How Prices Have Changed In Coquitlam by Darrell Backen, REALTOR...Market Update September 2009 The Market for Homes in Coquitlam Has Changed Dramatically. Here Is What the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver Has Researched and Published. If you've been sitting on the fence deciding when to list your home.  This may be a good time for you as there's not many homes available for sale on the market. If you're thinking of buying a home.  This may be a good time to accelerate your process as the market seems to be changing. I can make the process much easier for you by placing on my VIP instantly informed program. This has the listings as they come on the MLS sent directly to you by e-mail so that you are instantly informed of what is on the market. This is a free service.  Register for t... 10/28/2009

WHAT IS YOUR HOME WORTH IN COQUITLAM? With access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data I will provide you with what youneed to: •·  Gauge how the market is trending  · Find out what sold most recently and for how much         Understand how homes compete on price with other properties selling inthe area ··   View homes for sale with photos to better assess the market conditions ... and answer any pressing questions youmay have. MLS Market Snapshot  FOR COQUITLAM   10/26/2009

The Original Coquitlam Keg was destroyed October 28, 2006 in a very serious fire on a night where a suspected serial arsonist set 4 major fires in the area. Flash forward to late October 2009 and the highly anticipated NEW Coquitlam Keg will be opening in a new location with a beautiful new Westcoast Contemporary building. Located beside Best Buy & Save On Foods by Coquitlam Centre Mall, the new Restaurant is sure to be a popular attraction this Winter. Workers are busily putting the finishing touches on this structure and it won't be long before we will be able to say "Let the Good Time Roll" again at the Keg Steakhouse. Welcome back Coquitlam Keg, we've missed you! 10/23/2009

The Gaby Davis Foundation will be hosting a Movie Night Fundraiser at the Coquitlam River Elementary School, located the Coquitlam real estate neighborhood of River Springs. What:  Disney/Pixar's move "UP" When: Firday November 13, 2009 Where: 4250 Shaugnessy Street, Coquitlam River Elementary School gymnasium Time: Doors open at 6:30pm, movie starts at 7:30pm sharp. Tickets: $5.00 Limited tickets available. call 604-464-4229 to reserve or purchase at the door on movie night OR drop by any time at Play Paradise. 2020 Oxford COnnector, Port Coquitlam. Bring your blankets, pillows, air mattresses, PJ's & teddy bears for a night of fun! All proceeds to help families affected by chldhood cancer. 10/22/2009

HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME FASTER AND FOR BETTER PRICE IN COQUITLAM There are new Internet Marketing Methods that SELL YOUR HOME FASTER AND FOR BETTER PRICE  Your home is given its own web site page, which has been search engine optimized and is specially designed for your home It includes, a video tour of your home, your building, with music, voiceover commentary and features and benefits written at strategic parts in the video.  This will SELL YOUR HOME FASTER AND FOR BETTER PRICE.    There is a customized map with your home as the end destination, where prospective buyers.  Simply type in the address of their home, their school, their friends to find out how far and how long would take to get to their new home from these destinations. These also SELL YOUR HOME FASTER AND FOR BETTER PRICE.... 10/21/2009

Find your new home faster in Coquitlam with auto notification from MLS INSTANT ACCESS WITH  LISTINGS FROM ALL REAL ESTATE COMPANIES IN THE LOWER MAINLAND USING MLSHave Homes That Match Your Exact Home Buying Criteria E-Mailedto you as they come on the market!!Simply enter your price range, desired features, and location.It's quick, easy, and hassle free...Just fill out the form and click submit Click on the HomeScout Navigation bar below. 10/16/2009

  We can sell your Lowermainland home quickly, and for top dollar. The Lowermainland market moves fast, but we move faster. Our team is comprised of variety of different experts who work with us to create the most innovative and effective marketing program to sell your home. We are not exaggerating when we say that millions of people will see your listing, online, in the newspaper, and flyers. If your home isn't sold in 90 days, we'll sell it for free. How's that for a guarantee?  For a free no obligation home evaluation give us a call! 604-726-1023                                                                                    SELL YOUR LOWERMAINLAND  HOME FASTER AND FOR MORE MONEY!   WITH THE PROPERTY FINDERS GUARANTEED HOMESELLING SYSTEM!   -WE WILL SELL YOUR LOWERMAINLAND HOME IN... 10/09/2009

SOLD I BROUGHT A BUYER FOR THIS HOME IN 4 DAYS NEGOTIATED $10,000 OFF OF THE LIST PRICE IN BUYER'S MARKET $324,900 LIST PRICE #83-215 BEGIN ST, COQUITLAM, BC VIEW, VIEW, VIEW this exceptionally stylish & QUIET 2 bedroom end unit has been RAINSCREENED. This 2 storey townhome has a Fabulous location, 2 BALCONIES PLUS a large secluded private ROOF-TOP SUNDECK with a VIEW of the Fraser River. Exciting floor plan and tasteful decorated throughout. Bright living room with cozy gas fireplace. Elegant, bright dining room off kitchen. Lovely master bedroom with semi-ensuite bath. Storage closet on main, laundry on upper level. Tranquil second bedroom with balcony. Lots of large windows everywhere. 2 PARKING & storage. WOULD LIKE TO USE MY NEGOTIATING SKILLS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE? CALL OLENA @ 778.99... 09/30/2009

Shhhh don't tell anyone, the much anticipated Zone Bowling Centre in Coquitlam, BC at 228 Schoolhouse Street, just down from Silver City Coquitlam is now open!  Word of mouth has been spreading and crowds have been showing up evenings and weekends already. What better way to extend an evening, after a movie at Silver City but to take in the fun new Zone Bowling Centre Coquitlam and bowl a few frames.  Other tenants in the complex include Quiznos, Taco del Mar, I Love Sushi! and Pearl Fever restaurants but will be featuring the fabulous Big River Restaurant with featured Westcoast fare. The phone number for Zone Bowling Centre Coquitlam is 604-525-2695 The current hours of operation are from about 11:00am till 11:00PM. Certain to be a favorite new spot for Lower Mainland bowlers, leagues... 09/24/2009

I had the pleasure of attending the Gaby Davis Foundation volunteer thank you picnic held at the River Springs Community Centre in Coquitlam today.  The Gaby Davis Foundation  was started in memory of Gabrielle Davis who lost her battle with childhood cancer in March 2007. Her brave fight against cancer inspired many to help with her wish to help other families fighting this terrible beast.During Gaby's fight, it was necessary for her father to leave his employment for the course of her 44 week treatment. It was also necessary for Gaby to travel to California for 7 weeks in order to receive specialized radiation treatment for her cancer.There were many costs that were not covered by insurance and her parents were required to carry two households during her time away.The family was very... 09/07/2009

Me and my clients went to check out Belmont by Morning Star Developments the other weekend. It's part of The Foothills at Burke Mountain development I wrote about earlier. They are located just off the Coast Meridian Road once you go past David Ave North, on your left hand side. It is in Coquitlam, not Port Coquitlam as many people might think. Easy access to highway (especially with new Coast Meridian Overpass coming), variety of schools and parks. The area is very quiet yet you do not feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.   A neighborhood of Heritage-Inspired Classic Single Family homes ranging in size from 3797sq.ft. to 3873sq.ft. including unfinished basements, double attached garages and cul-de-sac locations are available within this community. If you would like the builder t... 03/18/2009

  Couple of weekends ago me and my clients were looking for a new home in Coquitlam. I took them to the Foothills at Burke Mountain in Coquitlam. It' s a new development area that offers the choice of housing from townhome, to condominiums, to homes on small lots to large single family estate like properties. Choice of builders and properties: Belmont by Morningstar Homes Birchwood Estates by Wallmark Homes Burke Mountain Heights by Foxridge Homes Gardenia at the Foothills The Palisades at The Foothills by Thomas Homes Now Selling    Coming Soon   Sold Out A mix of townhomes and single family homes with both larger and smaller lots will give new owners here a good choice of housing price ranges. Many of the existing large lot homes will be retained although some will choose to redevelop... 03/18/2009

I made a drive up to the new Burke Mountain Developments in Coquitlam today to check out the new Birchwood Estates, Foxridge, Gardenia and Belmont projects. What a day, the beautiful weather and the realization that the world goes on has brought buyers back in droves.  In particular the Foxridge with its new releases and the Belmont with its highly reviewed designs had lines out the door at the show homes today. Will you see this on the news tonight? Defintely not, why show Buyers taking advantage of lower prices and record low interest rates to purchase stunning new homes with breath taking views in well planned communites? For more information on any of the Morningstar, Walmark, Foxridge or any of the other smaller projects and bulding lots on Burke Mountain in Coquitlam, contact me t... 02/21/2009

Ok you read it here first. This "economic melt down" or recession  will end when the the US housing market bottoms out. Actually when you think about it it's pretty simple. The economic boom of the past 7 or 8 years was driven in large part by US households who accounted for most of the spending growth. As real estate prices were driven up, households had more room to borrow on equity which further drove spending. The house of cards began to fall when dodgy borrowers began to default in ever increasing numbers. This brought on the subprime mess. So now a large number of US household are "upside down" in terms of home equity. They owe more than there homes are worth. The result is: no more spending power and a drastic decline in economic activity. It stands to reason that the way out of ... 02/21/2009

Today at our brokerage awards ceremony there was a speaker from our local branch of the Royal LePage Shelter foundation which helps women and children in need.  It was compelling to hear that our efforts go to support people in need right here in our community.  Our office manager said if every person in our office had donated $25 a deal, we could have donated $50,000 last year - that was amazing.    When you consider that $5 buys food for one woman for a day $25 provides one hour legal support for a court appearance $50 provides two hours of counselling $100 provides a new mother with a baby shower or an art therapy program $150 provides a week of childcare for a woman in an economic self sufficiency program our donations can certainly go a long way towards giving women and children in... 02/09/2009

I find it interesting how all these new ideas to sell a house are popping up. First it was the company that staged a messy teenagers room complete with socks and clothes strewn all around, now the latest concept I came across is this: New business in Tampa, FL is placing "compulsively neat people who own upscale furniture" into vacant  homes waiting to sell. Average time the "manager" stays in the house is 5 months. The "home manager" will be responsible for keeping the property in "show-ready" condition. What do you think, is it is better to have someone temporarily living in the house instead of having it staged and only opened up for showings? Good point in the end that maybe the "manager" enjoys living in the house so much that they don't want it to be sold quickly? Here is the arti... 01/26/2009

Let me start by disclosing that I am not an Arborist, but a recent story in the local newspaper of a toppled tree, well over 100 feet, raised some interesting questions for me to consider as a Realtor. Most urban jurisdictions regulate the conservation, removal and replacement of trees. Whether a tree is deciduous (sheds all leaves) or evergreen, the health, regulation and safety of trees is important for buyers to know. Establishing whether the tree is within the survey stakes should resolve ownership issues, but what are the possible consequences of roots that cross boundaries? A buyer will likely not want to find out after the fact that they are the new owner of a: •·         tree that compromises public safety (e.g. proximity to other houses or power lines); •·         compromised r... 12/10/2008

A surprise to some was the as yet still unofficial win of Richard Stewart for the position of Mayor of Coquitlam.   A hearty congratulations to Mr. Stewart as he enters his new position.   A sincere thank you to outgoing mayor Maxine Wilson, for all her dedication, effort and hard work up to this point.  Elections with results as close as this were have the effect of leaving the population uneasy, the decision is not a clear one & only time will tell if the public will be happy with the results in the long run. 11/16/2008

I was at (yet another) training session at my office yesterday - the topic "Open Houses".   Great information was presented, but one fact came to light that rather shocked and dissapointed me. It was recommended to us that we get our name/picture on our open house street directional signs to prevent other agents in our company from snatching them out of the grass & using them for their own open houses!!!    (Not anyone in our own office of course we were told!) Wheres the love?  Where's the teamwork?  I know it's a tough market, but how cheap do you have to be to stoop to something like that? Has this ever happened to you?   Did you ever catch another agent in the act?  On my way out now to get some customized Open House signs with my smiling face on them I guess! Have a great day! 11/13/2008

Finally I have had an opportunity to put my new "identity" out in the "rain".   I have been part of activerain for a few months now with my home staging business, but am happy and proud to say I've officially started phase two of my plan to re-educate and re-invent myself as a REALTOR.   I really feel like the two skills compliment each other so well.    I realize this isn't the hottest real estate market, but am continually told by more experienced realtors that this is actually a good time to get into the business, as it will force me to focus on the quality of my skills, knowlege and abilities to meet the challenges of today's market. It is such an exciting time to get into a new type of business - there is such a vast wealth of technologies available to make me more productive and e... 11/08/2008