Recent Blog Posts by Jason Neumann

February 2012 Kelowna and Okanagan Real Estate Stats

Kelowna/West Kelowna and Okanagan Real Estate Stats - February 2012   Ratio of Sales vs. Total Inventory = 7.43% Condo -- Sales = 54 Condo -- New Listings  = 169 Condo -- Current Inventory = 886 Condo -- Sell/Inv. Ratio = 6.09% Condo -- Days to Sell = 124 Average Price: $204,262 Average Median Price: $186,450   Townhouse -- Sales = 49 Townhouse ...

Buyers Guide To Understanding Foreclosure and Court Ordered Sales In Kelowna and Okanagan

Foreclosure: A foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgagee, or other lien holder, usually a lender, obtains a termination of a mortgagor's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law (after following a specific statutory procedure). Court Ordered Sale: A Court Ordered Sale is the legal process where the BC Provincial Court is petitioned to approve ...

Kelowna Foreclosure Property Sales August 2011

The Central Okanagan foreclosure inventory levels continue to show signs of steady increases from month to month in 2011. Buyers ask me all the time if I foresee a huge influx of court ordered sales to the Kelowna real estate market? In my opinion, having watched how the local banks and lenders handle the foreclosure process the answer would have to be...no I don't. Reason being is banks ...

Is now a good time to buy Kelowna and Okanagan foreclosure homes?

The Central Okanagan foreclosure inventory is now starting to show signs of steady increases from month to month in 2011. The overall active foreclosure listings pale in comparison to the total inventory in the Central Okanagan which continues to be a good sign. Buyers ask me all the time if I foresee a huge influx of court ordered sales to the Kelowna real estate market? In my opinion, having watched ...

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveils new mortgage regulations

  Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced today new rules for the Canadian mortgage industry that he says will "protect the stability of the economy."  The announcement comes on the heels of a recent warning from the Bank of Canada that Canadians' domestic debt burden is the highest on record, even higher than our neighbours to the south.  The ratio of household debt ...

Kelowna,BC Active MLS Listing Inventory and March Sales

Current Active Central Okanagan MLS Listing Inventory as of April 21,2010: Single Family Dwellings - 2107 properties (191 more properties or a 9.97% increase from March) including 7 pending offers ranging in value from $339,800 to $589,000   Strata - Condos - 1092 properties (4 more properties or a 0.367% increase from March) with 3 pending ...

Understanding the Changes to the Rules for Canadian Government Insured Mortgages

There are now new rules for home buyers looking to qualify for high-ratio mortgages and/or investment properties.  There seems to be a some misconceptions out there as to how these new rules affect buyers today.  I recently spoke with Julie Weimer an RBC Mortage Specialist and she kindly provided me the following information: Changes to the Rules for Government Insured Mortgages: ...

The Dangers and Pitfalls of Overpricing Your Home

There are potential dangers and pitfalls when it comes to pricing your home in any kind of real estate market.  Sellers can be reluctant to price their home in line with the marketplace as they feel they may be giving away too much of their home equity.  The reality is pricing your home right from the start will get the net result you are looking for as a seller.  Here ...

New Canadian mortgage rules take effect April 19,2010

I was recently sent this article by Karen Shale a local mortgage broker with LendingMax here in Kelowna.  Karen offers a straight to the point and excellent explanation of each of the new federal lending rules that were recently announced by Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance.  These new lending regulations take effect April 19,2010.  Here's the article: Here is the official announcement ...

Kelowna,BC and Central Okanagan Foreclosure Listing Information for February 2010

There are currently 61 foreclosures (as of February 7,2010) amongst the entire listing inventory for the Central Okanagan.  That is a decrease of 14 properties (-22.95%) in the foreclosure inventory from last month. The foreclosure inventory breakdown is as follows: 2 Lots and Acreages (both at $115,000) with no pending sales 2 Manufactured Homes ($79,000 ...

Fighting Mold - A Homeowner’s Guide

Mold can be a serious health risk to any homeowner and the sooner it is detected the better.  Having personally lived in a home that had mold in the laundry room I can tell you first hand that it is not something to take lightly.  To remediate and repair the affected areas I had to rip out out all the drywall and insulation in the entire room.  This work had to be done as ...