Thinking of selling your house or condo?  Attractive curb appeal is very important, since it is the first impression which home buyers receive when looking at your house.  Here is a short quick tip video which will help home sellers in improving the curb appear of their homes.

Downtown Winnipeg has a lot to offer now. Nightlife, entertainment, sports, museums and restaurants. Here are some of the top reasons to buy a condo in the Winnipeg downtown area.

 

 

 

So if you are in the market for a condo in Winnipeg, call me anytime.... cell 204-333-2202

My clients receive a bi-monthly copy of Home By Design Magazine.  This colourful publication is filled with home design, landscaping ideas, recipes and travel destination reviews.  Here is this week's article from the April-May issue.

 

Home By Design weekly article

 

If you are looking to buy a house in Winnipeg, or perhaps buy a condo in Winnipeg, please dont hesitate to

contact me by e-mail or call me on my cell at 204-333-2202.

Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg provides many opportunities for good times.  Lunches on patios, dinners in casual restaurants, open air concerts and much more to enjoy on Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg.

Are you thinking of buying a condo?  Condominiums offer a unique lifestyle and have several advantages over buying a house, but also have limitations.  Here are some things you should consider before buying a condo.

As a real estate agent, I meet lots of great (and some not-so-great) professionals in many industries and services.  I know some of the best people in the mortgage industry, legal, moving, heating and a/c, landscaping, life insurance and many others.  Draw on my experience and call me for referrals to these professionals.

The Forks in Winnipeg is a historic meeting place where 3 rivers meet.  Now a tourist attraction The Forks has a lot to offer, restaurants and shops.

If you are selling your house or condo in Winnipeg, or in ANY real estate market, Home Staging should be seriously considered.  Buyers of your home generally only spend a few minutes to make up their minds, so home staging helps leave a great first impression.

Hi everyone:

[caption id="attachment_1191" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Photo by ryemang's photostream on Flickr"][/caption]

I've written about the subject of selling privately on the MLS®, which at this point in time is not an option. In fact, to my knowledge, it is never going to be an option, as this would simply reduce the M.L.S. ®' effectiveness to that of just another private sales website.

So what then are a Winnipeg home sellers options for selling his house or condo:

1) Word of Mouth: Just ask your friends, neighbours and relatives. Perhaps put a poster up at the church, your local grocery store and a few telephone posts. Advantage: Its FREE. Disadvantage: Your market access is very limited, and chances of getting a full price, let along top-dollar offer are very remote.

2) KIJIJI, Craigslist, Local Newspapers: Run some ads on local community sites like those mentioned here. Many of these are even free, although for a few dollars you can 'highlight' your listing. Advantage: Still very low-cost. Disadvantage: Although you are accessing a larger market than with word-of-mouth, your 'reach' is still limited.

3) Private Sales Companies: There are dozens of these, just Google "private sales companies" and you will see lots of choices. Advantage: Larger market reach, internet exposure and better chance of finding A buyer. Disadvantage: More significant cost and no money-back guarantee. If you cant sell your house or condo, you've missed out on being a "NEW LISTING", once you call a real estate agent, because home-buyers will know that you could not sell for x-number of weeks. So these are the options for selling privately.

4) Listing with a REALTOR® on the M.L.S. ®.

Access the entire home-buying market all at once. Disadvantage: Not the cheapest method. There are discount brokers around who will list your home on the M.L.S. ® for less, but like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Advantage: Access to a huge market of buyers, best chance at getting multiple offers and top dollar for your house or condo.

Even if you DO choose to list with a REALTOR®, you have plenty of options. Each REALTOR® has their own marketing plan and price. Click here for a look at my marketing plan.

If you're thinking of selling your house or condo, please call me anytime for a personal market evaluation and one-on-one consultation and discussion of all your options. Bo Kauffmann 333-2202

Hi everyone:

As we do every month, Winnipeg REALTORS® have issued their monthly real estate market update on MLS® statistics regarding the sales and listings of houses and condominiums in Winnipeg for September 2010.

[caption id="attachment_1191" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Photo by ryemang's photostream on Flickr"][/caption]

As always, these statistics cover the sales and listings for the entire south-east area of Manitoba, including Winnipeg, Steinbach, and all towns and rural areas in this vircinity. For a look at my own real estate market update of Winnipeg-only, see this Real Estate Market Update Video.

For the month of August, 2010, Winnipeg REALTORS® report that sales were down 12% when compared to August 2009, and dollar-volume was off 5%. Overall, however, dollar volume for the year was up 11% to this point, when compared to 2009. As well, the numbers of listings entered onto MLS®, at 14,843 so far, was up 15% when compared to the same time in 2009.

As usual, the most active segments of the market were homes in the $150,000 to $199,999 range, and the $200,000 to $249,999 range, which had 22% and 21% of the market, respectively. This is to be expected, as these usually represent the price ranges for 'first time buyers', who are after all the driving force behind the Winnipeg Real Estate Market.

Days on Market, which measured the time it take to sell a home, for residential detached homes was at 30 days, which is equal to August 2009, and 2 days slower than July this year. Of note is the fact that homes in the $150,000 to $200,000 range sold in only 20 days. Condominiums are still an excellent alternative for the first time buyer.

As for condominiums, the most active price ranges were in the $150,000 to $199,999 range, followed by the $100,000 to $149,999 range at 33% and 27% respectively. Average days on market for condos was 34 days, which is 3 days slower than July, but 6 days faster than August 2009.

For a complete look at the press release, click on Press Release 09-09-10 August 2010 MLS Statistics

If you're thinking of buying or selling a house or a condo in Winnipeg, call Bo Kauffmann of Remax Performance Realty for a realistic market evaluation. Call 204-333-2202 today.

Hi everyone:

With approximately 1400 Real Estate agents in Winnipeg, home sellers appear to have a lot of choice when it comes time to sell their house or condo in or around Winnipeg. Some choose to go with an agent they've used before, perhaps even a relative or close personal friend. Some folks shop around for the lowest commission, but selecting a Listing Agent isn't the same as buying a pound of flour: All REALTORS® are NOT the same, and they don't use the same marketing plans. So when it comes time to list your Winnipeg house or condo, compare agents based on what they do for you!

Perhaps the biggest difference between Listing Agents is their Marketing Plans. The average agent is content to placing the home onto the MLS®, perhaps show it on their own website (assuming they HAVE a website) and advertising it in the local Winnipeg Real Estate News. Here is a graphic of what their plan might look like:

Average Agent Marketing Plan

I've always been taught: average efforts bring average results. The average agent sells 17 homes per year in and around Winnipeg, and the average Listing has a success rate of approx. 70% (give or take a point or two).

Now, with 80-85% of buyers starting their search on the internet, I personally feel that no marketing plan is complete without comprehensive Internet Promotions. My listings also go on the MLS®, into the Winnipeg Real Estate News and into my website, but my plan goes well beyond those points. Here's a look

My Marketing Plan for your Winnipeg Home

[caption id="attachment_1140" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Extensive Marketing Plan for your Winnipeg house or condo"][/caption]

I believe that when it comes to marketing your home or condo, 'more is better'. Some of my competitors have said "Achh, you don't need all that stuff, Winnipeg's market is hot and houses sell quickly". Keep in mind that 70% of houses sell...... which means 30% DON'T. By the time a home-seller discovers himself to be in that 30% group, it's usually too late to add "all that stuff"....   Like my dad always said "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

For YOUR market evaluation, call me anytime. Bo 333-2202

Real Estate Market Update report for Winnipeg in September 2010. Stats on listings and sold houses and condos in Winnipeg's hot real estate market

Here we take a look at how many homes are available on the real estate market in Winnipeg, and how many have sold in the past 31 days in Winnipeg. By combining these factors, we get a good idea of where Winnipegs Real Estate Market is heading.

If you're thinking of buying or selling a house or a condo in Winnipeg, please call my anytime. Bo 333-2202

Hi everyone:

I just came across an excellent resource for mortgage rate, interest rate, insurance rate and credit card rate information. Check out the blog at ratesupermarket.ca

This site features input by some very impressive contributors. While NO ONE can predict interest rates with 100% accuracy, being able to draw on the experience of some of the countries top mortgage experts gives ratesupermarket a nice advantage in this effort.

The site blog includes categories such as Mortgage Tips, Housing Market, Real Estate and dozens of others.

This month's Mortgage Rate Outlook predicts that fixed rates are expected to remain the same, 'with downward bias', and variable rates are also expected to remain the same.

This continues to be an excellent time to purchase a house or condo in Winnipeg. Inventory levels are up slightly, and due to summer vacations, buyer activity is down a little, meaning that your chances of finding and actually getting a house are increased.

If you're looking to purchase a home (house or condo) in Winnipeg, please call me anytime. Bo 204-333-2202

Hello Everyone:I just wanted to give you a quick look at the real estate market in one of Winnipeg's upscale neighbourhoods:  Lindenwoods and Linden Ridge.Currently, there are only 12 homes for sale in this prestigious area, ranging in price from $359,900 to $874,900.  in the past 31 days, 10 homes have sold here, ranging from $365,500 to $820,000 in price.Looking back to the month of June 2010, there were 18 homes sold in Lindenwoods-Linden Ridge, ranging from $319,900 to $625,000.  Of those, 6 sold ABOVE list, 6 sold BELOW list and 6 sold AT LIST price.During the month of July 2010, we saw 21 homes sold, ranging from $320,000 to $820,000 in price.  Of those, 16 sold BELOW list price while 5 sold ABOVE list price, although in most cases, the difference was small.As expected, during the July (and probably for August as well), bidding wars do slow down.  Savvy real estate agents take this into account when setting the list price of the home, as they can no longer count on 'multiple offers', and are well advised to set a more realistic asking-price for the home.If you are looking to buy a home or condo in Winnipeg, please call me for a copy of my Home-Buying Guide, explaining the process of finding, offering on, and getting a home in Winnipeg.If you are thinking of SELLING your Winnipeg home or condo, call me for a straight forward, realistic market evaluation and a look at my Customized Marketing Plan for your home.Bo  333-2202

Hi everyone:

With approximately 1400 Real Estate agents in Winnipeg, home sellers appear to have a lot of choice when it comes time to sell their house or condo in or around Winnipeg. Some choose to go with an agent they've used before, perhaps even a relative or close personal friend. Some folks shop around for the lowest commission, but selecting a Listing Agent isn't the same as buying a pound of flour: All REALTORS® are NOT the same, and they don't use the same marketing plans. So when it comes time to list your Winnipeg house or condo, compare agents based on what they do for you!

Perhaps the biggest difference between Listing Agents is their Marketing Plans. The average agent is content to placing the home onto the MLS®, perhaps show it on their own website (assuming they HAVE a website) and advertising it in the local Winnipeg Real Estate News. Here is a graphic of what their plan might look like:

Average Agent Marketing Plan

I've always been taught: average efforts bring average results. The average agent sells 17 homes per year in and around Winnipeg, and the average Listing has a success rate of approx. 70% (give or take a point or two).

Now, with 80-85% of buyers starting their search on the internet, I personally feel that no marketing plan is complete without comprehensive Internet Promotions. My listings also go on the MLS®, into the Winnipeg Real Estate News and into my website, but my plan goes well beyond those points. Here's a look

My Marketing Plan for your Winnipeg Home

[caption id="attachment_1140" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Extensive Marketing Plan for your Winnipeg house or condo"][/caption]

I believe that when it comes to marketing your home or condo, 'more is better'. Some of my competitors have said "Achh, you don't need all that stuff, Winnipeg's market is hot and houses sell quickly". Keep in mind that 70% of houses sell...... which means 30% DON'T. By the time a home-seller discovers himself to be in that 30% group, it's usually too late to add "all that stuff"....   Like my dad always said "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

For YOUR market evaluation, call me anytime. Bo 333-2202