It's that time of year again! The 17th Realtor's Care Blanket Drive is on November 28th to December 5th, 2011! Please drop off at any local participating real estate office in Pitt Meadows or Maple Ridge, any warm coats, blankets, sleeping bags, hats, gloves, sock or new toiletries. These items will be disbursed through out the community to those in need, no items are for resale purposes. Thanks...

Exciting news, I'm now located at our new branch office located in Pitt Meadows and look forward to being able to serve my clients at anyone of our convenient locations in either Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows or Langley office! Come by and check out our new office and say hello! Located at Unit#2 19126 Ford Rd, Pitt Meadows.

A RECORD SET & A BIG THANKS to all of you that made donations to the 16th Annual Realtor's Care Blanket Drive that took place November 26th to December 6th, 2010 ! A record total collected of 5000 bags of blankets, warm jackets & clothing donated throughout the Greater Vancouver & Fraser Valley areas, these donations should help an estimated 20,000 folks in need ! Awesome!

Some exciting news, our office is expanding , in early February, a branch office will be opening in Pitt Meadows and our office has also recently acquired a Re/max office in the Walnut Grove area in Langley! So we will have 3 offices , our current office in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Langley, a great benefit for us to serve our clients at anyone of the 3 locations for their convenience! But not to confuse our clientswith different office names for the 3 locations, our office is going to change it's name from Re/max ridge meadows to Re/max LifeStyles Realty, to encompass all 3 offices, this change is planned for early February. Look for announcements in our local papers and my next newsletter!

HST is coming to BC... Are you ready? The provincial and federal governments will combine 7% provincial sales tax (PST) and the 5% federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) into a 12% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on July 1, 2010. Confused yet?? As a rule of thumb , the GST rules that now apply to residential property will also apply under the HST.

Buying either new or a resale home
The 12% HST will be charged on a range of goods and services including:

• home renovations
• energy efficient appliances, insulation, windows and doors
• heating and electricity bills, telephone, cable
• closing costs such as appraisals and inspections
• moving costs and
• real estate fees or commissions

The HST applies to new home purchases . It does not apply to resale homes. For further information check out online resources at www.cra.gc.ca/harmonization .

I must say after living in Pitt Meadows /Maple Ridge for 29 years, I'm thrilled that the Golden Ears Bridge is finally a reality! My husband has been commuting to North Surrey for 17 years , took his first trip over the bridge to work on Tuesday the 16th, and it has cut his commute from 50 minutes or more if any accidents, down to 25 minutes! Hooray! Now just waiting for the finale, the opening of the new Pitt River Bridge!

Home Inspectors must be licensed in BC....
As of March 31, 2009, home inspectors in British Columbia are required to be licensed by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority ( BPCPA). Consumers can check the BPCPA website www.bpcpa.ca to find a licensed home inspector. Consumers should ask to see the inspectors license before signing a contract for a home inspection, or contact BPCPA with any inquiries or complaints at 1-888-564-9963.

2008 proved to be an interesting year for many in the market place, the year started off reasonably well, gains in real estate prices continued in to May, but then we started to see the tides begin to change. The summer market which typically does slow down, started to lose momentum, and from there we were heading into a price correction in the market place. There always has been a price correction through any real estate cycle. But what was unexpected was the global financial crunch we all experienced and that had a further impact on the markets! It undermined , and placed fear into the average consumer, and they began to pull back on any large purchases such as homes, vehicles, furniture, appliances and so on!
It shows how quickly tides can change, but there is something always positive about a changing market, it gives opportunity to many more buyers to purchase, an opportunity that may not have been there last year. I've noticed that there are still many buyers out there, that wish to buy a home, but are taking their time, because they have choice and continue to monitor prices. If you're looking to purchase a home to live in, as a long term investment, now is the time to look and buy, with mortgage rates so attractive, an abundance of inventory and already adjusted prices, why not! If you've bought already for the long term, you'll ride out any further correction. When the markets bounce back, historically they've always rebounded higher than the last cycle. Having been in the real estate business for almost 16 years, I've experienced the correction of the 90's, and the markets may slow down but homes continue to sell, it may take longer, and the seller's have to be more patient and competitive on their pricing.
If you're looking to sell right now and repurchase in this market place, it's all relative, you may sell for less than you would have last year, but you're buying for less! Many of the longer term homeowners have made great equity gains over recent years, which gives them the opportunity to make a move, if so desired. This is the time to consider buying as opposed to waiting till everyone else starts to feel confident in buying, when the prices would be going up again, and product choice would start to diminish. I not only speak as real estate agent but as a long term homeowner ( 29 years) that has owned through one of the worst real estate cycles in the 80's and then again through the 90's and have still seen a great equity gain in my own home!
When you're ready to buy or sell, take the time to do your homework, get all your ducks in a row, and then determine is this now the right time for me. Speak with a real estate agent, and speak to your lender, ask the questions that need to be asked and then decide! Feel free to give me a call!

Happy New Year to all! Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009! I wish to thank all my clients, friends and family with their continuing support and confidence in my services and of the many referrals that I received from you! I always look forward to serving you in the future. Any referral never goes unappreciated, I value the success of my business and continue to strive to have long-term happy and satisfied clients!