KELOWNA REAL ESTATE - FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY REAL ESTATE UPDATE

The weather and the real estate market were both warm for January 2014.

We saw an almost 6% rise in Single family home sales and a decrease of over 11% in new listings. This theme was consistent for 2013 and is expected to continue for 2014 and beyond. 

What does this mean for Kelowna Real Estate? It means we are now seeing a balanced market, and that buyer's confidence has returned. Sellers can now feel confident that their home will sell within their desired timeframe (when priced at the market).

Both Alberta and Vancouver are seeing healthy growth and sales, with many people looking to move to Kelowna and/or to purchase vacation homes.

Sellers:
The buyers who are in the market in February are serious buyers ready to make a quick purchase. Take advantage of these buyers before your yard maintenance starts.

Buyers:
Sellers may be willing to negotiate a better deal now if they have been sitting on the market over winter. Sellers are also looking to make a sale before the major spring yard maintenance jobs start.

If you are thinking of buying or selling in the Okanagan, I would love to work with you to make your move.

Tiffany Munsey
tmunsey@coldwellbanker.ca
www.tiffanymunsey.com
778-214-4843

Skating at Stuart Park - Living in Kelowna

Living in Kelowna has its perks  and if you are thinking of buying a home in Kelowna Stuart Park Ice Rink is one of the many great features you will find. 

With Kelowna Real Estate sales on the rise, this is just one of the reasons why many people choose to make Kelowna their home. 

 The skating rink is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., weather permitting. The camera image will update frequently allowing residents to view rink conditions before heading downtown.The ice rink is expected to remain in place until late February, weather permitting.

Skate Rentals

This year, skate rentals will be available at Stuart Park daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This on-site service makes it more convenient for people who want to skate at the outdoor rink but need to rent skates. For skate rental information, contact 250-215-4458.

Skaters can also enjoy Public Skating at Rutland Arena, Capital News Centre and Memorial Area.


If you are thinking of buying or selling in Kelowna, give me a call today!

TIFFANY MUNSEY
778.214.4843
tmunsey@coldwellbanker.ca
www.tiffanymunsey.com



COLDWELL BANKER HORIZON REALTY
14-1470 Harvey Ave
Kelowna BC V1Y 9K8
250-860-7500

Kelowna Real Estate - December Recap and Looking ahead to January 2014

You may assume that the holiday season would be slow in Kelowna for real estate sales, however it was not the case for December 2013. 

Kelowna real estate sales saw an increase of +45% for single family homes in Kelowna for the month of December and a decrease in listings of -21%. We saw the second highest increase in Kelowna home sales behind September of this year, which was +61% increase.

Listing inventory was also down in December by -17%, which follows the consistent trend for all of 2013. 

The common trend for all of 2013 was an increase in sales and a decrease in listings, leading us into what is now a looking a lot like a balanced market. On an even more positive note, this trend is not restricted to Single Family Homes, we have see the same trend for apartments, townhomes and lots in Kelowna. As supply and demand dictates will gradually switch from a balanced market to a Sellers market, however don’t expect drastic changes in the Kelowna market for 2014, but you will see more and more positive changes ahead. 

If you are a Buyer looking to purchase a home in Kelowna, now is the time to do it! Waiting until spring means that you will have more competition with other buyers and may not be able to negotiate as good of a deal. 

If you are looking to Sell this year, listing now may be a good option for you as the buyers who are currently in the market have been faced with low inventory and are ready to buy with cash in hand. If you wait until spring you may waste more time and money getting your yard looking good and be bombarded with showings from buyers who are just shopping around instead cash in hand and to pull the trigger. 

If you are thinking of buying or selling in Kelowna give me a call today. 

Tiffany Munsey

778-214-4843

tmunsey@coldwellbanker.ca

Halloween "Life Hacks"

Thinking about decorating for Halloween? Here are some easy and fabulous "life hacks" to help take the "trick" out of decorating your house and turn it into a treat.

Forget pupkins, turn milk jugs into laterns with the help of Christmas lights, glow sticks or a head lamp. (Also gives you a jump start on detangling your xmas lights)

Punch blow for the party? Carve out a pumpkin and drop a bowl inside. 

Vampire pumpkins, why not, candy teeth or fangs from the dollar store with pin eyes do the trick.

How do you keep pumpkins looking great....floor cleaner does the trick to preserve them. 

Cute and easy way to decorate pumpkings, knee high stalkings!

Glow in the dark pumpkins and a little masking tape, make for a scary combination.

Make holes with a power drill for a decorative effect.

Coloured glow sticks are a great option for kids and a safe alternative to candles.

Use a pin or nail to trace marks into pumpkins.

Use a mallet and a cookie cutter for fast, sharp and effective shapes or eyes.

Dry erase markets are easier then permeant markers, as mistakes are easy to fix. 

Cut the top and side out of the pumpkin for easy candle installation.

Turn a pumpkin into a Keg. 

Buying and selling your home should not be "spooky  or scary",  if you are thinking of buying or selling, give Tiffany Munsey, for all your Kelowna, BC Real Estate need 778-214-4843. 

Talk to you soon…

Tiffany

Knox Mountain Park: Why We Live here

One of my favourite things to do in Kelowna and very popular with locals and tourists is hiking Knox Mountain. We decided to kick it into high gear and hike the Apex trail which is one of the more challenging trails to take on Knox. If you want to add a swim to the middle of your hike in the hot summer days, be sure to check out Paul's Tomb which leads you down to the lakefront. Enjoy your time in Kelowna and remember this is why we live here and why many people choose to call Kelowna home. 
Here is a YouTube of our snap shot of our adventure. 

Knox Mountain Park is one of the most prominent municipal parks in Kelowna. Centrally located within the city, it forms the largest contiguous park space in Kelowna and features approximately 1365 linear meters of waterfront on Okanagan Lake. 

Knox Mountain Facts:

-282 Hectares
-1365 Linear Miles of waterfront
-The Knox Mountain summit rises 646 m above sea level and approximately 300 m above the level of Okanagan Lake.
- Kathleen Lake is approximately 2 ha (5 acres)
- 16 Trails
- Dogs Allowed on Leash

Park History

1874 Scottish immigrant Arthur Booth Knox acquires cattle range via crown grant. Knox, in turn, sells the land to the Okanagan Fruit and Land Company.
1906 Land subsequently subdivided and resold into smaller parcels.
1910 A family vault is constructed by Rembler Paul on the portion of parkland now known as Paul’s Tomb.
1912 Dr. Benjamin deFurlong Boyce, first doctor of Kelowna, purchases 190.82 acres that encompasses the mountain.
1939 Dr. Boyce donates the land to the City for park for $1.00.
(Kelowna #4179 Museum & Archives)
1958 First Knox Mountain Hill Climb event hosted.
1967 Stanley M. Simpson establishes a trust fund for capital improvements in the park. Improvements include construction of a paved road and the first Pioneer Pavilion.
1989 The City acquires Paul’s Tomb properties.
1990-92 Park expands to include the summit of Knox Mountain with development of the Magic Estates Subdivision.
1999 The park advocacy group known as the Friends of Knox Mountain Park is formed.
2002 The Simpson Trust Fund, in partnership with the City, provides funding to replace the original pavilion, and to construct a washroom building and caretaker’s residence.
2006 Park expands with the City purchase of the lands around the Kathleen Lake area.
2010 Two City-owned parcels east of Grainger Road are dedicated as park by City Council to form Knox Mountain East.

Tiffany Munsey

Kelowna Real Estate Sales

Licensed REALTOR®

778-214-4843

tmunsey@coldwellbanker.ca

www.tiffanymunsey.com

Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty

14-1470 Harvey Ave

Kelowna BC

250-860-7500

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Lets face it, we live in Canada, its cold and winter is long. I have fond winter memories of curling up beside our fireplace at the farmhouse with a hot chocolate and listening to the crackle of the wood burning as the soft amber light dances and flickers. I think we can all relate that it is the best way to waste away lazy winter sundays. In honor of cozy canadian winters and not having a real wood burning fireplace, here are some funky and fun ways to keep warm this winter. 

The Sauna Box is not only is this a great way to use a shipping container, it is just down right cool and looks indestructible! Features include a red cedar interior, integrated iPod stereo, electric guitar hookup, Castor stool, a magnetic truck light, and bronze antlers (bronze antlers, can you tell the manufacturers are Canadian?). I would love one of these for the cabin, I would also love a cabin...It can be yours for just $41,000. 

This is a fun, fashionable and fantastic fireplace is perfect for small spaces and one of the coolest fireplaces I have ever seen! The "Mall Fire" by Atria is a fireplace in a trunk, that uses bio ethanol fuel to create flames. Who knows if it actually throws heat, I am going to assume not, but hey everybody loves a fire, as long as you don’t burn your place down!

A towel warmer may seem completely silly, but you have not tried it, this is pure luxury I highly recommend it! This is a gift to yourself and a purchase you will never regret. Use at your own risk, as showers will never be the same again! 

If all else fails, forget the winter blues with a visit to KurSpa at Sparkling Hill Resort located just 30 mins from Kelowna. The majestic spa features 7 unique aromatherapy saunas and stream rooms plus showers, a hot tub, an indoor pool and a year round outdoor pool. I had a serious case of sauna/steam room ADD (thats a real condition right?), with so many things to do and see it is hard to concentrate on just one and relax. My personal favourite is the Crystal Sauna followed by a chilly escape into the Igloo and back again (did I mention I had issues concentrating on just one). 

If these don’t fix your winter blues and you are still craving cozy evenings in-front of a grand wood burning fireplace... why not buy a new house with a fireplace in it (kidding... kind of... but why not, call me!)? Whatever you do remember that spring is just around the corner and the winter blues will soon be melted away by the beautiful Okanagan sunshine!

Tiffany Munsey

Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty

778.214.4843

tmunsey@coldwellbanker.ca

www.tiffanymunsey.com

Social Media Sells Homes

Picking the right Realtor® to sell your home can be a daunting step, however the choice is more simple then you think. Today 88% of buyers used the internet in their home search. So if you want to sell your home fast then it must be listed on the internet, in addition to being listed on the MLS®, it should also be advertised by your agent with social media. 

Finding an agent who is "social media friendly" has never been more important in selling your home because it is what you and people who are looking for a home interact with on a daily basis. A huge part of your Realtors job is advertising your property in an efficient way to secure a quick sale of your home. 

Here are my 5 favorite ways to market and sell my clients homes with social media.   

1. Facebook

For most people, facebook is a daily if not hourly part of life, smart phones are connected to every status update, photo or uploaded video.
Savvy agents have a huge network of personal friends, realtors and businesses and when they post information about you property, it instantly exposing your property to the world.
Facebook also allows you, your friends and other realtors to instantly access and share your amazing property. 

2. Youtube

At any given moment, there are hundreds of thousands of users watching videos on YouTube. How many times have you been forwarded a link to a funny YouTube video, only to find yourself staying there and browsing additional clips?
Successful realtors use Youtube to give buyers the inside scoop on what your home looks like as well as neighbourhood features that make your home amazing. 

3. Twitter

A Realtors profile is like a “micro-blog” Twitter is like a typical blog (aka web-log) in that it lets you say anything you want to say to anyone and everyone who will view it. Looking for fun things to do in Kelowna, search #kelownafun? What to know what is happening in the Kelowna Real estate market, search #kelownarealestate. It is quick, easy and informative. 

4. Pinterest

This is a huge addiction for many people, it has become a virtual scrap book of thoughts, ideas and inspirations."Home" is the No. 1 category of "boards" on the site, accounting for 17.2% of all pinning, according to a study by business-intelligence firm R.J Metrics.
I love collecting ideas for clients renovations, new building trends and interior design inspiration. Personally I found a great photo of a home exterior renovation, I was able to “pin” this photo and share it with my clients which inspired them see what their future home could look like.
Have a great kitchen or bathroom in your home? You bet I am going to “pin” it. 

5. Instagram

“In the first 12 months, Instagram acquired 12 million users. In the first two years it acquired 30 million users. And now, as of May 2012, it has 50 million users” Inman news. Images are tagged in the same way Twitter is tagged. I love to post photos of my clients beautiful homes and tag them with #kelownarealestate or #kelowna. If someone searches for photos of Kelowna or Kelowna real esate, guess whose house is going to pop up...yours!

When picking a real estate agent to sell your home, it is important that they are willing to work with you to create a custom marketing plan. Remember the nursery rhyme Dem Bones - “The leg bone's connected to the knee bone”, well think social media as the same thing... “The instagram picture is posted on facebook, the facebook picture is tweeted on twitter”....you get the idea. A "social media friendly" Realtor has never been more important and the stats prove it!

Realtors + Internet / Social Media = Homes Sold Faster!

Source:  The 2011 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

When you are ready to sell your home, call me! Lets make a plan to sell it fast and for the right price!

Happy Selling!

Tiffany Munsey

REALTOR®
778.214.4843

tmunsey@coldwellbanker.ca

www.tiffanymunsey.com