There’s no doubt about it. Buying a home that is “move in ready” is a real convenience. All you need to do is get your belongings in place, and you’re ready to enjoy living in your new home. You don’t even need to paint. That’s why move-in-ready homes tend to attract more buyers.

However, there are advantages to buying a property that needs work. And, if you’re currently shopping for a new home, a listing that requires some repairs, upgrades, or renovations might be worth considering.

Why?

Properties that need work tend to be priced lower than comparable movein-ready listings. Depending on market demand, the price savings can range from modest (just a few thousand dollars) to substantial.

Also, homes...

We all know how stressful moving can be, with so much to think about and so much to do, but it’s how moving can impact those who are closest to us - our children and pets that we need to really be aware of.

Here’s some advice on how to make a successful family move.

Moving with Kids

These tips can make it easier for your kids to cope with the move and help make it more of a fun experience for the family.

1. Talk to your kids about the move.

The best way to prepare your kids for the move is to talk about it. Have a family meeting and explain why it’s best for the family and encourage them to talk about their feelings. Don’t wait until the last minute to talk to them as your kids will need time to digest the information...

As winter releases its icy grip, the snow starts to melt away, revealing beneath it the lush soils that soon begin to thrive with life. Springtime is here in the Shuswap, and now we can begin to see what a wonderful place this is, and why is so good to move here.

Temperatures can still be chilly overnight here, but daytime warms up and the afternoons can be pleasantly warm, stimulating the growth of plants, flowers, trees and grasses.

And of course, it pays to be aware that bears come out of hibernation at this time, so if you go out spring hiking on the many beautiful trails, make sure you take your bear bangers!

Springtime events and things to do are abundant around the entire Shuswap region; here’s a shortlist of some of them:

• Experience...

When preparing your property for sale, you want to make it as attractive as possible to buyers. After all, the more buyers like what they see, the higher the probability you’ll get good offers.

That’s why it’s advisable to clean, declutter, decorate, fix, and improve as much as possible.

But how far should you go with fixing and improving? For example, should you tear down the old deck and build a new one? Or should you just leave it as is?

Should you paint the main floor? Or is it okay to leave the faded finish and few wall dents just as they are?

Those can be difficult questions to answer because many factors come into play.

• What is the traditional return on investment for that home improvement? In other words, how much will...

Imagine you’d been keeping your eye on a desirable neighbourhood over the years. You had hoped that one day you could buy a home there. But then you saw prices creeping up — to a point where they became unaffordable.

“Oh well,” you’d thought. “I guess we won’t be moving there!”

That scenario is familiar to many homeowners. In fact, you too may have been keeping your eye on a neighbourhood you’d love to get into but have decided it’s become too expensive.

If that’s so, it might be worth taking a second look.

The real estate market changes. One year an area might be a red-hot seller’s market with prices soaring. The next year, things may have cooled, and prices stabilized....