The Harris Team Weekly Real Estate Update July 15, 2006

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The Harris Team – Weekly Real Estate Update July 15, 2006
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Part of my job is to make sure you’re comfortable writing an offer. The only way to accomplish that is by you becoming an educated consumer. One way to improve your knowledge is to drive around the areas you like and do open houses. Regardless of whether a home is in your price range, it’s always a good idea to view it. The idea is that eventually you’ll be at a point where you can walk in the door and know right away whether the home is over-valued, under priced or just right. Isn’t that my job you may ask? Yes it is, but the fact is that most people will take the advice of their agent only if they agree with the advice, so get out there this weekend and look at some listings!! (that’s the only reason Realtors know property values, we look at lots of property!)

To make it easier, here’s a site with all the open houses in the entire city. Just be sure to call the Harris Team should you find one you like.

We represent the buyer; we work for you...

D'Arcy R. Harris
Listing Coordinator, the Harris Team
Tel: (604) 771 1637
Fax: (604) 488 0885
Sutton Group - Westcoast Realty
darcy@darcyharris.com
www.VancouverRealEstateInfo.ca

P.S: If you’re thinking of selling you can sign up for a comparative analysis of your homes value, with absolutely no obligation!

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Success Stories
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Congratulations to T. who bought an apartment in North Van for his daughter. Negotiations were tough and drawn out (one of the pluses for buyers in this market is you can actually take a breath every once in a while!) but eventually they all came together. Contact Buyer Specialist Grady Harris to get you on the road to home ownership.

Also, a quick congrats to the fast-moving and effervescent C., who told me she wanted to wait 9 months before buying but couldn’t resist writing an offer on a small 2 bedroom apartment only 2 blocks to the beach in Kits. With a long closing date, this fits the bill for her schedule without having to look at property for 9 months (phew!) Decisiveness is a virtue in this business!

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From the News:
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Real estate agent to pay in leaky condo case Vancouver --
A real estate agent who promised not to sell her client a leaky condo now has to pay the woman almost $20,000 for doing just that. Former Vancouver-Kingsway MP Simma Holt purchased a condo in Port Moody after assurances from her agent, Ada Van Leeuwen, that she wouldn't sell her a leaky condo. Ms. Holt went on a holiday after the purchase and returned to a water damage bill of almost $15,000. Read More (good for her!) Condos sell like crazy Edmonton --
Statistics show Vancouver is at the top of the heap where residential real estate goes for 214% of the Edmonton price. Fort McMurray is second at 191%, Toronto at 154%, Calgary at 148%, Durham region at 112%, Ottawa at 109%, Hamilton at 108% and Kitchener-Waterloo at 105% of Edmonton prices. Read More

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Latest Stats: Who’s buying where?
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Bright spots in Greater Vancouver in June 2006 compared to June 2005:

APARTMENTS:
North Vancouver up 23.1% ................................(117 units sold, up from 95)
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows up 131.5% ...............(44 units sold, up from 19)

ATTACHED:
Port Moody/Belcarra up 48.3% ............................(43 units sold, up from 29)
Richmond up 23.9% ............................................(202 units sold, up from 163)
Squamish up 73.3% .............................................(26 units sold, up from 15)


DETACHED:
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows up 4.1%......................(201 units sold, up from 193)
Squamish up 36.4% ...............................................(30 units sold, up from 22)
West Vancouver/Howe Sound up 12.3%............... (73 units sold, up from 65)

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Weekly Real Estate Listings
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These are all the current listing out right now; in fact, some of them are so new they’re not even posted on Realtylink ors MLS.ca. Want to get them before they’re even in the newsletter? Sign up for the VIP Buyers Program. If they don’t load, cut and paste the links into your browser. If you want more information about the listings, email me with the MLS number and I’ll send you more info.

Vancouver Lofts:
http://mlslink.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1498245815&s=BRC&t=BRC

Investment and Revenue Properties:
http://mlslink.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1195657735&s=BRC&t=BRC

Vancouver House Foreclosures:
http://mlslink.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1017411226&s=BRC&t=BRC

Vancouver Apartment Foreclosures:
http://mlslink.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1897801804&s=BRC&t=BRC

Are you calling the listing agent directly? You should be working with a Buyer Specialist; we’ll do all the work and won’t charge you a nickel. Simply reply to this email and we’ll contact you within 24 hours!

I could also have them emailed to you ASAP rather than weekly, sign up for the VIP Buyers Program to learn more about our personalized services.

And please remember, I supply this information to you free of charge and without obligation with the hope that when you do decide to buy or sell your home, you’ll call me to help make it a reality.

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Insider Secrets Revealed:
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Is there anything specific you’d like to see in the newsletter? Let me know by replying to this email!

Each month, I publish a series of articles of interest to homeowners – money saving tips, household safety checklists, home improvement advice, real estate insider secrets, and much more that DOESN’T fit in this newsletter: Click Here.

Would you like to have access to all the new listings that match your home buying criteria, including area, price range and style of home, emailed to you directly? Tired of leafing through hundreds of listings to find what you’re looking for? This is a free service and will allow you to view only the homes that you're interested in seeing. Become a Vancouver Real Estate VIP Buyer and beat other buyers to all the hot new listings.

Wondering what your home is worth? Probably more than you think! Find out with an Over the Phone Market Evaluation.

I’ve put up all the past newsletters on a blog! So if your dog eats your email, you can always check it out by Clicking Here.

If you are receiving this newsletter from someone else and would like to sign up to receive it directly, please Click Here.

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Community Corner: Gallery YOYO
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Gallery YOYO will be showing two extraordinary emerging artists over the summer period. It will be opening the YOYO summer season on July 20 with the oil paintings of emerging artist David Hucal. David’s work is both chilling and complex. He is interested in the void between the individual and the psychological space they inhabit. His tense mysterious and dream like forms reveal and subtly and suggest an altered reality. The implicit narrative is constructed from snippets leaving the viewer to puzzle out the relationship between what is hidden and what is shown. For more information: http://www.galleryyoyo.ca The Weekly Real Estate Update goes out to over 2500 people a week, and would be a great place to get some attention for your community event. So feel free to email me and I’ll put it here free of charge. Just another way of thanking you for your business…

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Contact Info:
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If we do all this for free, think how I'll be when we’re working together!

I invite you to forward this newsletter on to your friends and family.

If you are receiving this newsletter from someone else and would like to sign up to receive it directly, please Click Here.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome, thanks for reading!

D'Arcy R. Harris
Listing Coordinator, the Harris Team
Tel: (604) 771 1637
Fax: (604) 488 0885
Sutton Group - Westcoast Realty
www.VancouverRealEstateInfo.ca
www.RealEstateAreaExperts.com

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