What to do in case of a collision

I pulled this off of an email that I received from the Alberta Motor Association and I thought I would share it: What to do if you have a collision Unfortunately, chances are that some time in your life you will be involved in a collision. Here’s a quick refresher on what you should do. The first thing you should do is evaluate the damage. Call the police if: Someone is hurt. You think any other driver may be guilty of a Criminal Code offence, such as driving under the influence of alcohol. There is significant property damage or your vehicle is not drivable. If there are no serious injuries, try to move your vehicle to the side of the road. If your vehicle is not drivable, be sure to turn on your hazard lights or use cones or flares to alert other drivers. Exchange information Then exchange information with any other parties involved in the collision. Obtain the names and contact information of other parties, passengers and witnesses involved in the collision. Also, write down any other details of the incident, including time, location and road conditions. To help you, the Insurance Bureau of Canada has developed a collision report form. Keep a copy of the form in your glove box so you won’t have to worry about remembering what to write down. If you don’t carry a cell phone with camera capabilities, keeping a disposable camera in your glove box can come in handy at a time like this, so you can capture a few photographs of the scene and any damage. Report the claim If the combined damage to the vehicles involved is over $2,000, you must file a Collision Report at a police station. Failure to do so could result in a fine or demerit points. You could also have difficulty getting your vehicle repaired. As of January 2011, auto body shops and auto wreckers are prohibited from making collision-related repairs or destroying a vehicle without a damage sticker. The sticker indicates that the collision has been reported to the police Protect yourself from hit-and-runs In 2012, there were over 7,400 hit-and-run accidents. Recently in the Edmonton Journal, an article on this growing trend was published to make you aware of a problem that seems to be increasing in Edmonton. Within the article a quote from Sgt. Kerry Bates suggested that as the cars pull over, one will just keep going and drive away. Bates recommends that you snap a picture of the licence plate. Source: Insurance Bureau of Canada Edmonton Journal Alberta Treasury Board and Finance

May 1, 2013 Price Increase

We have been informed that the price of the lots remaining for sale from the Developer will be increasing in price as of May 1, 2013.

Why have a home inspection?

I am working on a transaction that is subject to a property inspection being satisfactory to the buyer. "This is something that I recommend to each of my buying clients. Questions come up, such as "Who pays for that?" "How much is it?" Why should I get one? Everything looks okay." Well, here is my two cents... First of all, the Buyer is the one who usually pays for the home inspection. There may be a special arrangement made that the Seller pays for it, but as it is for the Buyer's benefit, it is usually at his/her cost. Prices vary for home inspections, but as of today, you would be looking in the $450 and up range for a home inspection. There may be cheaper ones out there, but that's an average in my area. BUYER So why a home inspection? Here is what I tell my clients: A home inspector's job is to find deficiencies in a house/property. Whether the house is brand new, or is 100 years old, the inspector is going to find something wrong with it. That is what they are trained for. The average inspection will take around two hours or so, depending on how detailed the inspection is. After the inspection is complete, the inspector usually gives you a document (paper or electronic) to let you know what he/she has found. Some inspectors like to have your there during the whole inspection, while others like to have you there at the end of the inspection so that they can show you in person what they have found. The inspection should show you what needs to be done right away, and what should be done within a couple of months or years, or longer down the road. It should show you any major deficiencies such as structural, electrical, plumbing, or other things like the possibility of mold or asbestos. Some inspectors now have infrared scanners which can show you how energy efficient the house is, among other things. Okay, so your possible new to you dream home is not perfect. Now what? This is where the Buyer does his/her homework. The Buyer has to decide how bad the deficiencies are; how much is the Buyer willing to spend on fixing the issues; is the Buyer willing to walk away from the transaction because of the deficiencies: or, is the Buyer going to want the Seller to help pay for repairs. The Buyer could decide that they want the property anyways and will deal with things later. The Buyer could decide that they want to split the cost of repair with the Seller, and that would have to be negotiated. The Buyer could do some homework, getting costs to repair, and set themselves us a budget to get things done at their own pace. The Buyer could also decide that the cost to repair would be too costly and walk away from the deal. I like to have my clients have an idea of what the future has in store for them. Owning your own home comes at a cost. Repairs, maintenance, and all that are part of owning a home. How much a person wants to pay for those costs is up to them. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Buyer might be buying a house that costs them $200,000 to purchase, but the inspection brings up a concern about the age of the furnace. This is Mr. and Mrs. Buyer's dream house, so they know that they will have to budget for a new furnace sooner than later. This works out fine with their plans so they go ahead with the purchase. If it was going to be too much for them, they could walk away from the deal (as long as they had a subject to property inspection condition), and find their next dream home that will hopefully be in better condition. SELLER Why would a seller get a home inspection? In a competitive Buyer's market, a Seller that has already had a home inspection done may be one step ahead of his/her competition. A) You can show potential buyers what the condition of the house is, inspection wise, when they come to look at the property; and B) You could already address some of the concerns that the property inspection brought up. For example, I was selling my house and had an inspection done beforehand. The inspector showed some minor issues with some electrical outlets, so I got them taken care of right away. I showed this to potential Buyers and it helped give them more peace of mind. It ended up saving them some money, AND some time as they did not have to order an inspection. We just got the deal done. MORAL OF THE STORY Have I had deals collapse where I represented the Seller and the property inspection showed defects that the Buyers found unacceptable? Yes. However, it is best to know before money exchanges hands, and before people feel like someone was hiding something and people get upset and lawyers get involved. Disclose, disclose, disclose. And do your homework before you buy or sell. You will sleep much better at the end of the day.

January - Advocacy-Win

Jan-Advocacy-Win

I wanted to post this news clip to bring to light some of the things that REALTORS(R) are doing that are not always noticed by the public.  Being part of PAC (Political Action Committee) is a way for me to help give back to my community.

Staying Connected

Over the next few days, I will be attending the Banff Western Connection Conference. This is one of the largest real estate conferences in North America. This is my fifth BWC conference, a conference which takes place every two years. Every other year, there is the Jasper Leadership Conference. Great conferences, priceless information, and wonderful connections are made. I do enjoy attending conferences, especially when I know I am gaining valuable information to help my everyday work,and to better serve my clients. I was also a director with the Alberta Real Estate Association, was President in 2011, and I currently serve as a committee member on the Calgary Real Estate Board with the Political Action Committee, and the Town and Country Committee. The thing is that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I do not know! Thus, I like to stay involved at some level of organized real estate. So when do I have time to serve my clients, to get my work done, to make a living? Am I doing my clients a disservice by not staying in the office everyday? It did for a while, but now, after learning from many mistakes, I have gained some very valuable experience. First of all, I have a great team behind me, to take care of my clients while I am away. Also, I am a mobile agent. I have a smart phone, tablet computer, iPad, along with many, many programs and applications which help me take my office in the road. When people call me, I could be at my office, on the road (yes, I have a hands free device), checking out properties, or someplace else. wherever I am, I still have telephone access. If I am not answering the phone, I could be with clients, on an airplane, or doing something that just does not make it possible for me to answer immediately. However, I do have voicemail, and I do my best to answer my messages ASAP. Along with email, virtual faxes keep me connected to serve my clients and other real estate agents. For example, I have been here in Banff for two days, and during that time, I have set up three showings, priced a commercial lot for my local town, am in the process of setting up a property inspection, and have a foreclosure property to do a market analysis on when I get back home. I also have three meetings booked for Monday and Tuesday next week. At the same time, I am gaining valuable information, and networking with real estate agents across Canada and the United States, which, in turn, helps make me a better agent to better serve my clients. And in the end, the goal is to be of more value to customers and clients. REALTOR Lyle at 12:57 PM

Year in review

2012 caught me off guard a bit. What I mean is that the market seemed slow, but we made quite a few sales at the lake. I will not have the final numbers until January, but I am curious to see exactly how things went. When people would ask me how the market is at the lake, I would usually answer that things were slow, could be worse, but could be better. Then I would think back and see that hey, we sold one or two places per week in August, and the spring was not too bad either. We actually sold a few of the developer's lots, something that we had done in a couple of years. In 2013, I know that there are plans for some new cottages to be built at the lake. I also know that some people who own cottages at another resort are now looking for a new place to relocate, as their leases will not be renewed. This could have a huge effect on our sales activity! I know that there are properties at Lake McGregor Country Estates that have been on the market for over two years, and we have not had a bite with them. I think that 2013 could change that. In fact, I see 2013 as a very busy year at the lake! With our market about 12 to 18 months behind the Calgary market, and the Calgary market making some gains last year, this should result in an increase in activity out here. And that is not taking into account the people who are getting the boot and having to move their cottages from that other resort. Do I think that we will sell out of phase one this coming year? No. But I do hope to see more sales happening, and that we can finally get those lots moved that owners have been so patiently waiting for us to sell over the past couple of years. It is not fun when you see the long faces that people have when someone chooses anther lot over theirs. Hopes get built up sometimes, and are then dashed when a potential buyer decides to go elsewhere. In 2013, my goal is to put more buyers and sellers together so that they can reach their goals and enjoy the years to come! Happy 2013!

Events lined up for New Year’s Eve | Local | News | Vulcan Advocate

Events lined up for New Year’s Eve | Local | News | Vulcan Advocate