1. Create a HOME MARKETING BOOK, even if you do not currently have a listing. Use an expired listing, another agent's listing or your own home. You must have a sample to show prospective sellers during the presentation. 2.  Every listing you take, with few exceptions, should have a HOME MARKETING BOOK. 3.  Use a high quality binder, with a color photograph of the exterior of the home on the front. The more obvious the quality, the less likely it will disappear from the listed home. 4.  Once completed, the HOME MARKETING BOOK should be placed in a conspicuous place within the home. In the entry, on a dining or other table or kitchen counter, etc. are best. It should be very visible to prospective buyers.  5.  Your name, along with your company, should be printed on each page. 6.  You may... 08/31/2008

  Condominiums are a great alternative to home ownership. If you're looking to buy your first home, or want to downsize, chances you are considering buying a condominium. There are a few things that you should know first before signing on the dotted line. It's often said that buying a condominium is buying a lifestyle. What does that mean? Condominium living is different from owning or renting a detached house because condominiums have a dual nature. Condominium owners hold title to their units and share responsibility for the operating costs of the balance of the property (common elements such as lobbies) that makes up the condominium (or Strata Property as known in BC). There are many advantages to condominium ownership. It may be less expensive than other types of home ownership. It... 08/25/2008

"Curb appeal" is a generic real estate term used to describe the attractiveness of a home as seen from the street. Various studies show that professional landscaping can increase the value of your home by up to 15%. Having a well designed and landscaped front yard, that accents your home, is a desirable virtue for everyone. Unlike backyard landscaping, with the front yard you have to consider home access, parking, safety and invitation. Accenting walkways and driveways with flower beds and borders will, in most cases, instantly create an impressive and inviting appeal for potential buyers. Creating a welcoming landscape doesn't have to be a difficult or expensive endeavour. If you are starting from scratch, it can take quite a bit of time to get the desired effect, however, the process ... 08/24/2008

The biggest mistake agents do going on a listing presentation is to try and be more interesting rather than interested. When an agent talks about them, their company, their sales, their experience,their background, they are trying to be interesting. When an agent talks about the sellers needs, concerns, fears, intentions they are trying to be interested. Stop trying to be interesting and become more interested. 08/12/2008

I was recently at a seminar and the speaker shared a great response to this question. The first thing I liked about the answer was that it didn't separate the market. Its not a buyers marker,Its not a sellers market, Its an opportunistic market. So when someone asks, How is the market, respond: Thanks for asking, the market has changed, and I have had to change the way I market homes. Its an opportunistic market and I am excited about it for both buyers and sellers, By the way, when do you think you will be making your next real estate move? See How the market is in Fort McMurray at www.McMurraysBestHomes.com 08/12/2008

With the real estate shifting toward a buyers market, it is essential to present your home in such a way that showcases its best features and minimizes or rectifies problem areas. Many surveys have proven the importance of home staging as a powerful real estate marking tool that helps sell your home faster and for top dollars.What's Staging? Staging involves dressing-up your home to be presented for sale in its best possible state. It is about merchandising your property. Professional home stagers work with the traffic flow of a home, eliminate or reduce clutter, rearrange the furniture, add decorative accessories, and create the illusion of space to enhance the best features of your home and minimize or rectify problem areas.  Another often overlooked, but equally important part of the... 07/28/2008

Recent sales data form Real Estate boards around the country indicates that real estate market is changing to favour the buyer. Sales continue to decrease and benchmark prices for residential homes in most areas are moderating, in some areas trending down slightly since March. "Real estate is cyclical and the numbers show that we've entered a buyer's cycle," explains Kelvin Neufeld, president of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. "Where appropriate, REALTORS® are recommending their sellers sharpen their prices, in particular for higher-end properties. On the other hand, there's still a steady appetite for mid-range properties priced competitively. Our average days-to-sell in June for single family homes was only six days more than last year indicating that when buyers see an opportuni... 07/25/2008

Here are some links to sites in the Fort McMurray area. The Fort McMurray Public School http://www.fmpsd.ab.ca/ The Fort McMurray Catholic School District believes that every child has the right to a quality education. Our schools offer a wide range of programming geared towards meeting the academic, physical, cultural and spiritual needs of our community. Our students come from a wide variety of dominations, faiths and ethnic backgrounds. The Fort McMurray Catholic School District is the faith-based choice for publically funded education. http://www.fmcsd.ab.ca/    Fort McMurray Christian School Offering Kindergarten through Grade 9. http://www.fortmcmurraychristianschool.ca/ Our mandate is to advise and educate landlords and tenants with respect to their rights, remedies and responsib... 07/11/2008

Here is a link to video on Fort McMurray Oilsands   http://money.cnn.com/video/#/video/news/2008/07/09/news.velshi.canada.boomtown.cnnmoney www.mcmurraysbesthomes.com   07/09/2008

By: Bruce Schoenne, AACI, P.AppJun 6, 2008 - 6:52:00 PM Driven by the financial industries desire for an equitable method of comparing the credit worthiness of borrowers, Fair Isaac & Co developed a credit measurement tool in the 1950's called the FICO® score. Now considered to be the industry standard, the FICO® score is used by most lenders from across Canada and the United States to assess lending risk. FICO® score, BEACON® score, EMPIRICA® score The three most recognized credit reporting agencies include Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, with Equifax being the most recognized agency in Canada. Known as a BEACON® score at Equifax, EMPIRICA® score at TransUnion and the Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Score at Experian, all use formulas developed by Fair Isaac & Co. How is a FICO® score dete... 07/01/2008

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  Housing type, household size and housing ownership The majority of the population lives in single family dwellings, which accounts for 84% of the housing mix. Mobile homes account for 15% and a small proportion of the population resides in multifamily housing types (0.4%), which include apartments, hotel units, senior housing, and college residences. The Urban Service Area (Fort McMurray) has either an equal or higher than average number of people per housing unit when compared to the rest of Wood Buffaloix. The average number of people per housing unit in Wood Buffalo varies depending on the housing type. There is an average of 3.3 persons per unit in a single family dwelling compared to 2.8 in a townhouse and 2.3 in an apartment. Comparatively, the average persons per household in ... 06/29/2008

  Trends The Urban Service Area (Fort McMurray) is experiencing modest growth rates Between 1999 and 2006, population growth in the Urban Service Area (Fort McMurray) nearly doubled from 36,452 to 61,366i. In the same time period, population growth in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) inclusive of shadow population has increased from 42,847 to 76,735. Sustained population growth in the Region, including the Urban Service Area (Fort McMurray) has largely been the result of interest in oil sands investment. Growth in the oil sands industry has created a strong demand for jobs, resulting in an increase in migration. This trend will continue through the operation and maintenance of existing projects and as new sites are developed and constructed.  Historical population in th... 06/28/2008

By CHUCK CHIANGFort McMurray TodayApril 7, 2008 The region-wide version of Future Forward - a series of brainstorming community sessions aimed on forming Wood Buffalo's future development - now has a home on the web. Municipal officials launched the website for Envision Wood Buffalo: Towards 250K last week, a move that gives web users a central location for everything relating to the campaign. One official said having one concentrated point of information access for residents will boost interest and participation in this campaign. "This is a critical piece of public awareness," said municipal spokesman Philip Cooper. "It allows residents, as well as visitors, to easily get access of what's being planned." Envision Wood Buffalo consists of a number of public forums, where residents can ... 06/28/2008

Project Summary Envision Wood Buffalo: Towards 250K is a collection of long range planning documents designed to look at land use within the entire region of Wood Buffalo for the next 30 years to a population of 250,000. The Envision Wood Buffalo: Towards 250K will provide the municipality, citizens and industry with a clear direction regarding regional growth while maintaining a balance between economic, social, environmental and cultural concerns. Envision Wood Buffalo: Towards 250K consists of five phases: Project organization: this phase is where project goals and objectives are outlined by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. This phase is now complete. Community Based Issues Analysis: This phase outlines the community issues that currently exist in each rural community. Iss... 06/28/2008

We have the energy. That is what the sign says as you entry town from the south on hiway 63. And we sure do have, estimated to be able to supply the worlds yearly consumption for the next 100 years. With four oil companies at different stages of new expansions or completly new site just starting construction, the demand for housing in Fort McMurray is not going away anytime soon. Currently we have more homes on the market then we have seen in a few years, I believe a lot of these homes are from people that moved to town from Eastern Canada that are cashing out to move back to the Rock. Thinking that they may continue to work here and commute back. Fort McMurray has thousands of people that have homes in other parts of both Alberta and Canada that come here to work on site for their shif... 06/28/2008

Classic Canadian Tours is offering one day trips to the see the Alberta Oil Sands. For almost $500 Canadian you can spend the day seeing exactly what is "fueling" the Alberta economic engine.The itinerary includes a non stop flight from Calgary to Ft. McMurray, a visit to the Oil Sands Discovery Centre and finally a tour of a live oil sands site.  The next tour date is September 26th so book now! 07/27/2007