Vern McClelland's (mccl) Blog

Ask MG: My wife and I have saved up enough money for a down payment on our first home.  How can we avoid paying too much? Robyn: First of all, only look at houses you can afford. Your lender will work with you to see what you are approved to borrow, but also what you can comfortably afford as a m...

Changes to CMHC Mortgage Guidelines - Fixing or Tinkering? The federal government moved this week to tighten lending standards for high ratio residential mortgages, whereby the borrower seeks a loan of more than 80% of the value of the house they are purchasing.  There were three key changes to t...

Ask MG   We are looking at remodeling our home, and besides creating more usable space for our family, what do you see as some of the popular trends for 2011?  What will give us the most return for the buck? Robyn:  Today's buyer is very concerned about rising energy costs and this is true in eve...

Tis the Season This is my last column for 2010 so forgive me if I tend to ramble a bit over some topics that don't get much attention otherwise.  The economy is definitely recovering in the Lloydminster region but we are still not out of the woods real estate wise, particularly in the single fami...

The Importance of Service Look up the definition of service in the dictionary and you will get well over a dozen interpretations, the first being "work done for somebody else as a job, duty, punishment, or favour".  I don't know about you but I sure can recognize the different attitudes when I am...

Ask MG Our children are growing and we need more space.  Would you recommend first placing an offer on the next house we want, or putting our house on the market, accepting an offer, and then looking for something to move to? Vern:  It depends.  Obtaining an offer on your home before making a com...

Two More Options for Selling Land  In last week's column, we discussed two approaches to selling land - private treaty and live auction.  Today, we will examine two more - brokerage and the tender process.  It is important for landowners to first consider what their goals are, and the principles ...

Marketing Options for Farmland - Part One Early winter is the time of year when farmers and ranchers often consider downsizing or retiring.  One of the many decisions they need to make in order to achieve their goals is how to best sell their land.  As a Realtor who is also an active partner in t...

Ask MG - November 14, 2010 My boyfriend and I will be shopping for our first home in the New Year and our friends tell us that we should always make our first offer about 20% off list price to see if the Seller is motivated; what do you think? Robyn:  Your Realtor should show you some sales of co...

We Shall Never Forget Their Courage The Dieppe Raid was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on August 19, 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and within 6 hours Allied commanders had been forced to call a retreat. Over 6,000 soldiers, mostly Canad...