Monday 29 July 2013

New Listing Priced to Sell in Dilworth Estates


4 total of bedrooms includes a new 1 bedroom suite with separate entrance. New hardwood & slate flooring. Bright island kitchen withstainless steel appliances, gas f/p, dining area with rear yard access, den on main plus new. Fenced & private rear yard backing onto park space with hot tub, c/air, rv parking, recent landscaping enhancements. Beautiful Dilworth location only 6 houses to Dilworth Mountain Park. Best location in Kelowna. 5 minutes to downtown, Orchard Park Mall & Costco. 12 minutes to Airport. Call Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna for private showing 250-864-7893. For more details check out my website: www.stevehigginsrealestate.com

Monday 8 July 2013

Summer is a good time to add Curb Appeal

A fresh coat of paint can work wonders, whether it’s applied to the entire house or just on the front door. If your house is painted a neutral color like white or cream, be adventurous and try an energizing red or soothing aqua on your front door; a pop of color will add appealing interest.

Window boxes or planters are an easy and cost-effective way to add natural beauty to your home’s facade. Learn how to build a container garden that will provide extra dimension and color to a front porch or patio.

Take a look at your house from the street. Do your windows look bare? Try adding shutters, but make sure they are appropriately sized. Buying shutters that are smaller than the windows they flank is an all-too-common mistake homeowners make, which leads to the windows looking disproportionately small.

A garage door can account for up to 30 percent of a home’s exterior that is seen from the street, so having an attractive one is important to good curb appeal. A garage door should be appropriately matched to its house’s architectural style. A new garage door will give you the best return on your investment and provide the most value for your home. And most people, to some degree, factor in resale when making their home improvement decisions. Both structural and decorative curb appeal is important when it comes time to sell a home, bringing in a larger number of prospective buyers and making it more likely that they will make the purchase.

So don’t let budget constraints keep you from improving the appearance of your home’s exterior. There are many low-cost changes that can be made that have a big impact on how your home looks. Whether you’re making these changes to enjoy for yourself, or to make your home more marketable, the summer is a great time to get outside and focus

Kelowna Housing Market

The demand for new and existing homes is expected to strengthen later this year and in 2014. Stronger employment growth coupled with low mortgage interest rates will support increased demand for housing in Kelowna.

MLS home sales are forecast to remain stable in 2013. Expect sales to move higher, increasing 11 per cent in 2014. Buyers will continue to benefit from an ample supply of listings and price competition among sellers.

Prices are forecast to stabilize in 2013 and edge higher in 2014 as demand improves and the supply of listings is drawn down.

Kelowna area housing starts are forecast at 1,000 homes this year and 1,100 homes in 2014. Both single-detached and multiple-family starts are forecast to move higher.

Kelowna’s apartment vacancy rate is expected to edge lower in 2013 and 2014.

Mortgage rates are not expected to increase until mid 2014. The anticipated small and steady increases in mortgage rates will lead to somewhat higher mortgage rates by the end of 2014. However, these rates will remain low, by historical standards, over the forecast horizon.