Real Estate Blog by Doug Belcher RE/MAX of Nanaimo

I hope my Real Estate Blog is helpful and informative.
This blog is available in an RSS feed format as well. (requires internet explorer 7 or an RSS feed reader)

Dave Liniger Buys CNN Hummer With $1 Million Donation

Dave signs a $1 million check for the CNN Hummer

The generosity of RE/MAX International Co-Founders Dave and Gail Liniger was a top story on the CNN.com Web site Monday. Neck-and-neck with another bidder at a charity auction on Saturday, Dave Liniger wowed the crowd with a winning $1 million bid on CNN's (Warrior One) Hummer, which was refurbished last fall on TLC's (Overhaulin) program. Used in Iraq by a news team embedded with a Marine Corps unit in 2003, the remodeled Hummer was auctioned to raise money for the Fisher House Foundation, which provides a home away from home for families of wounded service members rehabilitating in military hospitals. The Hummer netted $1.25 million total when the fellow bidder agreed to pad Liniger's donation with an extra $250,000. (The guy who put the [$250,000] in was bidding against me up to the last minute,) Liniger (ABR, CRB) told CNN's Rick Sanchez. He turned around, he put his arms around me and he says, 'Hey, you buy the car, you get the car. I'll add 250 to it.' A fabulous gesture. Organizers expected the vehicle to net something in the hundreds of thousands, but few were prepared for Liniger's seven-figure bid. A Vietnam veteran himself, Liniger couldn't pass up an opportunity to support wounded troops.

Copyright © 2007 RE/MAX International Inc.1/22/07

Real Estate Market in Nanaimo cools off in 2006
The real estate market in Nanaimo has resumed to a bit more of a normal pace compared to it's fever pitch the last few years. This is a healthy sign and a much more sustainable market. The average home price in Nanaimo in December 2006 is $ 293,442 versus $265,427 in 2005, a 10% increase. The 12 month YTD sales figures for 2006 were increased a little more as a percentage $288,880 versus $253,038, a 14% increase. Click here to see my archive of Nanaimo MLS market stats

Year End Recap 2006
Well it has been an exciting year for me this year with lots of changes and excitement.

In October I became the first realtor in Nanaimo to successfully complete the REALTOR e-PRO course to become one of a select few real estate professionals to earn the prestigious certification offered through the National Association of REALTORS.® There are only 14 realtors in B.C. with this designation and only  3 on Vancouver Island. (read more)

I completed the Luxury Home Marketing course.

I hope to add the designation "Accredited Buyers' Agent to my designations this year (2007).

In February I was in the top ten for sales volume in my office, #16 YTD. In February my father Dick Belcher along with his partner Frank Johnson won REMAX broker owner of the year for western Canada. This was later topped by them both winning RE/MAX broker/ owner of the year world wide out of 6500 offices.  (read more)

Prices rose quickly in both February and March. Inventory levels climbed throughout the year but fell off in December. The number of days to sell a home varied between a high of 61 in the slow month of January to a low of 35 days in June. Sellers' that did manage to sell their home were getting 97% - 98% of asking price. (if a home listed at 294,000 it likely would sell for $289,000). Homes that were properly priced and in good areas tended to sell quickly. Over priced homes typically went through one or two price reductions before selling.

Vancouver Island Sales Statistics Graphs 2000-2006

These graphs show that homes are taking longer to sell in 2006 it is still much quicker than 2000 / 2001.

Online newsletter revamped (converted to blog format with RSS feeds) 

I changed the way I do my newsletter in December, converting it to a blog format. I also added a cutting edge technology to it called RSS This enables anyone to subscribe to my news feed. This newsletter was previously only available to my clients. An RSS feed is short for really simple syndication. It is a way of coding the data that it can be added to custom home pages such as Google, Yahoo AND AOL.  You can also add it to a list of subscribed feeds through Internet explorer 7. This feature will become popular as people upgrade to Windows Vista. I have found internet explorer 7 an easier version to use with many new features such as Tabs, RSS feeds and a better interface. Best of all it is a free way to upgrade your software.

You can download internet explorer 7 by this link .

I continue to strive to have the best real estate web site in Nanaimo to be a resource for both my clients' and my future clients. Last year I continued to be the top ranked realtor web site in Nanaimo. I will continue to add new features to the site as the technology become available.

Harbour Lynx Back in service

I was very happy to hear that starting in 2007 the fast ferry will once again be in operation. This will really help make Nanaimo more attractive to prospective buyers' but will aid with tourism as well. The new company will call itself Sea Link Ferry Corporation (see new company web site).

Building Code Changes coming soon!

The building code in Canada is updated every 10 years or so. This is then adopted by the Province and ultimately the city of Nanaimo. All the collective knowledge is added to make homes safer to live in and last longer. With this in mind several changes are scheduled to be made to our building code. The most significant of these are the building envelope, waterfront set backs and steep slope development. New homes will be built with a gap between the outer shell of the home and the wall to allow moisture a way out. Changes will be made to all aspects of home construction from plumbing to electrical. The actual building code is several inches thick and far too detailed for me to explain here.

Even if the guidelines are pushed back for a period of time they will eventually be put in place. Any questions regarding these changes should be directed to the city of Nanaimo. Service directory link

City of Nanaimo Web site

I hope you find my blog interesting and informative and welcome any feedback. doug@dougbelcher.com
I make my living helping clients buy and sell real estate and welcome any referral business.