The 2-in-1 home

7849 Fraser Street, Vancouver

List Price: $739,000 Floor Area: 1745 Unit: 6 bed, 3 bath Taxes: $3,500 MLS: V986596

Ever consider purchasing a home with a mortgage helper that pays half the bill?  This is the place to do just that.  The duplex has 6 bedrooms with the option of having the lower suite as a 2 or 3-bedroom unit.  It has private access to the back yard and one garage parking stall.  More than one car? No problem, there is plenty of street parking available for residents and guests.

Built in 2005 and renovated in 2009, some additional improvements could be made to increase the value.   Adding a separate entrance walkway and making minor improvements to the lower suite are a couple of examples.

Currently listed at below assessed value, a buyer would be sure to find value in the property.   Enjoy as a 2-story home or two separate condos, with yard access.

PROS

1. Option to have a 2 or 3 bedroom mortgage helper.
2. Newer building
3. Access to major road ways (Fraser, SE Marine Dr, Knight, Cambie, Main)
4. Rooms decent in size
5. Lots of street parking
6. Private access to the backyard
7. Access to a garage

CONS

1. Lots of stairs
2. Some work still to be done to elevate the overall aesthetics
3. Higher property taxes
4. Although close to many parks and shopping areas, the area is not as desirable as other family communities in Vancouver

MORTGAGE DETAILS

Based on 2.99%; List Price: $739,000

High Ratio Loan (less than 20% down payment); 25-year amortization Down Payment (5%): $36,950.00 CMCH fees: $19,306.38 Total loan: $721,356.38 Amortization: 25 years Payment: $3,410.09 Approximate income required: $142,500

Conventional Loan (20% or more down payment); 30-year amortization Down Payment: (20%) $147,800.00 Total Loan: $591,200.00 Amortization: 30 years Monthly payment: $2,483.46 Approximate income required: $108,000

From my home to yours - Irene

Linda Lait

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BUSINESS BASICS

Started as a Realtor in: 1981 when the interest rates were at 22.25%!

Specialization: Richmond

One-piece of advice for your clients: Look closely at what your monthly costs will be, including all transactions you know so you’ll understand what to expect at the end.

Why MacDonald Realty Westmar? Linda has been with MacDonald Realty for the past 21 years and appreciates that each MacDonald office is individually owned with 19 offices in the lower mainland and BC. They provide great support and a good working atmosphere along with full-service options including property management.

“Linda has been very warm and friendly right from the beginning when we met. She took us through the buying process and gave us useful tips along the way (meeting with the bank, notary public, etc). After the transaction, she continued to stay in touch with us. There was one incident when we had some issue to deal with BC Hydro and we ran in to the problem of potentially getting a power cut-off, but she covered for us and helped us resolve the issue smoothly.” -Victor He, Client

Q & A

1. What differentiates you from the 11,000 licensed real estate agents in the Greater Vancouver area?

1. I listen carefully
2. I find my clients what they are looking for and what’s going to be comfortable for them – and their need for the future.
3. I prepare my clients for the buying and selling process, aiding in making the transaction a smooth one.

2. Who has been your most interesting client? In early 2011 (during the hot market period) my client had a place to list in the desirable Sunnymede community found in Richmond, near No. 3 and Blundell. We knew it would be a very active listing. It was. We had 10 different offers. Realtors had to prepare proposals and present them one after another. We ended up selecting an offer $300,000 over asking with no subjects. A successful experience; we achieved the highest price in the subdivision.

3. What was your favorite success story? Four years ago a young women contacted me to help find her a home. She mentioned that I had helped her family purchase a townhouse over 20 years ago. I recalled the home and family and could visually remember 3 young girls. I asked which one she was and she said the middle one. She was now 25 and wanted to buy and she called me; a wonderful reminder that my clients have good experiences with me.

4. What inspired you to be a Realtor? In 1980 I attended a session on investing in Real Estate put on by two realtors and found it to be fascinating

“We have been co workers for well over 20 years. Having known her for such a long period of time……….. Linda has proven to be trustworthy, hard working and reliable. She has a warm personality and easy to talk to. I can honestly say, it has been a pleasure to have known Linda and you will too!” -Alice Lai How, Realtor

PERSONAL SNAP SHOT

About: Linda is married and has two grown children. She was born in England and came to Canada as a small child. She has lived in Richmond for the past 34 years

If she wasn’t a Realtor…Linda could see herself as a social director on a cruise ship.

Likes (If you had more time, what would you do more of): Crafts, mainly working with wood carving, painting, and pottery. Travel and volunteering are also important to her.

Loves (can’t live without): Family and friends.

THE EXTRAS

Linda spends most of her time thinking and doing “Real Estate” related business, which includes the moments she spends in her car with and without clients. She puts herself in her client’s shoes so she can feel and understand their perspective and type of stressors that impact them. By taking this approach, her listening skills and patience are keys to the success of navigating clients to the home that they truly want, yet still fits all of their needs.

Linda believes that clients are looking for someone they can trust, has their best interest in mind (no other agenda) and provides good honest advice. With the amount of repeat business she has, she feels she accomplishes this and that people like her style of business.

Though there are challenges to the job, the hardest being the constant change of market conditions, for example: in a hot market, buyers not having time to decide and in a slow market informing sellers that their home is not at the value they expect, Linda still loves the experience she gets when people are happy with their purchase or sale and that she helped them get to that point.

“It’s wonderful working with and meeting such nice people. You can be out at the mall and run into them and it’s like bumping into old friends – a fortunate effect of the industry!”

Contact Linda

Feels like Home

The Emerald 102, 833 W 16th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

List Price: $497,000 Floor Area: 875 Unit: 2 bed, 2 bath Maintenance Fee: $395.69 Taxes: $1,527 MLS: V983499

This condo has the feeling of home from the moment you step in. The renovations give it a warm and inviting feel with a professional, clean finish. The master bedroom has a fabulous full wall closet with built-in storage compartments. The kitchen and bathrooms are the stars of the renovations, but the unit’s wrap around 728 sqft exterior patio is a “wow” factor. This ground level home is completely fenced in, making its patio the perfect spot for beautiful summer days on the coast. Includes: in-suite laundry, 2 parking stalls and extra storage.

A beautiful location with access to major routes along Cambie, Oak Street and Broadway. It’s a place that could be enjoyed by the young and young at heart.

PROS

1. Nice renovations
2. Very large patio
3. Well maintained building with rain screening, new roof and other upgrades
4. Pet-friendly
5. Rentals allowed
6. Two parking stalls
7. Nice neighbourhood
8. Additional storage
9. In-suite laundry
10. Open floor plan

CONS

1. High maintenance fees
2. Small closet in the second bedroom
3. One parking stall is a rental until the end of 2013
4. Not a large 2 bedroom unit

MORTGAGE DETAILS

Based on 3.04%; List Price: $497,000

High Ratio Loan (less than 20% down payment); 25-year amortization Down Payment (5%): $24,850 CMCH fees: $12,984.12 Total loan: $485,134.12 Amortization: 25 years Payment: $2,305.84 Approximate income required: $110,000

Conventional Loan (20% or more down payment); 30-year amortization Down Payment: (20%) $99,400 Total Loan: $397,600 Amortization: 30 years Monthly payment: $1680.79 Approximate income required: $86,000

From my home to yours - Irene

Momentum set for 2013

Alberta has lead housing sales in Canada for 2012, and Calgary is projected to be the hottest investment city for the next three years as per the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) research.

However, housing prices fell in 10 out of 11 major markets for the first time since 2009, which speaks to Toronto’s condo market, having seen a 16% dip in sales and a 38% decline for the sales of detached, semi-detached and townhouses from 2011. Sales have fallen drastically for Vancouver dropping 29%, but sellers are holding close to their price or electing to take the property off the market.

The new mortgage rules implemented in the summer are having an impact on the First-time home buyers who are being pressured out of all markets across Canada. However, if prices start to dip, we might see First Time Home Buyers gain momentum while interest rates remain low. Rates are expected to stay low throughout 2013 with only marginal increases nearing the later part of the year.

Canada’s exports are not faring well, and our Q3 growth numbers were disappointing, but we are expected to rebound with 2013 forecasts of 2.3% and 2% growth by The Bank of Canada and the Finance Department respectively.

While there is still uncertainty with local market conditions and challenges facing many of our global partners, 2013 is projected to heed positive results. A necessary housing price adjustment, low interest rates, increase in growth and exports, and stable employment should keep Canada’s economy moving forward while reorganization is endured globally.

iVanity Card #3: Politics – is there room for MILFs?

I have always had an interest in politics, but over the years I have found myself further and further removed from the leaders, platforms, and political party agendas. Family, career, friends, and other life balances tend to take precedence. The other day, I came across a CTV tweet: Opinion: Christy Clark still faces that double standard, an article by David Obee, a columnist from the Victoria times.

The article gives what I believe to be a level headed view of a controversial question asked of our Premier Clark on December 19 while being interviewed by a Courtney Radio station.

98.9 JetFM host Drex asked, “On behalf of a listener, what it is like to be a MILF?”

“You know, I take that as a compliment … you know, it’s one of those things,” Clark said. “Better a MILF than a cougar … so tell him I said thank-you.”

The article interested me enough to learn more about the instance. I googled “Christy Clark MILF” and found most other columnist and bloggers were not as forgiving as Obee, and were outright disgraced with Clark’s off-the-cuff remark that “mocks” all women. Others even harshly attacked David’s article for being clearly a Liberal suck up.

Although I feel that this issue has been largely overblown, I can see the pros and cons of the situation.

PROS For Clark	CONS For Clark
It was an inappropriate question for the DJ to ask in the first place and she answered the question quickly and with whit to move on to the next topic.	Clark had an opportunity to make a stance on women’s rights and chose a more conversational approach. Even though the answer was playing along with the station, it was not a politically intelligent response.
It was a compliment, why wouldn’t you want to be a MILF; far beats being told you’re a dried up old hag. After having kids and working in politics for years, feeling attractive can really help to spice things up a bit!  I don’t see how MILF is equal to slut or whore (as  stated by bloggers)…it came from American Pie for crying out loud.  Just because someone would like to be with you, doesn’t mean you’ll let it happen.	A MILF or not, the question should never have been asked to a political leader, regardless of the radio station and its listening audience’s demographic. A compliment or not, it has an air of disrespect when asked to a leader in a public forum.
The attention brought awareness to Clark’s BC tour.	The attention also brought comparisons to Clark’s previous incident with Richard Branson and his nude kite-surfing invitation.
She has a sense of humor, dresses a little more risky and speaks before she thinks.	It would seem the public is asking for dry personalities, fully covered bodies and completely scripted conversations at every waking moment…Ah that’s why we have so many fantastic, interesting and likeable politicians!
The interview has been removed from the internet out of respect of the Premier and her family.	What else was discussed?  Why can’t the public hear it if it was already distributed.  What about all the blogs…it’s being reported anyways.  I would love to know how she handled all the other questions from that particular interview; you would hope that could work in her favor?
The question was asked in an environment of fun and whit – a rock radio station.  Some times the public needs to let the guard down and let fun and games be fun and games.	Obviously some people will always take her comments more seriously and literally than others.
She showed her street smarts by understanding “MILF” and responding with another common reference; “cougar.”	Not the time to prove what you know and joke about it.  As Premier, her audience will often extend beyond its initial one.

Ultimately, I think the question was asked in fun and Clark answered in fun. She took the question in stride and showed her lighter side. I understand if others disagree and see this as a serious political and feminist faux pas, but you know what – it really didn’t matter what Clark said, she would have been blasted even if she disregarded the questioned or said that it was inappropriate. Clark would have been picked apart by those who either think she’s an extreme feminist or not able to understand good fun. Quite honestly, how could the Richard Branson “nude kite-surfing invitation” even be comparable to this MILF comment. The only thing common to me is that both were instigated by male counterparts that obviously have a “thing” for Premier Clark.