Wednesday 26 December 2012

Yes...There are Angels

This is just an update to the blog I posted below on Dec 10th. As of Dec. 10 the Be an Angel Campaign had only reached $15,756.75 as of Dec.26th they not only reached their goal of $100,000.00 the passed it! They reached a total of $111,675.00 all thanks to the generous people of the Okanagan.

The Kelowna Daily Courier has launched their 17th Annual Be an Angel Campaign on December 1st,  2012.  
 
Last year they were able to help over 265 families, and in total 850 people, to have a brighter holiday season!! The families were so appreciative, thankful and it made such a positive difference to kids and families that they felt this was clearly where they wanted their 2012 campaign funds to go this holiday season!

The Daily Courier's Be an Angel campaign is in partnership with Feed the Valley in support of the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs and Okanagan food banks. The are 4 ways in which you can contribute. Drop by the Daily Courier office weekdays between 8:30 am - 4:30 pm to donate by cash, cheque, debit or credit card or you can use your credit card on line at kelownadailycourier.ca click on the be an angel logo on the home page or call the Courier at 250.470.0776 to use your credit card. You can also contribute at any Valley First Credit Union Branch

The goal is $100,000.00 and so far they have reached $15,756.75 so if you can be an angel.

Monday 24 December 2012

Merry Christmas

Wishing all my family, friends and clients a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Help the Burn Fund

By chipping your Christmas tree. There will several location in the Okanagan where the firefighters will be chipping Christmas trees on January 5th and 6th to raise money for the B.C. Firefighters Burn Fund. Chipping of the Christmas trees will be done from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kelowna Fire Department stations on 2255 Enterprise Way or 619 DeHart Road and at the West Kelowna Home Depot 3550 Carrington Road.

Donations to the burn fund will be accepted at all locations. Great way to get rid of your Christmas tree and help the firefighters burn fund at the same time!

Saturday 22 December 2012

Don't Drink and Drive

MADD and the RCMP joined forces for safer roads here in the Okanagan. Some people still are not getting the message that it is not okay to drive after drinking. RCMP are encouraging people to call 911 when they see dangerous and impaired drivers. Police say it is okay to be driving and call 911 only if you have too.

Some signs of impaired drivers to watch for are, people who drive unreasonably fast or slow, drift in and out of lanes, tail-gate or change lanes frequently, disregard traffic lights, drive without head lights, leave turn signals on or drive with their windows open in bad weather.

In attempt to reduce accidents RCMP are placing bumper stickers on their cars that read Report Impaired Drivers Call 911 and MADD plans to erect signs in Kelowna with the same message. The holiday season is upon us, there are more RCMP on the road watching for drunk drivers. Now is the time for other motorists to blow the whistle, police say. People aren't calling the police until it is too late. We want to stop this before a crash happens. If/when you call 911 you should describe the offending vehicle and have its licence plate number.

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Don Saved....

...our butt. We have a rental house here in West Kelowna and the other morning my wife receives an email from our tenant. She said the furnace has gone out, her husband looked at it and can start it but the fan won't run so it just goes back out. I figured it was a broken fan belt. I call the tenant and ask him to check the fan belt well he couldn't even find a fan belt. Apparently newer furnaces don't even have fan belts! I give Don Sheets of Pro-Temp Mechanical Services a call explain the problem and he tells me what he thinks the problem is. He tells me to try cleaning of the flame rod and then try starting it again. Well sure enough it started and is working just fine.

Don didn't have to tell me what to do he could have came out to the house and charged me for a service call, cleaned the rod and then charged me for his time out there. Thank you Don!

If your furnace or air conditioning is in need of servicing don't hesitate to call:
Don Sheets at Pro-Temp Mechanical Services phone 250-862-6724 or email pro-temp@telus.net

Sunday 16 December 2012

Matching Be an Angel Donations

Tom Budd a Kelowna philanthropist who has already agreed to donate 25 cents for every dollar raised by The Daily Courier's 17th annual Christmas campaign. Has now said for this week starting Monday December 17th at 6 am until midnight on Sunday December 23rd he will match the larger donations of $500 or more up to a maxium of $10,000. Mr Budd will match these donation dollar for dollar. These donation have to be made by an individual on his or her own not in a group or corporation for him to match them. These one to one donations are then not eligible for the 25 cents for every dollar donated. 

A big Thank You goes out to Mr. Budd for generosity and helping Kelowna's less fortunate.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Bo.ttega Christmas Market

The second annual Bo.ttega Christmas Market is being held this weekend Saturday December 15th and Sunday December 16th from 11 am to 4 pm both days. Bo.ttega is located at 4485 Sallows Rd. in South East Kelowna. The market promises fun for the whole family with 35 vendors, wineries, food crafters, artists and crafters. All proceeds will go to the food bank.

In addition to the market Bo.ttega is presenting a Christmas concert on Sunday at 7:30 pm, tickets for the concert are $15 plus tax available in advance at Streaming Cafe and Mosaic Books with proceeds from this concert going to the food bank as well.

Christmas carols will echo through the halls, courtesy of local musicians. Admission is $2 for adults children are free. For more information or directions visit their website at bo.ttega.com

Monday 10 December 2012

Be an Angel

The Kelowna Daily Courier has launched their 17th Annual Be an Angel Campaign on December 1st,  2012.  
 
Last year they were able to help over 265 families, and in total 850 people, to have a brighter holiday season!! The families were so appreciative, thankful and it made such a positive difference to kids and families that they felt this was clearly where they wanted their 2012 campaign funds to go this holiday season!

The Daily Courier's Be an Angel campaign is in partnership with Feed the Valley in support of the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs and Okanagan food banks. The are 4 ways in which you can contribute. Drop by the Daily Courier office weekdays between 8:30 am - 4:30 pm to donate by cash, cheque, debit or credit card or you can use your credit card on line at kelownadailycourier.ca click on the be an angel logo on the home page or call the Courier at 250.470.0776 to use your credit card. You can also contribute at any Valley First Credit Union Branch

The goal is $100,000.00 and so far they have reached $15,756.75 so if you can be an angel.

Sunday 9 December 2012

Did you Know?

That RE/MAX Kelowna has had a mobile website for over two years! While many businesses are just catching on to the explosion of mobile website use…We, at RE/MAX Kelowna, have you covered!
Not only have we had a mobile website, but we also offer instant access to all of our listings through our Texting Service. Just text 65656 and insert MAX in the subject line and you will immediately be sent a link to our mobile website and have the ability to download our FREE APP.
On our mobile website, you can quickly search properties, view photos and request the services of our highly experienced sales professionals.

Saturday 8 December 2012

November's Housing Market

November proved steady though slightly off pace in comparison to last November. With 566 properties being listed in the Central Okanagan which represents a 1.22% decline. The trend of fewer listings has been a continuous theme during this year as inventory levels declined with 9,926 properties being listed which is down 4.82% from last year’s 10,429. Our existing inventory was reduced by the 271 properties that traded hands in November which is down 4.91% from the 285 units sold in November of 2011. Bucking the trend however is year-to-date unit sales which are up 7.65% with 3,717 units sold this year in comparison to the 3,453 that occurred last year. Sales volume trended similarly to unit sales in that it too is up 7.97% year to date at $1,459,386,762. Sales volume continues to be bolstered by record setting affordable interest rates.

The average sale price of single family residential homes in November was $470,578 which is up slightly from our year-to-date average of $468,157. If we include all types of residential properties, such as condominiums, townhomes, mobile homes and duplex’s, average sales for the month of November were $418,654 which is quite strong in comparison to our year-to-date average of $401,821.
Another notable trend is the extended marketing times that our local market is experiencing. Last November, it took 116 days to sell a property while this November it took 131 days to sell, which is up a significant 17.59%. Year to date it has taken 116 days to sell on average in comparison to 2011’s 105 days which is up 10.87%.

Increased year-to-date sales in Duplex’s – 38.46%, Triplex & Fourplex – 25%, Farms – 25%, Multi-family – 33% and Residential and Commercial Land – 26% & 25% are positive market indicators of increased consumer confidence locally. Now if we could just get our recreational/secondary buyers back!

Home Maintenance

When we think of home maintenance we often think of spring and fall home preparation however, there is much that needs to be done in the winter to ensure the safety and comfort of our families.

Consider these tips to keep your home systems running optimally and that you rest easy this winter!
-Replace smoke detector batteries.
-Check and clean or replace furnace air filters each month during the heating season.
-Have your fireplace cleaned and inspected by a professional to prevent chimney fires.
-Vacuum fire and smoke detectors, as dust or spider webs can prevent them from functioning.
-Check fire escape routes, door and window locks and hardware, and lighting around outside of house; ensure family has good security habits.
-Check electrical cords, plugs and outlets for all indoor and outdoor seasonal lights to ensure fire safety; if worn, or if plugs or cords feel warm to the touch, replace immediately.
-Keep snow clear of gas meters, gas appliance vents, exhaust vents and basement windows.
-Test plumbing shut-off valves to ensure they are working and to prevent them from seizing.
-Clean humidifier two or three times during the winter season.
-Vacuum bathroom fan grille.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Did you Know?

You Could WIN 24 ROCKETS TICKETS! RE/MAX HOME TEAM CONTEST WINNERS SECTION
RE/MAX Kelowna agents want to send you and your group to enjoy some great local major junior hockey action. RE/MAX® is proud to support the Western Hockey League and excited to offer fans a chance to win a group of 24 tickets to see your
local WHL team in an upcoming game! By offering this promotion we want you to know that we appreciate your business in the communities in which we live and work. To enter your group, click on the link below and fill out the form for your
chance to be sitting in the RE/MAX® Home Team Contest Winners Section!

Contest Rules:
1. Contestants may apply as many times as they like and must be 12 years or older to apply.
2. Winners will be chosen at random draw
3. WHL will follow up with the winner directly
4. Tickets are only available in Canadian Markets
5. Please note group tickets of 24 are not available in Medicine Hat.
For a chance to win 4 tickets to each Tigers home game, visit http://www.facebook.com/whltigers
to enter or go to www.RemaxKelowna.com.
Compliments of your local RE/MAX® agents.
RE/MAX. Official Realtors of the WHL.
Should you have any questions, please contact Alyson Chambers at chambersa@whl.ca
RE/MAX® is an Official Partner of the WHL.

Setback Your Thermostat

A setback thermostat gives the user the option of changing the temperature setting automatically at night and also during the work day when the occupants have left the house. A setback thermostat can help reduce overall household energy consumption.

The more you reduce the thermostat setting, the greater the possibility for savings.
Generally, a drop of 2°C (3.6°F) will lead to some savings and little risk. Some householders reduce temperatures 4°C – 6°C (7°F – 11°F). However, temperature differences this large create potential comfort and moisture problems.

Research from the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology shows that winter setbacks for the houses tested would result in heating cost savings of five to fifteen per cent. The highest savings came with a setback of 6°C (11°F).

How's the Market

Last month we asked the question…Is the market
taking a pause?... following Septembers sales numbers
dropping 19% in comparison to the previous year.
We are pleased to report a respectable showing of
MLS® unit sales for the month of October, down only
slightly, 1.12%, with 266 residential properties trading
hands in comparison to 269 in October of 2011 as
reported by OMREB.
Other noteworthy results include Westbank First
Nations Residential sales up 400% last month and
39.13% YTD. Apartment and Townhome unit sales
are up 10.54% and 10.73% YTD, respectively.
Year To Date, acreage unit sales are up 28.57%. Lot
unit sales up 23.31%, Westbank First Nations lot sales
are up 200%, total lot unit sales are up 100% and the
sale of Commercial Land units are also up 400%.
These results reveal increased consumer confidence
locally.
The Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB)
is on track to post its best year for MLS® residential
sales since 2009. Home sales are expected to finish the
year up over last year. Currently total residential sales
are up 7.20% year to date.
“Recovery in consumer demand is being bolstered by
improved affordability, resulting from lower unit
prices and persistently low mortgage interest rates.
Market conditions in the OMREB area continue to
favour home buyers. However, the inventory of homes
for sale has trended lower in recent months as new
listings activity slowed.” Reports BCREA.
Currently, listing inventory is down 3.21% year to
date. The reduction in new inventory will help our
market return to a more balanced market in 2013 as
unabsorbed inventory will be reduced.
The BC Real Estate Association forecasts that the
average residential sale price is to remain relatively
unchanged this year and increase just under 2% in
2013. The Residential Average Sales Price year to
date is $400,464 down 1.12% over last year.
Home market values depend on a variety of factors
such as location, inventory, condition and competition.
We invite you to contact our office to receive your
complimentary market evaluation.
Courtesy of
Deborah Moore
Managing Broker
RE/MAX Kelowna

Monday 3 December 2012

Stand Up Paddler is Still Going Strong

Last December I blogged about Bob Purdy and how at the end of December 2011 he will have paddled for 365 days. Well Bob is still at it! The past Friday Bob the avid paddler has paddled for 700 consecutive days on the water for his Stand Up for the Planet Environmental campaign.

Bob has paddled in all four seasons, in all kinds of weather snow, rain, the hot sun, the wind, battled the waves to change the way we live on the planet. Bob has been invited to Florida for the international celebration World Paddle for the Planet Day which is actually held over four days October 10-13th.

If you would like to see what Bob is up to you can find updates on him at facebook.com/pftplanet

Sunday 2 December 2012

Avalanche Risks are Here

It is that time of year again when avalanche risks are a danger. Right now in the South Columbia region which includes the Okanagan the risk is considerable say the Canadian Avalanche Centre. This ranking is a step below HIGH so that means those of you venturing into the back-country should exercise extra caution when picking your route.

The centre warns that natural avalanches are possible and human triggered avalanches are likely. With the healthy amount of snow that has fallen throughout the last week, the centre warns that a process of freezing and thawing has increased the danger. If you decide to travel in the back-country please use added caution to keep yourself safe.