Langley BC Real Estate | Condominums And Town Homes

You have decided that it time to look for a new home in Langley BC. With so many homes out there you want to be sure that you don’t miss any. So where do you start?

It would be a good idea to employ the services of a BC real estate professional. They can act as your buyer’s agent and since their commission is paid by the seller they will, in essence, be working on your behalf for free. Some people will argue that not having an agent will mean you can reduce a home’s price by the amount of their commission, but this is not true.

When a home is listed with an agent the listing agreement clearly states the total commission that the seller will pay. This total is usually split between the two agents 50/50. If there is no agent representing you the seller is still obligated to pay the entire commission per the agreement. So the listing agent gets paid more and you have no one to negotiate on your behalf.

Using a real estate agent means that they have up to date access to all of the information available. Unfortunately, if you try to rely on the internet you will come across homes that are no longer available. You will also certainly miss homes that were not even placed on the internet at all. Some Langley BC agents only list homes in the listing services that agents have access to. They totally rely on agents to find their listings in these services.

An agent can also do all of the legwork for you. This includes setting appointments, gaining access to any home and knowing what to say and what not to say to sellers and agents.

Don’t try to find your home by driving around, either. You are not only going to miss something, but you may see a home you like and it might already be under contract. Then you have gotten excited for nothing.

Newspapers and magazines are even worse. The information is outdated in magazines and newspapers may delay publishing an ad until a certain date. By the time you see it in the paper it may already be gone.

To learn more about the process of buying a home in Langley BC, you can contact Andrew Szalontai with Remax Treeland Realty at 778.862.5542.

Selling your home in Langley BC can be an exhausting experience. Last minute walk-throughs, inconvenient calls, price adjustment and the possibility of being stuck with two mortgages are real concerns.

If you are not completely prepared, you could end up losing hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in profit.

The difference between a profitable smooth transaction and a break-even, miserable experience is often a fine line. In the majority of cases, it comes down to the subtle know-how of your professional.

By utilizing the knowledge of a qualified real estate professional, you’ll ensure the quick, profitable sale of your home. This report is designed to arm you with the knowledge to avoid 10 common mistakes that cost sellers serious money.

1. Refusing to Make Profit Inducing Repairs
It always costs you more money to sell ‘as is’ than to make repairs that will increase the value of your home. Even minor improvements will often yield as much as three to five times the repair cost at the time of sale. Your agent will be able to point out what repairs will significantly increase the value of your home in Langley BC. Seemingly small fix up jobs can have quite an impact.

2. Not Considering Other Financing Terms
Cash is not always the most advantageous transaction. Income level, tax benefits and current legislation are all critical factors when considering purchase terms. Professional real estate agents are experts at home transactions and can lead you down the path that will give you the highest yield.

3. Provide Easy Access for Showings
Accessibility is a major key to profitability. Appointment-only showings are the most restrictive, while a lock box is the least.

However there are certain considerations to take into account:  your lifestyle, time frame for the desired sale and the relationship with your agent. The more accessible your home in Langley BC is, the better the odds of finding a person willing to pay your asking price.

You never know if the one that couldn’t get a viewing was the one that got away. By developing a trusting relationship with your agent, he or she will show the home with your best interests in mind.

4. Priced Too Low/Priced Too High
One critical reason to find the right professional is to make sure the property is priced appropriately for a timely and profitable sale. If the property is priced too high, it will sit and develop the identity of a problem property.

If it’s priced too low, it could cost you considerable profits. The real estate market in Langley BC has subtle nuances and market changes that should be re-evaluated by your agent every 30 days to help you maximize your return.

5. Relying Solely on Traditional Methods To Sell Your Home
The agent who is innovative and willing to offer new strategies of attracting home buyers will always outperform agents who rely on traditional methods. Demand around the clock advertising exposure, innovative lead generation methods and lead accountability. These services exist and should be offered on your Langley BC home sale.

6. Market Timing/Seasonal Selling
Just as a broker who continually follows the trends of a stock, your professional agent continually follows trends of your Langley BC real estate home market. They will know if the market cycle is poised to net you the most money. Avoid believing that property sales are seasonal; property is always selling.

7. Refusing to Make Cosmetic Changes
The prospective Langley BC home buyer’s first impression is the most important. An unbelievable amount of home sales have been lost to unkempt lawns, cluttered rooms, bad stains, unpleasant odours- all seemingly little things. Imagine you were the home buyer and clean your place from top to bottom, military style.

8. Wasting Time With An Unqualified Prospect
Your agent’s responsibility is to screen a prospect’s qualifications before valuable time is lost. Be sure to align yourself with the right professional and eliminate negotiating with unqualified prospects.

9. Don’t Test The Market
Never put your property online to sell unless you are serious. The right professional will find you buyers and if you are harbouring indecision, you will blow the sale.

10. Believing You are Powerless to Make a Difference
Be a part of the team! Take an active role with your agent to see what you can do to facilitate your sale. Networking with professional peers and personal friends often results in the sale of a home. It’s surprising how many homes in Langley BC are sold this way.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Langley BC real estate. For complete information about the Langley BC real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Langley BC real estate.

Call me on my cell at 778.862.5542.

Prices are a great indicator of market behavior

1. When the Average price is notably higher than the Benchmark and Median (detached), a fewer higher priced sales are likely to have skewed the average price high
2. When all three are within range (townhomes), typical product is selling for expected pricing
3. When the Benchmark price is noticeably higher than the Average and Median (condos), it signifies that lower-end properties are selling. It could also be possible that smaller, fixer-uppers or sellers are just lowering their prices.

Determining which price to use – Average, Median or Benchmark

Average Price

Average price is the total dollar volume of sales, divided by the number of sales.

Total $s ÷ total sales = average price

It is the price most consumers understand and relate to. However, it can be the most misleading. When high-end properties sell (White Rock or S. Surrey), they skew the average. On the other hand, when there is a low number of sales (North Delta or Mission), the average can be skewed.

Median Price

The median price is the exact middle price value, if all sales were listed in numeric order from lowest to highest.

½ the sales are higher in value, ½ the sales are lower in value

It is considered less biased than the average price, because it is not as influenced by the prices of the top selling homes. However, the median price can be influenced by a large number of sales close to the mid-range; since that’s where the median is picked up.

Benchmark Price (as determined by the Housing Price Index)

The benchmark price is a predicted sale price of a general property in a given area, based on ‘typical’ criteria common to homes in that area. It represents a typical sale and does not take into account the high-end and low end properties.

The benchmark descriptions for Langley homes:

DETACHED HOUSE, LANGLEY: 6,970 sq.ft. lot, 61 ft. frontage, 2,227 sq.ft. floor area, 8 rooms, 2 bathroom(s), 136 sq. ft. kitchen, 1 covered parking stall(s), 1 fireplace(s), 13 years old, 13% new.

DETACHED HOUSE, LANGLEY ALDERGROVE: 6,200 sq.ft. lot, 58 ft. frontage, 1,961 sq.ft. floor area, 8 rooms, 2 bathroom(s), 127 sq. ft. kitchen, 1 covered parking stall(s), 1 fireplace(s), 15 years old, 11% new.

DETACHED HOUSE, LANGLEY CITY MURRAYVILLE WILLOUGHBY BROOKSWOOD: 7,656 sq.ft. lot, 66 ft. frontage, 2,218 sq.ft. floor area, 8 rooms, 2 bathroom(s), 138 sq. ft. kitchen, 1 covered parking stall(s), 1 fireplace(s), 16 years old, 13% new.

DETACHED HOUSE, LANGLEY WALNUT GROVE: 5,956 sq.ft. lot, 53 ft. frontage, 2,385 sq.ft. floor area, 9 rooms, 3 bathroom(s), 138 sq. ft. kitchen, 2 covered parking stall(s), 2 fireplace(s), 8 years old, 13% new.

Click here for a complete glossary of benchmark property characteristics

A buyer’s agent is a real estate agent that’s representing the buyer rather than the seller. Hiring a buyer’s agent can be tricky, especially when there are so many real estate agents in Langley BC. What are some questions you can ask to make sure you make the best choice? In this article, I’ll show you five of the most important questions you should ask when hiring a buyer’s agent.

Question #1 What’s the Most You’ve Negotiated from a Purchase Price in the Last Year?

Perhaps the most important skill a buyer’s agent should have is the ability to negotiate. The differences in skill in this area will cost you or save you thousands of dollars. Make sure the buyer’s agent you work with is able to negotiate well for you.

Question #2 How Familiar Are You with the Langley BC Real Estate Market?

It’s very important to work with a buyer’s agent thats familiar with the Langley BC area. After all, this person is going to be responsible for showing you houses and purchasing a house in the Langley BC area.

Question #3 How Much Experience do You Have as a Buyer’s Agent?

Generally, you don’t want to work with a new buyer’s agent. You’re making what’s possibly the biggest investment of your life, so it’s tantamount that you work with someone who can best assist you in the process.

Question #4 How Strong is Your Real Estate Network?

Another reason it’s important to work with someone experienced in the Langley BC area is that you can take advantage of their contacts.

For example, what if you needed a good recommendation for a lender? Perhaps you need a home inspection, or a home appraisal? A good buyer’s agent should have a strong network of contacts that you can tap into.

Question #5 How Many Transactions Have You Completed in the Last Year?

Real estate agents sometimes work part time and sometimes work full time. Ideally, you want to work with a buyer’s agent that’s fully immersed in the business. This gives you access to more experience as well as more dedication power.

Hiring a good buyer’s agent can save you a lot of time, mental energy and save you money as well. Choosing a good buyer’s agent in Langley BC might take some upfront work, but its well worth the effort.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Langley BC real estate. For complete information about the Langley BC real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online

The internet can be a powerful asset in selling your home in Langley BC. One of the toughest parts in selling your home is getting enough qualified buyers to look at your property. By using a wide range of internet resources near Langley BC, we can maximize the chances on making a sale by getting more qualified buyers to look at your property.

One great source of leads is the Multiple Listing Service, MLS for short. The MLS is an internet based system that real estate agents and buyers can access in order to find homes they’re interested in. By putting your property on the MLS, you drastically increase the chances that your home will be sold.

Another great source of buyers is Craigslist. Craigslist is a popular web based classifieds website, where buyers and agents go to find houses that they may be interested in looking at. By posting compelling advertisements on Craigslist, you can drastically increase your house’s exposure.

No matter where you’re posting your house, the key to getting qualified buyers to physically come and look is a great ad. The most important thing is to have photos that are compelling. Often times that means hiring a professional photographer to take the photos.

If you don’t have pictures at all, most people will just skip over your ad completely. After all, there are so many houses that do have pictures. Why would they risk wasting their time on a house that doesn’t?

It’s also important to put down your price and whether or not you’re willing to negotiate. Remember, the idea is to get qualified buyers in to your house, not just anyone. If you have a set price and you’re not willing to negotiate, then buyers who want to make lowball offers are just wasting your time.

In this article, we’ve briefly covered some of the ways to use the internet to sell your house quickly. There’s a lot of information available to you about selling a house in Langley BC. For complete information about the Langley BC real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Langley BC real estate at www.mylangleyrealestate.com .

Please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and I will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 778.862.5542.

One of the most common questions that Langley BC home buyers ask is why do they need a real estate professional to help them buy a home? It might seem like it would be a lot easier to just go out on your own, drive around Langley BC and find the house that you’re interested in. Many buyers do this and just call the listing agent directly to proceed with the real estate transaction. However, this can present a problem in some cases.

Most of the time, the listing agent on the house represents the seller. Many listing agents do not take on a dual agency capacity meaning that they cannot or will not represent both parties. In fact, some states do not even allow the practice of an agent representing two parties. Either way, it makes a lot more sense for a Langley BC home buyer to have their own representation when dealing with a real estate transaction.

Think of it this way: When an agent lists a Langley BC property for sale, they promise the seller to do their very best to get the most money for the property. When an agent contracts with a buyer to represent them, they promise the buyer that they will do their very best to get the buyer a fantastic deal on their property. If an agent is representing both parties, those interests can be conflicting because it might be impossible for the agent to get the seller the most money and the buyer the least money at the very same time.

Most of the time, the services of a Langley BC buyer’s agent are paid for by the seller via the commission. The commission amount is set out at the beginning when the house is listed, so someone is going to make that money regardless. As a buyer, it makes more sense for you to have representation that is paid for by the seller but has your best interests at heart.

If you would like to know more about how buyer representation works in Langley BC, visit my website at Langley, BC Real Estate or contact me directly at 778.862.5542. I’d be glad to assist you by answering questions about the process!

Staging your house can drastically increase your chances of a fast sale and may also give you a nice boost in your selling price. It takes some effort upfront but its well worth the effort. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of staging your home. In just a few minutes, you’ll know exactly how to stage your home for the fastest and most profitable sale.

Step #1 – Clean Out Your House

The first and often most difficult step is cleaning out your house. All your personal belongings apart from furniture that you’re using to stage your house must go.

If you haven’t moved in to your new house yet, a great strategy is to rent a storage unit. A storage unit is usually very cheap and you can store all your belongings until you’re ready to move.

Step #2 – Arrange Your Furniture

Arrange your furniture in a way that really showcases the house. When in doubt, an empty room is better than furniture that doesn’t look good.

Make sure that there’s enough light coming into the rooms. Pull back your curtains and bring in lights if the lighting is dim.

One thing that’s often neglected with home staging is the smell or scent in the rooms. Make sure your house smells nice. Candles or air refreshers can make a big difference.

Step #3 – Have Your House Critiqued

Have your real estate agent look over your staging and give you a good critique. A good real estate agent will know exactly what to look for in staging a house.

Once you’ve had your real estate agent look over your house, make the changes that he/she recommended. This review process can often take a bit of time, so get started as early as you can.

Finding a real estate agent in  Langley BC that you know you can trust can be a challenge. If you haven’t found an agent that works for you yet, feel free to give me a call for a free consultation. You can reach me at 778.862.5542. You can also learn more about me at Langley, BC Real Estate.

If you are a property investor who wants to flip houses, you may be wondering how you are going to find property deals in Langley BC to flip. In our discussion today, we will find several ways to find these deals.

Method #1 – Use Other People
A retailer can use a lot of different people to find prospective deals. A retailer should consult a real estate expert like Andrew Szalontai. That person should talk to other investors, to other scouts and dealers. These are the people that will have knowledge of where to find the types of deals that a retailer in Langley BC might be interested in.

Method #2 – Investment Clubs
You want to look in Langley BC to see if you can find and meet with other scouts, dealers and retailers. This is a great place to find possible deals and to learn more about investing in property in Langley BC as well as learn more about flipping houses. Now, if you cannot find one in your area, think about starting one yourself.

Method #3 – Try Some Advertising
You can try classified ads in newspapers; free ad papers like the Penny saver, and even try some online advertising. There are a lot of places online such as Craigslist and other free advertising websites. You will want to try some different ads, keeping track of the results you get from the ads to see which ones work the best. Track the serious callers by keeping their personal information as well as the types of properties in Langley BC they are interested in purchasing.

Method #4 – Taking A Drive Through Different Neighborhoods
Another way to find some properties in Langley BC is to take a drive through neighborhoods that you would be interested in purchasing property in. This way you can look for houses that might fit your criteria. Any vacant property in Langley BC or property that is boarded up makes a good prospective deal.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Langley BC real estate. For complete information about the Langley BC real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Langley BC real estate at Langley BC Real Estate. Please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and I would be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 778.862.5542 or visit my website.

As a real estate agent who has experience in Langley BCI have assisted many individuals in buying and selling homes. In this article, I will show some top practical tips that I have discovered to help anyone sell any house Langley BC market. When you finish reading this article, you will know exactly how to manage a quick, stress free sale of your house.

Effectively Staging Your House

Many real estate agents will not tell you that a having a staged home is much more effective than having one that is not. If you have never staged a home in the past, it may seem like an overwhelming task, but in reality it only requires several easy steps.

One - Fixing things.
Prior to showing the house, any necessary repairs should be taken care of.

Two - Jet rid of extra junk.
You will need to remove and store anything that doesn’t fit the overall look.

Three - Get your house as clean as it can be.
Wipe down the windows daily, steam clean the carpet, and beautify the front yard.

Price is key.

When determining the price you need to keep your profit in mind. Remember that the most common mistake is a high price. Many believe that they can take a lower offer if they start out first with a high price. If the price is too high, that might scare potential buyers away. The most important factor in selling your house is that you have the correct price.

A competent real estate agent is a requirement to make the home selling process efficient. In addition, instead of selling to FSBO, you can save 5% on average, which makes up for the commission.

It is very difficult to select the right real estate agent. It is in your best interest to locate an agent who is well-versed in the Langley BC area. You will need to find an agent that you are sure will work toward your best interests. What you want in an agent is someone who can market and sell.
If you have been unable to locate an agent in Langley BC Give me a call first for a free consultation, what can it hurt, and who knows I may just be what you need. This is where you can contact me. 778.862.5542 or visit my website Langley BC Real Estate.

Once you’ve found a home you’re interested in purchasing, the next step is putting an offer on the table. How do you determine that right price for a home in Langley BC? In this article, I’ll show you exactly what you should consider when you’re picking a number for your offer.

Tip 1 Understand the Langley BC Real Estate Conditions

The first step is to consider what the market conditions are. Real estate conditions in Langley BC have had both upswings and downswings in the last several years. Is it a buyer’s market right now, or a seller’s market? Is a house likely to sit on the market for weeks, or is it likely to receive multiple offers?

Look into what other similar houses in the area are selling for, both currently and in the last few months. This will give you a good baseline value to base your offer of.

Tip 2 Understand Your Seller’s Mindset

The goal of making an offer isn’t to offer market price. The goal of your offer is to make an offer that’s as low as possible that will be accepted by the seller.

In order to achieve this, it’s important to understand the mindset of the seller.

One thing to look into might be how long the house has been listed. If it’s been listed for several months already, they may be more likely to want to sell for a lower price.

Another thing to look into is how much the seller paid for the property. Although this doesn’t affect its current value, it has an impact on the seller’s mentality. If the seller is already making a profit no matter how much they sell it for, they’re likely to be more lenient. If they’re losing big money by selling right now, they may be more likely to pinch pennies.

Tip 3 It’s Not Just the Numbers

Your offer must be considered in its entirety. The clauses and contingencies have a big impact on whether or not your offer will be accepted. Work with your real estate agent to craft the best offer possible.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Langley BC real estate. For complete information about the Langley BC real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Langley BC. Please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and I will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 778.862.5542 or email me at andrew@mylangleyrealestate.com .