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Too many novice homebuyers and investors still make the rookie mistake of buying the right house in the wrong neighbourhood.  While most people are familiar with the real estate mantra – LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION – some buyers fall in love with the look, feel and features of a particular home and, as we all know, love is blind.  Location ends up getting trumped by the hard-to-resist lure of a pretty façade.  In truth, buyers are better off buying a home in the right neighbourhood that has only half the amenities on their wish list than buying their perfect dream home in the wrong neighbourhood.

Narrowing a property search to the right neighbourhoods requires the guidance and assistance of a professional Realtor who has a clear understanding of your purpose in buying and your short and long-term real estate goals.  Your Realtor also needs to get to know you a little on a personal level to help in targeting the neighbourhoods that will offer the best fit for your personality and lifestyle.  The right neighbourhood for an investor will not necessarily be the right neighbourhood for a young couple with school age children or a single person seeking access to downtown amenities.

In order to maximize short-term cash flow and long-term equity growth, investors need to search for properties in up-and-coming communities that attract quality tenants.  If you are intending to be a landlord near a university, access to public transit is a critical element since many students and faculty members do not own their own vehicles.  Homebuyers with children need family-friendly neighbourhoods with proximity to good schools, parks and recreational facilities.

There are a myriad of factors to consider when buying a home.  Pinpointing the right location is a function of all of these considerations.  Do you work?  Where do you work?  Do you have children?  How do you feel about commuting?   How do you spend your leisure time?  Are you a condo or a house buyer?  If you are an investor, what are you hoping to achieve?  Is this your first investment or part of a larger portfolio?  These are only a few of the questions to consider before launching a property search.  The answers to these questions, in the hands of a knowledgeable Realtor, will help determine the locations to focus on in your search.

Even though all clients come to the table with wildly-differing goals and expectations, everyone is looking to achieve a positive return on investment (ROI) and location has a huge influence on ROI. At the same time, if you are going to be living in the home, you want to be in a neighbourhood that will accommodate your needs and complement your lifestyle.  The suburban home you fell in love with at first sight may start to wear on your nerves if it involves a long commute.  And the downtown condo that is close to work may leave you disenchanted if you have always harboured dreams of large backyard barbecues and an expansive garden.

Pinpointing the right location with strong potential for both long term ROI and short-term comfort and satisfaction involves a delicate analysis that is best conducted with the help of an experienced and objective Realtor.  You will need a pro to help you weigh all factors and choose the right property in the right neighbourhood for you and your family.

Are you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard and his team of Calgary real estate professionals sell an average of two homes a week. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. His aim is not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell a home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is a member of the RE/MAX House of Real Estate that leads in the Canadian market. Learn more about Bryon at TheHowardTeam.net.

Calgary 70.3 Pre-Race Meal at my house w my wife Shirley & professional triathletes Liz Lyles & Jarod Shoemaker – So fun.

It’s Tuesday – but I’m still hoping the weekend won’t end.

A few weeks ago – somehow through facebook, I learned that the organizers of Calgary 70.3 were looking for host homes for the professional athletes.
I immediately said “Yes” … and asked for two.

Talented Mom & current record holder on Brazil Ironman Course Liz Lyles and Past World Champion and Olympian Jarrod Shoemaker were our pro athletes for the weekend!

The top 5 Professionals – Men and Women – Calgary 70.3 2016 – Liz and Jarred came 4th & 5th.

I’m shocked at what these athletes eat. They simply are flexible. Jared arrived first on Friday. We had food in the house … but he told us he would stop prior to arriving at home to get some snacks for the weekend. I was curious what ‘snacks’ were.
I was delighted to arrive home.
He had chips in the house!
… I LOVE chips.
Liz assured us … all she needed was coffee in the morning.

Well this is my race report …
Swim 28:29
I was fast. (In my standards).
Actually – the guy in front of me was fast.
I followed fast feet.
At one point, some crazy guy … actually stopped swimming and pushed me TOWARDS the finish line. He was upset at me as we rounded a buoy and were bumping against each other. Shit happens.

Bike 2:18:28
A beautiful course – it was unmemorable – other than seeing friend Jason Pohl pass me … and me thinking I was happy to beat him on the swim. I thought I could hold him … and was disappointed I could not. (25 year old punk.)

Run 1:37:41
I ran.
At the finish line, I ran into my friend Jarred Green.
He said, “It was funny … you looked like shit going out … and coming in … but you were moving.”
That is pretty much how I felt. Yes … I could move in a forward direction … but I had no spirit – and simply

Friend Dan on the left & Winner of the day – Josh Amberger in 3hours 40min – a course record! – Bryon Howard on the right. Dan will be joining Josh at World Championships in Aussie in 5 weeks. Josh didn’t seem worried about the competition.

no spring.

Results: I WON the age 50-54 group! My time was 4:28:24.
I’m 49 years old … and I’ll be 50 in November.
For all those years in elementary school from grades 1 to 6 – when I was the last picked for every team sport … Ha!  Ironman made a change in the way the age categories work … so being born late in the year is an advantage as one age groups us.  I’ll take it! 🙂

Are you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard and his team of Calgary real estate professionals sell an average of two homes a week. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. His aim is not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell a home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is a member of the RE/MAX House of Real Estate that leads in the Canadian market. Learn more about Bryon at TheHowardTeam.net.

When it comes to preparing a home to list for sale, successful Realtors and sellers understand that it is all about the details. There is more to selling a home for top dollar than simply staking a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. Paying attention to seemingly minor details will help separate your property from others in the MLS and instill in buyers the confidence that they are purchasing a home that has been cared for.

Rather than just issuing blanket instructions to sellers that they get their homes in shape to sell, we like to take an individualized approach and make specific recommendations to sellers based on their needs and circumstances. The goal is always to help ensure the property shows as well as possible. Many clients find that a small investment of time and money prior to listing a property for sale more than pays for itself at closing.

Of course every home is different and the extent of preparation work will vary according to the age and condition of the property and the size of the seller’s budget. While we always sit down with our clients and craft a personalized strategy, we find that attention to any of the following basic items will help sell any home:

Declutter and Depersonalize – Remove as much clutter and extra furniture as possible. Traffic in the home should flow smoothly from one room to another. It is also helpful to remove personal photos, memorabilia and knickknacks to help buyers begin to envision the home as their own.

Deep Cleaning – Arrange for a deep cleaning of the home – inside and out. Power wash the exterior, and clean all walls, surfaces, windows and fixtures until they shine. Steam-cleaned carpets will look and smell like new.

Landscaping – Trim trees, bushes and any landscaping that is overgrown or obscuring the home. Make sure the lawn is cut on a regular basis.

Minor Repairs – If feasible, now is the time to take care of all those little repair items that accumulate over time. Repair or replace cracked floor, wall and counter tiles. Patch holes and cracks in the walls. Fix leaking pipes and faucets. Repair any broken doors, windows and cabinetry. Clean chimneys and replace HVAC filters.

Fresh Paint – Consider painting the interior of the home in neutral tones to appeal to the most buyers. Don’t worry! You can paint your next home in your favourite shades of pink and orange.

Finishing Touches – Replace burnt out light bulbs and worn, discolored switch plates. Pull back curtains and blinds to allow natural light to flow in. Consider replacing any worn out window treatments, bedspreads and comforters.

Some of these items may seem minor and insignificant, but experience tells us that lack of attention to these little details can make your home seem frumpy and neglected. Once you have prepared your home for listing, we can help you in the next steps – setting the appropriate asking price based on a market evaluation and determining if staging the home will assist in the sale. At first glance, it may seem like a lot of work. Just remember that once we place a “Sold” sticker on your “For Sale” sign, you will know that the time, money and labor invested in preparing your home for sale was well worth the effort.

Are you looking to Sell or Buy a home in Calgary and need someone who won’t rest until you’ve found your dream home or until your home is sold? I’ll work hard to earn your trust and to deliver exactly what you need. Contact me at 403-589-0004 or at TheHowardTeam.net.

About Bryon Howard

Bryon Howard and his team of Calgary real estate professionals sell an average of two homes a week. He is a member of the MLS Million Point Club, which ranks him roughly in the top 1% of productive realtors in Calgary. His aim is not just to please clients but to help them buy/sell a home in Calgary at the best price, in the shortest time, and with the least hassle. He is a member of the RE/MAX House of Real Estate that leads in the Canadian market. Learn more about Bryon at TheHowardTeam.net.

Sunday, July 3, 2016 was my first triathlon of this year – The Great White North in Edmonton – a half distance Iron Man. This is the year I age group “up” … so it is the year I do Ironman.  I think of Ironman as a 5 year health check up. I’ve been doing it about every 5 years since my first one in 2001. This is a tune-up race to get prepared for my “A” goal race this year –  Ironman Arizona in November.

Swim – 2km – 29 min 08 seconds

I like swimming. Yeah … it can be boring … but swimming well has great advantages.  I feel that because I swim, I don’t have to go to the gym and do weights. (This is probably not correct thinking.) Most awesome about weekly swimming … is when on vacation in cool places … you can hit the ocean, lake or river and really feel comfortable and experience the awesomeness of nature.

Currently I’m the slowest in my Tuesday and Thursday 6am swim group. However, when I put on a wet suit … I get tremendous advantage. Possibly through years of playing Rugby, I also do pretty well in the ‘smash up’ of the triathlon swim. I don’t mind the thrashing of arms and kicking of feet. I look for a heavier faster athlete and just hang by their feet in their bubbles, enjoying a draft – which apparently can have a 37% advantage!

On this race day – I was able to beat my friend Faizel, the fastest in our lane, by a minute!

Bike – 90km – 2hours 49 min

On Sunday, I got three flat tires.

Prior to my first flat … I actually thought to myself … “I’m feeling GREAT and will hammer this bike and to try to get the fastest amateur bike split of the day.”  (After looking at the results and the speed of the cyclist that day … I realize I am completely in la-la land. I had no chance of getting the fastest bike split of the day! It’s fun to be an optimist.)

Why did I get three Flats?  Poor Preparation. There were two holes in my back tire! These tires were old.

The night prior to the race, I decided to change my wheel set. I looked at the tires quickly … and thought they were fine. I wasn’t surprised by getting the first flat, the second … or the third!

Run – 21km – 1hour 35 min

The course was nice, interesting. While I was already out of the race, I was able to comfortably run – not pushing too hard. It was fun to see old and new friends on the double loop course at various times.

How is Racing like Selling Real Estate?

You have options.  What you decide to do with those options, will have a direct relationship to your results.  You can choose to prepare or not to prepare. In either case, if I do the preparation – I have a shot at “the win”.  If I don’t prepare, If I don’t show up on time … yes – I’m at the game … but I don’t have a chance at the prize.

In the early years of my career in selling real estate – I had average results.  I was frustrated by this.  It wasn’t until I added the principles of how I participate in sport to how I conduct myself in my real estate job – that I began to have success as a realtor.

Selling Real Estate is not Rocket Science. Neither is showing up at the Start line of a Race.  While success can come and go depending on motivation and goals, I find that when I put myself on the line and expose myself to the unknown, I learn things about myself which add tremendous value to my role a Real Estate Sales Professional.