The latest real estate rip-off in USA?

Many condo and townhouse dwellers are already familiar with the "flip tax," more formally known as a resale fee. Typically calculated as a percentage of the sale price, it's a fee due to the condo association or community when an owner sells. These charges fund common-area maintenance or provide a boost to reserve funds, which benefits the association's homeowners.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/aTN5gU

August Newsletter & Website Statistics - AlbertaHomeOwner.com

Welcome to the August 2010 newsletter and website statistics update for AlbertaHomeOwner.com – the regional website for Alberta home owners.

We thank everyone for their continued patronage and support on our journey of being the number one business to consumer websites for Canadian homeowners.

For those businesses that want to maximize their presence on our regional websites, we are pleased to offer a new banner advertising service. Contact us for the rate sheet.

Website statistics for July 2010 - all three websites

• 3,910 page views
• 2,449 visits
• 1,991 absolute unique visitors

Companies listed in our regional business directories

• AlbertaHomeOwner.com - 321
• BChomeOwner.com - 247
• OntarioHomeOwner.com - 108
• 676 total

To get your company listed in the AlbertaHomeOwner.com business directory – Click Here

We welcome the below companies that have listed their businesses in our regional directories over the past 30 days:

·         1st Call Carpet Cleaning

·         Abbotsford Real Estate - Colleen Shorter

·         Bath Fitter

·         Cheryl Woolley - DFH Real Estate Ltd

·         Dominion Lending Centre Mortgage Village

·         DreamBuilders (2004) Ltd.

·         Enigma Info Systems

·         Jade Stone Ltd

·         James Louie Chung Real Estate

·         Harpreet Saini - RE/MAX of Lloydminster Barr Realty Ltd

·         Investments Hardware Ltd.

·         Kristen Clowry - Realtor

·         L2B Environmental Systems Inc.

·         Megson Fitzpatrick - McKenzie

·         Mobile Mortgage Specialist, TD Canada Trust

·         Mortgagebrokers.com

·         Mortgages By Liz

·         Navona Devlopment Corp

·         Rearrangements home staging & redesign

·         Streetseed.com

·         The Open Door Team, RE/MAX Vernon

·         The Swimming Pool Fill-In Demolition Removal Specialists

·         Yanch Geothermal

Twitter Followers – People we “social network” with:

• AlbertaHomeOwner.com - 999
• BChomeOwner.com - 1355
• OntarioHomeOwner.com - 531
• 2,885 total

To follow AlbertaHomeOwner.com on Twitter – Click Here

News Articles posted over the past 30 days

To read any of these articles – Click here for links

·         Alberta promises action on shoddy building practices

·         Canada's housing boom is finally ending

·         Taxation confusion hurting sales: Realtors

·         Plug-In Solar Appliance Brings Cheap Solar Power to Homes

·         Points to Ponder for Pragmatic Kitchen Renovations

·         'Virtual staging' raises questions of truth in real-estate advertising

·         Alberta fears hike in home prices

·         Be careful of home repair scams  in Alberta

·         Real Estate Agents: Increase Profits and Grow Your Business With Home Staging

·         Tarion New Home Warranty - Do I need an inspection?

·         Eco Renovations in Canada

·         Home Renovations – Helping to Sell your Home

·         Averra Properties announces Built Green project in BC

·         How To Select The Right Real Estate Agent For You

·         LEED-ing the way in sustainable housing

·         Bee brouhaha pits city against homeowner

·         Alberta: Building code upgrade urged

·         Chinese Real Estate The Mother Of All Bubbles

·         Real estate bargains in depressed U.S., but think carefully before you buy

·         Leaky, older home on the verge of becoming energy-efficient

·         With changes, house can be a home for life

·         Calgary ripe for real estate fraud

·         The 3 Things Every Parent & Homeowner Must Know About Severe Weather

·         Beware of the Renovation 'nightmare marathon'

·         Renovations takes time, talent and tools

·         Bath and Shower Renovations

·         Low U.S. home prices, high loonie make it a good time to be a snowbird

·         Tips to Save on Homeowner’s Insurance

·         Honey, I Shrunk the Mortgage!

·         Essential Mowing Equipment for the Homeowner

·         Save Big Bucks on Your Mortgage

·         Getting a Mortgage: Is 20 the New 30?

·         BC man's death sparks debate over fire evacuations

·         Bold home is one with the landscape

·         7 Mistakes Every Real Estate Investor Makes and How You Can Avoid Them

·         Some Plumbing Techniques For The Thrifty Home Owner

·         US Study: Home sellers are unhappy with real-estate firms

·         Homeowner taking bridge too far, Entrelacs residents say

·         Reverse mortgages aren't catching on

·         Budget renovations for any home

·         Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early or Invest?

·         8 Steps to Paying Off Your Mortgage Early

·         No Straightjacket Required: How to Stay Sane During Home Renovations

·         Five Things to Consider When Looking For a Good Plumber

·         Book Review: Online Marketing Techniques for Real Estate Agents and Brokers

·         Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Regulations in Ontario

·         New Home Construction – Questions to ask

·         Bunk Beds - Safety Checklist When Shopping

·         100 Best Twitter Feeds for Homeowner DIY Ideas

·         How a New Baby Could Hurt Your Mortgage Approval

·         Selecting a Real Estate Investing Guide

·         Alberta Tories under fire for delay raising building practices

·         Alberta home buyers must be diligent

·         Calgary - Renovation Capital of Canada

To read any of these articles – Click here for links

Resources Centre

We offer our home owner visitors a comprehensive list of resource links – Click Here to access

Events Calendar

Want to find an upcoming event that pertains to home ownership in your local area? Click Here

Final Comments

We encourage your feedback and suggestions to help make our websites even more user friendly for both our homeowner visitors as well as the businesses that advertise on our website and in our directories. You can contact us anytime by clicking here.

Thank you for being part of our success. We look forward to your next visit in the very near future.

Kind Regards,

Arnie Gess

President

Alberta promises action on shoddy building practices

Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau says he will bring recommendations to caucus this fall to protect homeowners from poor building practices, and could introduce legislation next spring.

The rules could include new homeowner warranties, Goudreau said.

"It's one of the tools we're looking at, but the new home warranty program by itself won't, in my opinion, magically solve housing construction problems."

Goudreau has been under fire this week for not acting on a 2008 government report that said some houses and condos were not being built to provincial standards. It suggested immediate action is needed to shield buyers from poor building practices.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/8YBkPM

Canada's housing boom is finally ending

Taxation confusion hurting sales: Realtors

Plug-In Solar Appliance Brings Cheap Solar Power to Homes

Whereas most solar power systems require a contractor to install the module and an electrician to connect it to the electric panel through an inverter (to convert the DC power generated to AC power), Clarian says a handy homeowner can install the Sunfish themselves in about an hour.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/9VTezE

Points to Ponder for Pragmatic Kitchen Renovations

A kitchen that does not suit your work style can become a very frustrating and irritating experience. The unsuitable positioning of the sinks, cabinets, drawers, windows, doors, gas pipe and other articles can compel you to effect changes. The old plastered walls and ceiling, the water leakages, the dirty, old and broken tiles and the condition of paint are some of the conditions which may warrant renovations to be effected. Do not go all guns blazing at the kitchen renovations project without first asking yourself and pondering over these questions:

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/cacndT

'Virtual staging' raises questions of truth in real-estate advertising

A person looking for a house searches the Web and finds one that looks appealing, taps into the photos section of the listing to see the interior shots, and sees a place that is outstanding for the asking price.

The shocking discrepancy occurred because of a relatively new and increasingly controversial practice known as "virtual staging."

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/9xuebX

Alberta fears hike in home prices

Be careful of home repair scams in Alberta

Southern Alberta homeowners are being warned to be careful when hiring contractors to repair their flooded or storm-damaged homes this summer.

"Unfortunately, natural disasters present an opportunity for con artists looking to take advantage of people who have already been through more than enough," said minister of Service Alberta, Heather Klimchuk, in a press release.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/dhRv9J

Real Estate Agents: Increase Profits and Grow Your Business With Home Staging

• wasting your advertising budget marketing listings that don’t show well
• asking disgruntled home owners to take price cuts
• losing listings because they expired
• finding the excitement to sell vacant property that looks drab and boring
• struggling to describe to potential buyers how to use unique layouts
• knowing a listing doesn’t have the right feel without being able to put your finger on what it needs
• photographing homes that are not properly prepared
• spending too much precious time and energy helping homeowners get their homes ready to show?

Do you worry that commenting on your client’s decor or maintenance could cost you a listing? Let a home stager deliver the bad news. Often home owners seem to act on advice more readily when it comes from an independent third party such as a home staging expert. Stagers can often convince homeowners to make changes by explaining the reason they are necessary from buyers’ viewpoint. Let the stager be your ally in getting your home owners to remove pets, change dated decor or deal with bad odours. Certified Canadian Staging Professional(TM) stagers are trained to handle these, and many other sticky issues with tact.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/aY7KtL

Eco Renovations in Canada

If you're looking to cut back on heating and electricity prices there are a number of ways you can do it.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/aIzIo4

Home Renovations – Helping to Sell your Home

While many excellent articles exist detailing cost-versus-value of home renovations, the truth of the matter is… your home is only as valuable as the neighborhood it sits in. Period. Let me give an example. You buy a home for $200,000 in a neighborhood of $200,000 homes and dump $50,000 in a sun room, renovating the kitchen and bath, hardwood floors, and what do you have? If you’re lucky, a $220,000 home. If you’re lucky. Because the bottom line is, people who’re buying a $250,000 home don’t want to live in a $200,000 neighborhood. They want to live in a $300,000 neighborhood.

More importantly, if you did list it at $250k and happen to sell it to someone unfamiliar with the area, that buyer’s appraiser is going to backpedal their way right out of the deal. Because appraisers run their comps from the homes that sold in that same neighborhood. And while they may “ooh” and “aah” as they appraise your home, that won’t change the facts. Even though most of us buy a home based on emotion, lenders don’t loan money on the warm and fuzzy feeling they get when they see your home.

Think of the worst area in your city. Now think of the best. Take two identical homes; place one home in one area and the other home in the other. See what I mean? What you have is the same home, but two different values. The neighborhood sets the value. The exception to this rule, at least in terms of price flexibility, is the home that does not sit in a subdivision.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/aDbxuC

How To Select The Right Real Estate Agent For You

No matter whether you are looking to buy your first home or are an experienced property purchaser, it would be strongly advisable to find a real estate broker who can deal with the ins and outs of the property market for you. They bring a ton of experience with them and in the long run will save you financially and emotionally.

The property market is a complex and intricate one and if you make a poor decision or miss something then you will really pay for it. That is why it makes sense to get someone who does this everyday to help you.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/btmDJB

Alberta: Building code upgrade urged

When Good Real Estate Renovations Go Bad

It is common sense to suppose that if you fix up your place, possibly add a little bit more counter space within the kitchen or maybe one other bathroom, you'll be capable to sell your home for more than you purchased it for. And most often, you can be right. But in a recent study finished by Remodelling Magazine, there are some renovations that may truly cost you money and hurt the worth of your house.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/aJEe4m

Chinese Real Estate The Mother Of All Bubbles

In the latest issue of The Casey Report Bud Conrad does a fantastic job analyzing the truth about Asia. Japan is a ticking demographic time bomb. The Chinese government has created the mother of all bubbles and when it pops, it will be felt around the world. The China miracle is not really a miracle. It is a debt financed bubble. Sound familiar?

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/d3KczM

Real estate bargains in depressed U.S., but think carefully before you buy

Prices in most U.S. regions have steadied after falling for three years, but a high number of foreclosures persist, lowering prices, especially in Florida and Nevada, said Bank of Montreal mortgage specialist Laura Parsons.

"This is the time to buy if you're going to," she said.

"I think you've got to look at this as a long-term investment because you're getting such a deal, you're going to have to hang on to it for a while."

She says a buyer will have to ride out any further downturns before the market picks up again.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/9dP9K2

Leaky, older home on the verge of becoming energy-efficient

A disreputable septuagenarian in Ottawa is about to become a model citizen.

Scott and Jenny Demark bought a rundown, environmentally heedless house in a desirable neighbourhood. Built in the 1920s and leaky as a BP oil well, it scored an abysmal 39 on the EnerGuide scale during a recent energy audit. That's the equivalent of having a 3-1/4-square-foot hole in the wall.

Promising to make this nothing less than one of the most energy-efficient retrofits of a single-family home in Canada, Demark plans to push that EnerGuide rating to a perfect 100, cut energy consumption by 90 per cent and install a hulking 10,000-litre cistern in the basement to capture rainwater for use in toilets and to irrigate the garden.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/ax0eyc

With changes, house can be a home for life

A recent article in the Ontario Home Builders' industry magazine offered great information for all homeowners. No matter what your age, aging-in-place concepts are worth considering.

The concept of fitting your home to all stages of life is gaining momentum among architects, builders and homebuyers as more baby boomers say no to the prospect of growing old in an institution. The concept advocates ways to adapt or build living spaces so they offer safety, comfort and independence to people as they age.

To read this article, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/aEQfzi