Victoria British Columbia Real Estate Information Archive

I had a great chance to attend a nice community event this morning that reminded me that I work in a great area with some great local people.

Local Chartered Accountants Flader, Hale and Hugesman hosted a Pancake Breakfast for a very worthy cause. They were raising funds for Ethan Gregory and his family.

Ten year old Ethan has been diagnosed with Wilms Tumor (cancer of the kidneys) and until December he will be traveling from Sidney to Vancouver Childrens Hospital every second week for Chemotherapy.

If you were thinking that you would like to donate then contact the accountants at their office at 250-656-3991 and they will let you know how and where.

It was nice to see the support from local business's - Fresh Cup Roastery Cafe, Seaside Times, Starbucks Coffee, Thrifty Foods!

We live in a great area on the Saanich Peninsula and its nice to see the local business's leaders out making a difference for a deserving young man and his family!

If you get a chance to donate, do. if you get invited to events like this, go. If you feel like it, host an event!

Thanks to all involved. You make a difference!

Well i just got back from speaking at the annual CRS Sellabration Conference (Certified Residential Specialist Designation, I am only in Victoria) in Las Vegas. It was a cool 44, Celsius or 112 for my American friends! Learned lots of things to help my buyers and sellers and about markets around North America.

It was interesting to hear the other speakers and hear about market in USA. Did you know that in Las Vegas it is 1 in 4 homes that are in foreclosure and another 1 in 4 that are behind on payments! huge change. in some cities 98% of all business is short sale (means the bank takes less and you can't buy a house for 7 years) or foreclosure sales.

We are lucky in Canada and Victoria, or are we?

Stats as of this am,July 2010 sales month to date, 263. July 2009 sales 933! Ouch there is a change. Last month we saw a 34% drop in activity, this month it could be 50% yet prices aren't moving. Hmm. So houses aren't selling and prices have not changed. What gives or more to the point what has to give? Price. We believe there has been a 5% drop in prices since May 1 and we are likely to see a 10% drop in home prices by the end of the year. So how am i still selling homes? 5 so far this month. its price and staging!

All the marketing in the world will not sell a overpriced home. and all the marketing will not sell a unstaged or messy home. We just listed a home yesterday at 4786spring.com and the owners had spent 2 weeks staging and getting it ready for sale! wow what a job on a great home. But its also in lower priced range that staging is important. Our new clients at 8-949 Cloverdale also spent a week getting their home ready for the market.

In today's rapidly changing Victoria and Saanich Peninsula Real Estate Market you need to price it right (aggressively which means below the last sale price of what just sold if you want to sell. For Sale comparable's don't matter) and stage the home. Put a clean coat of paint on it, declutter, clean and do whatever it takes. Oh and lots of pictures. With 94% of people starting their search on line pictures and floor plans are the key.

Just a reminder to all my clients or potential clients that we allow free use of our moving van when moving or if you have worked with us in the past, it is available for charity or school events as well. Many of my clients have used it well. None more so than Doug and Maureen Fowles who when I sold Doug's Dads place in 1 week and they moved the furniture up island and had the van parked in driveway for three days. Be careful for where  you park it because Big Brother or in this case, Ron Kubek, is watching!

Thanks Doug and Maureen for great picture! Also thanks for allowing me to work for you. I will keep my eye on you!

 One suggestion on using truck, park it where I not watching!

Well the short but busy trip is over and its back to work.

We finished most of makeover on Friday. All the Kitchen cabinets in Makeover had to be rehung due to mistake by contractors but its all ok. We got the tile all finished and the kitchen and area looks awesome. The family is so happy. It was very rewarding to work with this family who so appreciated it! again a huge thank you to Seafirst Insurance in Brentwood and other Victoria Locations. A big thank you to Nicole Lok who is on their staff committee that chooses worthwhile projects like this. Thanks Nicole!

Had a great later afternoon social picnic with Sorin and his wife Monica. Sorin the local contractor who works with Mark Biech and the group at Hope for the Nations Romania. He is a fair and generous man who also shares Mark and Coreen's hearts for making Romania better. We were able to look at the new septic system for farm 11 project and then had some great food and a good time. Thanks Sorin and Monica for all you do.

A great meeting with the girls as i refer to them. Sarah, Steffi and Mary have taken over the hospital project and have set up a new organization, Firm Foundations Romania to supply the diapers and volunteers to the hospital and to work with  the disadvantaged in Romania. The one need we have is we need to find a sponsor for the diaper program of about $15,000 per year so if you want to help email me and also to find the money about $10,000 to buy a car for the foundation so they can take babies back to moms in the gypsy village with the social worker on a weekly basis. again contact me. We had a good session as they have asked me to mentor or work with them on their board of directors and bring a business perspective. They may regret it but i am happy to do so and want to see them succeed in a massive way!

Finished off the busy day with Mark and Coreen. What can I say about this awesome couple. They came to Romania 13 years ago when it was bleak. Prior to this they had adopted 3 children from Russia and Romania who are all doing awesome as adults. Marks father was Romanian so Mark got his Romanian citizenship so that he can better advocate for the Romanian people. I find it ironic that a man who grew up in relative comfort in Abbotsford BC (relative is loose term as family owned a restaurant and Mark had to work hard but we in the west have so many choices and options that Romania still does not have! ) would move halfway around the world and get his citizenship so that he can better fight for the rights of the Roma and others. His farm 11 project has blessed over 300 people and he has raised and invested over $500,000 in insulation, siding, new windows, new roofs, new septic and water. In addition he now is certified to offer training in different diplomas and is working on a cool new project to bring Trampoline to Romania and has raised the money to buy two professional trampolines and train coaches and more. His only clients for free will be the kids from farm 11 and 10 and to give them a chance at a better life (Mark was national Champ in Canada so this has a special meaning). Many would ask, ok I did, how does trampoline and bringing it as a National Sport help people? Well the kids at farm 11 and 10 have never known anything other than poverty line. Many have skills but live far from town. To break cycle mark will use sport as a metaphor for life. Kids will learn about training and responsibility and about taking care of themselves. When they do well and travel to competitions around Romania and Europe they will be able to see outside their homes, outside their boxes and see that there is a different world out there. In addition to all the training and education now a sport component. Very cool. Dinner was great as talked about all that is going on and how it works and just how God is working in their life and mine. They rock

Saturday was final day so took Steffi's three kids she has adopted out for breakfast! wow!! way too much fun and sugar. Crepe pancakes with fruit, chocolate, whip cream and nuts! who is thier favourite "Uncle"! then off to park for some fun  and then the kids back to Steffi's

Met up with Joel and Mark and we headed to Selgros to buy food for the family. over 1200 ron (the money over here is the Ron. how cool is that that every way i go its ron ron ron! That is over $400 in food. We headed out to Budilia to drop off and surprise the family. Boy were they surprised! It was so awesome to see their faces and how happy over food. In addition it was fun to see their youngest son, Radu Stephan, washing his hands in new sink and then 10 minutes wiping down the counter-top.  Their mom told me they have washed their hands 10 times a day in new sink and new hot water! Things we take for granted in the West and more prosperous areas like running water are a luxury or huge treat in much of the world .

Dinner was a bar b que with all my Romanian Family (ok not blood family but feels like it!) and chance to say goodbye before 5am drive to Bucharest to get plane.

I look forward to being back in September as part of a trip with 3 friends and a chance to introduce them to all the great work that I have been blessed to be part of in Romania. I feel God has truly blessed me with great staff that allow me to travel and live my dream of giving back. Also the wonderful people I have been introduced to in Brasov and in Comanesti and the chance to make a difference.

If you would like to see more pics of the Makeover or the hospital  or the Habitat for Humanity Comanesti Dedication then just follow the links.

Thanks again also to all my great clients who without their business I would not be able to go!

Wow, where has the time gone!

my last post was about a week ago. Lots since then.

Traveled by train on Saturday to Comanesti - where I was in October 2009 with Habitat for Humanity. Got to see the finished homes we worked on, dinner with friends and then lunch with the local Habitat leaders on Sunday before a long late train trip home. But it was worth it.

Monday out to the site. Its a different build this year as lots has to be done by contractors. We brought in running water to their home in a small village called Budiea (too bad we can't do the same for some of residents who live in Central Saanich where i am on city council!) and also running a drainage line out to a makeshift septic. The makeover also consists of installing a boiler so that they can have running hot water as well, without having to boil it on stove as they have in past. New kitchen cabinets, a tile backsplash, new paint, new thermopane window and new appliances are also part of the Makeover. A shout out goe to Doug Strong and Doug Gueddes and all their staff at Seafirst Insurance back in BC. Last year when i came back they wanted to do something to help out and they held a Jeans Day every week and if you wore jeans on Wednesday you paid $20 towards the makeover. Some of thier clients got involved and then the owners matched the funds and thus we were able to raise the $7500 that we needed to do the makeover. While working on the site the mother and father are working just as hard doing repairs etc.

On monday I also got to visit last years makeover family who are doing great. they are working and very proud and seem to have a new sense of pride. Its amazing what a new home or new room or just a makeover can do to help a family. The kids are all in school and doing well.

Tuesday I headed back up to Comanesti to surprise them as it was the dedication or in Romanian, Dedicarte' of the homes and the families. Had Florin my local fantastic driver take me up as train would not get me there in time. Met up with Cristinia who took me to site just as makeover starting and surprised them. Especially Gabi Pascal who was up on stage MC'ing event. As soon as Mr. Baciu , President of Board of Directors of Habitat Comanesti and also on Board of Habitat Romania, saw me he dragged me up on stage to be part of event. Great event and the sponsors who supplied the steel from Arcelor Mitel were there as well as Adrian Ciorna President Habitat Romania, Heather Alner from Habitat Europe and Central Asia region and many more. I was introduced by Mr. Baciu to the Mayor of Moinesti, Viorel Illie who talked to me a little about Central Saanich council. Many speeches and blessings by the priests and then a dinner for the VIP's (i somehow was invited to that!).

Next moring a meeting with Mr. Baciu and Cristina on ways that i can help to raise funds for them as its a ongoing issue plus Mr. Baciu wanted to thank me very much for coming back. It was a pleasure and honor for me to be there. I am used to helping build in the Global Village program for Habitat along with local builds but have not been there for a dedication. it was great to see the families and how happy they were to be getting clean homes. I will post more later on how bad some of the situations that these folks came from. My goal is to help raise the $80,000 they need this year for the 4 new homes for some familys that live in one room apartments with 5 kids. If you want to help either email me or go to www.habitatcomanesti.ro/en/donate.html

Wednesday it was back to Brasov and back to work. And of course it was Marys birthday. She is one of local volunteers who along with Sarah and Steffi run the Brasov Children's Hospital Project. It was under Hftn.ro but is now moving out on own as Firm Foundation Romania. One of first goals is to get a sponsor for the diaper program. It costs 12,000 euros or about $15,000 per year and we need a new sponsor to help provide the diapers to the hospital. The government does not do it so its up to the volunteer organization to do so. if you are interested in this please contact me.

Thursday was more work out at the site and getting all the tile installed and the cabinets redone after installed wrong by cabinet folks. Always fun. A bar b que with the local volunteers and some from Sweden finished off the day.

Friday its out to the site for one final time and then more meetings.

Look forward to writing more soon.

As many of you know I head to Brasov Romania twice a year to work. Each trip has been an adventure and this one started before I even left. With the Iceland Volcano there was doubt on whether I would leave. I did. This trip I flew on Lufthansa instead of British Airways which allowed me to be one of first passengers to fly into a very empty Frankfurt Airport.

Usually my volunteer experience starts when I arrive in Romania, but this time it started in the Airport. I always appreciate so much what I have been given but after seeing the hundreds and hundreds of cots in the airport and the food center the airport had set up for those who could not afford a hotel or meal I realized how totally lucky and blessed I am. I only had to spend 12 hours in airport due to delay but that is nothing with some of the folks I had met who were there 3-5 days. Even on the flight over from North America I was talking to guys who had been on business trips and away from families for the same 3-5 days. (thanks Lufthansa for a great trip and great service in getting me on new flight and taking awesome care of me!)

Arrived in Brasov late but all was set up for me where I stay by Sarah who did a great job.

Day 1 started with Mark Biech from Hope for the Nations Romania and an update on the latest for the Foundation and what he is doing. After 10 years here he and Coreen are really doing some amazing things. We talked about the House Makeover that I am doing with him next week, which will be the last. The HFTN group is moving in a bigger and different direction with their plans and work over here. Its exciting and good. Just means that no more makeovers so now to work on different direction for my trips over here. Mark and I talked about some of the different options and I will be working on those.

Then it was dinner with the girls and the kids. On my first trip over here we were lucky to meet some amazing ladies who work in Brasov Childerns Hospital. Recently they have set up thier own Romanian foundation, Firm Foundations Romania, an offshoot of Hope for the Nations Romania. With the change in direction of main organization it was time for the girls to take on the Hospital as a sole project. In addition to the thousands of volunteer hours they spend at the hospital and coordination of volunteers one of the main fund raisers they have to do is to supply the 40,000+ diapers per year. The government does not supply then so the group must raise money each year to do. It costs about 12,000 euros each year minimum or $1,500 per month to buy diapers (they are always looking for a single sponsor to take this on or a group who would do it. if you feel that God is moving you to donate then click here and see what you can do. thanks so much for this!).

Seeing the 3 kids Steffi has adopted or is in process of is always a highlight. Roxi is 7 now and Costel and Beca are 5. Beca is just moving out of 2 year old clothes at 5 now! she is such a delicate little spirit. Always lots of fun to be with them.

Did my first shift of the trip at the hospital yesterday. Wow, it always is so tough yet so rewarding. The first little guy I got to spend time with is handicapped and has 4 fingers on his left hand and on his right hand the thumb and forefinger were one. But what a smile, what a heart. Got him to laugh and smile during the one hour I got to play and hold him before we had to move on to a different room on a different floor. Holding and playing with the kids is always so rewarding, sad, exciting, depressing etc. They are all great kids who just do to circumstances don't have all that the world has to offer. But they have the joy of the Volunteers like Mary, Sarah and Steffi who run the organization and coordinate the volunteers that come here from around the world. I like it because it keeps it real for me. It allows me to remember my purpose here on earth and all that God has for me. Its not about the sales (they are nice as they allow me to bless others) the awards or the position (city council is nice but its hard to work so hard and be attacked by a small minority for doing the right thing. if only those who were in opposition and against all the good that is being done could spend one week, one day, one hour in the hospital, in the village, at farm 11 or farm 10, they would see the pettiness of some of the battles or some of the silliness of the opposition). I am glad to be moving from success to significance ( for more on that check out www.halftime.org )and be able to give back.

Saturday is a new day and I am headed to Comanesti for the night to see my friends who run the Habitat for Humanaity affiliate there (but first its guy day with Costel. He has two sisters and two aunts - too many ladies in his life! - but we do guy day. We have hiked a mountain, ate fast food and more. today will be breakfast and then off to play park and play with some cool riding toys).The gang in Comanesti do amazing work. I was able to work with them in Oct 2009 and they are building many homes for the less fortunate. They have done some innovative things in providing houses for those that would otherwise not be able to afford them. Should be fun to catch up and see what is going on and plan for my fall trip here with Steven, Len and Rob. I am looking forward to introducing them to all the great folks and projects over here.

Someone asked me recently how I am so successful in selling expired listings - homes that had been for sale with others and had not sold.

There is a basic tenant that I try to follow with all my clients. I would rather level with you now than lie to you later why it did not sell.

With expireds I find that they are all really nice folks but that someone had not been as honest or tough with the home as they should be.

When people hire me they are expecting an expert. As it is when you or I go to our Doctors we may not always like what they have to say but its for our benefit. Same thing with my clients and expired listings. People may not want to hear what I have to say on price or condition but if you wish to get your home sold then its like the doctors advice.

A few things that I find that are easy to fix and sell with Expired listings.

1. go in on appointment and then I ask a simple question, "what happened?" I want to hear how it went when listed before and what their expectations are of me.

2. then go and ask you the client on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being gentle and ten being brutally honest how do you want me to be in our meeting?

3. 90% of the time its about communication. They/you did not feel like you were being heard and you did not hear from the realtor

How do I differ on that:

a. i have two great staff members, Julie and Bobbi, who are there to communicate to clients. They and I get feedback from other Realtors and we let our sellers know within 48 hours what the other realtor had to say, good-bad or indifferent

b. 24 hour access to the clients file on all the activity and feedback etc for the client. we give you a special code to allow you to get feedback and see what we are doing when you want

c. individual property websites. This is single best marketing tool and only recently have a handful of Victoria's Realtors copied me on this. We give you your own website for your property. Stats show that it gets 4 times as many hits or views as a Realtor or Company site and it shows up better in a search than the www.mls.ca site. We also promote that listing out to 23 different search engines.

These are just a few secrets to our success in selling homes that should have sold the first time but didn't.

If you would like me to meet with you about your home send me an email at ron@ronkubek.com or call me at 250-6582-5098

There was a great article in the Financial Post by Garry MArr that explains how first time Home buyers can Qualify.

With some markets still rising and two of our banks raising rates its time to be creative. This article talks about options on how to get your mortgage to Quailfy for CMHC coverage.

If you have any mortgage or Real Estate Questions then please give me a call or email me and I look forward to helping.

Take care

So the TD bank and RBC announced this week an increase in all thier long term rates (in Canada long term is defined as 5 years)  due to increase in Bond Rates. This jumped the Bank of Canada who has held off. Interesting that this has caused the Canadian dollar to jump 1 1/2 cents this week to 99 cents us. The question is will the Bank of Canada still raise rates as this rise in dollar hurts the manufactoring center, especially Ontario, where we know all decisions are made and done for rather than rest of Canada

So lock in or stay Variable is the number one question I get.

The question is do you like to sleep at night or not?

Actually for some folks that is the question. Variable rates are at historic lows. Even with the change in rates the banks are still competitive. I remember on some of my mortgages I have or had prime minus .75 to 1%. Then when meltdown happened it changed to prime plus .75 to 1% (that reminds me its time to redo some mortgages I have!). The rates are still in the 3% range. Great rates. 5 year rates are at 5.5 to 5.8 now. Still good.

If you plan on staying for a while and are in a job that pays you a set amount and want stability then lock in. If you want to keep paying down your principal and get free from mortgage then go with variable. Over time Variable rate mortgages have been the way to save money. Unlike the USA with their adjustable ARMS etc we are in a much better position. My recommendation is to take the 5 year rate, figure out what mortgage payments would be, then make that payment on and adjustable or variable rate mortgage. That way you can live with higher payments at the same time having lower interest rates and thus paying down your mortgage. That's the goal for all Canadians. Unlike in USA we can't deduct interest so Canadians work hard to have no mortgage. Right now with low rates its debt reduction first, even if it means delaying the new boat or car until later.

If you want a great book to read about debt and mortgages check out Robert Kiyosaki's rich dad series. Start with Rich Dad, Poor Dad then read Cashflow QUadrant. Made a difference in my life.

This week Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada hinted that rate hikes might be sooner than later in Canada.

Canada has fared very well during the banking crisis with no Bank Bankruptcies and banks posting record profits. We still don't have the long term mortgages the USA does have but with shorter terms many in Canada work at paying off their mortgage asap. And that's a good thing.

If rates do go up it will slow down our hot market. There is a direct correlation between rates and house prices and with the Bank of Canada rate at .25% its hard to imagine any lower. The other downside of our interest rates rising we then see our dollar rise against the US Greenback. We flirted with par last week and this week its at the 97.7 level. High dollar makes it tough in our resource sector. Higher interest rate slows down inflation. I am sure glad i don't have his job as its your darned if you do and darned if you don't.

But thats global pic. Locally, 7 sales for the month so far. Its been awesome and we have some great clients that we have worked with this month.