Victoria British Columbia Real Estate Information

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.

Spring came early to our Real Estate Market.

Over the last two weeks I sold 6 properties, some of which had been listed with other agents for over 18 months!

Someone asked me about the secret in this market. Price it right, clean it up, promote it.

1. Price it right. In a 2009 Survey of Home Sellers, those who listened to their agent on price sold their homes 38 days faster and over 2% higher in the list to sell price ratio. We all use same data to come up with the price but its how its interpreted. Many of my clients understand that Real Estate is a commodity like gold and stocks and those go up and down daily. As I remind clients, the market is the market and will only give you what the market can bear. Many of my successful sellers understand this and even though they may always want more, the market will only give you what its worth, not what you want in many cases.

2. Clean it up. Many times people spend more money cleaning up their used $5000 car to sell than they do on their home. Put yourself in the buyers shoes and look at your home from the curb, through the front door and throughout the house. A little polish goes along way!

3. Promote it. Newspapers don't work. 90% of buyers start their search online so make sure you have a presence. I am not talking just about www.mls.ca

We use individual websites for each property. We put it onto 23 differnt search engines. you wanna make sure that your property stands out.

If you are thinking of selling and want to see what I can do to help then give me a call or email me at ron@ronkubek.com and lets get started

I just want to say thank you for the support of all my clients and friends. This month marks my 25th year in Real Estate. I started in February 1985 and its been a blast.

If I can be of assistance please let me know.

Keep your eye out for our 25 year celebration !

Take care and thank you again!

Well its that time again. I am headed back to Romania to do work with Hope For the Nations Romania. I will be leading a team to do a home makeover on a very deserving families home in Budiliea and spending some time at the Childerns Hospital. If you would like to Join me , I have room for 2 more people and would love to talk to you about it. Email me or call me at 250-544-2929 and let me fill you in on the trip.

We have been using Total Market Overviews to give our clients insight into the market for the last few years. We break down the market by area and by price point and compile all the data. This gives our clients a complete look into the market by price range and allows you to see what is going on. Its fine to act on averages but in this day and age you need more accurate info. For more information check out www.ronkubek.com/market-news and see historical and current data.

If you would like this sent to you monthly send me an email at ron@ronkubek.com and let me know what area you would like.

We are growing our team and have over 150 leads on our buyer profile system and we need help! We have many great clients who send us lots of business and we need more help to take care of them. In addition my training and speaking business is taking me out of city a bit more than planned and I want to make sure all are take care of.

Here is the ad we have posted on different sites. if you have anyone you know who you think would be good for our team please let me know! Thank you!

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It takes more than a license to be a successful Realtor in today's market. It takes, training, mentoring and ongoing coaching - and that's where the Ron Kubek Team shines! Joining our team means you get the best training possible and the support of a team to help you achieve your desired financial goals. At the Kubek Team we are committed to helping our REALTORS® help their clients succeed, and to accomplish this while enjoying a balanced and healthy life. As one of North America’s leading Real Estate Trainers and a Award winning Realtor in Victoria for over 23 years, our team will help you to meet your goals.

A commitment to ongoing professional development and a passion for excellence are vital, and a sense of humour is always an asset as far as we are concerned! If you desire a team approach and are dedicated to putting your client's needs ahead of your own, we want to speak with you! Your new career is waiting! Contact us at  realestate_position@hotmail.com and lets meet. 

Options available include split or salary and commission positions. If you want to improve your career and work with an award winning team

The hospital part of the trip went well this year.

 The volunteers and staff love it as the rooms are much brighter now with the additions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy and more by Jan. There is such a need and if you ever want to join us in painting or working with the kids on one of our trips or on one of your own please contact us at ron@kw.com or ron@ronkubek.com and we would be glad to assist you. We think that we are doing lots for them but after each one of our trips we realize that we get so much more back from the kids in the hospital, the nurses and the great volunteers. It truly is a life changing trip.

Check out some of the hospital photos here at http://picasaweb.google.com/RonKubek/RomaniaApril2009?feat=directlink

We  just finished another successful trip to Brasov Romanaia with Hope for the Nations.

Its always humbling to see the work that goes on over there and to be part of it. We are only there for a short time working with volunteers who have committed from 2 months to 6 years and in the case of Mark and Coreen Biech who run Hope for the nations Romania , 10+ years.

Here is a link to some of the work we did in the hospital this year and with the volunteers. From handing out easter packages to all childern and moms in the hospital to baby shifts to amazing paintings it was truly a blessing to give back.

check out this link to some of the pictures.  http://picasaweb.google.com/RonKubek/MakeoverProject?feat=directlink

There was a great article in the financial post today with regards to mortgages. Now maybe the time to refinance and get yourself a much lower rate. Check out this article  and see how you can save thousands of dollars.

We had another busy month last month with 6 sales and we have already started march out with 5 this week alone! Its the right price and the right marketing that are helping me and my team to succeed!

Call us today if you are looking to buy or looking to sell!