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

Tips for selling in the winter

We all know that winter in Southern Alberta has its challenges. We never really know what the weather has in store for us. It can change from one hour to the next. When you have a property for sale in the winter, here are a couple of tips to help improve your chances for getting an offer: - make sure your sidewalks are shoveled. This includes access to the garage, if you have a detached garage. No one wants to be trudging through three foot high drifts to get to the front door, or to check out the garage. Plus, you do not want to have anyone falling down your steps and getting hurt. Keep the sidewalks clear of snow and of ice. A little investment in a snow shovel, (or hiring someone to clean the walks for you), and some de-icer are a good investment. This is even more important if you are selling a lot with an RV unit already on it. This winter we have not had all that much snow yet, but we still come across RVs that have snow drifts up the side of the unit, making it very difficult to try to get in if we have to dig our way to the door. This does not make a good first impression on potential buyers. - have your furnace checked. Replace your furnace filter and make sure that your furnace room is free from junk. Potential buyers will want to have a look at the furnace and like to see one that has been taken care of, especially when they are more aware of it during the cold winter months. Too much debris around the furnace does not look good and also hinders air flow. Things like this cost little, but could be worth a lot. - if your property is vacant, make sure someone is checking on it daily. At least have someone drive by to check that there is smoke coming from the chimney. If not, get in there right away to make sure that the furnace is running. A frozen house and frozen pipes are no good! On that note, I suggest putting a sign on the switch for the furnace. I found out the hard way that people like to turn switches on and off when looking at a house for sale, and sometimes they do not leave things they way that they left them. I had my house for sale and it was vacant. Someone looked at the house and flicked switches, and turned off my furnace. It was not labeled and they must not have realized that this is what helped keep my house warm. Well, to make a long story short, I had frozen pipes that burst and there was damage in my basement. It was a mistake someone made and now we will just classify that as a lesson learned. If you have an RV unit, you should have already had your unit winterized, so you should not have too much to worry about. However, things can happen and it's good to have at least a walk around inspection done on a regular basis. Sometimes windows can break, doors can blow open, or other "stuff". Best to be safe than sorry. - one more thing, if you house is vacant, pour a little bit of liquid fabric softner down the floor drain in the basement (usually in the laundry area). This helps keep the drain from drying out and getting some unpleasant odors in the house. Basically, make sure that the property is being taken of, that there is still pride of ownership, even though you have decided to let this property go. Ask yourself, what would I like, or dislike, if I were looking for a property. Then act accordingly. Strangely enough, we have made sales at the lake on some of the coldest days of the whole year. Thus, it's always good to be prepared.

Aerial View of Phase One at the resort

Budget facelifts that add value to your home | The Chronicle Herald

Budget facelifts that add value to your home | The Chronicle Herald

Plans for Christmas?

As an owner at Lake McGregor Country Estates, did you know that you could book part of the clubhouse for a Christmas party? Have friends and/or family out, got for a swim, play some pool, and maybe do some dancing, enjoying the facilities. Call management to check for available dates and times.