Sooke Community, Events, Real Estate, And More!
February 8th, 2010
See all the usual suspects here.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
February 7th, 2010
Reader Gary S. sent this one in and writes “Of all the corners in the world, why pick this one? I think its a statement about life.”
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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
February 6th, 2010
How YOU Doin'?
So, does the wildlife come with the property? Has anyone asked Bambi here how she feels about it?
See all the usual suspects here.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
The Tax Burden on New Housing
As of July 1st, 2010, the 5% GST and 7% BC PST will be replaced by a 12% Harmonized Sales Tax. How does this affect buyers of housing in British Columbia?
HST will only apply on new housing. Just like today with the GST, HST will not be applicable on previously-occupied, resale houses. I get this question all the time. Unless you’re buying a new home, or one that has been substantially renovated such that it is as-new, you will not pay HST on the sale.
Below is a table which outlines the current GST burden on new housing and the proposed HST burden on new housing after July 1, 2010. Keep in mind that often for properties priced under $450,000-$500,000 the builder includes the GST in the purchase price, and the new housing rebate is assigned to the builder. For example, it would be rare to purchase a $275,000 condo and pay GST on top, but it would not be uncommon to buy a $600,000 home and then have to pay the GST in addition to the purchase price.
BC New Housing GST HST Worksheet
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: all houses | BC | GST | harmonized sales tax | how much | HST | New Houses | new housing | Real Estate | tax burden | taxes | worksheet
February 5th, 2010
See all the usual suspects here.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
February 4th, 2010
Great. What is it?
I believe this is one of those newfangled tankless hot water heaters. But, does a picture of it really belong in the MLS photos? And can the average home buyer tell this apart from a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor?
See all the usual suspects here.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
February 3rd, 2010
Beautiful Evergreens!
Clipart has no place in MLS listings.
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-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
Lindsay Buziak: Still No Arrests In Murder Case
As long as I write this blog, I’m certain to never forget that two years ago today, February 2nd, is the day that Lindsay Buziak, a 24 year old real estate agent from Victoria, was murdered in the house she was showing to prospective buyers.
In the month or so before the anniversary of her death, searches for “Lindsay Buziak” and related keywords surrounding the case show up with increasing frequency on my blog stats because of what I wrote the days after the murder and on the one-year anniversary in 2009.
It’s only natural I guess – people scouring the Internet for information on the case: clues, speculation or rumours. I’d like to think that some of the traffic is law enforcement, hoping that somebody somewhere has posted a new tip or clue about the case.
Because it’s ridiculous that the police have next to nothing to go on. She was killed in the early evening in a residential neighbourhood where people would be getting home from work. Somebody saw something. Somebody knows something that will lead to an arrest. Saanich Police concede that she was intentionally targeted and that the murder was planned many weeks in advance. You can’t plan something like that and have no one know about it.
“Lindsay was intentionally targeted, she was intentionally lured to the home and she was intentionally killed.” – Saanich Police spokeswoman Sgt. Julie Fast.
Lindsay’s family has announced a reward of $100,000 for information leading to an arrest. The Victoria Real Estate Board and the Canadian Real Estate Association have each contributed $25,000 to the reward pool, in a show of support. What happened to Lindsay, while not a direct result of her profession, could happen to any of us in real estate. All too often we get complacent in the chase for another deal. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it – listen to your instincts.
I really hope I never have to write another Lindsay Day post on this blog. Please, if you know anything about this case, no matter how small it may seem, call the Saanich Police tip line at 250-475-4356.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: case | CREA | crime | lindsay buziak | murder | real estate agent | realtor | reward | rumours | Saanich | tips | unsolved | Victoria | VREB
February 2nd, 2010
Wow.
Special thanks to reader and fellow Sooke-ite Melanie from Freshleaf Designs for this one!
See all the usual suspects here.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: bad | horrible | MLS | photo | photography | Real Estate | realtor
Sooke 2010 Booth Under Construction
With just 10 days to go until the 2010 Olympic Winter Games open in Vancouver, the excitement is growing and reports from Vancouver indicate the atmosphere on the streets is electric as athletes, supporters, and visitors are already arriving in town.
Sooke is one of several British Columbia communities taking part in the B.C. Street exhibition, which is taking place throughout the Games at the Richmond O-Zone, just minutes away from the speed skating oval and a short ride from the airport or downtown on the Canada Line.
A team of artists, designers, visionaries and builders have been hard at work in the Sooke Fire Hall building what is sure to be an amazing display of the Sooke to Port Renfrew region. The display is about 40 feet long and is designed around the theme “Wild by Nature.” It will feature an “ocean” and “beach”, trees, and boardwalk, overlooking a 40×8 foot panoramic photo of Sooke Harbour. A killer whale is captured in sculpture, breaching the water, and the familiar site of Sheringham Point Lighthouse is also present.
Local graphic designer, photographer and videographer Jason van der Valk of Inktvis Creative shot the panoramic photo and produced the Sooke 2010 website and video, shown below. The work he put in was extensive and the results definitely show. If you’re looking for somebody with creative vision and skill for your next project, Jason is your man!
For those of us that live here, the video reconfirms that we live in an amazing place – perhaps Vancouver Island’s best-kept secret. For everyone else, perhaps it’s time to have a look at the video, and find out what you’ve been missing.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Tagged: 2010 | BC | display | inktvis | o-zone | olympics | ozone | richmond | Sooke | street | tourism | Vancouver | Video
