Posts Tagged “Parkland Retirement Living”
Getting your house ready to put on the market might mean making some renovations, but even if you have the minimal amount to invest to make your place appealing to buyers, don’t forget to appeal to the most basic requirements that perspective buyers have. Potential buyers expect your home to smell clean. When you live in your home day after day, you may become immune to odors. Furthermore, those visiting your home for the first time may react so negatively that they cross your home off the list of potential properties.
Common Smelly Turn Offs
Positive, pleasant smells are so important to creating a favorable impression that real estate agents often suggest that you bake bread or chocolate chip cookies or have potpourri simmering on the stove during an open house. Many smells recreate present childhood memories, whereas others are guaranteed to turn off visitors. These include:
- Pet Odors. Dogs, cats, and other household pets may have occasional accidents in the house or may require a litter box where they do their business. Pet urine can leave a residual smell in carpets and furnishings even after you clean it up. In addition, if your home smells of pet urine, you may be able to neutralize the smell with a pet enzyme removal product such as Resolve or with baking soda in the cat box. If this doesn’t work, pulling up the carpet or removing the furniture may be the only way to get rid of the smell.
- Rotten food. Prior to a showing of your house, you will undoubtedly empty trash containers, but your range, refrigerator, or garbage disposal can hold odors too. To make sure everything is clean, run your garbage disposal with ice cubes, salt, and lemon peels, and wipe other appliances down inside and out with white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and a micro fiber cloth.
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- Smelly carpets. Even if you have no pets, your carpets can smell of food and sweat. Make sure to have your carpets professionally cleaned before you start to show your home. Keep the carpets fresh with a home steam cleaning or even a spray of vodka misted over the carpet. This liquor known for not being obvious on the breathe leaves no smells when dry.
- Stale AC smells. Stale water that collects in a dehumidifier or air-conditioning unit can foster the growth of mold and mildew that will send odors through the room when the unit is running. Smoke fumes can also collect in the condenser coil and be released as well. In addition, clean the coils, replace filters, and drain the water frequently to keep the room free of odors.
- Dampness in the house can create a musty smell that makes even a new home seem old. Make sure to have your home inspected for water accumulation in the basement or in the roof rafters.
Kill Odors, Not Sales
Unappealing odors are a turnoff to potential buyers. If you have a limited budget for getting your house ready to sell, consider investing a couple hundred dollars in basic professional cleaning services that will leave your property smelly fresh, clean, and inviting.
Ready to sell? Give me a call for additional tips on making your home appealing to buyers.
Call Me For Real Estate Success
When you are buying or selling a home, don’t waste time. Give me a call for experience, market knowledge, correct pricing, and a sincere interest in helping you fulfill your real estate goals. If you are ready to sell your home for maximum value, the best place to start is by clicking here and scheduling an appointment.
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
When you retire after a lifetime of hard work, you want your retirement years to be enjoyable and fulfilling. Even if you are going into retirement with a healthy pension and considerable savings, you don’t know how long your life will be or how many years your money must stretch. Preparing for this reality means that you must ways to do the things you like on a reduced income.
Here are seven ways to have a great life, even though you have less money to spend.
1. Live out of the farebox
Going into debt as a senior will only complicate your future. Pay your expenses out of your pension or other retirement income rather than relying on credit cards that you cannot pay back at once.
2. Use a 30-day list
Aside from food or medicine, write down other items that you want on a 30-day list. If a month passes and you still want to buy something, only then make the purchase after it has passed the test of time. Having a list like this reduces impulse purchases that can add up quickly.
3. Reevaluate what you need
As a retired person, you may no longer need to buy as many clothes and shoes as you did when you were working; you may not need to purchase business clothing ever again. For many people, changing buying habits can be hard even when the reality of life has changed. The 30-day list concept can ease you into this new way of thinking.
4. Substitute your guilty pleasures
If you enjoy watching cable TV, reading magazines, and eating out, you can enjoy these things in a more economical manner. By cutting the cord and signing up for streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu, you can retain access to great TV programming. Viewing magazines online cuts down on subscription costs as well as clutter. Going out for lunch instead of dinner can give you the tasty food you occasionally crave for less cost.
5. Reduce transportation costs
Owning and operating cars is costly. Retirement is the time to evaluate whether you could scale back to one car or take public transportation to fill in the gap. If you don’t go out much, renting a car for a weekend trip or using car services such as UBER to get to a special event might save you money.
6. Find a low-cost way of doing what you want and need to do
For example, when you want to stay active and healthy in retirement, you do not have to join a fancy health club to stay in shape. Consider joining the Y or looking for low-cost fitness classes offered by churches, schools, or local communities. Walking in your local mall or park is a great way to get free exercise.
7. Evaluate your housing situation
Especially if your home is costly to maintain, moving to a smaller house or, better yet, an apartment might be the budget-friendly alternative. If you prefer to stay in your home, renting out a room or basement apartment can bring in extra income; be sure to check out the legality of renting out an income suite in your area.
Request Your Complimentary Copy of My “Preparing to Downsize” Report
Thinking Of Making A Change In Your Housing? Call Roy For Real Estate Success
If you are retired or planning to do so soon, now is the time to talk to me about your retirement housing options. I can help you sell your home and find another house or apartment that will suit your new economics and lifestyle.
When you are buying or selling a home, don’t waste time. Give me a call for experience, market knowledge, correct pricing, and a sincere interest in helping you fulfill your real estate goals. If you are ready to sell your home for maximum value, the best place to start is by clicking here and scheduling an appointment.
Looking to sell your home? Give me a call today.
Find out what homes in your neighborhood are selling for. Free monthly report by email showing current listings, recent sales & market stats. Go to www.HalifaxHomebeat.com
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
If you are ready to sell your home, you may look back upon previous experiences you had with real estate agents and anticipate plenty of paperwork will be part of your current transaction. Your real estate agent is likely to use tools that are based on technology while relying less on the tried-and-true techniques you remember from the past.
Not surprisingly, technology plays a big part in modern real estate practice.
Your home is online
As in the past, real estate sales occur after prospective buyers have seen your home and decide to buy it. Rather than relying on classified ads in the Sunday newspaper, most buyers search properties online anytime day or night. Instead of physically visiting numerous properties, they view visual tours of many properties before selecting ones that they want to see in person.
Your agent may hold a “broker’s open” so that other area agents can view your home, and host open houses for the general public. Some sellers view the lack of open houses as inaction on the part of the agent. In reality, agents set up individual showings for interested prospects who saw your home online or heard about it from their agent.
Your agent may communicate with you via email or text
In selecting your agent, you should verify how he will communicate with you. Your agent may call you on the phone but will notify you of showings with a quick text or email message. If you are not savvy you need to make sure you are an agent that knows your preferences.
Many seniors have computers and printers that sit unused in their homes. If you have been meaning to improve your tech skills, now this is a great time. Let your grandson or niece give you some lessons on basics such as how to send and receive emails and texts, open attachments, and scan documents.
Real estate is much closer to being paperless than in the past
Your computer skills will come in handy as your agent may even scan documents and send them to you via an email attachment. You may be required to sign documents by typing your name in an online form on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to complete the transaction without meeting the other party face-to-face.
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Make Sure Your Agent Is On The Same Page
These modern ways of conducting real estate are both effective and efficient. it is very important for you to have a discussion with your Realtor about selling your property and communicating the progress.
As an agent in Halifax who often works with senior home sellers, I will discuss with you in the first meeting how I will go about selling your house. We will develop a mutually acceptable way to communicate about how things are going.
Call Me For Real Estate Success
When you are buying or selling a home, don’t waste time. Give me a call for experience, market knowledge, correct pricing. I have a sincere interest in helping you fulfill your real estate goals. If you are ready to sell your home for maximum value start by clicking here and scheduling an appointment.
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
Retiring soon and planning on selling your long-term home to embrace condo living? Hoping to live downtown? If so, your timing is impeccable as condominium developments are hot in Halifax at the moment.
The Rise Of Downtown Condos In Halifax
Just a few years ago, condos were a minor development on the urban landscape. Since 2012, the number of new multi-unit construction projects in the downtown area has skyrocketed. About 2,000 units are expected to be on the market by 2018. Most of these are expected to serve the growing single dweller population of Halifax. In 2011, 29% of occupied dwellings were one or two-person single-dwelling households.
The condo building boom is in part a result of a conscious effort by the city of Halifax. Promoting downtown living by overhauling outdated regulations in its 2009 HRM by Design plan. This permitted taller buildings and quicker planning application approval. The condominiums will potentially increase the number of people living in the city. New residents will be well served by the existing infrastructure of schools, sewers, and other services.
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Who Is Buying The New Halifax Condo Builds?
Who is buying these units? Three diverse groups are typical buyers. Empty-nesters, young professionals, and parents of college students are purchasing investment housing. Many of the units offer desirable amenities. Along with proximity to a culture that is particularly appealing to seniors. Seniors want to continue a vibrant active lifestyle without the hassle of carrying for a big house.
Many upscale properties include stainless steel and marble kitchens and other in-suite luxuries. With an indoor pool, high-end restaurants nearby, and luxury shopping. If you enjoy being in the center of things, these new condominium units offer an inviting way to do so.
Brisk Sales Characterize The Halifax Condo Market
While the units may not appeal to all seniors, demand for the units has been brisk. The sales indicate pent-up demand for downtown housing. A recently announced condo development sold 80% of its units the opening weekend and sold 90% within five weeks. Prior to the recent building, there were limited options to live downtown. The goal of HRM is to increase residential density downtown by 2034. As a result, 25% of citywide development will the in the downtown area.
Furthermore, with more people opting to buy condos, the rental apartment vacancy rate increased. If you do not want to purchase another dwelling after you sell your home, you will find many desirable rental options as well.
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
Even if you are an experienced homebuyer who has purchased several properties in your adult life, you may be unprepared for the experience of buying a condo. Although the net result of the process is putting you in a new home, there are unique things to consider when you buy a condominium in Halifax. It pays to have an experienced realtor by your side that can educate you on what is different about buying a condo and help you find a property that will meet your current needs.
Considerations in Buying A Condo – Monthly Fees
If you are a Baby Boomer or retiree, a condo unit can give you the satisfaction of homeownership without some of the maintenance. Whether you buy a condo in a high-rise building or a rancher-style unit, you pay an association fee that covers maintenance for common areas. The monthly association fee is only one of the costs involved in your purchase. Before deciding which condo you want to buy, you need to consider both your monthly fees and your out-of-pocket upfront costs. Include both closing costs and other expenses to make sure that the home is within your budget.
Condo fees vary widely, depending on what they include and where the condo is located. Some may include basics, such as roof and building and lawn maintenance. Also, amenities such as a pool or gym, parking, party rooms, or even basics such as heat. The more the fees include, the more costly they are, so they can range from a few hundred dollars a month to well over $1,000.
Upfront Costs Of Ownership
Your closing costs are likely to include:
- Mortgage broker or application fee
- Bank appraisal fee
- Land transfer tax
- Legal fees
- High ratio mortgage insurance fee
- Prepaid tax reimbursement
- Prepaid condo fee reimbursement
- 2 months of condo fees
For new units, you may also have to pay:
- Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). You will not have to pay this on most resale units unless the previous owner acquired it for business, made substantial renovations, or claimed input tax credits for improvements
- Development charges
- Discharge of developer’s mortgage fee
- Prepaid occupancy fee payment
When you buy a new condo, built to your specifications from floor plans, your property first closes when you occupy the unit, but you do not become an owner until the building registers with the city, which may take about six months. During this time, you pay occupancy fees to the developer, which include simple interest in your purchase price, estimated monthly tax, and monthly condo fees.
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Call Me For Insights On Condo Purchase And Ownership
To make sure you do not waste your time looking at condos that will be outside your budget, you should first get a mortgage preapproval letter from your lending institution. Armed with this information, you and your Realtor® can zero in on affordable properties you’ll love.
To make sure what you are getting into, you should first seek the counsel of an agent like myself. I have experience in selling condos and can offer you the in-depth information you need to consider condo ownership. Call me today at 902-497-3031
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
Retiring, but need more income? Concerned about the housing options for your parents who are retiring? Want to offer a separate suite for your grown children, rather than having them live with you? In any case, the answer might be to acquire property with an income suite. Throughout Canada, homes with “secondary suites” offer income potential for landlords and excellent housing opportunities for occupants.
Defining A “Secondary Suite”
A secondary suite, which may be located in the basement or adjacent to the home, may be called a granny flat, in-law suite, or second unit. Regardless, a secondary suite has a separate entrance, bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms, and living areas. Some units sharing parking, yard, laundry, storage space, and even a hallway with the remainder of the home.
Having a secondary suite offers several advantages.
- By renting out either the main part of the house or the apartment unit, you gain monthly income that can help subsidize your mortgage.
- It allows you to provide for aging parents or grown children who have not yet left the nest.
- If you travel frequently, the tenants can watch over the property.
- If your tenants take care of the lawn or do other duties in exchange for reduced rent, you can eliminate the hassle of finding the help you need to maintain the property. As a retiree,
As a retiree, any of these advantages can help you stretch a retirement income, whether you need to meet the basics or to finance other goals such as travel.
Request Your Complimentary Copy of My “Preparing to Downsize” Report
Are Income Suites Legal?
Throughout Canada, income units have popped up in what was originally single-family property. Unfortunately, not all of these secondary units are legal. Throughout Halifax, and in many other municipalities throughout Canada, municipal zoning requirements may or may not authorize multiple units; they also have zoning requirements that determine what is required to make the secondary apartment legal.
In Halifax, municipal zoning is handled by the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), which is actually 21 (currently) separate community plan areas, each of which has one or more land-use bylaws that speak to the zoning for secondary apartments. Whether you are looking to convert part of your home to a secondary apartment or you are planning to buy a property with an income suite to supplement your income, you need to find out the pertinent bylaws for the zone where the property is located.
The essence of a secondary dwelling is that it could be occupied by a separate household which is “an independent and separate housekeeping establishment” even if the separate household is constituted by your parent or child. Some areas are listed as single-family dwelling zones (R-1), which in some areas can be occupied by people related by marriage, cohabitation, blood or adoption, domestic servants, non-paying guests, foster children, and up to three roomers or borders. Having an income suite would violate the law. However, in some areas of Halifax, even an R-1 property can include a self-contained dwelling unit without violating the law.
Plan In Advance For An Inlaw Suite
Although the concept of “asking forgiveness, not permission” works in some cases, violating municipal zoning laws is not one of them. If the applicable HRM prohibits income units or in-law suites, the city can order you as a landlord to restore a converted property to its original permitted use by, for example, removing the second kitchen or creating access between separate growing units. In addition, they can prohibit you as a landlord from receiving income from the rental unit.
In some cases, your lawyer can appeal for a change in the zoning or can seek a determination that your land use was grandfathered by previous law, but the process is time-consuming and costly.
Call Me If You Want Property With A Secondary Apartment
Call Me If You Want Property With A Secondary Apartment
If you want to supplement your retirement income with rent, your best bet is to look at properties where the zoning permits income suites. Renovating a single-family home to include an income suite may not be legal. Call me to see properties throughout the area that offer you the income potential of a legal secondary apartment as well as the other qualities you see in a retirement home.
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here