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4 Reasons You Should Buy A Home At The End of The Year

Tis the season for... buying a new home?

Here is a hot insiders tip about the real estate market: buying a home right before the end of the year has major benefits. Here are three:

1). Tax Savings: Realtor.com puts it this way, “if you close by December 31, you can deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, points on your loan and interest costs. These deductions are significant, especially in the early years of your loan when you’re paying off a lot of interest.” What’s not to love?

2). Motivated Builders & Sellers: Sellers and builders will want to close a deal before the end of the end of the year. For sellers, this is so that they too can take advantage of tax breaks on their home. For builders, they will want to close on as many properties…

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Exterior Finishes

Here in Calgary we are lucky enough to experience all four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. While others need not be concerned with weather patterns beyond one season’s limitations, Calgarians must be ready for anything. Evidence of this would be the snow that fell in some areas of Calgary earlier this week. In July.

While these differing seasons provide us with spectacular sights–Golden forests in the fall, fresh blankets of snow in the winter, blossoming flowers each spring and pink august skies–the weather each season brings can put a lot of strain on properties. Shifting ground, sun-bleached surfaces, hail damaged paneling: all results of the way our often unpredictable environment can damage our properties.

Exterior finishing already…

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The Perfect Patio

Imagine it is summertime. It’s not hard to, right? The birds are chirping, the sun is out, and Calgary is finally seeing the end of cold, snowy days. Imagine a cold drink in your hand, a bowl of fruit and good book at your side, and those shorts you’ve had buried under jackets and scarves all winter long. You can smell ribs on the barbecue, and George Strait is playing on the radio. Where are you? Outside on the patio! You don’t have a functioning patio? Well, here’s how you can make one.

Step One: Measure the area you want to cover and buy enough supplies to cover the space. We recommend using pegs to map it out beforehand so you get a good idea of how much space it will take up.

Step Two: Your patio should be elevated off the ground, or else the…

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CMA's for Buyers

Earlier this week on Monday we featured a blog post that discussed CMA for sellers. In it we explained what exactly a CMA is and why it is important to have done on your property before you list your home. If you have not read that post already, please do now. Here is the link: http://blog.kenrichter.com/2015/04/14/cma-for-sellers/#sthash.2iUj4jlU.dpbs

Now that you know exactly what a CMA is, you may be surprised that we are discussing why a CMA is important for buyers to do on homes they are interested in. After all, shouldn’t the current homeowners have done their due-dillagence and already had a trustworthy CMA done? The answer is, hopefully. However, here are the reasons why a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) is important for you to do on any…

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The Importance Of Location

As we have discussed, buying and selling a home goes beyond aesthetics. Yes, a beautiful garden and freshly painted trimming will add value to a home and make it appear more desirable. However, the building itself cannot be the only important factor. One could even argue that location is the most important thing to look at when choosing a home.

Location is important for a number of reasons, the most prevalent being that you need to find a home in an area that will suit your needs and desires. For example, if you have teenagers, finding a safe neighbourhood with good public transportation lines and nearby recreational facilities is preferable. What about the flip side? Why is location important to people selling their home?

Location is important for…

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Build Your Own Home Theatre

When someone says “Build Your Own Home Theatre” your knee-jerk reaction is most likely something along the lines of “I can’t afford that!” We have some good news for you: yes you can. Having a home theatre does not mean you need six rows of reclining chairs, a popcorn machine, and a T.V screen that takes up an entire wall. If you can make that happen in your home, congratulations! This article is not for you.

Most people have a T.V room, so we are going to tell you how you can transform that mundane area of the house into a home theatre! While it may seem like a frivolous expense, home theaters, in any capacity, add loads of property value! They are a fantastic investment, and fun for the whole family!

The first thing you need to do is pick what…

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Fun Home Renovations

Close your eyes. We want you to imagine a space: a magical place, where your wallet produces unlimited cash, and where contractors and property limitations are non-existent. Imagine an empty building; a space untouched. Now, dream.

What colors do you paint the walls? What kinds of levels do you add? Are there secret passageways and slides coming out every window that all funnel into one beautiful, crystal-clear pool? No? Imagine harder! Dream big!

It’s unreasonable; the first thing you probably thought of was, “that is completely, 100% implausible.” Perhaps that is true—especially if you’re a big dreamer. However, what if we were to tell you that sometimes those “crazy” and “implausible” additions you wish you could have in your home aren’t so crazy…

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Getting Ready to Renovate

Renovations: they are a lot of work, but always worth it. Renovations are a great way to add financial and aesthetic value to your home. When some people think of renovations, they think of completely gutting a home and starting from scratch. However, a home renovation can be as simple as replacing a couple of door handles! Renovating can be simple updating, or completely adding something new to your home.

Whether your project is big or small, there are some very important things you need to get in order before the hands-on portion of the renovation begins.

The first thing you should do is get quotes. If you want to work with a contractor, get in touch with multiple and see what their rates are. Ask around and check online for reviews of work they…

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Washing Your Home

As part of your annual spring cleaning maintenance routine, take some time to freshen up the exterior of your home.

Since your house is exposed to the elements, the uneven texture and grooves of siding, painted surfaces and brick make ideal places for dust, dirt and debris to collect. To revitalize your home’s exterior try using a pressure washer.

Pressure washing is the most effective and efficient method of cleaning house exteriors. The high-pressure water stream can penetrate textured surfaces. A pressure washer will make quick work of cleaning houses of any size as they make it easy to reach even second stories without the use of ladders.

Most exterior surfaces can benefit from a good power washing, and not only give your home a quick…

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Monthly Household Tip 2

Fall has arrived in Calgary! Now’s the time to check your windows for drafts and leaks. Improperly maintained windows can be a big burden on your heating bill. Taking care of them not only helps reduce energy costs, but will keep you and your family warm and comfortable through the winter months ahead.

A quick and easy way is to hold a lighted match to their edges on a blustery day. If it blows out and the smoke flutters, it’s time to stock up on new weather stripping! Be proactive…you won’t regret it!

Check back with Team Ken Richter in the months ahead for more household tips!

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