Sooke Community and Real Estate Blog 642Blog.ca

December 21st, 2009

December 22nd, 2009

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

Well, the Christmas season has definitely caught up with me and I’ve been so busy that I’ve neglected the horrible MLS Photos! Here are five in a row to make up for lost time!

#641, December 16th, 2009

Easy-bake oven

A better idea would be to show how this fits into whatever room it is in. Stand back and show the buyer what the whole room looks like, rather than focusing on one element in the room.

#642, December 17th, 2009

Clutteriffic!

Wow, this place needs some serious organizing and de-cluttering. I am not trying to pick on the home owner’s decor or style, but as a REALTOR®, it’s my job to tell you this! Get most of the pictures off the wall, clear out a few knick-knacks and plants, turn off the TV and this room would look much bigger and less personalized, allowing a buyer to mentally (and emotionally) place him or herself in the room with his or her possessions.

#643, December 18th, 2009

Up against the wall

The wall here takes up fully 1/3 of the frame. When shooting a room, try and capture as much of it in the frame as possible.

#644, December 19th, 2009

Cookin' in the dark!

This kitchen would look ten times better if shot from the other side (over by the stove, so the fridge isn’t in the way) and if the agent turned on some lights!

#645, December 20th, 2009

Vertigo!

This just doesn’t look very good, there’s no really good way to present a narrow hallway. They just end up looking, well, narrow. So leave them out.

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

December 15th, 2009

What are you stair-ing at?

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 Santa Skate

The annual Sooke Santa Skate, put on by our team at Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty and SEAPARC, will be held this Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at the SEAPARC Arena. Join us from 1:30 until 3:00 for a fun, family event. Admission is by donation of non-perishable food items, new, unwrapped toys, or cash to support Sooke families in need this Christmas.

Your local REALTORS® from the Royal LePage Coast Capital office will be on hand passing out free and tasty hot chocolate and hot dogs and collecting your generous donations. Skate rentals are also included if you do not have your own. Bring your camera and get a memorable picture with Skating Santa Claus!

Last year’s event was a success, despite having been postponed due to adverse road conditions brought on by the wild winter weather we had last December. Hopefully we’ll have a typically mild day, making it easy for everyone to safely get to the arena.

I hope to see you there!

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: arena | christmas | family | free | fun | Santa | SEAPARC | skate | skating | Sooke

December 13th, 2009

Dog's-eye view?

Just so Fido can get an idea of what the bathroom looks like just before he drinks from the toilet in your new home.

December 14th, 2009

Mother Hubbard's Bare Cupboards

I’m not quite sure why the agent decided to leave the cupboard open, it doesn’t really present the kitchen any better than closed. I would have also stood back a little further to capture more of the kitchen and turned on some lights.

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

December 11th, 2009

December 12th, 2009

Well at least the flash is concealing his shame.

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 Sunken Garden at Butchart

Last night, my wife and I got out and enjoyed the crisp December evening and headed out to world-famous Butchart Gardens on the Saanich Peninsula. Every year they decorate the gardens in thousands of lights, creating a truly magical Christmas experience. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, it was a gorgeous, starlit evening, and the lights were amazing. The gardens are decked out in a Twelve Days of Christmas theme, so along the garden paths there are little vignettes displaying the different parts of the famous song. It was fun to hear everyone reciting or singing “fiiiiiive golden rings” and so on as they approached the various displays along the route.

I brought along my camera, tripod and shutter release to get some long exposure shots of the lights. Lights at night are one of my favourite things to photograph, and I think the results turned out quite well.

A large cedar with lots of presents

There was a brass quartet playing Christmas carols, a carousel, and a skating rink set up for all to enjoy. The admission might seem a little steep at $23.50 for adults (lots less for kids, price list here) but if you buy a yearly pass and go more than twice it pays for itself (many will go once a season, or more if you have guests in from out of town).

I hadn’t been out to Butchart Gardens in about 5 years or more, and I had forgotten how lucky we are to have such a world-class attraction in our back yard. It truly is a top-notch operation and it’s no surprise how popular it remains, after over 100 years in existence.

Enjoy these photos – you can view the rest on my Flickr page.

Ponds are frozen over at the Gardens

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: activities | BC | butchart | christmas | display | events | gardens | lights | photography | things to do | Victoria | winter

December 10th, 2009

I’m usually a big fan of this kind of presentation, from a loft or mezzanine above the living room, but this one is oddly composed, with too much wall and ceiling on the left of the frame.

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

December 9th, 2009

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

This past Saturday saw the 2nd annual Sooke Spirit Festival which was a resounding success. What started as a small event in a snowstorm last year, grew into a well organized and well attended family affair this year.

I was driving the lead boat (the Coast Guard Auxiliary boat) in the sailpast, and managed to shoot a little bit of video to give you an idea what it looked like out there if you missed it. What a perfect night to be on the water. A little chilly, but the wind held off until after the sailpast, which was a big plus. There were lots of people on the boardwalk watching the dozen-plus decorated boats sparkle on the crystal-clear and calm evening on Sooke Harbour.

Check out the video I shot below. It’s mostly of the boats getting ready and of the beautiful harbour before sundown, as I was driving the boat during the actual sailpast. If anyone has any better video, shoot me an email and let me know and I’ll post it!

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: 2009 | auxiliary | BC | boats | CCGA | coast guard | festival | harbour | lights | parade | sailpast | Sooke | spirit | tim ayres