Q:  Hello, my husband and I are thinking of moving to the Fraser Valley and in particular the Langley or Cloverdale areas, possibly a little more rural on some acreage.  We were wondering if you had any suggestions for us city slickers on moving to "the country?"  Thanks Cindy.

A:  Greetings and thank you for the fabulous question!  Every week for many years we receive dozens of telephone calls and emails asking about "moving to the country."  Keep in mind that the western Fraser Valley might seem like the country but it is still extremely close the big city!  There are several highlights that usually top the list of most buyers looking at more rural properties.  In no particular order here are a very good list of priorities to consider when property hunting.  Drinking Water: Possible sources include private or communal wells, purified lake water or in extreme circumstances even bottled drinking water (if you have horses water from well's takes on an even greater importance of course).  Waste Water Systems: Septic systems can be expensive to install, repair, or replace.  Verify age, material, size, and condition of any existing system by reviewing the permit and maintenance records as well as conducting your own inspection.  Power:  Remote and very remote properties may be "off the grid" or suffer from severe winter wind storms that can of course cause significant periods where you might be on your own while waiting for your electrical power to be resumed after an interruption.  Making sure you have backups in place is often a part of of the "country" experience.  Roads & Access: Is the road leading to the property owned and maintained by the local government?  It may be communally owned, requiring maintenance costs.  Make sure you enquire as to right of way and easements.  Boundaries & Surveys: Larger lots or acreages could have shifting markers that can make it difficult at a glance to know where your property begins and ends.  Enquire as to whether there are encroaching buildings or easements.  Obtain a site survey to find out.  Lifestyle Considerations: The flip side of peace and quiet may be inconvenience, isolation, fewer services and numerous other possible issues that can arise.  A good friend of ours loves to tell anyone that will listen about the beaver that decided to take up residence once that bought their acreage.  Our friend thought the beaver was darling until the rainy season came and the beaver’s industrious nature caused flooding over a full third of our friend’s property!  Financing: For some rural properties, such as vacant land or large acreages, securing financing can be more difficult. 

Well we hope that some of your questions have been answered today and you can of course call us direct at any time for a much more detailed analysis of your exact needs.  The Cindy Russell Team prides itself in helping clients overcome the hurdles that may arise in any of your real estate needs!  Happy home hunting!

Q:  Hi Cindy, my partner and I love your web site and reports section..we have been following it for several years now.  We have a couple of real estate agent questions (really a couple of hundreds).  How do people "really" choose their realtor, especially when they are selling their homes?  The main reason we ask that is because we are constantly on the MLS and of course driving by home for sale and cannot believe how many real estate agents have the most pathetic signs!!!  Almost all of them don't even have those information boxes on their signs!  We also shocked at the amount of real estate agents that don't even have "their own" web sites..I mean, they are selling peoples homes and they don't even have a web site or they just have some totally useless and inadequate web "presence" they try and pass off as a "marketing" tool and it is always out of date or worse!!  We are shocked that people actually that stupid, to put it bluntly, enough to have that type of real estate agent to sell their home.  What say you?

A:  First of all, thank you for your candor and the time you have taken to write.  I cannot comment on why many home owners do just as you have described in your letter however I can tell you that we at "The Cindy Russell Team" hear that type of comment on a very regular basis.  We spend a significant amount of time asking clients questions and then listening and doing our level best to use their important input in meeting or exceeding all of their real estate needs.  For example we have custom reciprocity search engines allowing clients and the public alike to gain that extra advantage when searching their respective communities for that ideal property.  Our web site is the #1 individual real estate agent site in the entire Fraser Valley, something we are very proud of.  Our listing signage is second to none and we always have listing package information available in our feature sheet boxes.  Please feel free to contact us to register for our upcoming Real Estate "Pay Dirt" seminar in your area this fall or call me direct at 604-803-1904 and I would be more than happy to answer any more of your real estate questions at that time.

Q: In a couple of years I will move to the White Rock area and plan to buy a house. If I could I would very much like to lock in the current market price. One way would be to buy a house now and rent it out. This is not ideal as I live in Asia and have only some general knowledge of the White Rock area. How practical is this? What are typical terms for the organization that would manage the property for me and who does this? Is there any other way of hedging out future changes in prices in the housing market? Does any fund track the price of houses?

A: Buying and renting is a very common practice and there are lots of reliable property managers in the White Rock area, in fact at one time I was also a property manager for 7 years so my first hand knowledge is extensive. The difficulty is taking the time to choose the right house at the right price and getting one such that the rent provides a reasonable cash flow to offset financing, taxes, maintenance, etc. Another strategy would be to buy a "presale" condo which allows you to pay a deposit and lock in today's market price and not pay the balance until the property is built. (usually a couple years down the line). I have a significant amount of knowledge and inventory in either respect available to you whenever you like.

Q: I am buying my first investment property in Kamloops in the very near future. My mortgage broker tells me to avoid CMHC as my costs would run through the roof. In order to avoid CMHC, I have to have 25% down, not the 5 or 10% or less as suggested. Are there any ways around CMHC? How do I go about getting the best investment with the least amount down when ultimately, I would still have to put 25% down?

A: The best way to avoid CMHC fees is to set up what is called an unsecured line of credit. If you have good income and not very much credit card debt you can set one up quite easily by asking your banker. Rates are usually prime plus two points. If the money is used for a Real Estate investment the interest expense is tax deductible.

Q: Why are internet real estate listings so out of date? It doesn't make sense with today's technology. You can look on MLS, or a particular realtor's web page and find listings that have not been current for up to several months. I have wasted a lot of time on homes that are not even for sale any longer. I've emailed a realtor regarding a listing to discover it has been taken off the market or sold and 6 weeks later, it is still showing active on his web page...prompting another email to find out that it is indeed still not for sale. Are there any agents who are known for keeping their information up to date? I think this has become my number one criteria in an agent ... one who lists what is REALLY for sale.

A: I think the reason many web sites have out of date listings is that a lot of Realtors don't appreciate the power of the Internet or they are too busy to keep them up to date. You are right; today it is of utmost importance to be working with the right professional who specializes in exactly what you are looking for within a given area with excellent customer service. Cindy Russell and Customer Service and follow up are synonymous with superior service at all levels. That is just one of the reasons why she was the only Real Estate Agent to be nominated for the above by the White Rock/South Surrey Chamber of Commerce.

Q: When buying or investing in property, office space etc, do you have to buy it outright or can you use a mortgage, i.e., 30% down?

A: In most cases you can get a mortgage with a 5-25% down payment. It varies depending on what type of property. For example a commercial retail space may require a larger down payment than a multifamily apartment building or duplex. To find out what the parameters are in your area call me and I will be happy to give you specific parameters. Cindy Russell, (604) 803-1904.

Q: Hello Cindy and thank you for such a wonderful community service, your site is fabulous and my husband and I see you in our neighborhood constantly and quoted in many local news articles etc! What are the pros and cons of owning oceanfront property? My husband and I are looking into buying oceanfront property in White Rock. We are first time higher end buyers and will be getting a construction loan to purchase the land and build our home. We are very nervous and want to be sure that owning property on the ocean is worth the extra expense.

A: Waterfront will always be at a premium so don't worry about paying more for it. What you do have to watch out for are problems with a specific property or area. These problems could be road access, availability of drinking water, environmental issues, etc. The answers to all these questions can be answered by me and my Team of professionals in short order. Any offer should be made subject to investigating these. Regarding the price you pay, I will provide you with a very detailed assessment of properties and their values and we will assist you in taking the risk out of your investment.