I'm a Broker!

I've wanted to earn my Broker's designation for years now - after being a real estate salesperson for so long, I felt it was the next logical step in my career.  But, as with many aspirations, life always seemed to get in the way - especially having my two children!  Last year my husband retired from the Canadian Airforce and has been staying home with the kids, allowing me to focus more on my business.  This fall I finally made the decision to do what I've always wanted to do, and I enrolled in the Broker's course, wrote my exam, and funny enough, I passed the thing!  So I'm happy to announce that as of today, I am officially a Registered Real Estate Broker.  I also wanted to say how thankful I am to have the family support that I have - my husband, parents and sisters are such an amazing source of inspiration and strength, I couldn't have done it without them!  :)

Two 4-bedroom Homes for Sale in Newcastle!

Robin and I have listed two spectacular homes for sale in Newcastle Village, Ontario.  Both homes are offered at $369,900 and have 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, eat-in kitchens and are in established pockets. 

We are hosting an open house tomorrow, Oct.27th 2-4pm at 48 Lillian Crescent, come out to see us and check out this great home!

Bowmanville parents organizing fundraiser for their young son - Saturday August 10th 8am to 4pm

I saw a post of Facebook today about a young boy who actually attended the same daycare in Bowmanville that my daughter did last year.  His parents have had a very challenging year, not only with Logan's diagnosis of Autism, but also their youngest child fighting a serious bacterial  infection as a baby.  Being a parent to young children in good health is hard enough, I can't imagine what it's been like for the Syers'.  In order to get Logan the care and help he needs to reach his highest and best potential, the family is organizing a huge community fundraiser next Saturday August 10th at 26 Lawrence Crescent in Bowmanville from 8am to 4pm.  There will be a yard sale, bake sale and 50/50 draw with raffle prizes including a Keg gift certificate and wine basket!  As a parent to young children, and a member of our incredible Clarington community, I'm asking everyone who reads this to pass the info along, and come out to show support for this lovely family next Saturday!

http://www.durhamregion.com/community-story/3910536-bowmanville-parents-organizing-massive-yard-sale-to-help-autistic-son/

 

Open House 5120 RR57 @ Taunton, North Bowmanville

Robin and I are hosting an open house today (Sunday July 28th) at our newest listing, 5120 RR57 in North Bowmanville (a few houses North from Taunton Road) from 2-4pm - come check it out!  This is a truly unique and special property, worth seeing as the pictures, as beautiful as they are, are a drop in the bucket compared to seeing this piece of heaven in person.  Properties like this do not come up often - hurry up before we buy it ourselves!! :)

New North Clarington Bungalow Listing.....Coming Soon $449,900!

Robin and I just listed an INCREDIBLE property in North Clarington...it will be coming on to the market soon...here's a sneak preview...walkout bungalow on a park-like manicured private lot, finished basement with an in-law suite...when this one hits the market it'll go quick, so let us know if you have any questions in advance!

Things to do today in Newcastle....cause it's HOT!

If you're at home wondering what in the heck you can do today in Newcastle, here are some ideas to help cool you off!

- Splash Pad at Walbridge Park (beside Newcastle Public School, on Glass Court)
- Public Swimming at the Newcastle and District Recreation Complex (1780 Rudell Road)
- Get an icecream cone at the parlor in Sears, downtown Newcastle
- Have a drink on the Patio at The Old Newcastle House (downtown Newcastle)
- take a walk along the water at the Port of Newcastle Marina & Beach Area

Enjoy the heat - we'll be freezing again before we know it! :)

Get a mortgage preapproval!

I'm prompted to write this entry because of a conversation I just had with my sister (not Robin...the other sister LOL).  She is considering making a move and has spoken to "someone at the bank" who told her that she "should be okay" to purchase another property.  THIS IS NOT A PREAPPROVAL! I can't express how many times I've had people tell me they are preapproved for a mortgage, only to find out that their credit hasn't been checked, their debt load and downpayment hasn't been verified, an interest rate hasn't been locked, they've got nothing in writing....and many times, they end up extremely unhappy campers when they fall in love with a home only to find out they are not qualified for the purchase.  Please don't do this to yourself!  The first step in purchasing a home is finding a good Realtor to work with (I suggest the Solowka Sisters!) and the second step is getting a solid purchase preapproval in writing from a mortgage broker whom your Realtor can verify is a solid professional who will be able to process your approval in a timely manner with little to no added stress for you.  Believe me, when you are in the 11th hour of a 5 day conditional period for financing and you  can't reach the person responsible for telling you that you're approved, or your application gets denied because somebody didn't do their preapproval job properly and you can't waive your condition and you lose the deal....nauseating, in a word.  A typical conditional period for financing is 5 business days - a good broker can get this job done for you in 1-2 business days.  So please - if you call me and I'm harping on about "getting preapproved" whether you are my sister or not - it's for your own good!  I'm not trying to be difficult, mean, bossy, controlling....I'm trying to save you aggravation, disappointment and alot of wasted time.  Like a parent would say "one day you'll thank me!".  Happy house hunting! :)

New Listing! One Buxton Lane, Bowmanville, Ontario

Robin and I have a gorgeous new Exclusive listing in Bowmanville - it's a custom finished 4 bedroom two-storey home and it absolutely sparkles.  The first time I walked into this home I was in awe - the lighting in the kitchen looks like raindrops - come on people - that's pretty cool!  Amazing finishes everywhere you look, custom artful fixtures, fully finished basement - this place is truly a showhome.  We'll be hosting an open house in the near future (we'll post it on the websites and twitter/blog, etc.) and if you'd like to book a private showing, feel free to contact us. We are having our photographer out to the house tomorrow to take proper photos (which this home definitely deserves!) but in the meantime, below are a few shots that we took ourselves.  This neighbourhood also has two incredible elementary schools (one Catholic, one Public), both of which have great daycare centres within them, and it is just up the street from the proposed new GO station coming to Bowmanville.  If you're like many buyers on the market who are frustrated by a lack of inventory on MLS, this might just be the hidden gem you've been waiting for!

 http://www.OneBuxtonLane.com

Newcastle Homes For Sale....Wanted!

Attention Homeowners in Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono and Bowmanville - if you have a 3-bedroom bungalow or split level and are considering selling, I'd LOVE to hear from you!  I have a lovely set of clients who have been looking for a new home to call their own and we've yet to find them a perfect match.  They're highly motivated, ready to make a move, qualified and very serious.  This isn't a ploy or a trick - inventory on the MLS system right now is very low and I've promised them I'd do everything I can to find them their new home so......if you're thinking of selling, give me a call and see if we can make a deal!

Get your Clarington home ready for spring!

Yay!!  NON sub-zero temperatures today!  Blue skies!  Spring is on the way!  Here are some quick and easy tips on getting your home ready for a new season - get crackin':

1. Power wash the exterior of your house
It can be a bit of a rude awakening to take a good look at the exterior of your house after a long, cold, windy, salty winter.  Bust out that power washer and give things a good once over.

2. Try some new colours
Don't get stuck in a colour rut - the world around us is about to be renewed with bursts of green, yellow, purple, pink.....why not take inspiration from mother nature?

3. Switch up the layout
Just because the builder's plans for your house say that the long bowling alley room is supposed to be used as a "living/dining" room doesn't mean that's what you have to do.  Think about how YOU use your home, and how a different layout might better service your individual lifestyle, and give it a try!

4. Clean up
If you still have the ghosts of holidays pasts cluttering up the corners, nooks and crannies of your home, for the love of all things tidy, grab a garbage bag and deal with it.

5. Take down your Christmas decorations!!
I'm sorry to have to say this (because I am currently guilty of this myself) but please guys, take the Christmas lights down.  Nobody likes it.  Nobody thinks it's cute.  Get a grip.

HAPPY SPRING!

Tourism Clarington

Tourism Clarington has a Facebook page!  If you're wondering what to do this week-end around town, check this out, and have fun! 

 

https://www.facebook.com/TourismClarington

 

Where are people looking for Real Estate Online? RE/MAX!

Those of you who have known me over the past decade or so, know that I have worked at a few different real estate brokerages.  All had their benefits at the time, but there was always something about Re/Max that I was drawn to.  Now, to be honest - I was like many consumers in the marketplace, and felt that working for Re/Max was going to be too expensive - that all brokerages were pretty much the same, and that the services I was able to offer my clients were a direct reflection of me - what I had to offer - and the brokerage was just a facilitator.  Kinda true....but kinda naive.  Yes, I'm proud to say that Robin and I offer the absolute best we possibly can to our clients, and that would be the same no matter where we worked, but why not combine that with some turbo power?  Since joining Re/Max last year, I have noticed a HUGE jump in the attention my listings and my websites have received.  I was just looking at the Google Analytics report for my sites and was blown away to see that the pageviews for my main site alone (www.HouseValuesDurham.com) are in excess of 30,000 for 2013 (that's over 30,000 pageviews in less than two months as we're Feb.16th today).  Now, it's true that I have always worked incredibly hard at my sites - I knew early on in my career that a strong online presence was probably going to be a smart thing to create - and this was at a time when a majority of my colleagues didn't think they needed a website at all.  So, nerdy me worked away at my sites (and those of you in the business know that when you first start out, you have a LOT of time on your hands...not the case anymore, so I'm glad I put the work in way back then! LOL) and it paid off.  I thought that was it - I built a name, SEO'd the hell out of it, and that was that.  What I didn't anticipate was how much aligning my own presence with the worldwide branding and recognizition of a company like Re/Max would actually pay off.  I know this sounds a little like a cheesy commercial endorsement for Re/Max, but honest to goodness, it's true.  I LOVE this company.  I love that people see the name Re/Max as synonymous with Real Estate.  I love that when I post my new listings online I know, without a doubt, that they are getting the BEST expsosure possible.  I love that I can tell my clients "You have an awesome hard working Realtor working for you, and an absolutely kickass worldwide network of awesome hard working Realtors working with her!"  And here's the data to back it up - I'm going to attach a realtime screenshot of Google Trends specifically comparing a bunch of the local real estate companies here in Durham - Re/Max, Royal Lepage, Royal Service, Century 21 and Keller Williams - for the past twelve months, in Canada, within the category "real estate" and you can see for yourselves why I think it's pretty nifty to be aligned with Re/Max folks!

Win your downpayment Contest!

The awesome folks at Re/Max are running a "Win Your Downpayment" contest.  It's very easy to enter, and while you're there, check out the video with Mark Weisleder, one of my personal favourite people to learn from - talking about how buyers benefit from using their very own Buyer Agent.

http://www.fittobuy.ca/Contest.asp



10 Low Cost Decorating Ideas

If you're like me, you may experience a little sadness with the taking down of holiday decor and merriment at this time of year (I'm actually a little embarrassed to say that a great majority of my bobbles are still up....dusty...but up...).  That corner in the family room that once glowed with the sparkle of all that's good and lovely about Christmas is now just a sad dark abyss.  Not to worry!!  Here's a link to a great article on HGTV's website entitled "10 Inexpensive Decorating Ideas" because let's get real people - you're probably still paying for all that holiday fluff - you gotta get this done on a budget!  Happy decorating! :) HGTV 10 Inexpensive Decorating Ideas

Buying Local in Newcastle Ontario Rocks

Our sister-in-law got great news this week in the form of a full time position with the Durham Region YMCA - like all events and news in our family, this was to be celebrated, and we decided on a roast beef dinner.  Robin bought a roast from our local butcher shop, Clark Meats, here in Newcastle, and I just have to say how great it was.  Not only because of the fantastic service and fair prices we receive in their shop, but the knowledge that our dinner came from a farm not more than 10 minutes away from our homes made it so much better.  We adore shopping and supporting the local merchants, shop owners, restaurants, business owners of Newcastle Ontario - if you are in the area, we encourage you to explore what our village has to offer - you'll be pleasantly surprised!

YMCA of Greater Toronto

Clark Meats, Newcastle Ontario

Home Buyer's Road Map

The Canadian Real Estate Association has a great publication called the Home Buyer's Road Map - it's a very easy to read and understand explanation of the home buying process, and it has links to some great resources including government grants for first time home buyers.  If you're thinking of buying a home in Clarington, this is a great place to start...and of course, calling the Solowka Sisters next! :) http://crea.ca/sites/default/files/Homebuyers_Road_Map_EN.pdf