Chris Penner ~ Real Estate Consultant Keller Williams Valley Realty

I was on Twitter today and asked the question "What relevant Real Estate information do you want to read about?" and this is the first topic that came back courtesy of Shane Gibson of Vancouver you can follow him at http://twitter.com/shanegibson he has some wonderful information to share with you regarding social media for business etc.

Why a great Realtor is like a mentor: How to get the most out of the relationship. I choose to use the term great instead of good because to me there is a difference, we can all be good but we can't all be great. It is what sets us apart from the rest.

I am sure you all have someone in your life that you would consider a mentor, wether you know it or not, a mentor is someone who guides you and encourages you along the path in life. A lot of people tent to have different mentors for different things because certain people have more to offer by way of wisdom in certain fields then others.

This is the main idea why a great Realtor will be a mentor. As we start the home buying process for the very first time we need someone who is will to hold our hand and guide us through the process step by step and help us to understand all the things that go into buying a home. The Realtor should be a place of safety, comfort, and confidence helping you to feel that you are being looked after and if you have any questions they would be more than happy to stop what they are doing and help.

As we grow from first time home buyers to first time home sellers and then to buyers again we need someone there to help us again in a new way. Since you already have that on going relationship with your past Realtor they should be more than happy to come by and guide you through the next phase of home ownership, selling. Then on to buying again where they continue to bring value and information as well as stability and confidence to the transaction.

Then when you are ready to look at new opportunities like investing in Real Estate they again will be there to help you and guide through the process.

A great Realtor should be in regular communication through out life, I mean that. Just because the transaction has been completed doesn't mean that you will never need or have a Real Estate question ever again. It means that they have had a chance to help you and in return hope you can do they same for them, by passing on referrals and so forth, which truly is the greatest complement you can give your Realtor.

How to get the most out of the relationship is to be prepared to give answers to questions and to not be offended if they ask you lots of question. They are doing this to help you. Everything you say will help the Realtor to relate and connect with you and ultimately save you time and money.

Be ready to have a good time, this should be a fun experience. Realtors 9 out of 10 times people people and love to be conversational and have a great time.

The more specific you can be about what you need and why you need it will also help. It is a two way street the Realtor can only do as good a job as the answers they have been given by you. It is however our responsibility to ask great questions.

Don't be afraid to have frank discussions regarding all issues in the process. We are there to help YOU.

Much like a Mentor is there for you always and is in regular communication with you, so should be a Realtor and a client/past client. We (Realtors) are great resources, we also have large networks of people that we know who are involved in just about everything. If you need a mechanic call us cause we have one, need a painter, roofer, guitar tech, boat repair, tires, etc. we know a lot of people and don't be afraid to ask for a recommendation we usually only work with people we know, like, and trust. Use us as a resource for more then just Real Estate.

I hope this has been help please feel free to comment or email me and let me know what you think.

Cheers!

I know we have all been sitting here on the fence for the last 6 months to 2 years depending on where you are from. I would like to take a minute to address my local community and the surrounding areas.

So Abbotsford, here is what the deal is we have been in a buyers market, and I know you have all heard this before and maybe even heard it from me, so I would like to explain for one second what exactly this means if you don't quite understand.

Simply it means that there has been a shift in the supply and demand which has caused the market value of homes in the area to decrease. Market Value is determined by what a buyer is willing to pay and what a seller is willing to accept for there home, this is what determines market value. That is simple enough, right?

So that being said, the market value on homes has significantly decreased over the last 6-9 months in the Abbotsford and surrounding areas. As a diligant Realtor I have done my job and continue to do my job on advising my clients where the market is and where we need to be on price, which a lot of the diligent Realtors who stay on top of the market are doing right now.

What does this mean for you?

It doesn't mean: Low ball offers all around, because in reality most properties have been reduced to get them looking attractive to you to get you to call them on the home. Which probably means they aren't to far out on there price.

It does mean: You get a chance to buy where the housing prices where in 2004-2005 which is a fair better opportunity than even last year.

Here is the challenge:

The media has totally bombarded you with every form of negative media to tell you the sky is falling in on us and that everybody is going to be unemployed and we are headed for a depression.

Maybe in some parts of the country this is true and most likely not to the exaggerated extent that has been portrayed.

My encouragement to you is to look at your own situation and see where you are at with income and job security and all the other things that factor into a slow down in the economy and look out and see what kind of opportunities there are right in front of you.

"No one has every capitalized on an opportunity without there being some degree of risk".

The opportunity at this time is great the risk is dependent on what you decided to do. If you don't own a home and are thinking about it, or just have more questions, call me. If you own a home and are thinking of moving into a bigger one, or just have some questions, call me. If you own a home and are happy where you are, but you think you might be interested in investing in Real Estate today (ie. vacation home, rental property, etc) or even just have some questions, call me. I would be happy to talk to each one of you. I am here to help, that's why I got into this in the first place.

Look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.

Cheers!

My daily driver used to be a Kenworth...

Now it's a Chevy Tahoe, I am the Vancouver/Fraser Valley Truck Driver Relocation Specialist. My days used to be filled with fighting traffic in and out of Vancouver and occasionally down the I-5 to California for my cousins outfit J.D. Transport in a 379 Pete.

I understand what it means to be a Truck Driver and the things you deal with daily on the road. I also know that in this economic pinch there are a lot of you who happen to be in the process of thinking about relocating to find new jobs so that you can keep the wheels rolling.

I want to take the time to help people of a forgotten industry: The Trucker. It seems people very easily take the Trucker for granted, but we rely on you for much more then we ever realize.

So if you men/woman of the road are on the hunt for work out side of your normal area and are considering making a move to or from the Vancouver/Fraser Valley area please don't hesitate to contact me.

Cheers!

Hello to all my Fraser Valley and greater Vancouver readers out there I just wanted to take a minute to let you know what exactly is happening out in Port Coquitlam with the Keller Williams Results Realty. I have a talk to a few associates and other people in my life that have been asking and I am sure you all are asking and wondering the same things.

So before the rumors get out of control and everyone is saying KW is folding in Western Canada.

IT IS NOT. I repeat IT IS NOT!

It basically has been a complicated ownership change. Due to rules and regulations of KW international it is a bit of a process to get new ownership and certain people in positions approved. All the approvals where done in record timing and the new office will be open ASAP.

KW Results turned into a Re/Max Franchise at the discretion of the past ownership team. This is really to bad but they had to do what was best for them.

On the up note and why you are all reading this. On Monday March 2, 2009 a rally was held to see who was going to be staying with Keller Williams. There was over 100 agents there and we had to open a wall to make room for more.

This is an agent driven company run by agents for agents and it is no wonder why there was that much support. If you have any question about KW please feel free to contact me @ 604.807.9020.

New ownership is in place and the official name is Keller Williams Elite Realty. So have no fear there is still a KW agent near you ready and will to help.

The Abbotsford Office is not effected by this change other than the increased level of camaraderie between the agents.

LONG LIVE KELLER WILLIAMS.

Cheers!

...Abbotsford is one of the top five places to invest in Real Estate in Canada, according to Canadian Real Estate Magazine. This is great news for people who live here as well as all those who have been thinking of re-locating to the wonderful city.

With the new bridge coming to replace the Port Mann, this will hopefully bring some relief to traffic, at the same time making it more economically feasible to commute to Vancouver with Abbotsford being the hub.

With affordable housing prices compared to Vancouver and a strong buyers market that has been around for the last 6 months and signs of a change for the next while it brings more and more affordability to the area. With condos back down to $170,00-$185,000 for a nice place and houses down in the $300K-$350K for a reasonable home in the area. We provide far better dollar value than Vancouver.

Abbotsford is also serviced by an ever growing international airport, with commercial and industrial parks growing like wild fire with new business and fresh ideas. The city of Abbotsford is here to stay and grow and is in the top 5 best places to invest in Real Estate in Canada.

For more information feel free to email/call/SMS.

Cheers!