Saturday, April 27, 2013

Let Maria Mak. Burnaby REALTOR® market your home

It’s time for your REALTOR® to do their thing with a few old-fashioned, and some new-fashioned, marketing tools.

  • Despite our leaps in technology, the “For Sale” sign continues to be an extremely effective way to advertise. Anybody responding to your sign is a solid lead because they’ve seen your home with their own eyes.
  • Your REALTOR® may choose any or all of the following: classified ads in the newspaper (often with a photo), ads in real estate publications, property listings on cable television and good old-fashioned mail. Neighbourhood mailers can be incredibly effective.
  • If you decide to have your home listed on a real estate Board’s MLS® System, you can also have your home advertised on http://www.REALTOR.ca, and http://www.mariamak.com ,  Canada’s most popular Internet research tool for residential real estate, and a big reason why over 85% of Canadians who search for a home start their search on the Internet.
  • Your REALTOR® is part of an extensive community ofREALTORS® who collectively represent hundreds of eager buyers. REALTORS® can call other REALTORS®, who can call other REALTORS®, who can call other REALTORS®.
  • A REALTOR® Open House is an efficient way to attractREALTORS® to see your home with their own eyes. If your home is perfect for one of their buyers, you can be sure they’ll rush right out and tell them! Your REALTOR® can organize everything and get the buzz started.
  • Many buyers want to get a feel for your neighbourhood before they start working with a REALTOR®. That’s why Open Houses to the public are so important. They usually last a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday, and there are a few simple but important rules to follow.
  • Make sure your home looks its finest
  • Your best buyer may just walk in off the street!
  • Most folks are decent, courteous and honest, but it’s wise to stash away jewelry, cameras and other small valuables. You can ask your REALTOR® to request a name and phone number from every visitor for added security.
  • Is there an electrical cord somebody could trip on? Is there a chair that will collapse if somebody actually sits in it? Fix it, or lose it.
  • Almost nobody’s dream home smells like smoked herring!
  • You want people to feel relaxed and daydream that your home is their home. This just isn’t possible with you there. Go see a movie, or take your pets on a field trip.
  • A “lock box” is a small, secure box that’s affixed to your front doorknob. It’s a mini safe with a key to your house inside.REALTORS® are given a combination to the lock box, so they can show your home to interested buyers.
  • Be patient with visits. Hopefully they will lead to a great offer, soon.


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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Maria Mak. Burnaby Realtor. Latest Real Estate Market Update

Vancouver, BC – April 15, 2013. 


The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 5,661 residential sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC during March, up 6.6 per cent from February on a seasonally adjusted basis, but down 17.7 per cent compared to March 2012. Total sales dollar volume was down 18.5 per cent to $3.06 billion. The average MLS® residential price in the province was $540,662, up 2 per cent from February, but down 1 per cent from a year ago.

"BC home sales in March posted the largest seasonally adjusted month-to-month increase since January 2011,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “However, homes sale per capita continue to remain near a cyclical low, suggesting that pent-up demand may be beginning to grow in the housing market."

Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume declined 22.1 per cent to $7.2 billion, compared to the same period last year. Residential unit sales dipped 18.8 per cent to 13,572 units, while the average MLS® residential price was down 4.0 per cent at $530,435.