and American home inspectors to gain first-hand experience with PWFs. Our research shows that there are numerous homes throughout the province with PWFs. Statistics out of Fort McMurray show around 3% of homes have wood basements. Cost is the main driver for the decrease in the use of PWF in and around urban areas, where it is easy to bring in concrete. However, it is still a viable…

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Interior home

The Rundown on Staging Your Home

We are now making our way into the thick of the Spring Market! If you are looking to sell your home, you want to do what you can to increase the number of buyers your home appeals to, sell more swiftly, and of course get as close to your asking price as you can. There are three factors home buyers consider when deciding whether to move ahead on a property: the location, the condition, and the price. While you don’t have control over the location of your home, the price and the condition of your home are in your hands. Discussing correct pricing for listing homes on the market is a whole other article, but this month we want to focus on the condition of your home! One of the best ways to improve the condition of your home is through staging.

What exactly is staging? Staging is depersonalizing your…

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Holding Phone

What to Expect When Your Home is on the Market

It’s official, the sign has been placed at the end of your driveway and your home is for sale. What can you expect during this next phase of the selling process? If you read our article from last month, we discussed how it is important at this point that your home be staged, and thoroughly or professionally cleaned, so it is ready for showings. The staging process would have included depersonalizing your home (removing family photos, etc.), as well as organizing small spaces. When potential buyers come through your home, they will be looking in closets and cupboards and pantries. It is important that these spaces be clean and organized to help ensure the appearance of sufficient space for storage. Overfull and disorganized closets may give the impression that there is not enough storage space within the home. It is also important to ensure that any small issues, such as…

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Selling Your Rural Property

Selling your acreage or rural property is a major life event that requires planning and forethought. If you are looking to sell your acreage in 2019, NOW is the time to give us a call. This truly is a situation where sooner is better. Sit­ting down with your Realtor and creating a game plan, as well as setting expectations for both you and your Real­tor is a very important first step. Many people think that summer is the best time to list their acreage; yards are in full bloom, manicured, and looking great. Unfortunately, many acreage buyers are out there looking for their new property earlier in the year.

The Spring Market is when the majority of the sales for the year take place. Our Spring Market is typically March through mid-July; however, in some situations waiting to list in June may be too late. A good majority of buyers…

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