2020 ENDED ON A HIGH FOR REAL ESTATE SALES – CHECK OUT THE MARKET UPDATE FROM SNAPSTATS

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SURREY, BC – In a year when the real estate market was at a standstill for months due to COVID-19, total annual sales in the Fraser Valley still finished 12.4 per cent above the 10-year average due to unrelenting, pent-up consumer demand during the second half of 2020.

In December, the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) processed a staggering 2,086 sales, the strongest December on record and 81.2 per cent above normal for the month. New listings in December, were the second highest on record at 1,502. By month’s end, active inventory finished below typical levels, at 3,949 units.

The total sales volume for the year in Fraser Valley was 19,926; an increase of 28.7 per cent compared to 2019’s 15,487 sales and placing it fourth highest for annual sales since 2011.

In 2020, sales of the three main residential property types were as follows: 8,176 single-family detached; 5,102 townhouses; and 4,357 apartments. Year-over-year, sales of detached soared by 41.7 per cent compared to 2019; townhome sales increased by 31.2 per cent and sales of apartments increased by 5.9 per cent.

For more info on the current market call Garry Voigt 604 789 2140 or email info@garryvoigt.com!

 

JUST LISTED – PADDINGTON STATION – LANGLEY – 2 BED – 1 BATH CONDO

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242 5660 201a Street. Welcome to PADDINGTON STATION, this bright, open, junior 2 bed condo (2nd bed has a closet but no window) faces south for tons of natural sunlight. Kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite counters, opens to airy dining and living room. Newer laminate floor installed throughout. Cozy up in front of the fireplace or drink your coffee on the south facing deck. Large master bedroom has his & hers closets, cheater door to bathroom plus bonus AIR CONDITIONING! Excellent building amenities, bike storage, gym, amenity room with kitchen, kids craft room and a guest suite. Convenient in suite laundry and essential storage room! Very family friendly building in the heart of Langley, walk to shopping, parks, schools & a short drive to box stores. Pets and rentals allowed (dogs up to 22″).

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHECK OUT THE OCTOBER STATS FOR THE FRASER VALLEY

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October continued to be a record breaking month for sales in the Fraser Valley and we continue to see a rise in demand and a lack of inventory, make this a ‘sellers market’ for another month. Check out the video and contact Garry Voigt for more information.

info@garry Voigt.com – 604 789 2140

 

 

JUST LISTED – CONTEMPORARY WEST COAST STYLE TOWNHOUSE – 3 BED – 3 BATH – LANGLEY

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Welcome to The TERRACES. Three bedroom, 3 bath West Coast style townhouse with a HUGE ROOF TOP PATIO. Features include hardwood floors on the main, NEST smart thermostat & central AIR CONDITIONING! This light, bright open plan, home has a large kitchen with contemporary 2 tone cabinetry, Bosch 5 burner gas range & Dishwasher, Fischer Paykel French door fridge, tons of quartz counter space & large eat up peninsular. Bright open plan dining & living room with cool feature fireplace. Bonus powder room on the main floor. The 24’ x 22’ Roof top patio is an entertainer’s dream with tons of space for outdoor furniture plus a gas hook up for the BBQ. The large side by side garage features parking for 2 plus large storage area! Central but peaceful location, close to walking trails and Brydon Park! 

 

For more information, call or email Garry Voigt info@garryvoigt.com or 604 7789 2140

 

CHECK OUT THE LATEST STATS FOR SEPTEMBER IN THE FRASER VALLEY – IT IS STILL A SELLERS MARKET

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The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 2,231 sales on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in September, an increase of 66.1 per cent compared to the same month last year and an increase of 9.4 per cent compared to August 2020. This is the highest recorded sales for September in the history of FVREB.

In the last three months, Fraser Valley has seen a defined shift in demand towards single family detached homes with sales in July through to September garnering 47 per cent of the three main residential types, compared to 43 per cent during the same period last year.

*Stats above based off data from Fraser Valley Real Estate Board stats centre.

For more information contact Garry Voigt – 604 789 2140 – info@garryvoigt.com

 

JUST LISTED – RARELY AVAILABLE STOREY TOWNHOUSE – 4 BED – 3 BATH – OVER 1500 SQ FT – CENTRAL ABBOTSFORD

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Townhomes like this don’t come up often! This 2 story home has an incredible layout with MASTER bed on the main, over 2500 sq/ft of living space & HUGE fully fenced west facing backyard, perfect for the furry friend! Main floor features a bright OPEN floor plan with a good-sized bedroom, crown moulding, white shaker style cabinets, stainless French door fridge & eat up Island leading onto the oversized deck, perfect for entertaining! The master features a SPA like ensuite, big tub + shower & W/I closet. Fully finished lower floor with its own separate entrance has 2 further beds, full bath, large rec & family room, den, tons of storage and bonus kitchenette, perfect for guests or teenagers! Located in the heart of Abbotsford, walking distance of Mill Lake walking trails & Sevenoaks Mall! 

For more information contact 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

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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

CHECK OUT THE LATEST SNAPSTATS VIDEO FOR THE FRASER VALLEY

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Check out the latest SnapStats for the Fraser Valley. After the affects of the Covid19 pandemic bought things to a halt in March and April, we started to slowly see a recover through May with a huge surge of market activity in June! Sales in June 2020 were up 115% over May 2020. The latest SnapStats indicate that we are in a sellers market** and we are once again seeing multiple offers and listings being sold within days of hitting the market.

For more information on the current Real Estate market, call or email Garry Voigt 604 789 2140 or info@garryvoigt.com.

**The accuracy and completeness of the information is not guaranteed. In providing this information SnapStats® or Garry Voigt do not assume any responsibility or liability. More info at snap-stats.com .

 

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

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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.

BC PREPARES TO START TO OPEN UP THE ECONOMY AND HERE IS HOW THEY PLAN TO DO IT

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BC’s Restart Plan lays out a series of steps that we will take together to protect people and ensure that our province can come back from COVID-19 stronger than before.

Around the world, governments have taken different approaches to try to bend and flatten the curve of transmission — from complete lockdowns to quarantines and varying intensities of physical distancing.

From the outset, B.C. established clear guidance, transparency and an evidence-based approach as hallmarks of our fight against COVID-19.

Protective measures B.C. has taken have included:

  • Providing physical distancing and hygiene guidelines for people, businesses and essential services to follow
  • Banning mass gathering of more than 50 people to reduce the risk of outbreaks
  • Closing bars, dine-in service at restaurants, and personal service operators, like barbers and dentists, to reduce the risk of transmission
  • Reducing in-classroom learning and child care
  • Requiring travellers to develop and stick to a 14-day isolation plan when arriving in B.C. from abroad
  • Restricting visitors to health care and assisted living facilities to protect some of our most vulnerable people
  • Postponing non-urgent and elective surgeries while maintaining urgent and emergency procedures

Working together we’ve made a lot of progress. These protective measures and restrictions have directly saved lives, but we also know that the public health benefit has come at some expense, including the economic, social and personal well-being of many British Columbians.

Check out the BC Government website for more info.