Special offer

Mission, BC Real Estate News

By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
In his first address to the UN, Moammar Gadhafi, again demonstrated how unhinged he is. In a 15 90 minute rambling diatribe, he waxed on everything from the JFK assassination to the cause of the swine flu. Surprisingly, this guy doesn't bother me-he's just a lunatic, a paper tiger, a nut-case, who doesn't have all his dogs on one leash, and who  rules by shear force but won't step out of bounds again. (Incidentally, what kind of an organization is the UN when they can't even enforce a 15 minute rule on speeches?)  This is the guy that bothers me. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Not only is he certifiable-he's dangerous; and his rhetoric has been escalating of late. He's thumbing his nose at everyone, daring someone, anyone, to do something. He doesn't care, and that makes him dangerous. He spoke ...
Comments 6
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
Went out for dinner tonight. They renovated this place about two years ago; probably spent half a million on it. Walked in; there was 6 people in the place. They were offering a 3 course meal, (FOR TWO), for $45. We had an appetizer, prime rib, (AAA Alberta beef), and a decadent dessert for $45! This place was empty. I've had more people in my hot tub! Someone will pick this place up for 10 cents on the dollar. Sad really, the food was excellent. The place isn't being marketed properly. Does this sound familiar to anyone else out there? How is your marketing campaign going these days?
Comments 10
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
Anyone who has read my blogs knows I'm a fan of Barak Obama. Regardless of politics, he's a pretty extroidinary individual. And now, the Nobel Peace Prize! Of course, depending on what side of the floor your sitting on, the comments are fairly predictable-that's politics, I guess. It got me wondering how many heads of state have won this prize, so I did a little digging. U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter got one. Sweden's Prime Minister Karl Branting, France's Aristide Briand and German Chancellor Gustav Streseman got the nod also. Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson collected one as did Mikhail Gorbachev. Anwar Sadat and Menachim Begin shared the honors for peace efforts. Germany was back in the hunt with Willy Brandt in 1971. Costa Rica had one al...
Comments 18
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
This is Thanksgiving in Canada, and today the house will be full. Another turkey with all the trimmings, good friends and family. Like most Canadians, I tend to bitch a little too much about things mundane and trivial, but by and large, I have it pretty good. My family is healthy and reasonably well balanced. I earn in a week what the majority of people in third world countries earn in a year. I drive a decent car, have adequate health care and am free to travel where I wish. I have a government which isn't run by raving lunatics. (Well for the most part anyways). At the end of the day, I'll have eaten too much, (more than most people in the third world will in a week). I have a lot to be thankful for. By the luck of the draw, I'm a Canadian. So thank you.
Comments 12
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
WAKY NEWS is a weekly feature from THE BLOGGING GUY A 20 year from British Columbia phoned home with a harrowing tale of having been shot by Mexicans and thrown into a pond full of crocodiles. The parents, frantic, contacted local police in Vancouver who met the man on his arrival home. Upon further scrutiny and questioning, the man admitted he made the story up. Apparently, after a night of partying, this severely drunk individual was relieving himself in the pond when he fell in in a drunken stupor. The baby crocs inflicted several small bites and he made up the cover story. Police didn't lay charges, but they made the full story public as the Mexican tourist industry didn't need yet another story of yet another holiday gone bad. This is a true story from THE BLOGGING GUY.
Comments 30
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
Sometimes, when I'm out having lunch, say a burger and fries, (I know. it's not healthy), but that's not the point of this post. Anyway, I order the food and they bring me the condiments. And I know the catsup, (or ketchup), depending on what side the 49th parallel you are in, is not Heinz. It pours too fast and it's not as thick and... it doesn't taste the same. Really? I got to thinking about this. It's about marketing and Heinz has done a sterling job of it. I remember watching a program on this. They had the guy from Heinz on TV explaining how to "start" the flow of catsup or ketchup from a new bottle. Works too! Surprise, surprise! It was a further demonstration on how thick their product was. Made sense. I bought it in any event. Point is, Heinz has marketing down to a science. So...
Comments 14
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
 Ocassionally, as in most relationships, Canada and the United States don't see eye to eye on everything. Currently we are grappling with a few issues; among them, border security, protectionism, trade and joint operations over-seas. David Jacobson, prominent lawyer and fund-raiser for the Obama campaign has been appointed as Ambassador to Canada. This is signifigant as he knows everyone in the West Wing and more importantly, he has the ear of the President. And he's smart. This appointment should go a long way to re-establishing a more cohesive relationship between our two countries.
Comments 6
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
First, let me say, I was raised Catholic and stayed Catholic until I reached the age of reason. Hell, I was even an alter boy at one point. Enough said about that time of my life. The point of this post is the latest bit of scandal that has hit the news. Raymond Lahey, Bishop from Cape Breton Island, was arrested at the Ottawa airport for possessing child pornography on his lap top computer. Ironically, this is the same guy who brokered  a $15 million settlement to victims of a sexually abusive cleric. That scandal rocked the church of Rome; last week, it was Lahey himself who demonized the church. I've always maintained that the church (any church), should test these candidates for priesthood for any tendancies along these lines. I've also maintained for a long time, that if the chuch ...
Comments 8
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
   This is the time of the year when the bears are aggressive. They're getting ready to hibernate and they're scouring for food. If you are a hiker, take extra precaution.   You just gotta' love the B.C. Fish and Wildlife people for posting this sign.
Comments 8
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
I pay for a lead generating program, so, when I get one, I'm pretty happy. The "normal" proceedure is to send an email saying you got their request for a CMA, then you do a preliminary CMA based on MLS history of the house and come up with comparables. In this one case, there was no MLS history, which tells me he built the house new and therefore, there is no history of it ever being sold. What I did in this case was write an email and explain this to them, and may I please tour the house, measure it and take a photo, so I can do an intelligent CMA? His response, (by email), was that this was a "sneaky, under-handed trick" on my part to get my foot in the door. Bob, my partner, knows this guy from somewhere and tells me, at best, he's difficult, so I'm better off without him.
Comments 4
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
I watched this documentary the other evening about feral pigs in the US. Apparently, these things were introduced years ago and have been breeding...well, like pigs. Now there expanding their range over about 40 States. Some of them are turning into monsters. Aptly named "Hogzilla", this one was shot by a 14 year old in Alabama. This is what happens when foreign species are introduced to an area with no predators.
Comments 10
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
I took a listing last night-then cancelled it. It was tight going in. The guy wanted enough to buy a smaller place after everything was paid. There was nothing there. He had just had heart surgery in the States because the wait was too long here. He's a widower, living on under $1200 a month. Credit cards are maxed out, line of credit maxed out, behind on his taxes and mortgage. After selling his place, he's in negative equity, never mind trying to buy another place. I recommended a trustee to speak to. Sad. I couldn't help him, so I cancelled the listing.
Comments 8
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
FRONT AND BACK VIEWS. I'm having these printed up. 5000 of them to give away. "$100 dollar bills" with our information on the back. We will pass these out whenever the opportunity arises, leave them at our barber, restaurants, friends, etc. Your welcome to use it. Obviously, my friends in the States might want to think about using U.S. currency.  
Comments 8
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
 David Letterman told a story the other night on his show. This was not his usual monologue poking fun at some hapless celebrity. This was an admission of infidelity and of attempted blackmail. When he finished his story, the audience applauded. I guess people are fed up with politicians, religious leaders and other people of note getting caught in a peccadillo, then rationizing, justifying and making excuses. Or outright lying about it; or crying crocodile tears. (The Swaggart performance was deserving of an Academy Award). He just told the story straight, and honestly. How refreshing is that? Now, I'm not a huge Letterman fan, but I hope he doesn't lose his job over this. There's absolutely no evidence to suggest that this was anything but  a consensual act between two adults. And the...
Comments 8
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
I "touched" this guy 5 times, the last time with a full blown market evaluation. I FINALLY got him on the phone tonight. He said, "Jeezuz, you're a aggressive bastard. Don't you EVER give up?".........................................Perfect! I responded, "Real estate is a tough game, and sometimes negotiations can be really tough. At the first sign of trouble, should I collapse, or do you want someone there negotiating for you who is a really aggressive bastard?" I have a listing appointment Friday.
Comments 14
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
Last week, I held an open house on a new listing and I picked up a new buyer...or so I thought. I qualified them to death; style of house, area, and price. Then, came the crunch. I asked them to sign an "Exclusive Buyer's Agreement". They balked! Upon further questioning, it turns out that the person who sold their previous house was a relative in the business and they were "kinda" (their term, not mine), working with him. I told them, "Sorry. No buyer's agreement, no showings". Why would anyone waste their time without this agreement in place?
Comments 12
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
 Way back in February, I did a post about a passenger in Vancouver International airport who was killed by the R.C.M.P. There wasn't much developed at the time, but preliminary reports pointed to a cover-up and it stunk to high heaven. The original post is linked below. http://activerain.com/blogsview/964171/tasers-and-mounties-and-video-tape The inquiry, which has been going on for months now at a cost of millions, has revealed that the R.C.M.P. have lied through their collective teeth all along. And we're not talking about low-level police here. I'm talking the brass! Everybody, it seems, from management down was involved in hiding documents, covering facts, fabricating stories and all "getting on the same page" with the story. There is going to be some serious reform within the R.C.M...
Comments 12
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
Real Estate in Canada is still a bargain, except in Vancouver. The west coast is in a red-hot market and is the most expensive. The bench mark used was a typical 2,200 SF, single family home with 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. Here's how it breaks down across the country. Charlottetown, P.E.I.-$158,667    Moncton, N.B.-$276,175       Halifax, N.S.-$277,302          St. John's, NFLD-$348,750             Sashatoon, Sask-$381,975                Winnipeg, Man-$390,368                   Edmonton, Al-$432,250                      Montreal, Que-$469,250                         Toronto, Ont-$824,347 And the winner is! Vancouver, BC-$1,260,000!!! Bring lots of money. Compared to La Jolla, Cal, this is a bargain. Average price in La Jolla is $2,284,000 Best buy is Grayling, Michigan, where  the sam...
Comments 6
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
Everytime I see this in the news... an American soldier being repatriated in a coffin... ...or a fallen Canadian soldiers on their final drive down the the "Highway of Heroes", I ask myself what the hell are we doing there? Our politicians in Canada are fond of calling the "situation" in Afghanistan an exercise or a mission. It's neither-it's a war... ...and military experts have estimated that to win a war, and defend the civilian population and infrastructure, we need 10-12 troops on the ground for every one of the enemy. If there's 20,000 Taliban, we need 200,000-240,000 troops. (Maybe a little less with today's technology). That isn't going to happen time soon. That would be political suicide. This is supposed to be a NATO mission-where the hell's the rest of NATO? The Europeans do...
Comments 10
By Terry Chenier
(Homelife Glenayre Realty)
The other day, I had some time to kill, so I dropped in for a quick coffee and I was watching a couple at the next table. They were talking. Kinda'. They were talking, but both were keeping an eye on their text messaging on the phones on the table. It was kind of sad really; a couple of robots, not really engaged with each other, not maintaining eye contact, speaking in mono-tones, watching their "machines", while pretending to converse. If I was 40 again, I would have been focused on her; she was a knockout, but they were more interested in their phones.  With everyone plugged in 24/7 and Twitter, Facebook, LinkdIn and all the other means of communication, does anyone really communicate any more?
Comments 13
Mission, BC Real Estate Professionals