Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy prosperous 2014!

Why move to Vulcan, Alberta?

People have reasons for relocating, and I would like to point out a few reasons why people should consider Vulcan as their home town: 1) Traffic - our "rush hour" is when there are four cars at the four-way stop and a pedestrian is crossing the road. If you have a meeting on the other side of town at 7 pm, you can leave be 6:55 pm and still be a minute early. 2) Golf course - Vulcan is home to a beautiful 18-hole golf course. And memberships are cheap! 3) Hospital/health care facilities - our hospital has an emergency room. If you are waiting longer than 15 minutes to be seen, that is considered a long wait. We have doctor offices, a dentist, chiropractors, optometrists and more! 4) Walking path - we have a walking path that literally goes "around town". It is paved and well maintained. 5) Clean - our town is clean. There is pride shown by the town employees, to the citizens themselves. 6) Community clubs - I do not know how many community clubs that there are in this town, because I cannot keep track of them all. There is something for everyone to get involved in, if they so choose. 7) Fitness centre - Bodyworks fitness centre is open 24 hours and day, 7 days a week. Membership for the YEAR is only $160! There is cardio equipment, weights, and a squash court. How can you beat that??? 8) Hockey and curling rinks. - Hey, we are Canadian and we love our winter sports! 9) Walk score - We have a good to above average walk score. This means that you can practically walk to almost anywhere in town without too much effort. Whether it is to the post office, grocery store, doctor's office, or school, you could walk there. 10) Outdoor pool - yes, it is seasonal, but it is still a great pool and THE place to be in the summer! 11) Star Trek - Vulcan is the Star Trek Capital of Canada. We have the spaceship, Trek Centre (tourist information centre), and a Star Trek Museum. Enough said. 12) Tinman Triathlon - I took part in this in June and it was great! There are over 1000 people who participate each year. 13) Community spirit - Vulcan has a free rodeo each August, a fly-in breakfast and show-n-shine each summer, Christmas craft shows, fall fairs, and so much more! 14) Housing prices - The past two years have seen the average price of a single family residence lower than $200,000. 15) Location - we are located half way between Calgary and Lethbridge. There is out of town shopping going on, but that happens wherever you go. At least here, you can go to the big city and do what needs to be done, but then come home to the friendly, peaceful life of Vulcan.

Blizzard conditions sweeping through county | Vulcan Advocate

Blizzard conditions sweeping through county | Vulcan Advocate

A big THANK YOU goes out to the crews who are cleaning up the streets and highways so that we can all get moving again soon!

If you are able, how about helping out your neighbour and grab a snow shovel and help them out too.  This is what helps make Vulcan and County a great community!

Farmers Tribute: So God Made A Farmer. Paul Harvey

Commercial property in the area

This year I have been busier than the past couple of years with commercial properties. We have seen quite a few offers lately, compared to previous years. This is nice to see and I hope it continues. More commercial sales usually means more businesses coming to town, which means more work coming to town, bringing more people. The statistics people say that for every seven workers, it adds another service industry worker. The local rental market has close to a zero vacancy rate, due to several reasons - windmill farm construction workers, school pod construction workers, displaced High River residents, and more. And the local housing market is slowly seeing the inventory getting to a smaller, more manageable size. Have we turned the corner, hitting an upswing yet???

August 2013 - as Seller's market?

This summer has been a busy one, both with real estate and personally. Though interest in residential property has quieted down somewhat over the past week to 10 days, there is still interest. Interest in bargains. I had someone suggest to me that our market is now a "seller's market", but I disagree. There are just under 50 residential listings in Vulcan, and of these listings, 31 are houses. The percentages may indicate that the market is favourable to the seller, but there is still not a high demand from buyers. Buyers are in now hurry, still have a good selection of properties to choose from, and they have not pushed up prices. There are still many residential lots just sitting, with no one ready to build on them. Hence, I do not classify this as a seller's market. Vulcan has seen a busy summer in other areas. It was our centennial weekend during the first week of August. There was a huge parade, and we had a really good turnout of people during the celebration. And this past weekend was the Annual Sid Hartung Memorial Rodeo. The crowd was not huge, and the competition was not as high end as the Calgary Stampede, but when you are sitting in the crowd with the actual contestants, listening to them talk, and you are sitting close enough to the action that you can hear the THUMP of a cowboy hitting the ground after being thrown off a horse, THAT is exciting! Plus, there were mini chuckwagon races and those were very entertaining to watch as well. This is going to be an annual event for me too!

Summer 2013

Summer 2013 has been one to remember, and it is only half over! Near the end of June, several of our neighbouring communities were the victims of the worst flooding that we have on record. High River received major damage to residential properties and business, Calgary received major flooding that almost cancelled the Calgary Stampede, and our friends at Hidden Valley Resort have seen the devastation first hand due to the flooding. The Town of Vulcan stood up to the plate and offered refuge to flood victims. We have emergency centres, and many local residents opened up their homes and took in those people who had no place to go. A big hats off to the businesses and residents of Vulcan! So, now as those flood victims, many who still cannot go home yet, Vulcan is seeing the after effects of the flood. Our local rental market is packed. We have waiting lists for people looking for a place to stay here. Actually, we were almost full before the floods. The wind mill farm is also in the process of going up so there are many people looking for places to rent. Our residential real estate market has been very busy. Buyers are looking for places under the $150,000 or $170,000 marks. Many of these folks are from Hidden Valley Resort. I am guessing that we will see in increase in activity from people who live/lived in High River. Right now, much of their equity/investment is under water. However, once things are sorted out with insurance companies, as well as assistance from provincial and federal governments, I would expect to see several of those people looking to Vulcan as a new place to call home too. This has been an unprecented event. No one knows for sure what the outcome will be until we actually see it. It is horrible for those victims of the flood. Many have lost everything. We should be thankful that more lives were not lost though. One is too many, but it could have been much worse.

Alberta Flood 2013

The County of Vulcan did have an emergency alert for the Travers Reservoir and Little Bow, but as far as I have seen, there has been no major damage, unlike many other neighbouring communities. I know that the town of Vulcan itself, while not being a victim of the floods, has been very active in help those who have had their lives drastically changed due to the floods. We have had free breakfasts, and lunches for those who have no where else to go, and have collected clothing and other supplies for those in need. Flood victims can register at our Cultural and Recreational Centre and then come pick up clothing and supplies in different areas. Local residents have also opened up their homes to those who have no home to go back to, until they get the word that they can go back. It is strange, to say the least. Things like this only happen on TV and we become numb to it all. But now that it has happened so close to home, it puts a whole new perspective on things. At least it does for me.

Rain and cool in Calgary does not mean it isn't sunny and warm here...

So often we read, see, or hear on the news how the real estate market is doing. On the street, talk to one person and they think that the market is booming, and then talk to another and they will say that the market is slow. We have heard how the Canadian Real Estate market is slowing down, but then we hear how things are booming in Alberta and Saskatchewan. So...what are we supposed to think??? Check with the local real estate agents, your local town office, or local trades people. Just because it is raining cats and dogs and the temperature is cool in Calgary, that does not necessarily mean that the weather is not sunny and warm here in Vulcan. The same goes for the real estate market. Yes, I spoke with a real estate friend this past week and she is getting sick of all of the multiple offer situations that she is dealing with. She gets text messages in the middle of a showing, letting her know that there has just been an accepted offer on the property. Calgary has a different economy, a much larger population, and a much more diverse working population. In Vulcan, we are currently seeing an increase in activity in the local residential real estate market, however, due to our large inventory of properties on the market and a low amount of jobs available, our market is still rather soft. For example, when we figure out what our absorption rate is for the local market, it is taking the average property almost a year on the market to sell. Some are taking less time, while other are taking more than a year to sell. When we do get a couple of sales, everyone seems to get excited because "Things are moving again", "The market is starting to take off". My advice to sellers is to be patient. It is still a soft market. When we do actually get an offer in writing, that is at least a start. An offer in writing is a place to start negotiations. Potential buyers talking about putting an offer in, or just wanting to submit a verbal offer, are more often than not, wasting a seller's time. "I have friends who want to buy your place but just aren't ready yet" does not pay off one's mortgage. "We are waiting to see what the market does before we write an offer," does not make the monthly payments. As the saying goes' "In God we trust, all other must pay cash", this holds true for real estate as well. An offer is only as good as the paper it is written on. If it's not on paper, it's not really an offer. People's minds can change, remembering things differently, and so on. And one last piece of advice for the day, enjoy your time with friends at the coffee shop, but take their advice with a grain of salt. Like I said before, just because someone heard that the market is doing great in one place, does not mean that it's necessarily doing great in another. Different regions have different influences on their own market. Do your homework before coming to your own conclusions.

Pool opening soon!

The Town of Vulcan andd it's workers are in the process of getting the outdoor pool ready to open next weekend! There is water now in the pool and they are doing their final preparations! I am really looking forward to it this year as I am going to be in the Tinman Triathlon in Vulcan on June 1 this year, and I REALLY need to work on my swimming!

Springtime Selling Tips

Springtime selling tips Inventory almost always rises in the spring. Why? Because the largest number of buyers are actively searching for a new home during the months of April, May and June – although Calgary’s spring is arriving a little late this year. Your clients may be asking how they can make their homes stand out among the sea of new listings. Here are some tips to share with them: • Wash windows inside and out: Sparkle sells homes. A potential buyer may not realize why a home seems so inviting but will feel drawn to it if the windows are spotless and reflect sunlight. • Rake the yard / trim back bushes: Clean out dead leaves and debris. Don't let overgrown vegetation block windows or the path to the entrance. • Mow diagonally and edge lawn along driveway / sidewalks: Artfully manicured lawns show the seller pays attention to the details. Diagonally mowed lawns make a yard appear larger. • Transplant tulips and daffodils or buy flowers in containers: Research shows that yellow flowers stimulate buying urges and induce feelings of happiness and contentment. • Clean drapes, curtains & blinds and open every window: Wash, dry and press window coverings. Toss blinds into a soapy bathtub for a quick wash. Get rid of all accumulated dust and spider webs. Crisp linens and a spring-time breeze through the windows invites the season inside. • Set out fresh-smelling flowers such as just-clipped lilac branches or peonies: Natural scents are more appealing than artificial and trigger fewer allergies. • Polish floors to a high gloss: Hardwood floors should be refinished, if necessary. Make ceramic and linoleum floors twinkle and shine. Bleach dull grout. Thoroughly clean all area rugs. • Utilize towels, throws, pillows in light colors – yellows, pinks, pale blues, lavenders: Towels, linens, throws and sofa pillows are inexpensive accents. Replace aging items. • Offer an outside mat for cleaning shoes: Spring weather is often unpredictable, it can be 18 degrees one day and snowing the next – as Albertans well know!

Greengate Power sells Blackspring Ridge Wind Project

This is a news clip from the Vulcan Advocate - published April 8, 2013: Greengate Power Corporation has announced that it has completed the sale of its construction-ready 300 MW Blackspring Ridge Wind Project to Enbridge Inc. and EDF EN Canada Inc. Greengate will provide development services to Enbridge and EDF EN Canada during the construction of Blackspring Ridge. Located in Vulcan County, Blackspring Ridge is expected to be Western Canada’s largest operating wind energy project upon completion in 2014. Enbridge and EDF EN Canada will each own 50 per cent of the Project. Blackspring Ridge represents the largest investment in wind energy in Alberta at approximately $600 million. The sale of Blackspring Ridge follows the successful sale of Greengate’s construction-ready 150 MW Halkirk Wind Project in June 2011. Halkirk is currently the largest operating wind energy project in Alberta, but will be surpassed by Blackspring Ridge once it is operational. These two projects, totalling 450 MW, are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 million tonnes over 25 years, provide a clean source of power to approximately 200,000 homes and result in nearly $1 billion of investments in wind energy in Alberta. “The sale of Blackspring Ridge to Enbridge and EDF EN Canada ensures that Western Canada’s largest wind energy project will be constructed and that the associated economic and environmental benefits will be realized,” said Dan Balaban, President and CEO of Greengate. “This successful project is another example of the world-class development capabilities of our team.” CIBC World Markets Inc. acted as financial advisor to Greengate in connection with the sale of Blackspring Ridge. With the sale of Blackspring Ridge completed, Greengate will now focus its attention on advancing the development of the other projects in its portfolio. This portfolio includes the 150 MW Paintearth Wind Project which is immediately adjacent to Halkirk, the 150 MW Wheatland Wind Project which is immediately adjacent to the operating 88 MW Wintering Hills Wind Power Project, and the 150 MW Stirling Wind Project which is in close proximity to the operating 30 MW Chin Chute Wind Power Project.

And they're off....!!!!

The residential real estate market in Vulcan has not been all that busy since the start of the year. Let me rephrase that...buyer's putting pen to paper for residential properties so far this year has been slow. We have had people shopping around, but as far as sales go, not too much has been going on. As least that was the case up until a week or so ago. Three offers on Monday and another Wednesday had me hopping! And since then, my day timer has been filling up with showing appointments. Commercial property interest is still active, and agricultural land has lots of interest as farmers are gearing up for the planting season. It's about time!

From one extreme to the other...

Since January 1, 2013, business has been busy. There have been a few commercial properties moving and that is promising. We have also had people looking at houses, but not much as far a anyone making offers. At least until this past Monday. We had three offers go through our office on Monday, and I received another one yesterday! Is it because of my super duper fantastic sales ability? Ummm...anything but that. Not all of the offers were mine, but it certainly is nice to see some activity. And I think that when the buying public sees a few more SOLD signs out there, this may help get some off of the fence and more eager to make a move. Mind you, we still have some properties that have been on the market for quite some time and that is frustrating, not only to me, but to the main party - the Sellers. I hope that we can bring them some good news sooner than later. I am working on it!

Vulcan at the Home and Garden Show

The Town of Vulcan has a booth at the Calgary Home and Garden Show this weekend. The goal is to get the general public more aware of what the Town has to offer, and perhaps get some people/businesses to consider setting up in our town. We have good health care facilities here, a really nice 18 hole golf course, outdoor swimming pool, walking path, great schools, along with many other activities. We are also close to two lakes which are very popular with the recreational enthusiasts - Lake McGregor and Little Bow. The average price of a home sold in 2012 was just under $200,000, and we have lots to build on which are adjacent to the "back 18" of the golf course for as low as $45,000! Vulcan is located between two large centres, Calgary and Lethbridge, on Highway 23, and we have lots of choices for commercial properties for lease or purchase. AND, we have the name VULCAN. How many other communities around North America would absolutely love to have a name so recognizable! Indeed, Vulcan is a great place to "Live long and prosper!"

What to do in case of a collision

I pulled this off of an email that I received from the Alberta Motor Association. Thought it was worth sharing. - 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

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.

Jan-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. The weird thing is that I never really was that interested in politics until I joined PAC. Now I better understand the process of trying to make a change, and really appreciate the work and time that it takes to make changes. And to experience the feeling of accomplishment once a change is made is fantastic!

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.