Bugs and pests are everywhere in Kamloops, however, nobody wants to have little critters crawling around their home. So the question is how do we keep these little pests from inhabiting the inside of our home?
Are you familiar with the term – don’t feed the bears? Well, the same applies for all types of critters. The most common problem that we encounter in most cases is having too much access for a free meal.
The following is a list of some good prevention tips that should help stop these little critters before they become a big problem.
Do not install bird feeders right next to the home. Keep vegetation away from the home. Periodically check roof vents, siding, eaves, gutters for damage that can allow bugs access into our living spaces.
Prevent any wood from direct contact with the earth. Keep garbage in covered containers. Keep food sealed or refrigerated. Clean up food off the floor and ensure all food in the cabinets is placed in sealed containers.
Homes with metal siding and metal roofs can be still be damaged by termites, carpenter ants and other insects. Periodically inspect your home and spray seams, corners and exterior wood with proper stains and sealant.
Be alert for their telltale signs: piles of wings (which termites lose in the spring), tunnels in wood, tunnels of dirt in foundation walls, piles of sawdust under wood furniture or siding, and the bugs themselves. Check for termites in areas around the furnace and hot water tanks, the high humidity in these areas make for hot spots. Wood soil contact in the yard will be sure to invite all types of pests, so be sure to eliminate all wood soil contact.
If you are in a termite or carpenter ant prone area, have a trained professional evaluate your home for indication of any activity, so that proper treatment can be performed before serious damage and financial cost is incurred. If you want to find out more information about pests and how to control them contact Rest Assured Home Inspections and take a pro-active approach in keeping your home free of any unwanted guests.
When you are selling your Kamloops home, you as the homeowner can play an important part in the timely sale of your property. When you take the following steps, you’ll make your sale a profitable one.
1. Make the Most of that First Impression
A well-manicured lawn, neatly trimmed shrubs and a clutter-free porch welcome prospects. So does a freshly painted – or at least freshly scrubbed – front door. If it’s autumn, rake the leaves. If it’s winter, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home, the better.
2. Invest a Few Hours for Future Dividends
Here’s your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor redecoration. Fresh paint adds charm and value to your property. If you’re worried about time, hire professional cleaners or painters to get your house ready. Remember, prospects would rather see how great your home really looks than hear how great it could look “with a little work.”
3. Check Faucets and Bulbs
Dripping water rattles the nerves, discolors sinks, and suggests faulty or worn-out plumbing. Burned out bulbs or faulty wiring leave prospects in the dark. Don’t let little problems detract from what’s right with your home.
4. Don’t Shut Out a Sale
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in a prospect’s mind. Don’t try to explain away sticky situations when you can easily plane them away. A little effort on your part can smooth the way toward a closing.
5. Think Safety
Homeowners learn to live with all kinds of self-set booby traps: roller skates on the stairs, festooned extension cords, slippery throw rugs and low hanging overhead lights. Make your residence as non-perilous as possible for uninitiated visitors.
6. Make Room for Space
Remember, potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. They’re looking for storage space, too. Make sure your attic and basement are clean and free of unnecessary items.
7. Consider Your Closets
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now is the time to box up those unwanted clothes and donate them to charity.
8. Make Your Bathroom Sparkle
Bathrooms sell homes, so let them shine. Check and repair damaged or unsightly caulking in the tubs and showers. For added allure, display your best towels, mats, and shower curtains.
9. Create Dream Bedrooms
Wake up prospects to the cozy comforts of your bedrooms. For a spacious look, get rid of excess furniture. Colorful bedspreads and fresh curtains are a must.
10. Open up in the Daytime
Let the sun shine in! Pull back your curtains and drapes so prospects can see how bright and cheery your home is.
Click here for a free, no-obligation online home evaluation.
11. Lighten up at Night
Turn on the excitement by turning on all your lights – both inside and outside – when showing your home in the evening. Lights add color and warmth, and make prospects feel welcome.
12. Avoid Crowd Scenes
Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they’re likely to hurry through. Ideally ensure that you vacate your home for any home showings. Buyers will feel more at home in an empty home.
13. Watch Your Pets
Dogs and cats are great companions, but not when you’re showing your home. Pets have a talent for getting underfoot. So do everybody a favor: Keep Kitty and Spot outside, or at least out of the way.
14. Think Volume
Rock-and-roll will never die. But it might kill a real estate transaction. When it’s time to show your home, it’s time to turn down the stereo or TV.
15. Keep a Low Profile
Nobody knows your home as well as you do but the Real Estate Professional accompanying the buyers know what they need and what they want. If you absolutely need to stay home for a showing, do your best to stay in the background.
16. Don’t Turn Your Home into a Second-Hand Store
When prospects come to view your home, don’t distract them with offers to sell those furnishings you no longer need. Whether it’s the kitchen table, bar stools or a lamp.
16. Adjust the price of your home to the market conditions
When you initially list your home for sale you decide on a reasonable list price with your Realtor. If you do not get any offers in 30 days and there are few showings you have to look at your price. You can do all the above mentioned things but if your price is too high no one will buy your home. Look at recent sales that compare to your home, as comparing your home to other homes currently for sale poses a very simple problem; the other homes also are not selling. Ultimately price will sell your home.
If you’ve covered these 17 points in the sale of your home, you may have to ask yourself “what is our Realtor doing?” We suggest the following questions:
1. Where are you advertising my home?
2. What has been the feedback on the showings?
3. How many hits are we getting on line?
4. How do you feel our price is compared to other homes like ours?
5. What do you have planned for marketing our home in the next 30 days?
There are many important things that have to be done by both the listing Realtor and the home seller when selling a home. Ensure that you and your Realtor have the same expectations.
Click here for a free, no-obligation online home evaluation.
This article appeared in the New Home Buyers Guide included in the Kamloops this Week dated November 24, 2010.
The construction industry in Kamloops continues to roll along as the number of new-home starts for the month of October outpaced the total in the same month last year.
According to new figures from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, there were 23 housing starts in the Tournament Capital last month, compared to 18 in October 2009. The 28 per cent increase in starts eclipsed other cities in the region, including Kelowna and Vernon, which saw a 25 and 67 per cen decrease respectively.
That brings the total number of single-family housing starts in Kamloops in 2010 to 314, up from 134 the previous year, which is a significant increase. Once again, those numbers are the highest in the region, as other Interior cities are experiencing increases of between 50 and 75 per cent in single-family housing starts.
However, the city is slightly off last year’s pace for multi-unit construction starts. With two months left in the year, there has been 209 multi-unit starts in the Tournament Capital, down from 217 the previous year.
Overall, the number of total units built in Kamloops this year is up, to 523 from 351 in 2009.
OTTAWA – November 15th, 2010 –National resale housing activity rose for the third consecutive month in October 2010, according to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).
Seasonally adjusted national home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards climbed 4.6 per cent in October 2010. The monthly rise in activity builds on similar increases in August and September. As a result, activity now stands 13.3 per cent above July levels, when it reached this year’s low point. Three-quarters of local markets posted monthly increases in seasonally adjusted activity in October, led by Toronto and Vancouver.
As further evidence that the market is returning to normal, sales activity in October stood halfway between the recessionary low reached in December 2008, and the record level activity posted in December 2009.
Actual (not seasonally adjusted) national sales activity in October 2010 was 21.6 per below levels for October 2009, when activity set a new record for the month.
National sales activity rebounded last year without a single monthly decline and hit record levels in the second half of 2009. As a result, large declines in activity compared to year-ago levels are masking recent monthly gains in national sales activity. Record level activity late last year is expected to continue stretching year-ago comparisons over the rest of 2010 (Exhibit 1).
Bugs and pests are everywhere in Kamloops, however, nobody wants to have little critters crawling around their home. So the question is how do we keep these little pests from inhabiting the inside of our home?
When you are selling your Kamloops home, you as the homeowner can play an important part in the timely sale of your property. When you take the following steps, you’ll make your sale a profitable one.