Kirsten Mason, Author at Kamloops Real Estate Blog

Kamloops Home For Sale: 17-1900 Hugh Allan Drive, Pineview Valley, B.C. $285,000

June 4, 2014 Kirsten Mason Pineview Valley

Kamloops Home For Sale: 17-1900 Hugh Allan Drive, Pineview Valley, B.C. $289,800. Nice rancher style townhome located centrally to shopping and transportation.

The main floor features a nice open great room floor plan with laminate flooring, kitchen breakfast nook, stainless steel appliances, natural gas BBQ hook up and 2 piece powder room.

The basement level features all 3 bedrooms, a 4 piece bathroom and self contained laundry room. There are two patios and a nice grassy area (no fences).

Central a/c is roughed in, rough in central vac, all appliances and window coverings included. There is a single car garage that is totally finished and an additional parking spot. Located steps to hiking trails and a park.

This development allows pets (with restrictions) and rentals are allowed. 24 hours notice due to tenants.

Pineview is closely located to all the local retailers including Aberdeen Mall, Costco, Chapters, Staples and many other stores. Stores such as Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway, Save on Foods, Winners/Home Sense, Home Depot, WalMart, Michaels are a short 5 to 10 minute drive away. There are also a number of financial institutions located within close driving distance to Pineview.

There are no schools in Pineview so children in the area attend surrounding schools, many elementary students attend McGowan Park Elementary. Secondary students attend either Sahali Secondary school or South Kamloops Secondary.

Thompson Rivers University is located in Southgate. The campus is positioned at the intersection of Summit Drive and McGill Road. TRU is a fully accredited University and offers a variety of programs and courses to students in many different areas of study.

Surrounding Pineview, there is a large 22 acre park with hiking, jogging and cycling paths. There is a rink in the area that is an ice rink in the winter months and a basketball court or floor hockey rink in the warmer months. There is also a playground for children to enjoy.

Tournament Capital Centre is located in Southgate which is only a 5-10 minute drive from Pineview. TCC has many different facilities all in one building such as gymnastics, swimming, indoor track, fitness facility, courts and much more. There are also a number of sports fields that surround the facility.

Kenna Cartwright park is located in Southgate, sitting on 800 hectares of Mt. Dufferin and easily accessible on the north east side of the mountain (near the Home Depot) or at the top of Mount Dufferin off of Pacific Way. This beautiful park has panoramic valley views and many hiking and biking trails for the whole family.

Pineview is serviced by public transportation and there is a regular bus route that goes through the main area of Pineview.

To view all homes for sale in Kamloops click here.

Kamloops Home For Sale: 533 Braemar Drive, Aberdeen, B.C. $447,000

June 4, 2014 Kirsten Mason Aberdeen

Kamloops Home For Sale: 533 Braemar Drive, Aberdeen, B.C. $459,800. This home has it all, in ground pool, private yard, cul-de-sac location and many updates.

This two storey home has 4 bedrooms on the second level with a huge master bedroom, complete with views and a 3 piece ensuite. There is a second 4 piece bathroom with jetted tub on the second level.

The main floor features a nice foyer with vaulted ceilings, open living room and dining room with high vaulted ceiling and fireplace, updated kitchen counters, backsplash and appliances, the kitchen leads to the family room and nook area. There is a 2 piece powder room on the main floor.

The basement level has a huge rec room that was recently entirely renovated and a spacious laundry room with storage.

The many updates include furnace & central a/c 2006, roof 2010, paint and flooring throughout, pool heater/solar blanket 2013, pool filter/pump 2009, all fenced in the spectacularly landscaped back yard with separate fenced grassy area for the kids.

There is also a 2 car garage and separate entry to the basement with potential to put in a 4th bathroom.

Aberdeen houses a number of retailers including the Aberdeen Mall where you will find numerous stores. There are also a number of big box stores in the Aberdeen area including Staples, Future Shop, Sport Check, Petcetera, Chapters, Sears, The Bay, Canadian Tire and Costco to name a few. Aberdeen is also home to many of the city’s hotels, mainly located on Rogers Way between Hugh Allan Drive and Highway 5A.

There are a few areas where professional offices are located. Mainly in the shopping district around Aberdeen Mall. There are not as many services in the Aberdeen area as the Sahali and Southgate areas.

Aberdeen Elementary School is located three blocks away from this home. Highschool students take a school bus to school which is a short 5 to 10 minute drive. Thompson Rivers University is located in Southgate. TRU is a fully accredited University and offers a variety of programs and courses to students in many different areas of study. Aberdeen often is an area popular with students attending TRU. It is close enough to the University making it easily accessible.

There are a number of parks and green spaces in Aberdeen. Elementary schools have play grounds for children to enjoy. There are also numerous hiking trails as some areas of Aberdeen back on to green belts.

Kenna Cartwright park is within a five to 10 minute drive of Aberdeen. This beautiful park has panoramic valley views and many hiking and biking trails for the whole family.

Tournament Capital Centre is located in Southgate which is only a five to 10 minute drive from any Aberdeen neighbourhood. TCC has many different facilities all in one building such as gymnastics, swimming, indoor track, fitness facility, courts and much more. There are also a number of sports fields that surround the facility.

Aberdeen is serviced by BC Transit busses on a frequent and regular schedule.

To view all homes for sale in Kamloops click here.

Kamloops Home For Sale: 870 Uplands Court, Barnhartvale, B.C. $519,900

May 30, 2014 Kirsten Mason Barnhartvale

Kamloops Home For Sale: 870 Uplands Court, Barnhartvale, B.C. $534,800. Great family home located on a very private half acre of property with loads of room for all your toys, RVs and boats.

This home features 3 bedrooms on the main floor, a nice kitchen with wood cabinetry and lots of storage space, a family room off of the kitchen that leads to the private patio, a spacious living room and formal dining room as well as main floor laundry. There are 2 bathrooms on the main floor.

The basement level features an inlaw suite with one bedroom, a large rec room, a 4 piece bathroom and so much storage you won’t know what to fill it with. There is potential to make the basement storage area a large theatre room.

There is a beautiful yard with nice large grassy area, gardens and two patios. There is a garden shed in the back as well.

This property is surrounded by a gully that is privately owned which makes it very private to all the neighbours. There is potential to build a detached shop or bring your many ideas. Hot water tank in 2009, new roof going on ASAP. Day before notice for showings.

Barnhartvale is located 15 minutes east of downtown Kamloops. This community sits in the hills above Dallas and south of the Thompson River.

There are not any larger shopping developments in Barnhartvale but there is a small corner store on Barnhartvale Road. The closest shopping is either in Dallas where a few smaller retailers exist or a 15 minute drive into the Downtown Kamloops area. Valleyview also has a number of retailers which is a 10 minute drive away. To get to the larger big box stores which are located in Sahali and Aberdeen the drive is approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Barnhartvale has a local community elementary school for students kindergarten to grade 7. Highschool students attend Valleyview Highschool and have school bus service from Barnhartvale. Thompson Rivers University is located 20 minutes from this home.

There is a local BC transit route through Barnhartvale.

To view all homes for sale in Kamloops click here.

Scotiabank offers 5-year fixed mortgage at 2.97%, CBC News

May 29, 2014 Kirsten Mason Mortgage Information

This article appeared on CBC News on May 28th, 2014

Scotiabank offers 5-year fixed mortgage at 2.97%, CBC News. Scotiabank has lowered its five-year mortgage rate to 2.97 per cent, beginning a new sally in the war to win business.

The rate, effective until June 7, is the lowest among the big banks for a fixed five-year rate.

Two weeks ago Investors Group unveiled a three-year variable rate of 1.99 per cent. Variable rates often are lower than fixed rates, as the consumer takes the chance that interest rates will rise and cause higher payments.

In 2012, a number of Canadian banks offered five-year mortgage rates below three per cent — something that earned them a stern rebuke at the time from then Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. The banks quickly dropped the offer.

Flaherty tightened the country’s mortgage insurance rules in July 2012, in a bid to curb the rapid growth of consumer debt and soaring house prices. Although the measures briefly cut down on the number of people applying for mortgages, Canada’s housing market remains hot.

However, current Finance Minister Joe Oliver issued a statement today saying he will continue to monitor the market.

“It’s a small drop and its not my intention to be involved. We continue to monitor it,” he said in the lobby of the House of Commons.

Oliver pointed to government actions from 2008 to 2012 to reduce consumer indebtedness and the government’s exposure to the housing market through CMHC.

In March, Bank of Montreal again offered a fixed five-year rate of 2.99 per cent, but Scotiabank’s 2.97 per cent is a shade lower.

There is fierce competition among the banks for mortgage business, considered a secure form of consumer loan.

This summer, Royal Bank will offer real estate agents $1,000 for referring five first-time homebuyers.

First-time buyers are particularly desirable because they need a large sum of money and are likely to become bank clients for life.

John Andrew, a real estate expert with Queen’s University, said it was likely that other banks would follow Scotiabank’s lead to keep in pace in a competitive market — especially given a lag in sales in the all-important spring market which was delayed by bad winter weather.

“There’s no question that the mortgage lenders are very concerned about this slow spring and are obviously trying to catalyze the market and it’s obviously even more competitive right now than it normally would be,” Andrew said.

“We’re looking at mortgage rates very, very, close to this level being predominant right into the fall, and then I think we’re going to see bond yields begin to creep up again and we’ll start to see some rates rising.”

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