Want a 3 bedroom, 2 bath one level home at the end of a cul de sac? This lovely  home is located on a small lot for ease of maintenance. Four skylights make this home bright. Easy to maintain and heat thanks to gas fireplace. If you are looking for an affordable home, located in a nice area on a small lot with carport and partially fenced then this is the one for you!

More information available at www.1019parkway.com

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!

Summergate Village! Affordable living in the Peninsulas premier retirement village. This lovely 2 bedroom 2 baths home has had many upgrades including some new flooring. There is a large living room, spacious dining room and bright large kitchen with eating area. The family room has access to rear yard and the master bedroom features a delightful 4 pce bath. There are common facilities including indoor pool, workshop, library and craft rooms. A true delight. Pride of ownership is evident & in this park you own the land!

Located on .35acre in Sidney this updated home offers lots of Possibilities. As a single family home it has been updated with wood floors throughout, a new kitchen with granite counter tops, gas furnace with gas fireplace and new vinyl windows throughout. The upstairs features 3 bedrooms including the master with its 2 piece ensuite. The living room is bright and airy and with the gas fireplace is ideal for those family get together's. The separate dining room is off the large modernized kitchen and leads out on the sunroom with its view of the ocean and beyond.

Downstairs you will find a second kitchen and an updated area all ready for a legal suite in this home which is Zoned R.2.1 by the Town of Sidney. There is room for at least two bedrooms and much more. If you have older or adult kids at home or if you are taking care of your parents or just want something to help with the mortgage then this is the one. The property is also zoned to permit a duplex which could be done by adding on to the home or by starting from scratch.

There is much to like about this fine home and its proximity to the water and its location on Mermaid Canal and its views of the water. A definite must see.

More information at www.10245resthaven.com

Delightful Central Saanich on 12000 sqft lot close to Keating Elementary is an ideal family home. Upstairs you will find three good sized bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace, a separate dining room and kitchen with eating area.  All of the floors in the living room, dining room, bedrooms and hallways are beautifully refinished hardwood.  The 3 bedrooms upstairs provide along with the 4 piece bath provide great family space. Downstairs there is potential for a legal suite or more room for a growing family. All this located within walk distance of buses, schools and shopping.

More information and floor plans available at www.6783centralsaanich.com

Fantastic Lochside location! Wonderful 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on a great half acre lot. In early 2008 the basement was almost completely redone.  The upgrades to this home include: new carpeting & drywall in the basement, new windows throughout the home, screens, new large 4 piece bathrooms upstairs &  down, New Furnace and oil tank.  Other great features include a hot water tank replaced just before Christmas, newer roof (6 yrs approx), newer paint, nice hardwood flooring in the upstairs bedrooms & under the carpeted hallways & living room upstairs, tons of parking, work bench in the garage & 7 newer appliances stay! Partial Ocean & Mountain views from the front of this home or build a second storey and have amazing views!

More information available at www.8894lochside.com

Enjoy the magnificent lifestyle you have always imagined. This new sophisticated modern west coast condo will take your breath away. If luxury and amazing ocean views are what you are looking, look no further. Featuring 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an electric fire place, high ceilings, two private decks, in suite laundry, top of the line kitchen and floor to ceiling windows... no detail has gone unlooked. Only a few minutes from Sidney will have you living the relaxing life style you have always dreamt about. Price is subject to GST

Located on the main road in Brentwood, this prime space has lots of street frontage and one of largest parking lots in Brentwood. The space has been freshly updated with new thermo windows, new paint, new floor coverings, and much more. Located across street from new Royal Bank building and within 1 block of drug stores, liquor store,bank, insurance company and much more. Long or short term lease available on the space. For more information go to www.7173westsaanich.com and get floors plans and more.

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.

Currently a 4 bedroom home that is rented out is part of this preapproved subdivision. There are approvals and zoning in place for 3 legal lots including 1 with a legal suite. Plans for all three homes are included in the price of $799000. A great opportunity for a builder or if you want to own a great rental and hold onto the land for the future that also exists. Also, approval has been granted for this new 3 lots subdivision within walking distance to main street Brentwood. Lot 1 has a preapproved Zebra Design home plan with it that includes a legal suite - priced to sell at $345,000. Lot 2 & 3 are priced at $295,000 each. The lots will be serviced and provide easy access. Located next to a park and the library these lots are in walking distance of all schools. Level and easy to build. Bring your own builder or have ours do it for you.

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 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

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

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!

A couple of things I think that have helped are:

1. more inventory. There is an 11 month supply of homes out there so clearly a buyers market

2. Mortgages. My gosh the government is giving money away at .5% and its still not enough. I believe this is due to the fact that Banks are trying to bolster their balance sheets at the expense of taxpayer. It is soooo hard to find any commercial money out there for loans. I was working on one with a 50% loan to value and the terms and high high interest rate made it unaffordable.

3. Pent up  demand. We had a great month in February. We got real with clients, showed them the numbers and then homes sold in a week or 2. Many clients happy.

4. People fed up with stock market. It keeps dropping. More and more scams, schemes and out and out theft are causing people to realize they don't have any control or chance against the insiders. In real estate you control it.

Its a great time to move up. its a great time to move.

I was out with buyers today and if its priced right it has multiple offers but if not then its sitting for long time.

The challenge I find is getting the buyers and sellers to get real. Buyers think its worse than it is and Sellers are in denial about how bad it is. We use lots of charts and graphs to help both sides to get real. That's why the call it REAL estate! If you want to sell in this market then you need to get real and get it priced at the market. anything above will not get offers and will be used by Realtors as a comparison only. This market creates winners and wannabes. Lots of opportunity but its important to price it right and be realistic when making offers.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't run around 24/7 telling people this is a good time in spite of whats going on. The world financial system is in a mess, layoffs all over the place and can we really trust wall street? But in Victoria we have a unemployment rate of less than 4%, we have seen homes drop 20% from the top of the market and we have seen interest rates tumble. I was with a few clients yesterday who were looking at homes we are going to make an offer on and their attitude was, it sure beats rent. I mean if the house does nothing over next 5-10 years but  your mortgage payments and rent payments are the same, what will you have at the end of the period? IF renting - zero, nada, zilch. If owning then you will have paid down some of principal of mortgage and have a true asset. In addition you will have had the pride of ownership.

We have lots of reports that we use with our sellers and buyers to help make sure that they are getting the most for their dollars. We analyze the market to let you know whats selling and whats not and many of clients have appreciated that information. if you live on Southern Vancouver Island then you owe it to yourself to email me or call me and set up a meeting and let me show you how 24 years of experience and surviving 3 downturns can help you with your real estate needs. Talk to you soon.

Christine van Reeuwyk - Peninsula News Review was the reporter who Interview Jan and I about our trips to Romania. The article which appeared today was actually first seen by a old collegue of mine, Doug, who called me up and asked how to donate! I was shocked because we had done article last year and I was not aware it was coming out. He wanted to contribute to our home makeover project. Our Budget is $6,000 and he put up $1,000. now its time for me to get to work on the rest of the budget.

Thanks to Christine for a great article. Jan and I appreciate it and the awareness it brings to the Volunteers in Romania!

We just finished a awesome month with 8 sales. This is not bad considering as of this morning the Victoria Real Estate board was only 223 sales for 1370 Realtors. We took a new listing yesterday that was originally listed at over $1,300,000 for $895,000. Now many will ask has the market dropped that much? the answer is no. But it was not listed at right price to begin with. The market today, December 31,2008 is down 21% from the peak earlier this year. Is that a bad thing? nope. Buyers had been wanting to buy for a long time but the sellers had gone away from what they could afford. I still stick to my belief that the average home in Victoria and Saanich Peninsula will drop to about the $450,000 +- range. Why? this is where rents and mortgage payments equal out. The only thing that would change that is if the government decides to raise interest rates which will then drop the value of the average home in Victoria. I don't see that happening soon due to problems in overall economy.

So who is buying? Newly married couples, newly divorced singles, retirees, move ups and move downs. Who is selling? same group. The thing is in our area if you bought prior to 2005 you are still making a profit on your home if you sell it today.

Many people ask should I wait? I guess the question is, why are you buying/selling? If you are starting a family or looking for a larger/smaller home then is it about the money or is it about enjoying life and having what you want? if you are renting why wait? Many have told me that they would rather lose money renting rather than a mortgage. I ask why? I mean if you bought a home and paid the mortgage off over 25 years does it matter what the value of the home is? chances are in 25 years it will be worth the same or more than you paid. IF you paid rent for 25 years what do you have?

Real estate is a long term investment. it is not something to be flipped every 6 months to a year. That is not how our parents and grandparents made thier money on Real Estate. It was bought for long term. It was bought for security and safety. Besides it sure beats the stock market short, long and any other time. I think many people realize that the stock market is a insiders game and that only the bankers and the executives are making money and the average person has no chance.

If you are looking for a few books on Real Estate I would encourage you to look at Gary Keller's Book, Millionaire Real Estate Investor. In addition Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad is another great book to read.

If you have any questions or want an opinion on your home in our area please drop me a email at ron@kw.com and I will do my best to help you.

Best wishes for a great 2009!