St. Vital Park

The "anchor tenant" of Winnipeg MLS area 2C is St. Vital Park. It's a beautiful urban park complete with boat launch, wooded trails, duck pond, skating rink, gardens, playgrounds, soccer fields and plenty of room for plenty of people to go and "chill".
The nearby neighbourhoods of  Pulberry, Norberry,  River Pointe, Bright Oaks, Elm Park, Normand Park, and Van Hull Estates all benefit from their proximity to the park. (As does all of Winnipeg).

Looking back from inside the park at some of the lucky homeowners

Nearby homes

Looking down a residential bay toward St. Vital Park

Drivin' to the Bridge Drive In

One of the most interesting areas of Winnipeg is confined to just one street - Kingston Crescent. It is a narrow "teardrop" piece of St Vital (MLS area 2C) surrounded on three sides by the Red River. In fact, if we had let the river do its natural thing, it would have cut a new channel through the narrowest part of the crescent and left an oxbow lake to the west. But "we" stepped in and have been shoring up the banks to prevent the erosion that would have lead to the formation of the new lake - (Manitoba - 100,001 lakes!)
Today, the Elm Park Bridge above, is a footbridge across to Jubilee Avenue and The BDI (Bridge Drive In). When I was a kid it was one of the city's narrowest bridges open to traffic and like the Disraeli, had a metal grid deck that hummed as the tires rolled across it.

2B or Not 2B

The sidewalk bays of West Norwood (the flats) - no traffic (and 4 days after a storm; no plows either)

MLS area 2B includes and area west of St Mary's Road to the Red River commonly known as The Flats (and the name has nothing to do with an abundance of Brits living there in apartments).
Like River Heights, this area is know for its rows of mature elms and the summer canopy they provide along streets such as Monck, Ferndale, Pinedale, Chandos and Highfield.
And like Wildwood Park across the River and upstream a ways, The Flats have a planned area of bays where the front of the homes face only sidewalks. This was designed after a community in Radford New Jersey in an attempt to separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic.

Know Your Clients

What happens to your information? above: from Office of the Auditor General of Canada

In a business that is highly dependent upon referrals, we need to know information about our client. Some call this "qualifying" your client.
But in the past decade or so, governments around the world have been trying to stay ahead of money laundering, grow operations and terrorist financing by requiring that businesses "know their clients" by asking for ID at point of contract. Valid identification might include a birth certificate, driver's license, or something similar.
This is required for numerous financial activities such as home purchases/sales, depositing funds to banks, buying a money order or even taking out life insurance. I know a lot of people who get downright nasty when asked to provide information about themselves that they feel is nobody's business but their own. But unfortunately, it is the law that it be collected.
It's a beautiful neighbourhood/world we live in huh!
For more information you could call the Unitarian Service Committee, 66 Sparks Street, Ottawa 4, Ontario or if you want to learn a little more about FINTRAC you could call the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada at 1-866-346-8722 or webit @ www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca

Things Your REALTOR® is Qualified to do for YOU

So we have all been asked many times about what exactly we learn in the REALTOR® licensing program and how could it possibly be that detailed. I mean all you  do is fill out a couple of forms (listing, offer to purchase), right? Right??
Uhhh.... well there's a lot of stuff. So much stuff that sometimes (because it is all so ingrained into our pshche) we have trouble being able to come up with much beyond learning how to "fill out forms" when explaining what we do.
So here is a list of listing activities that "Your REALTOR®  is Qualified to do for YOU" from the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association via my local Real Estate Board - with added Canadian content where applicable:


Pre-Listing Activities

1. Make appointment with seller for listing presentation (getting the lead to the seller is a whole 'nother article).
2. Send seller a written or email confirmation of listing appointment and call to confirm
3. Review pre-appointment questions
4. Research all comparable currently listed properties
5. Research sales activity in the area from MLS®
6. Research day-on-the-market (DOM) for similar properties, location and price
7. Review property tax roll information
8. Prepare Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to establish fair market value
9. Research property's ownership and how it is held
10. Check municipal tax records for lot size
11. Verify the legal description from public records
12. Check planning department or municipal offices for current zoning
13. Check for land use restrictions or special zoning
14. Verify legal names in the land registry office (LTO)
15. Prepare listing presentation with researched materials
16. Drive by the property to assess the curb appeal, compare with neighbourhood (neighbourhood assessment)
17. Start formal office file on the property
18. Review all pertinent information to make sure that it is complete

Listing Appointment Presentation

19.  Explain the various agency relationships using the Working With a REALTOR® pamphlet and get acknowledgement that this has been reviewed with the seller

20.  Give the seller an overview of current market conditions and projections

21.  Review sales representative and brokerage credentials wand accomplishments

22.  Review and confirm all legal descriptions and ownership details

23.  Measure exterior and establish square footage above grade

24.  Confirm lot size from owner's survey - if no survey is available make a note on the listing

25.  note any lot line, fencing easements and variances

26.  Discuss with the seller the possibility of any seller take back (STB) and other options

27.  Review any appraisal that may have been made

28.  Present CMA to the seller including comparable sold properties, current listings and expired listings

29.  Offer pricing strategy based on experience and current market conditions

30.  Discuss the marketing plan to meet the goals of the seller

31.  Explain the advantages and power of the Multiple Listing Service

32.  Explain the use and power of web marketing, IDX and www.REALTOR.ca

33.  Explain the work both the salesperson and the brokerage do behind the scenes and availability at night and on weekends

34.  Explain the sales professional's role in taking calls and screening for qualified buyers and curiosity seekers

35.  Present and explain the strategic master marketing plan

36.  Review and explain the listing agreement and obtain the signature of the seller - give the seller(s) copies

Takin Care of Busyness part 2

Way back in the last century I wrote a newsletter story about "Takin Care of Busyness" mainly dealing with how lucky we are here in Manitoba to have so much cottage country on our doorstep. The result is we are the most likely people in the nation (quite possibly the world) to own both a home and a cottage.
This gives us the opportunity to kick back, take a little time out from the grind of our daily working lives and take advantage of what nature has to offer us. (If we're smart enough to step back and chill.)

For Sale By Owners

For Sale by Owners, aka FSBOs (pronounced fizzbows), aka private sales, are always more popular when the market is doing well. In particular, when it's a sellers market - the very conditions being experienced in Winnipeg for the past number of years. While real estate sales in other centers in Canada have slowed, Winnipeg's has cruised right along with 2012 being one of the three best years this century (following 2007, 2011).
What FSBOs may not understand is that a professionally marketed property, in a strong sellers market, will often result in significantly higher selling prices and more $$$ in their pocket, even after paying that dreaded real estate commission. This is especially true in Winnipeg, which is one of the only Canadian cities that has seen bidding wars continue for the past year and even through the winter of 2012/2013.
Regardless, people still have their own reasons for selling privately so here are a few tips regarding contracts: