Blog by Menno van Driel

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143 Pratt Rd, Gibsons, BC

January 31st, 2011

I just finished uploading this House for sale, 143 Pratt Rd, Gibsons, BC

Enjoy this large 2010 Sqft home with 3 bedrooms & den. Floors, bedroom/bathroom doors, trim, paint, low-e windows, new hot water tank are some of the upgrades done here. The family room boasts wrap around windows with sliders to the 600 Sqft deck. Private fenced backyard with fruit trees, Hot Tub and gazebo to laze your ...

The end of your mortgage loan

January 31st, 2011

To every mortgage comes an end … either because you’ve made all your regular payments or because you have the opportunity to pay it off earlier. Oh happy days!

Pre-payment penalties on mortgage loans, how to avoid excessive charges, suggestions for Sunshine Coast borrowers.

Is it time to reduce or cancel your mortgage loan? Bring out the calculator to do it smartly.

Since most people take out a mortgage loan when they purchase a home, there’s no harm in looking at the other end of the mortgage procedure ...

House renovations on the Sunshine Coast

January 30th, 2011

Today’s question is: should you renovate your house before putting it on the market for sale or should you keep the price as low as possible?

house renovation on the Sunshine Coast in contemplation of selling. It a list price reduction better?

It costs time, work, effort and money to do renovations. What's better, to do the work or reduce the price?

The most desirable answer to that question is “of course” to do both. You should renovate the home and make it sparklingly beautiful, while put ...

Sunshine Coast and early retirement

January 29th, 2011

To escape the rat race is a dream of many. As wonderful as the Big City may be, there’s just no life better than that of a friendly small community that’s close to the Big City. We call it: the best of both worlds.

Escaping the rat race, Welcome to the beautiful BC Sunshine Coast, home of quaint communities along the shores of the Salish Sea (Georgie Strait)

When you escape the big city and are on approach to the beautiful BC Sunshine Coast, this sight of Mt Elphinstone will be one of your first experiences.

The beautiful BC Sunshine ...

Wealth and homes on the Sunshine Coast

January 28th, 2011

Are we rich or are we poor? It’s a relative question, isn’t it? People spend considerable time and effort to figure out wealth growth and decline. Here is how that relates to your home and family.

Wealth, debt and net worth. Sunshine Coast real estate questions and answers regarding borrowing and investing.

When you live in a castle, are you rich or poor? It all depends, doesn't it?

If you purchase a $200,000 home and you have a $100,000 mortgage loan against it, your net worth in that home is $100,0 ...

Real estate privacy concerns

January 27th, 2011

When you’re putting your house for sale, you’re opening the door to a variety of people that you possibly wouldn’t normally let into your house, let alone allow them to rummage through your personal stuff. To many people, the suggestion of having strangers in their home is a major source of stress.

Your privacy is gone when you put your house for sale. Hire a pro-active real estate agent on the Sunshine Coast to minimize your exposure at risk.

Your privacy is out the window when strangers start to rummage through your home, once it's on ...

Home staging on the Sunshine Coast

January 26th, 2011

Spending a fortune to get your house “ready to be sold” isn’t always necessary. With a few simple tips, you can be almost-a-pro at preparing your house for the market, so it attracts the best possible offer in the shortest time.

Home staging is the process of getting your home looking its best. It requires you to unclutter, clean and brighten up the place.

There are professional home stagers, people who make a house look its absolute best. Here are some tips to do what home-stagers do.

 

Professionals call it “Home St ...

Conspiracy theory bank and government

January 25th, 2011

There is growing rumour that Canada’s top banks were behind the most recent mortgage changes. If the rumour is true, then this would be one of the most blatant examples of Capitalist abuse in recent history. Is it true?

Sunshine Coast bankers, do they have a monopoly?
What goes on behind the closed doors? There's this conspiracy theory that the largest banks have made a deal with the Government of Canada. 

In a media sweep just weeks befor ...

Sunshine Coast Title Insurance

January 24th, 2011

Title insurance is a relatively new phenomenon that’s become more popular in British Columbia. Many people say we do not need it because of our Torrens registration system. Or what else does title insurance cover?

 

Sunshine Coast title insurance, the security of purchasing Real Estate in Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour

Used to be that the title searcher had to go through all those old documents to find the original title of a property. It's so much simpler now with the Torrens system.

 

The Tor ...

The backlash of those mortgage rule changes

January 23rd, 2011

Whenever new laws, rules or restrictions are announced by the government, there is usually a cacophony of opinions, some good and some bad. It’s all part of living in a free society.

the backlash of mortgage rule changes, who's happy and who's not happy. A lot of mortgage brokers are dissatisfied.

If you change the rules of the game, there are winners and losers. According to the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals, the recent rule changes produce no winners.

 

This time around (ref ...

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