Linda's Lovely Lyrics
Linda's shares, Poems, Lyrics, Rhymes or Thoughts weekly, we hope you enjoy them.

Recipe for a Happy Day.

1 cup of friendly words

2 heaping cups of understanding

4 heaping tsp. of time and patience

Pinch of warm personality

Dash of humor

Measure words carefully.

Add heaping cups of understanding;

use generous amounts of time and patience.

Cook on the front burner, but keep temperature low; do not boil.

Add generous dash of humor and a pinch of warm personality.

Season to taste with spice of life.

Serve in individual molds.

Greater Victoria Real Estate Listing & Sales Activity,

March 04 - 11, 2012

Every Week Peter and Linda Pfann take a quick reading of the Greater Victoria Real Estate Market (based on MLS information) for you. Below is our overview of the Victoria Real Estate Market over the past week.

The Vancouver Island BC Communities and Areas included in this Greater Victoria Real Estate Snapshot are:
Victoria, Saanich (East and West), Central Saanich, North Saanich, Sidney, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Highlands, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, Sooke, Malahat.

If you would like to receive regular updates about real estate activity in your area, or the area you would like to move to, please use our Free Victoria Homes Now Tool that offers you to receive highly personalized and detailed property and statistical information at your fingertips.

	New Listings	297
	Back On Market	11
	Added to Inventory (New Listings & Back on the Market) Total for the Week	+308
	Price Changed	199
	Sales Pending	99
	Sold	40
	Canceled Listings	53
	Expired Listings	40
	Inventory Removed (Canceled, Expired, Pending & Sold) Total for the Week.	-232
	Inventory Change for the week	+ 76

Greater Victoria Real Estate Listing & Sales Activity, March 04 - 11, 2012.

For this First Full Week of March, and better than average weather, it would appear that our typical spring rally may have started a little early...with 308 new listings for the week the signs are starting "Pop Up" just like the flowers, and only 139 reported pending and completed sales for the week, we are seeing our typical Start of the month decline in reported sales and completed transactions..

It appears that the general public feels that with the lower prices, low interest rates and good supply, that the time has come to take advantage of some of the Pfanntastic Real Estate Opportunities available in the market place in Greater Victoria.

Attendance at Open Houses remains very good and this further confirms a slowly improving and strengthening of confidence in our marketplace in Greater Victoria, for most areas and property types in and around the lower Vancouver Island region.

We also offer the Greater Victoria area, single family home market place reports for each community in and around Victoria. (you can read these reports here).

In short, dependent what your plans are with your real estate decisions, it is very important to consult with your trusted real estate expert to develop a strategy that will optimize your options and opprtunities. (we would like to apply to become your trusted expert).

The Number of Price Changes for the Week.......199 Price Changes in one week,(read mostly price reductions).

"Deciding on The Right Asking Price" is by far the most important decision YOU as sellers can make to ensure the sale of their property and why properties are Selling" "(or why they are not selling)."

• It is our experience, that if sellers want to sell their property in this still softer and more fragile market, our best advise to potential home sellers is to trust your agent and the price recommendations they offer you based on their comprehensive market value evaluation.

• If you need a 2nd opinion, please do not hesitate to contact Peter and Linda Pfann, and it will be our pleasure to complete either a summary evaluation for you (see below) or provide our 60+ page, complete evaluation report which also includes our suggestions for optimizing the marketing results for your property.
  

Notes on our Weekly Review statistical information:

• If The Number of Properties Removed from the Market Exceeds the New Inventory for a longer period of time (3-4+ months) the market is active, and prices will level and eventually increase.
• When The Number of Properties Added to the Inventory Exceeds the Number of Properties Removed from the inventory for a longer period of time (3-4+ months), the market is slowing down and prices will remain level or likely reduce.
• Monitor our Victoria Real Estate Daily Market Watch over a period of time and you can easily see how the Victoria Real Estate Market is progressing.
• As always it is nearly impossible to apply the generalities of the entire market place to your particular personal situation, we encourage you to always best to consult with your local real estate specialist (in Greater Victoria that would be Peter and Linda Pfann off course). It would be our pleasure and privilege to review and discuss all your plans, dreams and options, in total confidence and without obligations.

Here is a link to the Victoria Real Estate Board Statistical Reports, and published every month

Greater Victoria Real Estate Listing & Sales Activity

March 04 - 11 , 2012

$ 10,000 First-Time British Columbia New Home Buyers’ Bonus

Recently, Minister of Finance for the Province of British Columbia, Kevin Falcon announced this temporary $ 10,000 First-Time New Home Buyers’ Bonus program as part of BC Provincial Budget 2012.

While there are eligibility requirements for buyers and the homes they purchase, essentially this program provides a bonus of up to $10,000 to first-time home-buyers of newly-constructed "homes".

The $ 10,000 First-Time British Columbia New Home Buyers’ Bonus program will take effect following legislative approval and changes. Although the legislation hasn’t yet been introduced, it is expected this spring. Once in place, the First-Time New Home Buyers’ Bonus will be in effect until March 31, 2013.

Key elements:

• To be eligible, the agreement of purchase and sale must have been entered into on or after February 21, 2012 and HST must be payable on the home.
• This is a one-time refundable personal income tax credit worth up to $10,000 for first-time new home buyers.
• If an applicant’s income is over $150,000 there will be a reduction of the $10,000 bonus.
• The bonus will be issued as a separate cheque from the BC Ministry of Finance; that is, the bonus will NOT be claimed through your income tax.
• Application forms (available later this year) will need to be completed and sent to the BC Ministry of Finance for processing.

For more information and an FAQ, please Complete the Form Below and we will gladly forward you Our Free Report with all the details and answer all your questions.

>$ 10,000 First-Time British Columbia New Home Buyers’ Bonus

Maturity Matters, Newsletter for Boomers & Seniors in Victoria, March 2012

Every Month, in cooperation with our affiliation as Certified Professional Consultant on Aging, we publish and distribute a Newsletter Called "Maturity Matters".
Our Maturity Matters Newsletter offers Pfanntastic information for Boomers, Seniors and those that love and care for them in Greater Victoria
Please use the links in this article to take full advantage of the Aging Friendly Information we have compiled for you.

We hope you enjoy the newsletters, and encourage your comments, thoughts, questions and feedback to Peter and Linda Pfann

Please also visit our additional Resources for Boomers and Seniors.
At the above link you will find all the back issues of our Maturity Matters Newsletters as well as many other resources focused on Life, Living and Real Estate in Greater Victoria for Seniors and Boomers and those that care for our elderly.

Feature Article: Caring From A Distance

Many family caregivers are presented with the added challenge of caring for a family member long distance. Though more and more families are dispersed across the country or even around the world, the demands of caring for ill or aging family members are still present. Long-distance caregiving often involves specific concerns that are different from those families who live near each other.

Although one's initial reaction may be to move a family member closer, consider first whether this might be more disruptive and stressful for everyone involved.

Are you prepared to have them live with you? Or are you prepared to be their only social contact once they have moved away from what is familiar to them? If they are coming from out-of-province, when will they qualify for medical services in this province?

Please read by using the link, some of our suggestions for bridging the distance and making Caring from a Distance Easier for Care Recipient and Care Giver.

Article by, By Family Caregivers' Network Society, Reprinted with permission by Senior Living Magazine

Ask The Experts:

• How Does Age Affect Blood Donation? - Part 3

Dr. Mark Bigham is a Medical Consultant for both Canadian Blood Services and Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia.

Hearth Healthy Recipe:

• Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Potatoes

Recipe developed by Emily Richards, PH. Ec. ©Heart and Stroke

Joke of the Month:

• Helping Hands

Did You Know:

Unpaid Care-giving A recently-released 2006 census on elder-care by Statistics Canada shows that 18.4 percent of Canadians do some form of unpaid senior care and about one-third of boomers provide some assistance to an aging family member. Research confirms that care giving has a substantial financial impact on care givers. Source: Talbot Boggs, The Canadian Press

Seniors Tip:

• AIR TRAVEL

Source:www.seniorsgotravel.com

Peter and Linda Pfann, Specialize in assisting the 50+ and their loved ones with all their real estate (and related matters) in and around Greater Victoria BC, Canada and we pride ourselves with having compiled, researched and gained access to the best possible networks
and resources benefiting Boomers and Seniors living in or planning to move to Greater Victoria.

This Information was provided to you compliments of Victoria BC
Realtors, "Peter and Linda Pfann", Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA)®.
CPCA's are committed to providing exceptional service, and have supplemented their professional training by learning about the unique and changing needs of the 50+ population.

Make sure that the professionals serving you have taken the time and made the commitment to learn more about YOU! To find other CPCAs in good standing in your area, go to www.CPCAcanada.com.
To find additional Greater Victoria, BC, Canada, Senior Focused Resources, please visit"The Elder Friendly Community Network"

Peter and Linda Pfann Serve Boomers & Seniors and their families with their Real Estate Decisions in and around Greater Victoria BC, Since 1986.

Having a Pfanntastic Weekend in Victoria

Over the past few days We have posted a few articles and pictures based on the current Be A Tourist in Your Own Home Town events....
Linda and I have been racing from event to event to try to take in as many of the Greater Victoria activities as possible.
It has been a truly Pfanntastic Weekend and over the next days and weeks we will have literally thousands of new pictures to share with our readers

We have been at the following events over the past 4 days:

• Dinner at The Empress
• Undersea Gardens
• Miniature World
• The BC Legislature (Parliament) Building
• BC Maritime Museum
• Chocolates @ Rodgers
  
• Butterfly World
  
• Butchart Gardens
• Ross Bay and Ross Bay Cemetery
• Ogden Point and the Cruise Terminal.
• Lunch at the Ogden Point Tea House
• The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific
• Fort Rodd Hill
• Fisgard Lighthouse

All the while we are also counting Flowers for the Annual Victoria Flower Count....

Here are a few of the images of a Pfanntastic Weekend in Victoria, We hope Your Weekend in Victoria Was Just as Pfanntastic as ours.

Having a Pfanntastic Weekend in Victoria