Land title transfers are seriously delayed at the moment; according to the Alberta Registries Site, they are currently registering Land Title Documents received on February 16th and Survey Plans/Documents received on March 9th, which places the current processing times well above the industry standard. Below we dive into what land titles are, why they are important, the cause of these delays, the issues the delay may cause and what home buyers and sellers can do to protect themselves. 

What is a Land Title?

A land title is a document that proves ownership of a piece of land and the specific interests (such as mortgages, caveats and easements) registered on them. When a home is bought or sold, the land title is transferred to the new owner, which…

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Whether you’re remodelling to enhance your family’s treasured home for your own enjoyment or to increase resale value, it is bound to be a vast undertaking. To adequately prepare yourself for the project that lies ahead, consider the following common renovation problems and the best solutions to fix them.

Being Caught Off-Guard by Hidden Issues

Sometimes, once the renovation project is underway, problems surface that require further attention, time and money. Be aware of the following issues that could pose extra work during your remodel process:
  • Carpentry – When a floorboard is removed, other surprises often lurk, such as rotten framing or unleveled areas.
  • Glazing on windows is often thin in older homes and can break easily.
  • Asbestos…

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What is radon gas?

Radon is an invisible, odourless, cancer-causing, radioactive gas that comes from the ground. When inhaled, radon breaks down into radioactive particles, releasing bursts of radioactivity that can cause injury to lung tissue. Exposure to high levels of radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoking. Radon enters homes where the house comes into contact with the ground and can accumulate into high levels, posing health risks to the occupants. The health implications of radon exposure depend on both the level and length of exposure, and the risk of developing lung cancer is especially high for smokers. The only way to find out if your home has high radon levels is to have your home tested. A reading of 200…

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Moving is a huge adjustment that impacts the whole family, including children. Whether you are moving down the street, to a new neighbourhood, or to a new city, province or country altogether, your children will need support during this transition. We are sharing our top 5 tips for making the transition as smooth and positive as possible.

1. Communicate with your children

  • Talk to your child about the move in age-appropriate terms as soon as possible.
  • Be prepared for and allow all the different feelings they may have.
  • Share your feelings in age-appropriate ways to show your child that all feelings are normal and that they are not alone.
  • Talk about what will change and what will stay the same.
  • Remember, it is totally normal for kids…

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Last week Sheldon and Sara were joined by two amazing Liv agents for a Facebook Live to discuss multiple offer situations. Deidre Harrison and Tonya Brown have helped many clients successfully navigate through multiple offer situations and they shared their strategies with us. Check out the replay here and read on for more details in the blog post below.

Why are multiple offers are such a hot topic right now?

Multiple offers arise when inventory is low and demand is high, which is what we are experiencing right now, particularly for single-family homes in the $350,00-$500,000 range.

Top strategies for standing out from other offers

Prepare

Have all financing pre-approved and a letter from the lender stating this. Be careful what you…

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Sheldon and Sara were recently joined for a Facebook Live by some of Liv’s resident experts on purchasing and living in a rural home. Tameka Ross, Lindsay Parsons and Allison Meston all had amazing information to share, and we’ve compiled it all into the blog post below. Watch the replay here:   Covid has seriously impacted the real estate market from a huge drop last march to a completely unexpected surge this spring.  The biggest trend over the last 10 months has been the desire for more space and along with that, there has been a huge growth in sales of rural properties. 

Reasons people have been making the move:

[caption id="attachment_8379" align="alignright" width="241"] Allison's family enjoying the outdoors on their…

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It's not broken, we just moved your cheese. It's been just over five years since we've done any major updates to our very popular home search website EdmontonRealEstate.pro. Last time, on December 15, 2015, we had about 5,500 user sessions a day. Lately, we've been averaging about 17,000 user sessions a day. The most traffic we ever saw in one day was 19,803 user sessions on June 30, 2020. So why change things? Especially when we know people love the site, and people hate change. 66% of our traffic is on a mobile device, and the mobile experience on our new site is far superior to the old one. Our new site has been designed "mobile-first" so it works as well on a phone as it does on a desktop. It's designed for speed, and it has a beautiful map-based…

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Buyers almost always include a home inspection condition when they make an offer on a house. The purpose of a home inspection is for the buyer to have a clear picture of what they're buying, so they are aware of the home's condition and get a good idea of what expenses they will face for maintenance and repairs. Buyers shouldn't expect any property to be perfect, and they shouldn't look at the home inspection as a re-negotiation tool. Still, in some cases, they will ask for concessions from the seller based on the inspection report. According to this American study, 29% of sellers either make minor repairs or reduce the sale price to close the deal.

Home Inspection FAQs:

What is a home inspection? 

A home inspection is an opinion provided by a…

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A lot of people don’t know about the importance of Real Property Reports (RPRs) when buying or selling a home and often ask us about the benefits of having an RPR or Title Insurance. So let’s set the record straight right off the bat: An RPR with compliance is generally better than Title Insurance alone, but it’s not an ideal solution in every real estate transaction.

What is an RPR?

An RPR is basically a survey or a drawing of a property that shows the location of all of the improvements such as the house, garage, deck, fence, hot tub and so on. It also includes information about utility right-of-ways, easements and overhangs.

What is an RPR with compliance?

Most municipalities will issue a compliance stamp or certification when an RPR is…

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We are open and ready to help; whether you need a totally contact-free experience, would like to limit contact, or are comfortable with physically distant meetings, we can and have done it all, and will happily adapt our process to meet your needs. The city of Edmonton mandated the use of masks in public spaces on August 1 (and most surrounding areas followed suit shortly after), but this does not necessarily mean masks must be worn inside private residences. We've helped hundreds of clients buy and sell homes safely in the past few months and in our experience buyers and sellers in the Edmonton area have been very conscientious and flexible. Here are some of the ways we can help you stay safe:

Contactless or Physically Distanced Listings

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