“World's Most Complete Neighborpedia”
Explore:   What's happening in your neck of the woods?

About Nanaimo Area, BC

Demographics for IDX

David Stanley: Real Estate Media in Nanaimo, BC

Morgan Carey has just posted a very exciting announcement at the REW Blogs regarding the launch of his new IDX demographics plugin, you can read the blog post here. To celebrate the launch of his newest IDX product, he has also authorized a promotion for the first 100 subscribers which includes 25% off all common upgrades and his super popular and market exclusive LEC (limited edition custom) product or if the LEC is not in your current budget or not available - CORE IDX installations are 50% off! The URL for the blog post is http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/blogs/morgan-carey/8453/show/ - He is asking that anyone who has questions regarding this promotion please ask them in the comments section of the blog post (as opposed to telephone or email) - He is going to be super busy during this promotion and he really doesn't want to miss your question (or your order) so posting on the blog is the best place to ensure you get seen before it sells out.

2009 REW Summit Nanaimo

David Stanley: Real Estate Media in Nanaimo, BC

The second annual Real Estate Webmasters Summit is coming to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, from July 30 to 31, 2009. This is the event for North American agents wishing to learn how to leverage their websites to their full potential and to maximize both leads and sales. CEO Morgan Carey will be personally teaching classes on search engine optimization, lead follow up, and leveraging IDX data from a search engine marketers perspective, and Eric Blackwell, owner of EricOnSearch, will be there to teach authority building and networking online.

Real Estate Webmasters are going to be giving away an LEC (Limited Edition Custom) plus one year of hosting / SAAS fees (US$10,840 value) to one lucky attendee. Last years winner was Mike Taylor - if you ask him if coming to the conference (even without winning the LEC) was worth it, he will be likely to provide a glowing review - but hey, winning a $10,000 website isn't all that bad either.

This summit is a business writeoff to come for a vacation in the most beautiful place on earth. Yes you will learn, yes you will network, and yes you should not miss the conference for all the business reasons mentioned, but c'mon people - this is Vancouver Island, the Pacific Coast of British Columbia - it is probably on most everyone's bucket list anyways. Write it off and come early, stay late, and enjoy all the pacific north west has to offer. See you there!

Buy Local, what the heck !

Tina, Randi & Jennifer LYNCH: Real Estate Agent in Gabriola Island, BC

Well one of the perks of shopping at the road sidestand, versus something that you might pick up at the big box stores from half way around the world, is the character that goes with it.

When I stopped by to check out the stand at the corner of Thompson and South Road, I found this sign. I would have been happy to pay 50 cents for my new Greek Oregano seedlings, but thought the marked down price of 25 cents was great. I wasn't really planning on any more herbs for the garden, but what the heck !

I got a free laugh out of the deal as well and thought it was a great marketing approach, a little different then we see in our Real Estate promotional material.

New buyers drawn to home market

Douglas Belcher: Real Estate Agent in Nanaimo, BC

Darrell Bellaart, The Daily News
My clients Stefan and Sonja write an offer on their first home. Published: Monday, March 16, 2009

Fresh from a two-year working holiday in New Zealand, newlyweds Stefan and Sonja Iwasawa are ready to settle down and start a family. And the timing couldn't be better for the biologist and his wife, as housing prices pull back and mortgage rates drop. Falling Bank of Canada rates are gradually trickling down to the mortgage market and that's starting to attract new homebuyers, while some existing owners are looking to remortgage.

That's helping to buoy consumer confidence after sales plummeted following the uncertainty of the economic meltdown in October. Brokers are getting busier as a buyers' market develops for first-time buyers and homeowners look into cutting their mortgage payments or financing home improvements. While a gap remains between the key lending rates and how much banks charge to borrow, mortgages are heading in the right direction for consumers. "Everyone was talking about it's a good time to buy," Iwasawa said. "We just came back into the country and parents and friends were all saying you don't ever see it this low. We were thinking about doing the family stuff and we thought 'why not jump into the market?'"

For the full story see click here

The photo is of my clients Stefan and Sonja referred to me buy a past client.

To view my Nanaimo real estate listings and other MLS listings click here

Home Inspectors to be licensed in BC

Tina, Randi & Jennifer LYNCH: Real Estate Agent in Gabriola Island, BC

In January, the BC government announced that as of the 31 March 2009, home inspectors will need to be licensed. BC is the first province in Canada to license home inspectors to better protect buyers & ensure qualified inspections.


Currently, a home inspector training is voluntary thus leading to different levels of training and qualifications.

After consultation from consumers and the industry the province opted for licensing under the Business Practices & Consumer Protection Authority (BPCPA) – this will help home buyers on Gabriola and throughout BC, to ensure that the person doing the inspection has the qualifications to make a professional assessment. It will also offer home inspectors the backing of a professional organization to help ensure that the home inspector follows their standards of practices & codes of ethics.

The BPCPA will protect the buyer’s interest by:
· Assessing the qualifications of & requiring mandatory licenses for home inspectors.
· Receiving & responding to complaints from consumers.
· Monitoring compliance through inspection & enforcement, with penalties.

In order to find out if a home inspector is licensed ask a home inspector to show you a current license issued by the BPCPA. Or check the website at:
www.bpcpa.ca to verify that your home inspector is licensed.

Additional information on the licensing of Home Inspectors is available online at the Business Practices & Consumers Protection Authority Website at:
www.bpcpa.ca .