JUST SOLD: 49 13918 58 AVENUE, Panorama Ridge, Surrey

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Alisa Sakamoto

Congrats to my happy Sellers! We did it! Sold their townouse for over asking in just a few days - 49 13918 58 AVENUE, Panorama Ridge, Surrey

View this recently sold Townhouse or see all my home sales

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Foreign Buyers 15% Property Transfer Tax (PTT)

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Alisa Sakamoto

Foreign Buyers 15% Property Transfer Tax (PTT)

This additional PTT applies to residential property buyers in Metro Vancouver communities including Anmore, Belcarra, Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley City and Township, Lion’s Bay, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver City and District, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver, White Rock, and Electoral Area A. Exemptions include residential property on the Tsawwassen First Nation and non-residential property.

Residential property includes detached units, duplexes, multi-family units, apartment buildings, condominiums, mixed-use (residential portion only), manufactured homes, nursing homes, rest homes, bare, undeveloped land and farms.

This tax is charged when foreign entities, including foreign nationals or foreign-controlled corporations, register their title. The new PTT applies even if the contract of purchase and sale was signed before August 2, 2016.

The new 15% PTT is in addition to the current PTT which is charged at a rate of:

1 per cent on the first $200,000;
2 per cent on the portion between $200,000 and $2,000,000; and
3 per cent on any amount over $2,000,000.
Example

$1.5 million home

A foreign buyer of a $1.5 million home will pay

1% on the first $200,000 = $2,000

2% on the portion between $200,000 and $2,000,000 = $26,000

15% foreign buyer PTT = $225,000

Total PTT: $253,000

Revenue from the new tax will help fund a new Housing Priority Initiatives Fund for provincial housing and rental programs. The government will announce the details of this fund in September.

Learn more from this Ministry of Finance Tax Information Sheet.

This article is courtesy of rebgv.ca

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Steveston Village Open House 2PM-4PM: 3200 Regent Street, Richmond

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Alisa Sakamoto

OPEN HOUSE: Saturday, July 17th 2-4pm 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

I we will be hosting an Open House at 3200 REGENT STREET in the Steveston Village neighborhood, Richmond. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent House for sale in beautiful Steveston Village.

Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Steveston Village House for sale.

As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604.644.1044 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.

Alisa Sakamoto
REALTOR® RE/MAX WESTCOAST

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Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver Stats for June 2016

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Alisa Sakamoto

July 5, 2016

Home buyers remain active across Metro Vancouver

Home buyers continue to compete for homes listed for sale across the Metro Vancouver housing market.

Residential property sales in the region totalled 4,400 in June 2016, an increase of 0.6 per cent from the 4,375 sales recorded in June 2015 and a decrease of 7.7 per cent compared to May 2016 when 4,769 homes sold.

Last month’s sales were 28.1 per cent above the 10-year sales average for the month and rank as the highest selling June on record.

"While we're starting to see more properties coming onto the market in recent months, the imbalance between supply and demand continues to influence market conditions," Dan Morrison REBGV president said.

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Metro Vancouver totalled 5,875 in June 2016. This represents an increase of 1.2 per cent compared to the 5,803 units listed in June 2015 and a 6.6 per cent decrease compared to May 2016 when 6,289 properties were listed.

“Since March, we’ve seen more homes listed for sale in our market than in any other four-month period this decade,” Morrison said.

The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 7,812, a 35.9 per cent decline compared to June 2015 (12,181) and a 1.1 per cent increase compared to May 2016 (7,726).

The sales-to-active listings ratio for June 2016 is 56.3 per cent. While clearly indicative of a seller’s market, this is the lowest this measure has been since February.

Generally, analysts say that downward pressure on home prices occurs when the ratio dips below the 12 per cent mark, while home prices often experience upward pressure when it reaches the 20 to 22 per cent range in a particular community for a sustained period of time.

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $917,800. This represents a 32.1 per cent increase compared to June 2015.

Sales of detached properties in June 2016 reached 1,562, a decrease of 18.6 per cent from the 1,920 detached sales recorded in June 2015. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 38.7 per cent from June 2015 to $1,561,500.

Sales of apartment properties reached 2,108 in June 2016, an increase of 18.8 per cent compared to the 1,774 sales in June 2015.The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 25.3 per cent from June 2015 to $501,100.

Attached property sales in June 2016 totalled 730, an increase of 7.2 per cent compared to the 681 sales in June 2015. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 28.1 per cent from June 2015 to $656,900.

Download complete stats package.

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Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver: Foreign buyer data released

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Alisa Sakamoto

Government data shows foreign buyers make up five percent of Metro Vancouver market

Foreign nationals make up 5.1 per cent of home buyers in Metro Vancouver, according to the first set of real estate transaction data released by the provincial government today.

This confirms data realtors have provided the board for several years through the monthly member market poll.

“We wrote the Minister of Finance earlier this year asking him to again track the residency of home buyers in BC and we applaud the government for taking action on this issue,” Dan Morrison, Board president said. “The housing affordability challenge we face is of critical importance to all of us in the region and it’s important that this debate be based on facts. We look forward to the province releasing larger data sets in the future to further inform this conversation.”

The government will continue to release this data each month. The current set covers transactions between June 10 and June 29, 2016.

The data is collected when owners register their property at the Land Title Office and the Property Transfer Tax is paid. Individuals must disclose if they’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or if their citizenship if not Canadian. Corporations must disclose their directors’ citizenship.

The report is available here.

Additional findings include:

• 10,148 residential real estate transactions in BC, totalling more than $7.6 billion.

• 337 transactions (3.3 per cent) involved foreign nationals, worth $390 million (5.1 per cent).

• In Metro Vancouver, there were 5,118 transactions worth nearly $5.4 billion, of which 260 involved foreign nationals (5.1 per cent), worth $351 million (6.5 per cent)

• In the City of Vancouver, there were 1,139 transactions, totalling more than $1.6 billion. 47 of these involved foreign nationals (4.1 per cent), worth $64 million (3.9 per cent).

Courtesy of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver

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Client service excellence – with more than a smile

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Alisa Sakamoto

by REP

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So, you think you’re a great service provider? You always make sure you smile and have a pleasant demeanour. A friendly disposition and a smile are certainly important; however, in today’s competitive market, a smile is just not enough. The way we treat our clients is emerging as a critical differentiator for realtors and can provide a competitive advantage.

Today’s clients are savvy, less loyal and more demanding. They realize they have a choice and that you are not the only realtor to choose from. Additionally, client awareness around service standards also has increased. Good, ordinary and average are simply not good enough. It’s about providing an experience for your client that makes them want to come back, as opposed to being forced or compelled to come back.

So, what is service excellence? Exceptional client service is about going beyond what is realistically expected. It’s about surprising – and often delighting – your clients, turning them into enthusiastic referral sources who will stick with you not only because you do great work, but because of the value you bring.

As a realtor, imagine if you could get existing clients to tell others about the value you offer.

The beauty of word-of-mouth referrals is that they save on marketing costs, cold-calling and the time it takes to network. Great service is not just doing your job, but establishing an emotional connection with your clients. It’s about value adding and finding ways to be unique. It’s about getting to know them and being heartfelt. Research suggests that emotion influences purchasing decisions six times as much as rationale. So, if something or someone makes us feel good, we are more inclined to buy.

Remember, people do business with people they like. Unfortunately, many businesses believe that delivering exceptional service will cost them too much in staff time, training or developing service standards and procedures. These in-focused organizations are only concerned with company profit and cutting costs, and give little thought to how to keep clients happy.

Additionally, in these organizations, staff recognition and retention is low, which significantly impacts growth and profit. Training yourself or your team on how to deliver standout service is an investment that will reap significant personal satisfaction and reward.

Realistically, bad service is actually more costly to your firm than the time taken to provide great service. Poor service influences more than just a negative customer experience – it reduces revenue and drives up costs. It damages public perception, credibility and market reputation. As we all know, a dissatisfied client is more likely to spread the word about a poor service experience than a positive one. Nowadays, unhappy clients will take to social media platforms to broadcast their disappointment. From a client’s perspective, it’s the little promises you keep that matter most. Returning a phone call, providing information or simply getting to know them on a personal basis can significantly impact the relationship.

Providing great service is really about consistency, and realistically, that’s not too difficult for you or your team to achieve. For leaders, it is vital to communicate clearly to your employees the service behaviours that are expected with both internal and external clients. Explain to your team why service excellence matters, not only for the company or client, but also for the personal satisfaction experienced in making others feel valued.

So, what are some simple things you can do to enhance service excellence?

• Be responsive
Speed is everything, so try to reply to your clients as soon as you can and keep them in the loop and informed. Procrastination doesn’t help anyone, and you’re going to have to respond sooner or later. May as well do it now!

• Take time to listen
Avoid speaking, and really listen to what they’re saying. It’s important you understand what your clients are communicating to you. That way, you will be able to successfully meet their needs and provide the right solution.

• Do what you say you’re going to do
One of the biggest gripes in business today is that people simply don’t do what they say they’re going to do. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it! It enhances your professionalism and personal brand, and demonstrates you value your client.

• Know your stuff
Your client’s perception is that you are the paid expert. That’s why they’ve come to you to handle their real estate. So be sure to keep your skills up to date, and be on top of the game in your profession. Unfortunately, if you convey a lack of knowledge, then you risk ruining your credibility.

• Give a little
If a client asks you to do something that really won’t cost you a lot in time or money, then treat it as an opportunity to go the extra mile. By doing so, you not only have a contented and indebted client, but also someone who is more than happy to refer to you.

Finally, within the real estate industry, realtors really should view their book of clients as their most valuable asset and develop a plan around taking good care of them. Most important, develop long-lasting personal relationships by keeping in touch regularly, both in good times and in bad. As realtors, you’re not just selling a product, but providing expert advice that can significantly impact people’s livelihood and circumstances. So, if you haven’t given much thought to your service levels, then perhaps it’s time to conduct an audit. Remember, if you don’t bother to make the client feel valued, respected and important, then you can be sure your competitors will!

This is a slightly amended version of an article written by Nikki Heald, managing director of Corptraining. It has been shortened to make it suitable for web publishing.

Courtesy of: http://www.repmag.ca/business-development/client-service-excellence--with-more-than-a-smile-204824.aspx

As you can see, there’s a lot of value you can get from talking to me as your REALTOR®. Call me today --604.644.1044 Alisa Sakamoto

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