Oasis in Spring Valley!!

Oasis in Spring Valley! Kidney shaped pool with a outdoor kitchen, fountain a dream of a backyard. This home has updated hardwood floors, craftsman crown mouldings, sunken living room and 3 bedroom and 3 bathrooms. Fenced RV parking with S/dump. Great neighborhood! Call Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

Beautiful Home For Sale in Upper Mission!

2011 TOMMIE AWARD WINNING HOME Incredible Lake & City Views. High end 5200 sq.ft. with 19ft. vaulted ceilings in Great Room, Designer Kitchen, Salt water pool, Astroturf Putting Green, heated floors, steam shower, incredible Media Room and more! Master includes steam shower in ensuite, private deck and incredible sunsets. House has Control 4 home automation system, programable lighting. Pool has key operated safety cover, illuminated deck jets and lighting. Triple oversized garage & RV Parking with  plug in & services. Call Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

Great Location $369,900.00 Reduced to $359,900.00

This 970 sq ft condo is in Mint Condition, 2 Bed 2 Bath on the 3rd floor. Close to University and 2 Championship Golf Courses. Brand new Carpet & Stainless Steel Appliances. Pet & Rental Friendly. Enjoy the perfectly positioned sunny outdoor pool and hot tub and the indoor gym and recreation room! Walk to UBCO, golf courses or drive a short distance to the new shopping hub and Kelowna International Airport. Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

How's the Market You Ask?

Happy Canada Day Okanagan! Summer officially kicked off with tens of thousands of people attending Canada Day Celebrations in downtown Kelowna, West Kelowna and all over the Valley. From a huge multicultural display of food at Prospera Place, to live music and a fireworks display, Canada Day Celebrations were a success.

Speaking of successes, June 28th kicked off the West Kelowna 2019 RE/MAX sponsored “Music in the Park” held weekly at the Annette Beaudreau Amphitheatre in Memorial Park located at 3737 Old Okanagan Hwy. If interested in grabbing a snack and watching Okanagan artists set against Okanagan Lake this summer be sure to ask your RE/MAX Kelowna agent for the summer schedule. Looking for Kelowna specific summer entertainment? Ask your RE/MAX agent about the RE/MAX sponsored “Parks Alive” featuring Concerts and art-based activities throughout many of Kelowna’s outdoor venues! As noted, RE/MAX Kelowna is a proud 2019 presenting partner supporting the Okanagan’s fine arts community. Tired of listing to music? Why not make your own! Founded in 2015 RE/MAX Kelowna is proud to present the 2019 season of Pianos in the Park. Whether playing “Chop Sticks” or “Flight of the Bumble Bee”, 8 free, playable pianos situated around Kelowna are waiting for you to tickle their ivories to an audience of your own making!

On a more serious note, we live in interesting times. It seems I have said that before, but it still rings true. Economic forecasts for 2019, overall, predict the Canadian economy to be slightly down from 2018 (1-1.5% growth vs 1.8%) given some uncertainties in the global economy including the USA’s ongoing trade wars with China and Mexico.

In addition, the Federal Government continues to be focused on curbing household debt to income ratios while also trying to deal with an inflation rate above it’s 2% target. With unemployment rates at record lows, it doesn’t look like there will be any interest rate relief in the near future. This may change in early 2020, however. Some risks to the economy may exist but nothing is currently having a particularly negative impact. Things look fairly good so positive thinking, everyone!

In terms of our local real estate market, more of the same seems to be the order of the day. One noticeable change is the apparent decline in the number of listings relative to sales. Arguably, the good news about this is it may lead to a more balanced market and prices may well stabilize. Here is what the numbers for June tell us: Sales are still down but there seems to be some improvements happening. In all categories, sales declined by 8.5% in June compared to last year. This is actually an improvement given the YTD sales are down 15%.

June felt busier and it is showing in the numbers. This is a significant improvement and something to embrace. Specifically, average residential house prices are down by 3.4% from June of 2018 to $692,246 and the median prices are down 3.9% to $644,000.

The Days on Market, or how long it takes to sell, has risen dramatically to just over 100 days on average from under 50 days last June. Not surprisingly, the price ranges either holding their own or even rising are between $300,000 (mostly condos) and $600,000. Other price ranges generally showing declines in numbers

New Listing 830 Princess Court

Stunning Property! Beautiful 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath Rancher on Quiet Cul-de-sac! Hardwood & Tile Floors throughout! Large Spacious Rooms, Stainless Steel Appliances, Wood Fireplace, Newer Furnace, Heat Pump and Roof! Attached Garage PLUS HUGE Detached HEATED WORKSHOP with Storage! 200 Amp Electrical Service, BIG Private Lot (.36 Acre) with BRIGHT SUNNY Southern Exposure. Parking for the LARGEST RV's and Toys! Call or text Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

New Listing 1504 Woodridge Road.

Incredible Value. 

Wonderful Custom Built Family home backing on to a park in the great neighbourhood of Crawford Estates. School buses right at the door. .41 Acres offers complete privacy with room for your future pool. Loft Office could be made into a 5th bedroom or den. Lower level offers a pool table, card table and recreation room for the kids. Extra Large Double Garage with Storage. RV & Boat parking on the side of the house or at the rear of the house accessible from the park also room to put in a pool if you would like.
Many quality updates including granite and cork flooring make this home priced below assessed value! 

Market Report January 2019

HERE ARE SOME OF THE JANUARY 2019 NUMBERS:

• The average single-family home price in January 2019 decreased to $688,886 from $699,352 compared to January 2018.

• Residential days on market has increased by 3% to 77 days in January 2019 compared to 75 days in January 2018. It’s taking longer to sell now! We now have 9 months of residential inventory.

• The number of total sales has decreased by 40% to 216 units for the month of January 2019 compared to 363 units in January 2018.

• Number of units listed has increased 24% to 787 units listed in January 2019 compared to 636 in January 2018.

Supply vs demand is changing, and it is affecting our market now. It continues to show signs of a stronger and growing buyer’s market.

 I was thinking about how I was going to boast about our mild winter compared to the rest of the country. Then that idea ended rather abruptly when we too ended up in the deep freeze. At least there is one positive note from this blast of cold weather. The ice wine harvest is on! A week ago, there was discussion of a major loss of ice wine grapes. I’m sure the wineries are happy with this cold snap! 

Speculation Tax is Here.

It’s the end of January and we have all started to receive our speculation Tax envelope from the government. If you have owned a property in B.C. as of December 31st, 2018 a letter will be sent to the address on file with the B.C. Assessment Authority.

The letter is important as it will have your declaration code and letter ID included. Once you have received your speculation tax letter you are able to proceed to declare your position with the government. You have the availability to do this by either phone (toll free at 1-833-554-2323) or on line at www.gov.bc.ca/ spectax.

You will need to have on hand when you start the process your Declaration Code, Letter ID Code, Social Insurance Number and the property address. This is a very important task to be completed. If you don’t file your declaration prior to the March 31st deadline, you will have to pay the tax and then file for a refund and we all know how quickly the government likes to refund you your money.

The toll free number is there if you don’t have access to a computer or are uncomfortable with the forms. Also, use the number if you are unsure of exactly what to do. Just be prepared that it may take a bit of time!

Six Good Reasons to Play More Golf!

We often start our New Year with resolutions often include getting more exercise, spending more time with friends or taking breaks to relax and re-charge. What if you were told that golf was a good way to do all three? And there are endless choices for all skill levels.

1. Golf may not be the most physically demanding sport, but golfers walk on average six miles in an 18-hole round, some golfers even more depending how straight your shot is. Add in the various terrains available, think up hill, down hill, through the sand and rough, now that is good exercise!

2. Golf is a game in which good manners and respect are paramount however Sergio Garcia seems to have forgot that last weekend. Your foursome can be made up of friends, colleagues, family members or you can be paired up with other golfers and make new friends.

3. No round of golf is the same as the last, that is for sure my scores will prove that. Course conditions vary, weather changes, your company can change daily, and your swing is certainly never the same. Every single round of golf is already different and with different golf courses to choose from, the variety is endless.

4. You can eat and drink while you play. Pick up a coffee from the snack shack or enjoy a sandwich and a beer while playing your round. In what other sport can you do this and not be a spectator?

5. Golf can be played alone. If you just need some time and some space a twilight round might be just the thing. You never know, your next great marketing idea or new client could happen on the golf course!

6. Golf is a game for all ages. It's a fun, recreational activity. So let go of your worries for a while and take a walk.

 Who needs a reason? I sure don't but if you feel you do, these are 6 good ones!