Canada remains one of the top five countries for British immigrants looking build a new life abroad, but the immigration process can be complicated and long.  People wishing to settle in Nova Scotia, however, may apply for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), which offers a quicker entry into Canada for qualified workers and experienced entrepreneurs who want to make the province their new permanent home. The process can take as little as 15 months for qualified immigrants. In comparison, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the current processing time for permanent resident applications made via their London office is 40 months.

Second Home Nova Scotia, a UK-based company providing a comprehensive property buying services, is planning to expand its relocation department to provide resources and contacts for would-be immigrants. “The quality of life offered in Nova Scotia is very attractive to British people. It’s safe, friendly and welcoming, and spectacularly beautiful. Plus, with a population of less than one million, it’s also pleasantly uncrowded,” says Kilmeny Denny, Second Home Nova Scotia’s director and licensed property consultant.

Through Second Home Nova Scotia, a number of commercial properties and turn-key businesses are being offered for sale, presenting good opportunities for immigrants wanting to start a new life in the province. The Biscuit Eater, located in the scenic, much photographed seaside town of Mahone Bay, is a prosperous cafe and book shop. At 233 years old, the attractive building is the second oldest house in town and features a spacious owner’s flat on the first floor. As popular with locals as it is with visitors, the business is being offered turn-key with all stock and equipment for approximately £435,000.

In Cape Breton, a landmark salmon fishing inn on the famous Margaree River is for sale at  just under £515,000. It is located on the Cabot Trail and has 42 acres, with approximately 1km of river frontage, 32 rooms and two suites housed in 11 buildings, plus an outdoor swimming pool.

Someone with a creative bent will find inspiration in taking over the Opera House in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Town Lunenburg. The main floor has a new stage framed by the original proscenium arch and back by a mural of its first show in 1909. The ballroom floor has a 14ft pressed tin ceiling and offers some of the best views in Lunenburg. Would-be impresarios will need just over £450,000.

A number of attractive inn and B&B opportunities also abound in popular tourist centres in the province. In the heart of Lunenburg is the 1826 Maplebird House, a beautifully restored Registered Heritage property with an outdoor swimming pool overlooking the famous harbour. The Garrison House Inn in Annapolis Royal – named as “the Most Liveable Small Town in the World” in 2004 – was built in 1854 and originally named the Temperance Hotel. The well-known restaurant seats 45 inside plus 22 on the veranda in the summer. There are seven air-conditiond rooms with new ensuites, a commercial kitchen and owner’s quarters.

Second Home Nova Scotia is affiliated with Nova Scotia’s premier real estate company. “Our association with Tradewinds Realty Inc, the largest brokerage with province-wide offices, means that we can provide the most comprehensive buying service and resources to our UK clients,” said Denny.

http://secondhomenovascotia.com/

http://www.foxharbr.com/

http://tradewindsrealty.com/cgi-bin/listings.cgi?development=8

And I am pleased to announce that we have a great crew shaping up in that office. The latest Associate to join us is MARY STOCKS.
After raising a family in Montreal, Mary and her husband decided to come to Nova Scotia in 2006. They bought land in East LaHave and built their own home overlooking the LaHave River, where the temperatures are always warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Always a gentle wind – never a black fly or mosquito to be seen!
Having volunteered in many organizations in Montreal, from hospitals to schools, Mary continues the practice of volunteering in Nova Scotia both in Lunenburg and Bridgewater.
Mary has a background in property management and in the hospitality industry and possesses strong people skills as a result of working with people to solve problems creatively and to the satisfaction of all involved. She loves working with people and goes the extra mile to help both buyers and sellers of real estate attain their goals.
Mary welcomes you to drop by Tradewinds Realty’s new Bridgewater office at 673 King St. to review their extensive Display Gallery or call Mary at any time, 902-553-0113.

Please all welcome Mary Stocks…. Mary’s email is:mailto:mary.stocks@tradewindsrealty.com

Tel: 902-553-0113

Web bio: http://www.tradewindsrealty.com/cgi-bin/listings.cgi?profile=124

Tradewinds iPhone Splash Page

Search or browse all Tradewinds properties throughout beautiful Nova Scotia. Use the map button for “Near you” listings and search for price points, locations, etc.

Find exceptional properties across Nova Scotia. From Yarmouth to Halifax or Annapolis Royal to Baddeck in Cape Breton. We routinely catalog close to a thousand listings and in peak summer months well over a thousand of Nova Scotia’s finest properties.

We utilize Google maps with instant directions to every property in the province. Includes contact info for our office locations which feature real estate galleries of our listings, full time licensed REALTORS and lots of extra information to make your property search easy and successful.

Each listing has buttons to contact our Associates at any time or share the information quickly with your loved ones.

Lastly, make a point of joining our weekly “iNewsletter subscription list” to receive timely weekly updates of all our new listings, no matter where you are in the world.

DOWN LOAD NOW

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/tradewinds-realty-nova-scotia/id364494172?mt=8#

Tradewinds Realty is celebrating another important milestone in international marketing. The Nova Scotia real estate experts have just notched up several pieces of valuable editorial space in key European newspapers and magazines since the turn of the year.

“Achieving this sort of profile is incredibly important to our sellers,” says Tim Harris, broker/owner. “It clearly shows that we are attracting more overseas buyers through the international press than any of our competitors and are achieving an unprecedented level of market exposure for our clients.

“This forms an important part of our effort to gain a significant awareness throughout the UK and Europe. Overseas buyers, especially from the UK have become an important ingredient in our local real estate market over the last few years. These buyers provide us with a rich seem of market opportunity.”

To achieve this consistently high level of media penetration means that Tradewinds Realty agents, Chester based press department and the firms’ highly experienced marketing team located in London work exceptionally closely together.

Nick Churton who heads the UK marketing team comments, “All these elements have to link perfectly. Tradewinds Realty agents have all been trained in international marketing through the company’s training schemes, and the two press offices on both sides of the Atlantic work superbly well together to ensure that the international press feature as many homes being offered through Tradewinds Realty as possible.

“I can’t think of one other Canadian real estate firm that is achieving the level of editorial exposure in the European press as Tradewinds Realty at the moment. It is this extra marketing ingredient that sets the firm apart from others. It is the effort, creativity, experience and results that sets a truly great real estate firm from an ordinary one – and nothing about Tradewinds Realty is ever ordinary.”

In the same month that a helium balloon in Colorado made its famous flight – without its supposed young passenger – the balloon also went up in the UK regarding mortgage lending, not that this generated quite so much global publicity. The news that the UK’s financial regulatory authority, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), was to hold banks and other mortgage lenders more responsible for their conduct in providing funds for house buyers was, however, met at the same time with both partial agreement and sharp criticism.

Some were pleased that no one would now be able to borrow beyond their means. Others were anxious that this would be yet another factor to help stall the real estate market – along with Value Added Tax going up, and the Stamp Duty (UK property purchase tax) – holiday coming to an end, the general election next year and a new taste for austerity that might deter buyers from moving up market.

Some commentators predicted that the market would go into the dreaded double dip and there were even those that predicted Armageddon – especially, like the builders of the Colorado balloon, those that wanted to seek some extra publicity for themselves.

The reality will probably be less headline-making. All the above factors may have a slowing effect on the market. There may be less choice and this could keep prices artificially high. But even the most pessimistic headline grabber must agree that the market shouldn’t return to its position of last year. The factor that the doomsayers always seem to neglect is human nature. We are an ambitious species and those in our islands are an ambitious people. We like to better ourselves. We like to invest for the future and, if possible, for our children’s future.

As for the FSA, not to agree that some sort of onus should be put on the banks to lend in a responsible manner rather suggests that they should act irresponsibly. It was irresponsible banks with irresponsible lending policies that partly got us into all this financial mess in the first place. As so many banks seem to have forgotten how to demonstrate fiscal responsibility it must surely then be up to others to ensure they do.

Banks and other mortgage lenders telling us what we could and couldn’t borrow served us well for hundreds of years before the customers’ financial wellbeing was overtaken by greed when they started to lend to anyone. That we return to those days of responsible banks and lending should be a comforting frustration for most home buyers, even if it does mean some may have to save a little longer and the steam will be taken out of the market for a while.

But the problem with this new regulation is that it may well go too far. It will make it harder for the self-employed to obtain a mortgage without established proof of earnings. This is unhelpful at a time when we should surely be encouraging brave new initiatives and entrepreneurs. Those with self-certification mortgages – which made up 10% of all mortgages agreed in 2007 – will find it harder to re-mortgage when their fixed terms come to an end. Perhaps just as importantly first time buyers will certainly have to jump through a great many more hoops to buy a property than those who bought over the past twenty years. Cold comfort that their parents may well have experienced the same difficulties, but they at least have had the advantage of seeing their bricks and mortar assets accumulate at an extraordinary rate – albeit with a couple of glitches on the way.

We are entering a new era of mortgage lending. It will take a while for things to settle down but one thing does seem certain: for those with the funds and the ambition investing in property is still one of the soundest investments we will make for ourselves and our families, and that is worth getting the balloons out for.

Some Sellers find it helpful to take a photo of the front of their house and enlarge it to at least 8” X 10”. Study it carefully and ask other family members to do so as well. What are the likely first impressions it creates. Plain, bland, tired, perky, handsome, etc. may come to mind. Write them down and study them until you can settle on a minimum of three adjectives that capture the likely first impressions. Then you should focus on what would most likely improve its appearance and elicit more favourable first impressions.

First, you should address the basics. Does it appear to need repainting? If so, visit your local home centre or building products store and examine the wide variety of exterior colours available these days. Seek the advice of the paint department manager. Ask for the location of homes with some of the exciting new colours/combinations that you think might be just what your house needs, and be sure to visit them and take a few photos for later study. Above all, we recommend that you avoid white as the basic colour; it’s far too common, boring, and suggests that you have little or no imagination.

Next, check the front doors. Do they add or detract from the house appearance? Aluminum storm doors and windows should be removed altogether. (They date your house exterior to the 1950s and 1960s.) Be sure to shop for energy efficient replacement doors and windows – Buyers are going “green” these days.

How about shutters – there are lots of attractive new products at your building centre. Awnings? Half rounds above the front entrance and simple tent style awnings for the windows can spruce up an exterior in a hurry. Landscaping is next on the list. Concentrate on trees and shrubs – they’re visible all year; flowers are not. If foundation shrubbery is overgrown, some judicious pruning is called for. How is the walkway to the front door? Check out interlocking brick pavers (also at your building centre) for a weekend project that will display your good taste. Is there an asphalt driveway? If it has wheel ruts or is badly cracked, get a quote from a paving contractor to have it repaired (if possible) or replaced. Otherwise, put a coat of shiny black sealer on it. If it’s in really bad shape, consider removing it and replacing it with crushed stone.

Consider a new brass mailbox, along with matching door hardware and civic numbers to add a final bit of polish. Finally, check your roof for missing or cracked shingles, and other signs that it’s nearing the end of its useful life. If it needs replacement, you might as well have it done now. A good house inspector will spot it right away and you might end up having to pay for its replacement in any case. A new roof could well help make your house look well cared for. Many Buyers like to see a list of annoying repairs/upgrades that have been completed by the Seller. They mostly prefer the idea of a house being in move-in condition, without their having to get busy themselves in their spare time.

Home selling mistake #1 – Overpricing

Many people have difficulty assessing the true market value of their home. (“Market value” is the price range within which prudent, informed and motivated buyers will consider the pricing to be reasonable.) Sellers may associate the home with many fond memories. Or, they think that their improvements and decorating efforts make it worth “top dollar”, and that’s what they want for it. While most have no accurate idea as to what their home is worth, some do have a fairly accurate idea of its true value, but decide to go with a higher asking price in hopes that someone comes along who falls in love with it. The sellers also believe that they can always lower their asking price later if there are no acceptable offers. They overprice their home, committing costly mistake number one.

The sad reality is that overpricing a home seldom results in a quick sale. People will inquire, some will actually visit it, but rarely does anyone make an offer. Buyers seem to be ignoring it. What’s happening?

First of all, Realtors can quickly spot overpriced houses merely by doing a quick drive-by and studying the listing information. They know what comparable houses in their area are selling for – it’s their business to know. More importantly, over 90% of home buyers research listings on the Internet before ever contacting a Realtor. So, most Realtors and buyers quickly cross the overpriced property off their lists, and move on. By the time the sellers decide it’s time to lower the price into its true market value range, many once prospective buyers have already purchased another comparable property that was reasonably priced. Of those who are still searching, many have already decided that your property is overpriced and they have stopped visiting your listing. The result – few even notice the price reduction.

What happens now? Usually, not much. Realtors and buyers consider the property to be “stale”. It often takes several price reductions before new buyers are attracted. Others, of course, will be attracted as well – the bargain hunters. They almost never pay the asking price, even if it is now reasonable. Rather, they “low ball” their offers – by as much as 15% or 20% below the new asking price. The end result is that the seller either cancels the listing to “try again next year”, or sells significantly below market value – often a year or more after the For Sale sign was first erected.

When this happens, the sellers often accept less for the property than its true market value when it was first listed. The true cost of overpricing also includes the monthly interest payments on the mortgage, as well as accrued municipal property taxes. Plus, all the inconvenience, aggravation and disappointment such sellers usually experience. To avoid this discouraging outcome, sellers should ask their Realtor to prepare a written Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) for their property. It will contain accurate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) information on recent actual sale prices for three or more comparable properties in the same area. It will also contain information on comparable properties currently for sale – i.e. the competition. Your Realtor will be able to give you sound advice on pricing that is backed up by these facts and figures. If your expectations are reasonable, your results should be as well.

Tim Harris

mailto:tim.harris@tradewindsrealty.com

The article is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/greathomesanddestinations/06gh-sale.html?ref=realestate

A PDF version is available here: novascotia_nytimes_2009

I hope you enjoy it.

Tim Harris  mailto:tim.harris@tradewindsrealty.com

twitter:  http://twitter.com/twharris

@twharris