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Cheers! to 2018

Happy New Year friends!

Thank you everyone for your trust in us this past year. We really appreciate your business and your referrals.

I love the New Year as it feels like a new beginning. I like to reflect on the past year and make some plans to eliminate what I felt didn’t work for me and make some new plans on what I would like to see my 2018 look like.

We had a wonderful New Years Eve with friends at Newlands. It was Glen’s birthday and his Brother Allan plays in the band called Hamilton Harvey. They play great music and we danced all night. Great food, great band with great friends. Make for a wonderful evening.

Then some good friends Don and Janice were married at the cutest little church in Ioco. What a beautiful wedding, everything was perfect.

We are off to a good start to the year with some great travel plans and some big business goals.

If you are a business owner and you are wanting to grow your business this year, please come out and check out a new networking group a few of us are starting here in Langley. I have been involved with this organization for the past 12 years and it has been very good for my business.

We are meeting at Sammy J’s Grill and Bar on the patio from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
#101 19925 Willoughbrook Drive, Langley.

Please come early and stay later for networking. Bring your business cards.
RSVP to lizcrawford@remax.net by January 26, 2018
This is an information meeting only you will just pay for what you eat and drink. If you have any questions feel free to call or email me.

Our business is 90% referrals from past clients and networking. With this chapter you will have a sales team of 20 plus people listening for opportunities to refer you to others. It works!

Oh, by the way… if you know of someone who would appreciate the level of service I provide, please call me with their name and business number. I’ll be happy to follow up and take great care of them.

Warm regards,

Liz and Natalie

5 Reasons to give us a call today!

Welcome to a new calendar year where we set new goals in our lives whether it be personal or business related. Liz and I are excited to start fresh and see what 2018 brings for us and our friends and families. Below is an article about some of the other ways besides buying and selling properties that we can serve you in Real Estate. We look forward to connecting with our current, future and past clients and taking care of business with you!

Have a party on us after all of the moving tasks are done!

From hours of looking through listings and viewing homes, to packing and moving everything you own – lets face it, moving gets stressful.

How would you like to have a party after it’s all said and done? Not just any party… You don’t have to plan, cook, bake, or even decorate at this one. We’ve put together an opportunity to host your own Housewarming Party where your only job is to start creating new memories and have some fun! This is optional for any Buyer of ours.

So first thing’s first! When it’s time for your home to shine, we’ll offer you a housewarming party for FREE! Within 3 months of your move in date, we’d love to show you our thanks by doing this for you, your friends and your family. We’ll walk you through every detail we have planned and ensure everything you expect is what you get. Fact: Liz and Natalie love throwing parties!

For the last housewarming party we did, our clients did their invitations with a Facebook event. Nobody has time for snail mail anymore, right?! So it’s up to you, and the choices are endless. Some other options are Evite, Eventbrite or we can get a list from you of your 50 closest friends and call/email them with an invitation to your party.

On the day of the event, we find it’s best for us to show up a half hour to hour ahead of time to set up. We’ll have everything we need. Food, Cake, Decorations, and Directional Outdoor signs. All we need from you at this point is table space. How easy is that! As guests arrive, they are greeted and the fun begins. At our last housewarming, the guests had a BYOB (bring your own booze) rule. Somebody even brought the home owners a mini keg, which was accepted with no hesitations. Haha! Your guests are not obligated to bring anything. About an hour into the party, we’ll invite our photographer in to capture some first moments with friends in your new home. It’s optional but this was a HUGE hit at the last party!

Liz is a fantastic cook, so it goes without saying that she brought some good food at our last hosted event. She did up some beef dip and pulled chicken for 30 guests plus some kids. Our friend Karen from the Fort Bakery made us a large chocolate cake which was amazing as well! There are other flavor options to choose from too. YUM!

I think the highlight of the party for the host is doing the grand house tour for their friends and family. This seemed to put smiles on everybody’s face. They did the tour in a few groups and were pleased with everyone’s reaction and love for their new home. So there you have it. A grand slam of a Housewarming Party with the Crawford Team. We’ll leave it to you after about an hour and a half for your friends, family and for you to enjoy.

If you’re interested in buying a home with the best and getting party perks too, call us today!

Why Hire An Agent with SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) Designation?

How does it benefit me and my family to hire an agent with SRES (Seniors real estate specialist) designation?

1. A SRES designated realtor loves working with senior clients! They will be especially careful when helping you decide what you’re next big move will be. These agents have the experience to consider with you whether it’s best to look at downsizing, living in an adult community, or finding a respectable retirement home. A senior’s specialist has extensive knowledge in the 50+ real estate market, which can ease the process of choosing a home. They are aware of future needs such as cost, location, services nearby, amenities, and activities.

2. A realtor who specializes in working with 50+ clients has experience in helping you and your family stay comfortable and connected throughout the process of moving. Your agent will show extra care and patience while working with a time frame that fits your needs. They also enjoy getting to know you with a visit, where listening and asking the right questions is important to them as much as it is for you!

3. A SRES agent has a large network of businesses that you can rely on for a stress free move. Your agent can direct you to reliable people for Movers, Accountants, Financial advisers, Mortgage specialists, Lawyers and more. Their extensive knowledge of the real estate process will ensure you the BEST experience, where offers and negotiations made on your behalf get the BEST results!

Contact Liz today for your FREE consultation, and FREE Market Analysis.

YIKES 2016 Property tax increases

Well fellow Langley residents, I received my property tax assessment yesterday and like many of us we are experiencing large increases. My property assessment went up by 20%. So I called the Township of Langley to find out what that will look like for July 4th, 2016 and they say until the Minister of Finance sets the Mil rate they do not know what the actual increase to your property taxes will be. This rate is set in May. If you pay monthly they always increase the monthly payment by 5% from the previous year. I will have to put away extra money so it is not a big surprise when we do get our notices. This could be quite a hardship for many as everything keeps going up and up. Below is how the taxes are calculated. I also went to the last council meeting and taxes again were a topic of conversation and yes the township will be increasing the taxes as well. Seems everything just keeps going up and up.

Mil Rate Calculation

Each year, council, during its budgetary process, approves the amount of revenue required to operate the municipality. From this amount they subtract the known revenues, such as grants, licences and permits. The remainder represents the amount of money to be raised by property taxes. The amount to be raised is divided by the total value of all the property in the municipality and multiplied by 1,000 to decide the tax rate also known as the “mil rate.” The calculation expressed as an equation is as follows:

amount to be raised

total taxable assessment

 X 1,000 = Mil Rate

The word “mil” is derived from the Latin word for one thousand (1,000). In tax terms, one mil is equal to 1/1000 of a dollar or one dollar ($1.00) in tax for every one thousand dollars ($1,000) of assessment.

A sample calculation:

A town needs $30,000 to balance its budget. The total taxable assessment for all properties is $5,000,000.

$30,000 (amount to be raised)

$5,000,000 (total taxable assessment)

 X 1,000 = 6 = Mil Rate

The mil rate must be applied uniformly throughout the community, although certain properties, such as churches and schools are exempt from real property tax. Council, itself, may exempt certain property owners from paying property tax. That is why the mil rate is calculated on the total taxable assessment.

Property Tax Calculation

The amount of municipal tax payable by a property owner is calculated by multiplying the mil rate by the assessed value of a property and dividing by 1000.

Mil Rate x Assessed Value

1,000

 = Property Tax Bill

Using 6 as the Mil Rate, a taxpayer with a property valued at $55,000 would be sent a tax bill for $330.

6 x $55,000

1,000

 = $330

 

Tis the season of Gratitude

Hi Friends. Since my newsletter is talking about gift giving I thought I would share with you what we are going to do this year. We only exchange gifts with our immediate family and this year have decided to give something you want, something to wear, something you need and something to read. Keeping it simple and still fun. I have decided to volunteer more this year helping again as an elf at the Langley Christmas Bureau and at a Santa Breakfast for families in need.

For my past clients I have sent out invitations for our annual Christmas tree giveaway, which is always a fun event. We have hot dogs, donuts, cookies, coffee and hot chocolate. We bring in snow for the kids to play in, have a fire pit and great Christmas music. Its a great day for everyone.

I have also mailed my 2016 inspirational calendars to my past clients as well. If I have missed you and you would like one please send me an email.

I thank you for your business and appreciate all the referrals from your friends and family. Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Let’s make 2016 the best yet.

Thank you,

Liz

Fall market arrives soon

Summer is almost over although you wouldn’t know it by the weather. It has been an amazing summer both for real estate and for families on vacation. As you can see by the stats the sales are way up and the listings are down. If you are looking to sell it is a great time. The condo market is still down so if you are thinking of renting you should consider buying a condo. I have a one bedroom for sale in my newsletter that is about the same as rent but you will own it down the road. I also have a 2 bed 2 bath unit in the metro and it is also very nice, if you need something larger and you will love it.

Sun, fun and water

We are in an extremely hot market right now. Not only is the weather hot so are our real estate sales. Prices is some areas are seeming to be very high so if you are looking to list your home this is a good time. If you are looking to see what the current value of your home is please give me a call and I would be happy to let you know. Have an awesome summer, stay safe and have fun.

Don’t let your friends and family buy directly from a developer or listing agent

Published: September 29, 2014
There’s no law that says you can’t go it alone.

But the real question is: “Why would you NOT want to use the FREE services of a professional whose whole career is spent helping people turn the dream of home ownership into reality?” And in almost every case, it is the Seller, not the Buyer, who pays the Realtor’s commission on the selling price of the home. If you are a Buyer, using a Realtor doesn’t cost you a cent – but it can save you thousands of dollars!
Some home buyers think that if they don’t use a real estate agent, the Seller’s agent will give them a kick back on the commission.These home buyers mistakenly think that if the Seller has the opportunity to pay less in commissions, he/she will share those “savings” with the buyer. Fair is fair, right?
It may seem logical, but in fact, it doesn’t work that way in residential real estate. In listing their home, Sellers have already committed to paying the Realtor’s commission. Whether you use a Realtor or not, it is unlikely to change the Seller’s fee or what the selling agent will make. The selling agent has a contract with the seller and is ultimately working for the seller and cannot guide you with regards to price, what you should offer, what terms you should put and also what should be included in the purchase price other than the normal appliances etc.
The most important point to keep in mind is what happens when there is a problem and you don’t have your own realtor working for you. This is a real life story that happened a couple of years ago with some clients of mine.I received a call from a couple wanting to use a Remax agent to represent them with their purchase of a new townhouse that they had already picked out. They asked if I would help them with the purchase. Of course I thought fantastic, sure I will, this is great. So I went there with them to the development we filled out the contract, received all the necessary documents including the  developers disclosure and left. From that time we have 7 days to read the disclosure and then put the balance of the deposit down. Then it is a firm deal and you then wait until the unit is done and final occupancy is given.
A few months go by and I get a call from my buyers asking me to go and see the unit with them as they went there and they have installed 2 large green hydro boxes in their backyard. They virtually had no backyard anymore and were very disappointed to say the least. We talked with the staff at the complex and they were willing to possibly change units but my clients didn’t care for the other locations that were available.
So our next step is to reread the disclosure statement provided by the developer to see if there is anything in there that would allow us to get the deposit back and find something else somewhere else. In the disclosure there was a clause that said something like “the developer does not know of or will not change anything that will affect the value of the property”. So knowing from other complexes with hydro boxes in some yards, it takes twice as long to sell and for at least $10,000 less.
The developer was not willing to give the deposit back even though I had written a letter pointing out the above clause, pointed out the large hydro boxes and well before final occupancy. So we had a lawyer send the same letter and we did get the full deposit back and went and purchased something else.
Moral of this story is you MUST have your own representation when buying real estate, someone that is looking after YOUR best interest.
Liz Crawford
Remax Treeland Realty
604-308-3202