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VERY PRIVATE!!! This is the perfect starter acreage. Very serene 3.34 acres to call your own. The house was built in 2010 and boasts a total of 2 bedroom w office and 2 bathrooms. There is a triple garage attached and heated. When you enter this home you will notice a large mud room with with the entrance to the triple garage measuring 22×32. There is a main floor office(could be turned into a bedroom) and a 3 piece bathroom. Upstairs is complete with an open concept feel with large kitchen and living area. There are 2 bedrooms upstairs and a full bathroom. House is secluded and surrounded with trees. Properties like this don’t come up everyday.

You can find the link at realtor.ca below!

https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/Single-Family/18365342/21-2320-Twp-Rd-540-Rural-Lac-Ste-Anne-County-Alberta-T0E1V0-Spruce-Lane-Estate

Looking for a 3 bedroom acreage home VERY CLOSE to STONY PLAIN with over 1,644 sq.ft ? You will love the open kitchen with plenty of cupboards & counter space. Large island and eating bar with pendant lighting make this a great kitchen for visiting or working. You will love the vaulted ceilings giving this home a grand element, The living room flows right through to the kitchen and dining area, making entertaining a breeze! Hand-scraped hardwood flooring and plush carpet throughout this open floor plan. Lighting has all been upgraded to LED lighting for both ambiance and energy saving. There is a brand new south facing 30′ foot deck, overlooking the newly seeded grass and pond area. The large master bedroom includes a huge master with an amazing en suite w/ huge 2 person Jacuzzi tub, and walk-in closet. There are also 2 more ample sized bedrooms upstairs . Large triple garage , high efficiency HWT & furnace, stainless steel appliances. Tall Walk out basement is ready for your finishing touches.

You can find the link at realtor.ca below!

https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/Single-Family/18361548/3-53214-RGE-RD-13-Rural-Parkland-County-Alberta-T7Z1Y2-Leeward-Estates

Stunning View. Incredible Yard. Bushed Trails. A Country Paradise. If ever you wanted to live by the Lake, with a view and feel the tranquil peace of Country Living then this Raised Bungalow is it. The features never end. Two car heated garage, 30’x44’ Heated shop, Storage Space throughout the property (5 sheds), Guest house with private bathroom, Open grass area for playing, fire pit, bushed trails for skidooing /quading over the 17 acres. Inside the home you have a sunken living room addition with in floor heating, open concept vaulted ceiling kitchen and dining area ALL of this with a view of the lake. Newer upgrades include HWT / Water Softener / Deck , all in 2013. Well Pump 2014, Septic Field 2010. The Deck wraps around 2 sides of the house and is covered on the lakeside view for all types of weather, it is breath taking. Infrared Heated Shop with roughed in / In floor heat, three separate overhead doors. The double garage presently a wood working shop. K-9 School and groceries are 10 mins away.

You can find the link at realtor.ca below!

https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/Single-Family/18361537/6009-Highway-633-Rural-Lac-Ste-Anne-County-Alberta-T0E1H0-None

Looking for a great 3 bedroom 2 storey home in a great neighborhood. Look no further!! This 1558 square foot home is located in a crescent location on the west side of Spruce Grove in Spruce Ridge, within walking distance to the Tri Leisure Centre and walking trail system. Nice family home with open kitchen, eating bar, plenty of cupboards and counter space, overlooking the bright south facing dining room and family room with gleaming hardwood flooring. There is main floor laundry, with a 2 piece bath off of the garage entrance. There is a large two tier deck off of the dining room patio doors, and 10×10 storage shed in the rear yard also. Upstairs you will find a 3 bedrooms, all ample sized, with the master providing plenty of closet space and a 3 piece en-suite bath. The basement is unspoiled and ready for your finishing touches. The garage easily holds 2 cars and plenty of storage with elevated storage options.

You can find the link at realtor.ca below!

https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/Single-Family/18365297/27-Sage-CR-Spruce-Grove-Alberta-T7X4R1-Spruce-Ridge

It’s all about curb appeal. Making that first good impression on potential home buyers starts with how your home looks like from the street. A well-designed landscape, green lawn, beautiful trees and maintained walkways will make it more aesthetically pleasing and could boost your resale value.

In the same way that good landscaping can attract buyers to your property, bad landscaping or an unkempt yard can turn them away. Professional landscapers can help you improve your home’s curb appeal, help you get a better return on investment and create an outdoor space you’re going to love using in the meantime.

You don’t have to break the bank to spruce up your curb appeal if you are planning on selling sooner than later. Here are some things you can do to spruce up your landscaping and create a more attractive curb appeal:

Clean up your yard.

Once the snow melts it is time to get your yard ready to impress! Clean up the yard, remove dead branches from your trees, pick up any mess left by your dogs, rake up leaves and debris and get rid of last year’s dead weeds. Remove or replace dead or dying plants and give your patio and walkways a good pressure wash.

Spend time on lawn maintenance.

If you plan on selling your home in the summer or fall, then spring is the best time to start a lawn maintenance regime. A brown lawn that is full of weeds does not look good on a real estate listing and an unkempt lawn might make buyers believe that the rest of the house hasn’t been properly maintained either. Dedicate some time and money in properly fertilizing, watering and mowing your lawn.

Plant a tree.

Having a tree on your property can raise your home’s value.  A property with healthy trees can easily sell for more than 5 per cent more than those that don’t have trees. Make sure you choose a tree that does well in urban environments and your climate zone. Slow growing trees, like elm or oak trees, usually offer the most value as they provide more shade and stay healthier longer.

Add some color.

Adding a few plant boxes or flower pots to your home’s landscape will give your property a splash of vibrant color and show buyers that you are proud of your property. Use flowers to spruce up patios and entry ways. If you want to build permanent flower beds, consider hiring experienced landscapers.

Add lighting.

Outdoor lights added around your deck and patio can create a more inviting atmosphere. You should also consider that potential buyers might drive by your home in the evening to check it out, so having good exterior lighting on your driveway and walk ways could help showcase your yard and all the work you’ve done to the landscaping.

Great curb appeal can attract buyers, bring up your listing price and help you sell your home faster.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

What do you do when you find the perfect home, but you haven’t sold your current home? Most people consider putting an offer on their dream home, with a “subject to the sale of the buyer’s home” condition. However, this scenario is probably not your best option.

A “subject to sale” condition means that the buyer’s offer is conditional on them selling their own home – if they don’t sell their home by the deadline on the condition, the deal dies. If the seller is agreeable to a “subject to sale” condition, they will typically add a clause of their own, so if the sellers receive and accept another offer, the original buyers will have to remove all of their conditions within a certain period of time (typically 24-72 hours) or the new buyers get it.

So, what’s wrong with a “subject to sale” condition?

From the seller’s perspective, a pending offer – even if it is “only” a “subject to sale” offer – can deter other buyers from considering the home. While you don’t have to disclose the fact that you’re pending until a new buyer is interested, with the amount of inventory on the market right now, this can be enough to make a buyer look another way.

From the buyer’s perspective, this type of condition does not put you in a strong negotiating position. Think about it, you have to convince the sellers to accept an offer that is conditional on another home that they know very little about selling. This means your offer is going to have to be strong in every other way, especially price. They’re also going to want you to remove any other conditions (like financing and inspection) quickly, which means you could easily end up paying for an inspection, only to lose the home to another party. Now you also have to sell your existing home, and your motivation to sell just went waaaaay up. This could mean paying a premium for your new home, and selling for less than you could otherwise.

So why would anyone write or accept an offer with a “subject to sale” condition?

It all depends on market conditions, and the properties in question. Without going into every possible scenario, a seller may accept this type offer because they can negotiate hard on the other points. For one thing, an offer with a “subject to sale” condition is better than no offer at all in most cases. As long as the time clause you negotiate is relatively short, a “subject to sale” offer probably won’t scare away other buyers. With a good negotiator representing you in the right market conditions, a “subject to sale” offer can actually motivate other potential buyers to write better offers.

If you’ve truly find your dream home, and it’s unlikely you’ll find anything else you like, then a “subject to sale” condition may be your only option. You need to keep in mind that the house is really still on the market, as long as your offer is “subject to sale” and you could find yourself with 24 or 48 hours to remove your conditions – can you get financing for two homes in 48 hours? If you absolutely must have the home, and money is no object, then go ahead and put in an offer that is subject to the sale of your current home. But think about this… if it really is the perfect home, and you’d remove your condition if the seller’s get another offer anyway, why don’t you just write a strong offer in the first place, and try and get all the other things you want such as a possession date that works for you and a good price?

An even better scenario, is to get your existing home sold first and then make a strong offer without the risk of owning two homes. Keep in mind of course all this information is very general, not specific to any situation, and will change with the market.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!!!

When someone dies and they own real estate, the number one question we are asked is: “What about timing? When can we sell the real estate?”

Answer: It depends on several factors.

When land is owned by a deceased person, it can only be transferred after a Grant or Court Order is issued. This process can take many months.

In the meantime, significant steps can be taken to get the property ready for sale, list the property with a realtor and entertain and accept offers. The authorized legal representative of the estate (commonly referred to as the Executor(trix) and now referred to as the Personal Representative), has the authority, responsibility and the duty to care for and manage the property until it can be transferred. These duties extend to ensuring the property is secure, utilities and other expenses paid, and insurance is maintained. If the property is vacant, it is essential the Personal Representative contact the insurance company to request and obtain a vacancy endorsement or you may have no valid insurance.

Once the property is ready for sale, it can be listed with your realtor, provided all necessary consents are in place. This includes the consent of the Public Trustee where there are minor beneficiaries and the consent of all other beneficiaries in certain circumstances. Please note the Public Trustee will not consent to any actual sale until a Grant is issued by the Court.

If an offer is received and accepted before the official Court Order is obtained to allow the transfer, then special considerations apply. Special wording can be inserted in the Real Estate Purchase Contract that acknowledges this is an estate sale and that title can only be transferred once the Court Order is obtained. The parties can then either agree to delay completion and possession until the Court Order is issued, or agree to tenancy possession so the buyers can occupy the property right away and then transfer the title once the Court Order is obtained. Typically, if the tenancy is granted, the buyer will pay some form of “rent”; often by paying the amount they would pay on a new mortgage. In special cases, at an added cost, it is possible to obtain an interim Court Order allowing the actual transfer of the land to take place before the Grant is issued.

From the buyer’s perspective, when buying property from an estate, make sure you ask many questions regarding the status of the Court application. It can sometimes take several months before the actual Court Order is issued. During that time, your mortgage commitment may expire and you will be subject to the prevailing mortgage rates at the time the commitment expires. Generally speaking, if the application for a Court Order has actually been submitted to the Courts, the typical time required for a Grant is 8 weeks or less. However, even this can be prolonged if there are errors in the application.

This article is meant as a general discussion of topics in this area. It is not meant to offer specific legal advice to anyone as individual circumstances can have an impact on each and every situation.

We’ve been hearing lots of good forecasts for the Alberta economy lately, but the real estate market remains relatively slow in Edmonton. The real estate market tends to lag behind other economic factors, so I’m not surprised that the market is a little slow, even though the year started off showing lots of positive signs. The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton released their report on the Greater Edmonton Area:

“We are in the middle of our busiest season for real estate,” says James Mabey, REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Chair. “More sellers are entering the market and are motivated to move their properties before the summer months, which provides the best selection of properties for buyers who are actively looking and taking advantage of the increased number of listings typical for this time of year.”

New listings and inventory jumped up in May (to the highest levels we’ve seen in ten years), and for the first time this year we finished out the month with more listings than we had on the market last year. For the first few months of this year, we saw lower supply and higher demand than last year, but that trend has now reversed.

Greater Edmonton Area Real Estate Stats

Sales in the greater Edmonton area were in the normal range for May, but down 2.8% from last year:

The average price was down 1% to $379,018 and the median price was equal to last May at $360,000:

The inventory of listings on the market hit its highest level in years; there were 8,385 homes on the market at the end of the month:

The inventory was mostly influenced by the high number of new listings; 1,853 new listings came on the market in May:

Edmonton Real Estate Stats

Single-family home sales were down 6.4% from last May – 871 homes were reported sold in Edmonton in May:

Condo sales were on par with last May, which had the lowest sales of condos in many years – 365 condos were reported sold in Edmonton in May:

The average price of single-family homes was $435,874 in May, down 1.2% from last May, while the median price was up 0.5% to $400,000. The average price of condos was $250,596 in May, down 1.8% from last May while the median price was down 1.8% to $227,250:

The average price per square foot for single family homes was up $1 from last May to $283 while the average price per square foot for condos was down $9 (3.7%) to $233: