JUST LISTED 2 BED – 2 BATH CONDO – LATITUDE IN SULLIVAN STATION

Written by

WELCOME TO LATITUDE! This UNIQUE ground floor, CORNER, 2 bed & 2 bath unit has NO neighbours, nobody above or below! This past SHOWHOME unit received extras including french doors accessing to a large fully fenced patio! This home features a bright, open floor plan, high end kitchen with stainless steel appliances, eat up island and ample cabinet and counter space with under cabinet lighting. 2 good size bedrooms & 2 full baths, master ensuite has double sink with frameless shower! + BONUS $3500 in custom closet organizer upgrades. The building has great features such as fitness room, party room with pool table & kitchen, + very secure fenced 8000 sq/ft courtyard with outdoor play area & garden blocks. Steps to transit,  Panorama Village and walkable to Elementary and Secondary schools.

 

For more information call or email Garry Voigt 604 789 2140 info@garryvoigt.com

JUST LISTED – STUNNING HOME – 1.36 PRIVATE ACRES – SALMON RIVER

Written by

 

Welcome to 74 Wagonwheel Crescent, one of the most desirable areas of Salmon River. This secluded property features an updated home sitting on a private peaceful  1.36 acre, premium south facing lot – abundant sunshine with no easements or creeks. Easy 5 min drive to Hwy 1. New gutters  and exterior paint. Other updates include: Ensuite  with rainfall shower, hot water on demand and beautiful high end chef inspired kitchen with gas range. Enjoy your morning coffee in tranquility, listening to birds on the massive 624 sq ft cedar back deck. BONUS 24’x34’ Double drive through garage with 10ft doors AND additional adjacent enclosed insulated bonus space with suite potential or more parking for cars. Don’t wait, properties in this area don’t come to market often!

 

For more information call or email Garry Voigt 604 789 2140 – info@garryvoigt.com

JUST LISTED – ABSOLUTELY IMMACULATE – 2 BED – 2 BATH – TOP FLOOR – CORNER CONDO – OVER 1100 SQ – LANGLEY CITYFT

Written by

TOP FLOOR CORNER PENTHOUSE , Gibbons Layne! Meticulously clean, like new condition, this gorgeous unit has a wide OPEN, BRIGHT floor plan, 9ft ceilings & tons of windows for natural light. HUGE 1,152 sq/ft condo has two good size beds on opposite sides for privacy, open kitchen with tons of storage, newer SS appliances, shaker cabinets, eat up island, dining area big enough for 8 people. BBQ on the N/W facing wrap around deck with nice afternoon/evening sun. HUGE living room for entertaining, crown moulding, updated LED lights. Master easily fits a king with spa like ensuite, heated floors, soaker tub & separate shower! Laundry room with storage + a storage locker & 2 PARKING! Central location in Langley city close to shopping, transit, restaurants, parks & walk to Nicomekl Elementary!

For more information call or email Garry Voigt 604 789 2140 or info@garryvoigt.com

JUST LISTED – 1 BED – 1 BATH CONDO – CENTRAL SURREY LOCATION

Written by

311 13344 102a Street. Location Location Location! Welcome to The Village in Central Surrey – NO CAR NEEDED! This 1 bed, 1 bath condo is about as central as you can get but on a peaceful street! Walking distance to the beautiful Holland Park, one block from S.F.U, walk to Surrey Central Mall, Surrey Rec Centre and Sky Train, bus loop and big box stores. Nice open plan living and dining room with newer laminate flooring has large windows with sliding doors onto the good size patio. Kitchen has serving hatch allowing in more natural light and a good amount of counter space. Good size bedroom plenty big enough for a queen bed. Not only is the location great but rentals are allowed, making this condo an amazing investment opportunity or perfect for your first time buyers. Don’t wait on this one!

JUST LISTED – STUNNING 4 BED HOME IN WALNUT GROVE – BACK YARD OASIS

Written by

20552 96a Street – Property like this one rarely comes on the market in Langley! This amazing 7079 sq ft cul-de-sac lot is backing onto picturesque greenbelt in desirable Walnut Grove with a beautiful open view of the creek. Private fully fenced backyard is completely redone with a resort like setting complete with 18×36 kidney shaped INGROUND pool, newer HOT TUB and GAZEBO with built in bar, TV and huge wrap around deck. Sundeck is spacious with custom made benches by the pool and second BAR with built-in fridge and seating area. This beautiful and spacious family home is freshly renovated with 4 bedrooms up, large master bedroom has brand new spa like master bath, custom made kitchen with tons of storage, SS appliances and Air Conditioning. This house has it all! Call Garry Voigt for more information 604 789 2140 – info@garryvoigt.com

CMHC ANNOUNCES NEW CHANGES STARTING JULY 1ST

Written by

CMHC has announced new changes coming on July 1st. You can read the official CMHC announcement here. But here’s a quick summary of the changes:

–       Minimum Credit Score rises from 600 to 680

–       Maximum GDS drops to 35% (formerly 39%)

–       Maximum TDS drops to 42% (formerly 44%)

–       Borrowed Down payments are banned

Do you need to panic?

Not necessarily as there are 3 insurers in Canada.  So far CMHC is the only one that has announced any changes.  It is possible that the other 2 mortgage insurers (Genworth & Canada Guaranty), won’t follow at all, or they’ll only follow some of the rules.  In fact, it might be a good competitive advantage for them not to follow all of the changes (unless mandated by the federal government).  We may hear from the other 2 insurers early next week.

What does each change mean?

No More Borrowed Down payment – This isn’t really a big deal at all, as virtually zero lenders participated in this program, and the way this program worked it was pretty much an un-used program anyways.  In fact, as you read this, you likely didn’t even know this program was still an option.

Credit Score Requirement – CMHC now requires a minimum 680 credit score (for 1 borrower). Previously it was 600.  CMHC says that less than 6% of their mortgage applications this year had scores below 680, so it should not really affect a lot of CMHC buyers anyways…but it will affect some.

35/42 GDS/TDS – This is without a doubt the biggest announced change, and it could potentially have the largest effect on the lower end of the real estate market.  This could affect an average borrower anywhere from 12% or more on their borrowing power.   For example if you qualified to borrow $500,000 before, your maximum mortgage is now reduced to about $440,000.

Why are they doing this?

This only affects people buying homes after July 1st.  And it will mostly affect the purchasing power of the youngest, the lowest income and lowest down payment buyers.

It won’t affect any of the following types of mortgage borrowers:

–       Any buyer with over 20% down payment

–       Any buyer of a home valued more than $1 Million

–       Rental property purchasers

–       Anyone refinancing their mortgage

–       Anyone renewing their mortgage.

So, it only affects a very small portion of home buyers in the lower mainland.  Unfortunately this could meant that it’s the first-time buyers that are hurt the most.  Those same first-time buyers that were hurt the most from the mortgage stress test.

If you’re preapproved, and you’re intending to buy a home with less than 20% down payment, you definitely need to speak to us about how this might affect you.  It might put some urgency to buy a home before July 1st.

10 WAYS IN WHICH WE ARE HELPING OUR CLIENTS SAFELY BUY AND SELL HOMES

Written by

Thinking of putting your home on the market? You’re not alone. As of May 25th, new listings in the Fraser Valley have increased by over 46 per cent compared to the same period in April.

And last month, even though transactions were down significantly compared to April of last year, on average on a daily basis, 23 families in the Fraser Valley relied on the guidance and advice from their REALTOR® and purchased a new home, while on average, 47 sellers per day listed their home.

Chris Shields is the President of the FVREB. “Housing needs do not stop during a pandemic. It’s why we were declared an essential service early on and why the real estate industry was included in BC’s phased reopening for businesses.”

“We have been working hard since the beginning of the lockdown to serve our clients in innovative and effective ways that limit personal interaction yet showcase homes and facilitate sales,” added Shields.

If you are currently considering buying or selling a home, here are the top ten actions REALTORS® are taking to meet WorkSafeBC’s new guidelines to serve the public:

  1. DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
    Your Realtor will communicate with you through telephone, email, or video/teleconference. During this period, Realtors have been connecting virtually with their clients more than ever through FaceTime, Zoom and other videoconferencing technologies.
  2. DOUBLING THE VOLUME OF LISTING PHOTOS ON REALTOR.CA
    As you search Canada’s most-viewed real estate website, you’ll notice that Fraser Valley listings may display up to 40 photos now, up from a previous maximum of 20. This allows your Realtor to provide more visual depth and detail for your listing.
  3. VIRTUAL HOME TOURS
    In April, Realtor.ca introduced a new feature that allows Realtors to showcase listings by integrating video and 3D tours from multiple popular services. Since mid-April, traffic to Realtor.ca has increased by 14 per cent and inquiries to Realtors have increased by 25 per cent.
  4. LIVE STREAMING OPEN HOUSES
    Realtors are now scheduling and promoting live stream open houses using popular platforms such as Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Zoom and YouTube. They walk through the home videoing each room describing while you watch live and in real time. “What’s behind that door?” They’ll show you.
  5. E-TRANSACTIONS
    No sharing of pens and much more efficient. For many years, Fraser Valley Realtors have guided their clients through the completion of MLS® contracts electronically using PDF and e-signature technology.
  6. E-DOCUMENTS
    If you haven’t sold your home in a while, you may not be aware that strata documents, land title documents, floor plans and others are available digitally. Your Realtor will email them to you.
  7. SAFE IN-PERSON VIEWINGS
    When a client is serious about a purchase, they (and their home inspector) must see the home. Per WorkSafeBC’s reopening guidelines, Realtors are working with their buyers and sellers to ensure that in-person viewings adhere to stringent safety protocols including physical distancing; handwashing and sanitizing; the use of masks, gloves and shoe covers; viewings by appointment only; limiting the number of viewers and allowing time to disinfect between viewings.
  8. DISINFECTING REALTOR/CLIENT HIGH-TOUCH SURFACES
    When appropriate, Realtors are taking extra precautions to ensure that high-touch areas such as keys, lockboxes, doorknobs, handrails, elevator buttons, etc. are cleaned and disinfected.
  9. ENSURING REAL ESTATE OFFICES ARE SAFE TO VISIT
    Like many businesses, numerous local real estate brokerages are in the process of reopening and are aware of the government’s stringent public safety guidelines including physical distancing policies, personal protective measures, and disinfection protocols.
  10. NEW PROVINCIAL REAL ESTATE STANDARD FORMS TO PROTECT CLIENTS
    A new Notice & Acknowledgement form is available for use by your Realtor during the COVID-19 pandemic. It alerts clients of changes to the real estate practice and supports your safety by helping you make informed decisions.

For more information about how the FVREB and its 3,671 members are working to keep real estate transactions safe during the pandemic, see our dedicated page at www.fvreb.bc.ca/about/covid-19-update/

In addition, the province’s real estate licensing body, the Real Estate Council of BC has a COVID-19 page devoted to consumers.

MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE SIGN A PETITION TO KEEP LANGLEY’S DRIVE IN THEATRE OPEN

Written by

More than 10,500 people have now signed an online petition asking the health authority to allow the Langley drive-in theatre to continue after it had it’s allowable capacity cut from 200 to only 50 vehicles.

CLICK HERE to sign the online petition.

There is some confusion as to whether the movie theatre is designated as a ‘drive in event’ (which has a maximum capacity of 50 vehicles) or a ‘drive in theatre’. The theatre previously hosted 200 vehicles with a distance of 20 feet apart. The health authority are also claiming that the theatre’s take out food license is not valid even though it was used all through phase 1 of the pandemic.

To read more, check out the article in the LANGLEY TIMES

 

SOLD – 206 36688 KING ROAD ABBOTSFORD

Written by

Congratulations to our sellers on the sale of your condo! Thank you for putting your trust in us and congratulations on the purchase of your new home!!

Welcome to COLLEGE PARK PLACE. This 2 bed 2 bath open plan unit is light and bright & Benefits from southern exposure. The great layout has bedrooms separated by the living space for max privacy & has 2 full bathrooms. Stylish laminate flooring throughout, crown molding & updated pot lights in living room. Tons of storage, BONUS, 2 large pantries & laundry/storage room, side by side washer dryer & cabinets. Master bedroom could fit a king bed & has walkthrough his and hers closets. Spend winter in front of the cozy gas fireplace (gas included) or sun filled summer days on the south facing deck. 2 parking spaces. Excellent CENTRAL location, minutes to highway 1, walking & biking trails, shopping, restaurants, Abbotsford Events Centre and the University Of Fraser Valley.

Check out the March 2020 SnapStats for the Fraser Valley.

Written by

The typical ‘Spring Market’ made a great start in March but the need for social distancing meant we had to make some big changes on how we do business and that was bound to have an impact on sales. Take a look at the SnapStats Video for the Fraser Valley – March 2020.

For more information on how we have adapted our business and the current market, call or email Garry Voigt – 604 789 2140, info@garryvoigt.com.