Marjorie and Doug's Blog: January 2009

We are firm believers in the value of good quality photography in marketing your listings.  Never have there been so many choices for buyers.  It is quite overwhelming or buyers to look at so many potential homes.  Reports have it that up to 98 percent of homebuyers begin their search on the internet.  That means that they are looking at the listing, and looking at the photos.  It is your one chance to make a good impression.  This is where the next button will be the end of their interest in your listing if the pictures are dull and uninteresting.  A virtual tour gives you the opportunity to get the potential buyers to spend a bit more time with the home.   There are many different styles of virtual tours.  Many tours warp the house and curve the walls of the home. 

 Some tours are just slide shows with music.  We do use this but we make our own with a program from realestateshows.com for $125 annually you can make as many of these tours as you like.  We use these in addition to a professionally photographed and prepared virtual tour. You can also make an online flyer and submit it to ten different websites for free.  This is our real estate shows flyer for a home, prepared with photos from Inner Circle.  So if you are on a budget don't waste your money on slide shows, just log onto realestateshows.com, and do it yourself.  We also use this site  to blog our listings on active rain and to create a flyer to use for email.  We also link it on mlx  as an online brochure, there is space to add floor plans, which is not currently an option on mlx.  It is then also available on www.Realtor.ca.

If you want to spend a bit more and have the Limousine of virtual tours, there are two companies that I would recommend in Calgary.  Inner Circle and 360 Pics.

 We  are currently using Inner Circle Photography to professionally photograph our listings and prepare a virtual tour.  Take a look at this tour, this is the same home we used on our real estate show.  What we like is that there is a two-storey vault and you can look right up at the ceiling. 

 This is a tour that was done for us by 360 Pics, with their tours you can also view the property without the walls being warped and you can view the ceilings and you get a full 360 degree tour.

 So, if you want to improve your chances to have showings on your listings, you have to capture your audience with great photographs, and you can further improve your chances with a great virtual tour.

LOW JUST GOT LOWER! Amazingly, this already great value just became a fantastic value! $998,000 for a stunning cedar log bungalow backing onto Chestermere Lake. Only 30 minutes to downtown Calgary you can water-ski, sail, fish or swim before and after work. Ths home has a generous great room plan that has recently been updated with maple hardwood floors, granite counters, new fixtures and new carpet and paint. Wide open plan with large dining area, spacious kitchen, generous great room and the master on the main floor. There are 3 bedrooms above grade in the walkout. Enjoy the morning sun on the front deck and watch the sun set from your West Facing deck. Lots of room to entertain on the deck, covered patio or dock. Nicely landscaped and well-kept home. NOW PRICED FOR QUICK SALE.

Instant gratification! Get all the goodies now, for less than it would cost to build this home on a lesser location. You will have the best view in Rainbow Falls; on the pond with a view of the mountains! Enjoy your fully developed professionally finished basement now! Don't wait to enjoy the benefits of a professionally landscaped yard it is already done! Don't cry when you look at upgraded appliances, just enjoy your high performance kitchen now. Don't worry about decorating or where everything will go-- the colours are great and the window coverings and storage units are included. Waiting for the market to go down? You will miss this beauty, as she is priced to be a great deal now....This home also has Central air and a triple car garage. Don't hesitate, give in to instant gratification now or you will be sorry you waited!

Chestermere Lakefront Owners Can Purchase Land Adjoining Their Lots.

In Chestermere Lake there has been an ongoing dispute regarding the ownership of the land between the lakefront owner's lot and the waters edge.  When the land was sold the buyers understood they were getting the land to the lakefront, however when the land was surveyed, it was not surveyed to the waters edge.  The WID came back to the lakefront owners and offered to sell them the land under various conditions and prices.  Sometimes the WID threatened lakefront owners that they would knock down boathouses and docks if the owners did not purchase the land.  It has been most unpleasant and most unsettling to existing and potential lakefront owners.    Now the Town of Chestermere has stepped in and offered to buy the lands adjoining these properties and sell them back to the residents.  This is our response to the offer made by the town to the Lakefront  Owners.

 Anytime there is uncertainty with a property, the market will be impacted in a negative way.  For years this unresolved issue with the W.I.D. has kept land values lower than they should have been.  It has always astounded us that property in Sylvan Lake and Invermere should be worth more than properties at Chestermere Lake.  Should the issue be resolved it should positively impact the salability of lakefront properties.  In general we have been able to explain the situation to buyers, and for the most part, they have proceeded with the purchase of the property, understanding that they do not own the property right to the water's edge.  In fact when this agreement goes through, Chestermere will be one of the few places where you will own waterfront right to the shore.  

If you missed the December 18th meeting a copy of the power point presentation can be viewed at http://www.chestermere.ca/living_in_chestermere/hot_topics_in_town/chestermere_lakefront_owners)

 One thing that concerns us regarding the draft purchase agreement with the town  is that the town is requiring residents to apply for title consolidation. (This document can be downloaded from http://www.chestermere.ca/living_in_chestermere/hot_topics_in_town/chestermere_lakefront_owners).  There is no guarantee that the town that the town will grant the consolidation.  So you are unsure of what exactly you are paying for.  Can you use the land to increase your building envelope or not?  

Recently we had a purchaser that wanted to buy a property in the 800 block of the west side.  Now this particular strip of lakefront homes had a reserve that belonged to the town.  The homeowners bought the land from the town.  It was never consolidated into their titles.   The buyer needed more building envelope and went to the town to see what could be done.  The town would not let them use both pieces of land and he could not build the home that he wanted to.  He did not proceed with the sale. This happened in late 2008.

At the December 18^th Lakefront Owners Association Meeting, residents were assured that the titles would be consolidated.  This document does not guarantee that.   

We are also concerned that this document does not address the issue of boathouses.  Many residences on the lake have boathouses, they are an asset to the property.  No where is that mentioned.  After signing the agreement and paying your money, will you be allowed to continue to enjoy your boathouse which would be located on the land that you are purchasing? Or would you be required to tear it down? This should be made clear.

 For these reasons we do not like the draft purchase agreement.  If consolidation is guaranteed, we believe that the purchase of the land adjoining lakefront properties will be good for all lakefront owners.   If the agreement is signed the way it is you really do not know what you are buying, nor do you know what your rights are.

 We believe that the negotiated price is good; providing you can consolidate your titles and that you as owner can use the land as any homeowner would expect to use their entire lot.   If your titles cannot be consolidated and you do not have the full rights of ownership, the price is probably not a good deal.  Again we don't know because that has not been spelt out for us.   

 Anytime you are purchasing property, you must read and understand the document and any promises from the vendor must be on the document.  It does not matter what they say, what is in the written document is what matters.

 In our opinion there is still work to be done by the Lakefront Owners Association in making sure that the Lakefront Owners are getting the rights and privileges that should go with owning the property that they are being approached to purchase.  Otherwise we may be trading one problem for another, with no benefit and at a substantial cost to each property owner.

 Marjorie and Doug McKay

Realtors and Lakefront Residents.

RE/MAX Lakeside.