Kelowna Real Estate Blog – Paige Guernsey

Did you know, 2010

Posted by paige on March 22, 2010 | No Comments

I first posted the 2008 version of this youtube video on my Facebook Group (Kelowna real estate expert, Paige Guernsey) and got an overwhelming response. Some of the info in there is crazy to get your brain wrapped around. The 2009 version is good too. The new 2010 Did You Know is below with the 2009 and 2008 versions below it.

Talk to you soon…

Paige

Oh… to live on Okanagan Lake

Posted by paige on March 19, 2010 | No Comments

There is some incredible lakeshore real estate in Kelowna. I was hiking on Knox Mtn. today and saw this home on Okanagan Lake that’s for sale… check out the link to a multi million dollar home and imagine what it could be like to call this home!

Check out the property.

Talk to you soon…
Paige

Central Green Development in Kelowna

Posted by paige on March 11, 2010 | No Comments

The Central Green development Concept Plan was approved in September of 2008 and the city of Kelowna began the task of preparing the old Kelowna Secondary School site, a 13 acre piece of real estate at the corner of Harvey and Richter.  The high standards of sustainability set by Kelowna City Council unfortunately proved difficult to meet. 
In an effort to ensure architectural integrity, sustainable design, affordable housing, and ample public open space, council was originally looking for things like a 20% affordable housing component and minimum LEED Gold certified building requirements for all parties wanting to submit proposals to  help develop this project.  This bar, council believes, has been too high as interested parties have dropped off.  To encourage  the quality and quantity of project submissions,  and for the city’s goals to remain the same, the bar was slightly lowered at Monday’s council meeting.  For instance, various levels of LEED certification will be considered and a minimum of 15% dedicated to affordable housing, instead of 20%, will be required.
In moving forward with this valuable piece of Kelowna real estate,  city council plans to deliver a project that will demonstrate Province wide industry leadership in sustainability, both environmentally and economically. Bravo!
To check out the city’s sustainability targets for Central Green go to the following link, page 2.

http://bit.ly/9DaZuk

New KelownaHome website up and running

Posted by paige on March 10, 2010 | No Comments

My newly designed website for all the latest and greatest with Kelowna real estate is up and running. I had a lot of input from some great people… thanks to Rose, Anita, Dennis P, Jon, Danielle, and Kimberly. Everyone did a great job and had some great ideas.  You’re all awesome!
Check it out at www.kelownahome.com
Talk to you soon…
Paige

Big White real estate

Posted by admin on March 8, 2010 | No Comments

I had an appointment to show some real estate at Big White yesterday.

There have been 74 sales so far this this season compared to 32 last. The real estate market took quite a hit there, with some saying they lost up to 25% of the value it was prior to this latest recession. Having said that, the buyers are out there taking advantage of the fall in prices. I spoke with a number of realtors who work predominantly at Big White and am told that most buyers are local.

After working, I was lucky enough to be able to meet some friends for skiing in the. Sunshine, warm temperatures, and snow that was soft! We do live in an amazing place.

Talk to you soon…
Paige

Adding Value to Kelowna Real Estate

Posted by admin on March 4, 2010 | No Comments

We’ve all heard that kitchen and bath reno’s add the most to a home’s value, but what about other items’s that your real estate requires. There are a few good rules of thumb to follow when doing a renovation or addition with an eye to re-sale:

1. Your goal should ALWAYS be low cost with high impact. Sometimes a quick paint job, de-cluttering and re-arranging furniture can be just as good as a $30,000 kitchen makeover.
2. Never spend more than 5% of the homes original value. For instance if you’re purchasing a $500,000 home, keep the budget at $25,000 for those reno’s if you’re planning on selling within a year or two.
3. Consult a realtor to find out the latest buyer trends. Are people wanting more rooms, smaller yards or vice versa?
4. Remember the market goes up and down regardless of your renovation so you want to keep to a solid time-line for the re-sale target.

Check out my website for the great link to a guide on how much various additions and/or alterations will run you.

Kelowna real estate… the best place to invest

Posted by admin on March 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

A Vancouver based company sold luxury townhomes to 2010 Olympic visitors for a total of over $31 million.

While I was in Vancouver to catch some of the buzz, I met 6 new people one day on the streets and 3 of them were planning on a visit to Kelowna during their Olympic stay! Upon further inquiry, these people, from different parts of the world were impressed that you could buy a nice 2 bed, 2 bath condo for around $300,000… less than where they were from!

Kelowna and our real estate are becoming international players. Check out my website for more great information about Kelowna, BC !

Talk to you soon…
Paige